Do You Know What’s in Your Clothes Closet – A Mature Woman’s Guide to a Wearable Wardrobe

Has your closet become a clothing cemetery? You know, a place where a beautiful blue silk dress once resided but, has now been buried amongst the clutter. In order to get the most wear out of your wardrobe, you must first know what is in your wardrobe. Here are a few easy steps for making your closet more “wearer-friendly”

1. Empty Your Closet

Have you ever moved to a new residence? As you start emptying the house and packing things up, you discover that you have more stuff than you realized. The same principle applies to your closet. Most women’s closets are jammed packed with things they have forgotten. Many of them still have the tags on. The only real way to take stock of what you own is to empty your closet and discover what’s been hiding there.

2. Sort Your Clothes By Category

Put all your dresses, suits, slacks, etc…into their own piles. Use a piece of paper to make note of what you have. For example, one black cocktail dress, two red sweaters. This list will help you with the next step, deciding what to toss.

3. Get Rid of The Excess

Once the clothes have been sorted it’s time to decide what must go. Here are a few questions you might ask yourself during this process:

a) What is out of style?

Like most mature women, I have seen many styles make a comeback. The temptation, therefore, is to keep clothes because one day they will be back in vogue. The truth is that even though styles do come back, they don’t return in the same manner. Most designers re-vamp a trend with a modern twist. Another reason to dispose of items from days gone by is because even if the style comes back, you have changed. Either the bell bottom pants you have kept for 8 years won’t fit anymore, or they will not be age appropriate.

b) Do you really like this item?

I can’t tell you how many women I know who keep things they don’t like in their closets. I don’t know, maybe they think the jacket, dress or skirt will suddenly look better, the longer it hangs in their closet. The usual excuse women give for keeping such clothes, is that they don’t want to waste money by giving the item away. The truth is money is being wasted every day the item hangs in your closet and is not worn by somebody. If you are worried about the money, take items like these to a resale or consignment store to get at least some return on your investment.

c) Does It Fit?

If you have clothes that are too large or too small, consider getting rid of them. Clothing that is too big may be altered to fit. However, if the piece of clothing is too big because you recently lost 50lbs, you are better off giving it away. Any attempts to alter it may destroy the drape or lines of the garment. Garments that are too small should be disposed of also. Avoid saving an item because it will fit when you lose weight. Your closet should only contain clothes that you can wear now.

d) Does it fit your lifestyle?

A woman’s closet should reflect her lifestyle. If you are retired, you can probably get rid of most of your business suits. Maybe you have moved from Chicago to Miami. If that is the case, your heavy wool coats and furs can most likely be consigned or donated. Whatever the lifestyle change, make sure your closet only contains clothes that are relevant to how you are living now.

5) Perform An Ongoing Audit

Once your closet has been reorganized, keep it stocked with only wearable garments by conducting an ongoing audit. One simple way to accomplish this is every time you wear something, hang it backwards in the closet. At the end of the month, survey the clothes that are still hanging in the forward position. These are the ones that have not been worn and may need to be donated or trashed.