With many of us spending more time at home, now is the perfect time to go through your closet and edit, edit, edit. Pull out a piece and ask it the question posed by Marie Kondo—does this bring me joy? If not, pull it out—and make space for something new! Read below for some of my top closet reorganization tips AND for details about an amazing giveaway we’re doing at Rosedale Center this week:
Give your closet a seasonal flip every six months. I go through my closet every spring and fall, putting the past-season items in storage or flipping them to the very back of my closet. Then, I pull out my current season items and go through them, piece by piece. Not seeing them for six months gives me fresh eyes, making it easier to decide whether I’m excited to wear that piece again or I’m over it.
Do an inventory. As you’re going through your closet, you’ll notice redundancy as well as the holes in your wardrobe. Do you have two pairs of very similar pants you can wear interchangeably? Get rid of the lower-quality pair or the pair that doesn’t fit you as well. Are you realizing you could really use a navy blazer? Take notes so you know what to look for when you go shopping.
Divide and conquer. Divide items up into a pile for donations or to save for a garage sale, a pile of better-quality pieces to consign or put on Poshmark, and a pile for items that need to be mended, altered or cleaned.
Organize by how often you wear items. Keep the items you wear on an everyday basis (like work clothes) within easiest reach, and special occasion outfits tucked away.
Invest in a new closet system. If your closet just isn’t working for you, it might be time to find a closet system. California Closets, which I am collaborating with on a closet display at Rosedale Center, is a great resource. Currently, they’re offering free virtual consultations with their experts. Due to stay-at-home orders, installation services are on hold, but you can design now and install later (or install yourself).
Add a few new spring pieces—mindfully. As you go through your wardrobe, you may want to think about a few fun things to add for spring. There’s no better mood-booster for me than buying a new piece that I love. But as we’ve all slowed down, it’s a good time to be more mindful about new purchases. Now’s a good time to think about your wardrobe holistically, and find the pieces you truly love that you will want to wear next year (and the year after).
Get dressed to WFH in style. If you’re anything like me, you’re doing a lot of Zoom video calls, so you’ll want to think about styling yourself from the chest up. Right now, I’m loving bright patterns and colors, fun earrings and bright lip colors—which really pop on Zoom video calls. I’m also leaning toward pieces that offer comfort while still looking polished. After many days in leggings and sweatpants at the beginning of the stay-at-home orders, I’m wanting to wear “normal” clothes again, albeit with a bit more comfort in mind. I’m really loving the pajama-inspired floral suit I’m wearing in the above photo I got at Target, paired with colorful yarn earrings by local brand Perennial. That being said, with all this time in the house, I finally splurged on fancy pajamas, a robe and slippers, plus an elevated sweatsuit. Caftans and light sundresses are another great option for comfort around the house in the summer. I’m also living in my loose-fit vintage high-waisted Levi’s.
GIVEAWAY TIME!
To give you your spring wardrobe a makeover, Rosedale Center is giving away a $100 gift card to Von Maur at Rosedale Center and a $500 gift card for California Closets MN. Von Maur Rosedale is among the stores launching curbside pickup this week, so it’s a great time to use that gift card. (You must live within 45 minutes of California Closets' Bloomington HQ to enter.) Contest runs today through May 11. To enter and get more details, visit Rosedale Center’s Facebook page.
Have some donations ready? Arc’s Value Village will reopen its donation drop-off service on Sunday, May 10 with some new requirements. Make donations between the daily hours of 10am–6pm at their back donor drive-through and remain in your vehicle. All donations must be pre-sorted at home into clothing and housewares and transported in a sturdy bag or box marked "Arc." Their staff will unload your vehicle and your donation receipt will be left for you in your trunk or back seat. Visit www.arcsvaluevillage.org for details and locations.