This post is an update to one of my first posts. I have wanted to expand upon it since wardrobe organizing is a lifelong passion of mine.  So much so that I feel like I could have written The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying. I have always curated my wardrobe by only including the things I love and keeping my wardrobe tidy.

Back in the 90s my mom coined the term “the heap” to reference unwanted items that I got rid of. Whenever we would go shopping she would say things like “I can see that piece ending up in the heap in a few months”. Lol. Over the years, I grew tired of wasting my money and now make it a point to ask myself if I will still love it in 6 months. If the answer is no, then it has to stay at the store. I had to really crack down to avoid my hard earned cash from becoming disposal income.

Getting back to the purpose of today’s post, I have always preferred less clothing in my closet; quality over quantity. Unfortunately, in 2013 I went a little crazy with the spending. Shopping became my outlet for stress and I ended up buying a lot of stuff that I didn’t need.

I’m definitely not an impulse buyer, but sometimes I still buy things that I don’t love or use. What I enjoy most about fashion is using what you already have and incorporating some new items while finding creative ways to re-wear what you already own. You’d be surprised by the outfit combinations you can come up with when you have a limited selection. Having only the best items will save you time and eliminate the age old “I have nothing to wear”.

Now that I’ve wised up, I have even toyed with the idea of going minimal. But after much thought, I decided that full blown minimalism is not for me. I still love the idea of a capsule wardrobe or small wardrobe. With that said, here are eight tips for organizing your closet.

Wardrobe Tidying Tips

1. Clear out your closet and begin with a blank canvas. Try on everything and throw out the items that you don’t love.
2. Make piles for donations, stuff to sell, and another for repairs and dry cleaning.
3. Move all off-season clothing to another closet or store it under the bed. I use containers similar to these to store my clothing and keep it dust free.

Selling Unwanted Items

1. List your clothes on online consignment shops. I sell my stuff to ThredUp (see my post on this brand here & here) and TheRealReal (designer items only).
2. Curate your own shop of gently used items on PoshMark. I recently became a user of this platform after hearing so much about it. If you aren’t familiar with PoshMark, it is a platform that allows the seller to list their goods (via their phone) and sell their stuff directly to the buyer. For the most part, the platform seems to work well. PoshMark does however, collect a small fee for the sale and shipping. The prepaid labels make selling easy. I would describe PoshMark as the modern day equivalent of Ebay for fashion lovers, but don’t expect to make a lot of money. I found that most buyers are looking for a deal and pay little to nothing for high-quality items. Buyers are able to bargain too. PoshMark is definitely in the buyer’s favor. Once basic fees are deducted it can be hard to make much money. I would recommend listing a few items and if your experience is good, list some more.
3. Sell your stuff on Ebay. If you don’t mind the legwork of photography, creating listings, shipping costs, payment fees, and driving to the post office, Ebay is another good option. However, I much prefer leaving that work to the online resellers.
4. Donate your items.
5. Sell or trade to your friends/coworkers. It’s much easier to part with something when you know it’s going to a good home.

Now make room for the new! What tips do you have for wardrobe tidying?

Blazer: Target Who What Wear Collection | Tee: J.Crew (similar) | Necklace: Loft | Ring: Madewell (sold out)| Denim: Madewell | Shoes: Paul Green| Purse: Marc by Marc Jacobs (similar) | Lipstick: Bite Beauty

📷’s by Luba Kochubey Portraits