I’m sure I freaked my
roommate out when my two ginormous “body bags” (they’re not actually body bags,
don’t freak out, but I can actually fit inside!) filled with clothes took up
over half of our room. It was so overwhelming I didn’t know where to start. The
last thing you want to deal with on move in day is deciding what to keep and
send home due to lack of space. Determined as I was, I didn’t send home a
single piece. Not one. I found a way to make everything fit. My drawers were stuffed
with tee shirts I thought I needed, dresses I hadn’t worn since freshman year
of high school and I believe I packed my ugly Christmas sweaters too. I actually
ended up going to Target to buy another dresser to fit my clothes in. I had
never been the type to have such an unorganized closet. Usually I’m organized
by color or style and here I had no method to the madness. I had multiple
shirts on a hanger, nice dresses folded and shoved into drawers, bulky coats
and jackets piled at the bottom of my wardrobe, I even slept with clothes in my
bed. Saying this was a huge problem is an understatement. So here I am today to
help YOU get organized before you move in. Take my advice, I promise you won’t
regret it.
Before you move in I
highly suggest a closet cleanse. By this I mean you need to figure out what you
really wear, what your style is really like and I’m here to help you
along the way! Otherwise you might end up wallowing in a pile of clothes (as pictured above and below).
Step One
Pick out your go-to
pieces. Those jeans you always reach for, that leather jacket you throw on when
you’re in a hurry… those pieces. Pick out your top ten pieces you just can’t
live without, those aren’t going anywhere!
Step Two
Give everything else
away. Just kidding! What I like to do is pick out those pieces that haven’t
been worn in the past six months. You know what I’m talking about. That floral
dress you bought on a whim or the sequin sweater you swore would go with
everything. Ditch them. If they haven’t been touched recently, nothing will
make you reach for them in the future, I promise. I didn’t think that was true
but it is. If you’re really attached or on the fence, try packing them in a box
you can slide under your bed. If you reach for them you can consider keeping
it. If not, get rid of them.
Step 3
Now we’re down to all
those awkward in between pieces that aren’t your favorite and aren’t your least
favorite. So here’s where it may become difficult to make decisions, but no
fear! I have a method I think will work. So the two big questions I like to ask
myself is “is this my style?” or “if I were shopping today would I but this?”.
Usually this will settle my indecisiveness. Defining your style can be hard.
Honestly I don’t like to put style in a box, it limits creativity. But what I
do like to do is wear pieces that truly reflect myself. Are you wearing
something because Olivia Palermo was or because you snagged the attention of
that cute guy? These aren’t reasons to keep something if it isn’t you. Style is about expressing yourself
and nothing more or less. Wear what makes you feel confident.
Step 4
Make sure everything
you’re keeping actually fits. Have a try on party! Turn some music on and start
trying on your clothes. As your body changes, the way your clothes fit will
change too. Make sure you feel as confident in your clothes as you did when
they were new.
Step 5
So now that you’ve refined
the majority of your closet, you’re done right? Usually not the case. You still
have a few pieces hanging there that you don’t know what to do with, right? So why
are you on the fence? Do you have an emotional attachment? “I’m not going to
wear this shirt, I know I won’t but this is what I was wearing when I met
Taylor Swift”. I feel your pain. Definitely don’t bring this to school with you
and try to put it in that box of “maybe” clothes you have under your bed. Maybe
you’re keeping a special occasion piece… leave that behind and have someone
send it to you if you’re in desperate need of it.
Step 6
By this point your
closet cleanse should be complete! Don’t you feel so much better? Everything that’s
in there is your style and makes you feel confident. Getting dressed can now be
so much fun rather than a treasure hunt! So all those extra clothes you’ve
decided to get rid of, do a swap with your friends, see if you can trade what
you have. Give them away, I’m sure there are plenty of people in need of gently
used clothes. If you’re getting rid of more expensive pieces, try selling them.
Who doesn’t love making a little money off of their old possessions?
Step 7
Fill in the gaps. I’m
sure you’ll want to go back to school shopping (who doesn’t?!) and this isn’t
the time to replace everything you just purged. Don’t destroy your progress!
Before you go shopping, create a Pinterest board full of your absolute favorite
outfits and styles if you haven’t already. What do you already own? What pieces
are missing? Fill in the gaps of your style with things you’ll actually wear
for years to come rather than purchasing a trendy piece on a whim.
I hope these tips
helped. I know I wish I would have taken this advice my freshman year and
refined my closet before I moved in. Having a little breathing room is the best.
For me an unorganized closet equals an unorganized life. So, join me in
starting off your year fresh!
Even if you’re not
moving and you just need a little refresher, do this anyway! You’ll feel so
much better. If you decide to do a closet cleanse, send me pictures or let me
know what you added and subtracted from your wardrobe.
Also, do any of you
out there have any closet horror stories? I’d love to hear them. If you have
any advice on cleaning out a closet, be sure to let me know your tips and
tricks in the comments!
Thanks for reading
and happy cleaning!
For more back to school posts, be sure to follow me on Bloglovin'! As for day to day posts see what I'm up to by following my Instagram here!
For more back to school posts, be sure to follow me on Bloglovin'! As for day to day posts see what I'm up to by following my Instagram here!
xx Mariah
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