Gratefully, my last editorial had people saying, “Great post! Now I need to get started.” So I figured, why not help? 

This post will mark the beginning of a, Finding Your Style Series, in which I will give loose guidance on how to take on this overwhelming task. I say “loose” because everyone’s style and wardrobe needs are so different, and I loathe with a passion those, “5 Shirts you need in your wardrobe” posts. I say “overwhelming” because, let's be honest, we say we want to start dressing, give it a thought and think….’nah, I’ve made it this far’.

Shall we begin?

Closet Audit

I have talked about this in the past: Pull everything out of your closet and make 3 piles: Keep, Tailor, Donate. Keep is obvious, tailor is that shirt you like but would wear more if it had less fabric, donate is what you need to get rid of, to charity, to kids, to the trash. - But I will expand upon it. A Closet Audit is much like a financial audit, you don't know how much you are spending or saving unless you take a hard look at everything; the coffees you buy everyday add up, those impulse “i just needed something to wear so i bought this” purchases add up. 

Questions to ask yourself during the process: Am I the same person I was when I bought this? Am I holding on to this for illogical reasons? Did I buy this for an old job, does it represent my current situation? Was this a one time purchase? Am I holding onto this because I feel the need too because I spent too much money on it? I know I said I would try this style, but seriously, will I? Is 9 hoodies enough? Yes, this item is good, I wear it often, but could I upgrade it? If I want to upgrade something, does that mean I like that style and should explore that more? Is there a certain brand I see often? What do I like about this piece, color, fit, style, way I feel, material? How has my life changed since I purchased this? Are those holes in this T-shirt I’ve had since college? Can I store some of this differently? How OLD is my underwear? Do I just keep adding new things, but forget to focus on essentials? Have I considered how I take care of my clothing? Do I have 1000 different hangers? 

Before we get started, very simply, on a piece of paper write down: how you would describe your style? What colors come to mind? What fit do you like? 

1. Start Systematically: Do you have clothes in a dresser(s), in the closet, in bins under the bed - okay …even i'm starting to breathe heavily - this is a task, so just start somewhere. Let's start with the dresser - empty it. One drawer at a time, we make our piles: Keep - Tailor - Donate. Okay! We got this!! Let’s move to the closet. Just slowly pull things out. Goodness, why do you have so many different hangers…let’s buy a pack of new ones. If you take care of your wardrobe, it’ll take care of you. - I think you have a good grasp on this concept. 

2. Keep: The keep shouldn’t be one massive pile. Organize the clothing you’re going to keep by item. This is where you start to see trends and your style will emerge, even if you don’t think that's your style. Put all your jeans into a pile, your skirts, your dress shirts, your casual shirts, your nice t shirts, your weekend t shirts, allllll separate piles. So..looking at everything, you feel like a pretty chill person who likes funky fun stuff, why do you have 10 blue shirts and only 3 pattern shirts? You wear nice clothing all day, and on weekends you usually go out. Why do you have 15 band t shirts and 12 basketball shorts? WHY do you still have this leather jacket that didn’t fit, does not fit, never gonna fit? – see what we’re doing here?

1. What colors stick out? Are they the colors you wrote down? Maybe you love earthy colors, brown/olive/tan but you're seeing a sea of blue, white, and black. 

2. Is your lifestyle more casual now? Thats a lot of dress clothing from your last job. 

3. If you didn’t know you, looking at these piles, would you use the words you wrote down to describe this wardrobe?

3. Organize: Pride is one of the most misrepresented aspects of your wardrobe. Most people think of a vain fashionista if you take pride in your look, and just say whatever to storing the items. Organize your wardrobe how you dress. Starting with the drawers Underwear, socks, all that goes at the top. Your Shirts go in the middle, and pants at the bottom. Pack the ones you wear the most at the front, or top of the drawer depending on how you fold. If you don’t have room…maybe reconsider it as a keep? 

1. Closet: I cannot stress this enough: buy matching hangers. Enough with the metal bent ones and the broken plastic ones. Don’t tell anyone I told you this but go to amazon or walmart and get a pack, they're like $20. If you’re hanging a garment you feel doesn’t deserve the investment of hangers…donate? 

1. Thin hangers for shirts, knits, and light items. Wide hangers for suits, blazers and jackets. 

2. Organize by formality, your casual shirts in one section, followed by dress. (or swap depending on your lifestyle) 

4. Assess: Now that we have disassembled and reassembled your wardrobe, look back at the items. Look at what you wrote down. Make a list to fill in the gaps

1. Do you need more casual shirts. Find a shirt you love and figure out what you love about it, the fit, the fabric, the company, the length. 

2. Do you need less dress pants and more pants that can be dressed up or down?

3. Write down all the items you feel like you need, keep that list in your phone. Next time you feel the urge to impulse buy, pull out this list and see if it matches your intentions. If it doesn’t or if you’re not sure, wait. You can always contact me. 

This is a lot. You need to keep in mind you need to do this every few years. It will get easier, and you will get quicker. Honing your style takes time. Like watching movies, reading books, or doing another activity that you love, you rediscover your tastes as you journey through life. Always return and audit your wardrobe. If you need help, click below.