Some people are ultra-organized and pick out their entire wardrobe at the beginning of each week, some people are organized and do it each night before falling into bed. Some people have apps on their phones that tell them what to wear with what. Then there are those of us who wait until literally the very last minute to decide what to wear including clothing, shoes, jewelry, and accessories. I fall into that category, so much so that in the morning, I shower, put on makeup, style my hair then with about five minutes left, I decide what to wear. My image works as hard for me as I work.
I am obsessive about looking at my calendar and knowing where I have to be and when. This can make a difference as to what I am going to wear as the day can take me from an office to a boardroom to the closet. Sometimes it involves a presentation, then sitting on the floor to see how much pants need to be hemmed. This helps me to know what the needs of the day are and what work my image will be doing for me that day. My clients while mostly in the financial and legal industries are sometimes in a rock and roll band, and this means that my image needs a tremendous amount of diversity.
How do I do it? First, my closet is organized by category and color so that I can see everything that is in it. While it is not a big space and I do not have a lot of linear hanging space, it is all well placed. The next component is that I can really wear everything that is in it without waiting for my body to change. This makes such a difference!
Of course, my shoes, jewelry, and accessories are organized as well and once again, I wear all of them at various times. All of my shoes go to the shoe repair as needed, jewelry is treated the same way. If it does not work in my wardrobe today, it has no place for me. The only exception is things that are of sentimental value for me. I have a few pieces that are family ones, they are not expensive but mean a lot to me and my family. Those will be with me until they move on to another family member.
Be honest about what you have in your wardrobe and if it is useful to you. Clean your closets and drawers knowing what you are going to keep, alter, donate and discard. Here is my rule, if you have not worn it in a year, so what? Instead, put it away for 90 days. When you get it back out, if you missed it, keep it. What is in our wardrobes is not just functional, these items are emotional. I have so many items that I wear infrequently but am always glad they are there when I need them.
You have so much to do, you can do this too! In the words of Tim Gunn “Make it work!” in five minutes or less.
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