Claim your Closet!

Posted by David Zyla | Filed under News and Updates

Each morning when you get dressed, your closet should hold possibility, or a selection of choices that make you feel like the best version of yourself when you wear them.

A closet filled with items that do not fit, are in bad repair or just do not suit are literally blocking you from this possibility.

The first step toward a clutter-free closet filled with clothes you love is to try everything on. This will help you analyze how you look in the garment, not just how it looks on the hanger. Carve out some time alone, put your favorite music on, and then start the process of trying out each item. Ask yourself if  the color, fabric, fit and cut really expresses your authentic self, and whether or not you rank it as an A+ look.

Note: Just because you feel a piece captured you when you purchased it, does not mean that it still ranks and helps to express who you are today.

After you have completed the process of trying everything in your closet on, place all of the A+ looks on the left side of your closet. Then, for the next week, dress from this section only to help further fine-tune your wardrobe. When you wear these items, do you get more compliments from your friends? A different type of romantic attention? More respect at work? Do you feel more confident? Further edit your A+ section over the week.

At this point, you know which items you wear most often and feel confident in. You also know which items don’t rank, and can be deaccessed from your collection. Anything too small, too large or damaged should be the first to go. You then may have some items left that illicit a response of:  “well, maybe for around the house”…My response is that around the house you deserve to feel fantastic, so let these pieces go.  The remaining items that you do not wear or don’t feel are A+ typically fall into two categories: monetary and sentimental. Once categorized, they can then be removed from your working wardrobe in order to make room for future A+ purchases.

For items that you do not wear which fall into the “monetary” category—which include expensive purchases you never wear or use, I suggest you reframe your attachment: You’re not getting any use-value out of letting an expensive item hang in your closet, and you’re actually creating negative use-value by wearing it if  it doesn’t suit you. Give yourself permission to get rid of these items—and if they really were that expensive, perhaps sell them for profit online or at your local consignment store.

Items you’re emotionally attached to (those in the sentimental category) can be even harder to get rid of—like that now-ratty tee commemorating your high school reunion or your mother’s shiftdress from 1970. But it’s important to realize that, at least when it comes to your daily wardrobe, these items don’t hold value. You do not have to get rid of them, but please don’t leave them in your closet for they are literally blocking you from getting dressed each day. Instead, create a memory box or find a storage closet with an extra shelf and store your memory clothing there, the way you keep other kinds of souvenirs.

After this edit, you have a working closet which offers up possibility every time you get dressed. You also now know which clothes you actually wear, and can analyze the A+ section to discern the shapes, necklines, fabrics and colors that you should be shopping for going forward, and therefore guarantee that you feel empowered as the best version of you every time you get dressed!