Shop your shelves

With an unemployment rate of 7.2% for the month of December (2008)¹ and rising, the thought of heading to a retail store to purchase a new spring wardrobe does not seem realistic or attainable. Don’t be discouraged as help is here! I assure you that you won’t even need to leave your home and more importantly spend a dime to achieve new wardrobe combinations. How? By shopping your own closet and shelves!

I know this concept seems easy in theory but how can one actually put into practice. After working with many clients to do just this, I’ve put together a few guidelines to help you shop your closet and shelves more effectively and with more confidence.

1. Clean out your closet – take out all apparel and accessories and be prepared to literally clean the closet. Dust the shelves and clean the floors. This not only gives you the opportunity to put your clothes back in a nice clean environment but it helps you to see what your wardrobe consists of.

2. Eliminate pieces that you know you will never wear again. If you are unsure about certain items ask yourself a few questions:

- “When did I wear last?" Over 1 year eliminate it from your wardrobe.
- “Can this item be tailored?” If no, eliminate it from your wardrobe.
- “Is the item worn out?” If yes, eliminate it.
- “Do I love it?” If no, eliminate it.
- “Is the item age appropriate? If no, eliminate it.

3. Categorize your wardrobe – all skirts together, trousers, dresses, blouses, scarves, handbags, etc.

4. Separate your suits – if you have a pant suit, place the blazer within your blazer category and the pant with the pants category. This helps you to optimize your wardrobe by mixing your suit pieces.

5. Coordinate like colors – all black sweaters stay together, all winter white blazers sit next together, etc. Always go from light to dark when coordinating your colors.

6. Read up on the fashion trends to better understand the “in” colors and patterns, dresses, pants, tops, etc. for that season. This will help you start to put together new winning and modern combinations.

7. Replicate outfits by checking out sites such as Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, J Crew, Bloomingdales, Saks, Lord and Taylor, etc. These websites are a great tool to help you pair your pieces together with confidence.

1 United States Department of Labor