It's That Time Again

Halloween is almost here.

The days are getting shorter. It's getting dark earlier.

Though the temperatures may not reflect it yet,

Fall is here. It's time to go through your wardrobe
and edit out Spring and Summer pieces and add back,
 replace and update for the new season.

If you are lucky enough to have a spare closet, use it to switch seasonal clothes. If not,
try moving the past season's clothes to the back of the closet or using under the bed
 storage or on shelves higher up in the closet. As you start moving your lighter weight
 clothes aside, take a good look at your pieces. Are you hanging onto things you never
 wore all summer? Does it still really fit and does it flatter your figure?
 Is it age appropriate? Do you "love it" ? Be honest.
 Purging now will give you space for more new things next season! Make your piles-
store it for next Spring either to wear or consign ( most consignment shops are only
 taking Fall pieces now) or donate it .Check the things you are hanging onto- do they
 need to be cleaned or repaired or altered before you put them away?



As you move over your Fall/Winter clothes, do the same thing.
Do your pieces "bring you joy"?  (from The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up :
the Japanese Art of Decluttering by Marie Kondo) Do you feel great in it?
If the answer is "yes", then is it in good repair? Does it need to be cleaned or
altered before you put it in your closet? Are your Fall shoes and boots shined
and ready to wear? Or do you need to visit the shoe repair?
 ( in Tampa, I highly recommend Lee's Shoe Repair 4329 W Kennedy)

I like to organize closets by keeping types of clothing grouped together.
This may seem obvious, but you'd be surprised at how many people mix
skirts and dresses and pants and tops all in together.Tops should be grouped
sleeveless to long- sleeved to jackets ( ideally you have another place for
outerwear) and light to dark, on a top rod. Skirts and pants/jeans ( folded
over if you don't have enough long hang space) can hang below. Dresses
need more length, but group them the same- sleeveless to long sleeved,
light to dark and shortest to longest. It's always nice to have a space for
dressier or special occasion clothes in another closet, but if space isn't
available, place them in the back of your closet together.

I recommend displaying your shoes on shelves or shoe racks, if you have the
space. If you like to keep your shoes in boxes, I'd get a marker and write
a brief description in large letters on the end so you can more easily find
what you are looking for in a hurry, ie." Michael Kors Nude Pumps".Scarves
can be folded in drawers or may be more accessible quartered and hung over
hangers in multiples.
                here's a couple of cool solutions
                                                                       from The Container Store for scarves

My last tips for now are 1) to replace your hangers with the "huggable" or
 no slip, velvet hangers if you haven't already. They are better for your clothes and
 give you more room in your closet. 2) Don't store leather or suede in plastic bags.
 These fabrics need to breathe.
3) Fold your knits -even longer sweaters, tunics, skirts and dresses (pay attention
St John lovers) and layer with tissue in a drawer or on a shelf. Otherwise, they may
grow if hung and not fit well.

I am available to help you edit or give you the "tough love" to get this job done.
 There are so many great new Fall looks out there to try, so get get styling!