How to organize my closet by season?
This happens to me every year, every season. I can’t find that summer dress, because spring is unseasonably warm… If you are a four seasons kinda person and you own equally as many outerwear items as you do shoes, I hear your problems because your problems are my problems. Navigating four seasons in a NYC apartment is a challenge; you are limited by space, and bulky winter items really take up all the space multiplied by four seasons. And organizing when not in season can make it extremely challenging to tackle, because you don’t know if you wanna part with something or keep it for another go. If this resonates with you, keep reading the 10 steps to organize your closet by season. If reading this is overwhelming, skip to the last line of this blog post.
Where to start?!
Step 1
Tackle a seasonal closet organization between the equinox! Aim for the equinox, mark your calendar for March 20th and September 22. Pick a weekend or a night in the week; this project should take about 6 hours start to finish, not including the ACTION piles.
Step 2
For the ambitious person, pull everything out of the closet(s). It will feel overwhelming, but so satisfying in the end.
Step 3
Sort the clothes into categories.
❤️I love this!
📏Does this fit still?
💲Donate or sell?
🗑️Yikes, this is trash!
Step 4
Depending on the season, you might need items to be mended, laundered, dry cleaned or donate/sold. This is the perfect moment to pull the items out and sort them into an ACTION pile.
Mending
Laundered
Dry Cleaned
Donate or sell?
Step 5
Where to store the seasonal wardrobe! You know your space well enough to identify a spot(s). My suggestion is the spot above your closet, that weird shelf that serves no real day-to-day purpose, and/or under your bed, or wherever your NYC apartment has allowed you to use - stove, coffee table/steam chest, under the couch, or as throw pillows. There are a lot of great storage boxes and bag solutions out there to fit these spaces. There are also vacuum-sealed options out there if space is a real concern. You got this.
Step 6
Transition wardrobe! New season incoming clothing, great time to review and question items before entering your closet. Review each item and sort by type, and if you are feeling ambitious, sort by color within each type.
👗Dresses
👖Pants
👚Shirts
👘Skirts
Step 7
Question items entering your and sort them similarly to your outgoing season.
❤️I love this!
📏Does this fit still?
💲Donate or sell?
🗑️Yikes, this is trash!
Step 8
Hang, fold, and store. Now we are cooking! Your space should start coming together; hang and store new season items in your empty closet.
Step 9
Action piles! Mending, cleaners, and laundry. Designate a day and drop these items off, make it fun, and link to an activity or destination of desire. The destination of desire is linked to a bakery, shop, or a walk in the park with a friend, paired with this ACTION pile.
Step 10
Detailing your closet, this is just finding the seasonal accessories and making them visible. Sort through your outerwear, bags, accessories, and shoes to be placed in prominent positions in your closet or entryway.
If you are feeling exhausted, well, you should be. This is an undertaking, and you should be proud of yourself if you made it this far.
If reading this made you exhausted, you can just contact me to book an appointment, and I can do this with you.
