The Closet Challenge

FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOUR CLOSET AGAIN

BY LALITA CHEMELLO

How many times have you found yourself at your closet door, staring into a time capsule of the last 5, 10, maybe 20 years of your life, and sighed? Maybe you easily reach for a couple of go-to shirts or items that are most likely also worn for wear. But outside of those few favorites, you’re overwhelmed with your choices – mostly unworn – or find yourself at a loss on what combinations will make something you might actually enjoy wearing? If you found yourself nodding along to the paragraph above, I want to encourage you to take on THE CLOSET CHALLENGE!

Slot out an afternoon to pull everything out of your closet and drawers. From there, you’re going to try everything on!

You’re looking to see if you love the item you’re trying on, and how it looks on you. Maybe you’ve lost weight and you find there are a few things that are less than flattering. If an item is something you absolutely love, but is now maybe a bit oversized, set it aside for tailoring (which will cost a tiny bit, but you’ll be able to continue to wear some of your favorite pieces!). If items are too small, or you just hate how something looks, set those aside too. Those can be handed off to friends or donated.

The ones left that you love or fit well, or both, get put into a “feel good” pile for later. HOT TIP! Have a lot of leftover unwanted clothing that resellers or others could put to use? Use apps like Mercari, Poshmark, the Real Real, and ThredUp, to name a few, to get rid of your extra clothing. If something sells, use the extra money to invest in some new clothing items (or lightly used items on those sites), to snazz up your wardrobe. After all of that work, you deserve it!

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Compare and combine!

Anything left in your “feel good” pile is game for this next step. Now is the time to get creative. Have a pair of maroon dress pants that don’t get a lot of wear, but you love the style? Pair it with a t-shirt, graphic or plain! For warmer months you can complete the outfit with heels, sandals, or even tennis shoes! Or for cooler weather, a nice ankle bootie with or without a heel could set the scene! Try lots of different combinations. No one will see what fashion faux pas you’re going to make in the privacy of your own home. You might surprise yourself with some of your experiments! At a loss for unique combinations for what’s left in your wardrobe? Refer to style sites, collect screenshots of outfits you like, or create a style board on a site like Pinterest to get ideas on how you can make use of the clothing combinations already in the closet.

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Collect & reference your new combinations

Have your phone or a Polaroid camera at the ready and snap a shot of any clothing combination and outfit you discover and like! If you go the Polaroid route, you can turn the photos over, and draw from a pile when you need to “draw” a little inspiration for your day. Or look at hanging outfit combinations together in the closet, so all you have to do is pick a hanger, and you have a whole outfit at the ready!

4HAVE FUN! Don’t fret or dread this exercise. This is a way for you to, in some ways, take a trip through time, and find a purpose for what you already have at home. And, if anything items bring back unfortunate memories, you can look to get rid of those items immediately, or look to purposely make new and better memories in a future outfit.

EXTRA: HOST A STYLING PARTY!

You can also host a styling party! Take it virtual and invite friends on Skype, FaceTime or Google Meet to help each other style outfits to really broaden your wardrobe choices! You can also present items you no longer want and can make piles for friends who are interested in taking them off of your hands! Plus, afterwards, you can make little gift bags to drop off at your friends’ houses of the items they wanted! Who doesn’t love a little surprise gift? Or when it’s safe to gather again, invite your friends over for a fun evening of eats, drinks and making outfits together! Clothing items friends ask to adopt can make great for great “gift bags” for the end of the evening.