Elise V.'s 10 Top Closet Organization Tips

1. My number one rule of closet organization:  If you can't see it, you won't wear it.       

      -Get outside of the box! Your shoes, I mean.  I can't tell you how many people whose closets I have                
       organized have fought me on this point...and then later have admitted it made a huge difference in   
       wearing their shoes they would have otherwise forgotten.  

      -Similarly, keep your purses out of their dust bags (excluding exotic skins-use your judgement).  

      

2). Use the "one in; one out" rule.  Yep, I mean it.  Unless you are starting from square one in your closet, you likely have entirely too many things in there.  Remember, building a great wardrobe is about quality, not quantity.  If you haven't worn a garment in question over the past year, consider letting it go.  If that seems to harsh, ask yourself these three questions: 
      1). Do you love it?  
      2). Do you look good in it/does it fit? Maybe you really will lose weight and fit back into your jeans 
           from freshman year. Likely, you won't, and those jeans are taking up valuable closet real estate.  
      3) Does it align with where you are in life/your image? 

3). Remove dry cleaning bags immediately.  Not only do they take up space and get in the way, but they also imprison your clothes with harsh chemicals. 

4). Break up your suits so you will remember to wear them separately.  For example, that great looking black blazer you normally wear as a suit can also be worn on the weekend with a pair of jeans and a fun t-shirt underneath, like Cameron Diaz seen here (minus the bra showing!)

5). Fasten/button the top one or couple of buttons on all shirts and keep clothes neatly on the hanger.  

6). Cheat sheet on what to hang and what to fold: 
Hang: dresses, skirts, blouses, pants 

Fold: Anything delicate, especially those with beading, sweaters. and anything made with cashmere 

For jeans, you can choose either way.  I've tried it both ways and personally prefer folding.

7). Hang "like with like."  For example, keep all your jackets together, blouses together, etc.  If you want to get really serious about organization, you can further classify by color.  For example, I keep all my neutral (white, black, nude) blouses together, and I also hang by occasion: I put cocktail dresses together, day dresses together, etc. Also, if you don't have a walk-in closet, put the things you wear most often toward the center of the closet for easy access.   

8). Use uniform and quality hangers.  I know, insert "no more wire hangers" joke here.  Seriously, don't use cheap hangers that lack any way to grip your clothes.  Your garments will constantly fall off and drive you crazy.   

9). Store accessories such as belts and scarves on racks, hooks or folded in baskets in plain sight.   

10). Stay on top of it.  If you go through your closet several times a year and stay organized, the less of a job you will have later.