How to Swap Out Your Seasonal Clothes
As we find ourselves in the midst of October, the days are growing shorter and the temperatures are dropping. And what better way to kickstart this new season than by adjusting the clothes on display in your closet?! Incorporating seasonal closet transitions into your routine is such a great way to keep your inventory fresh, decluttered, and functional.
My closet is already pretty organized, but one of the most effective things that’s made seasonal transitions a breeze in my wardrobe is creating flexible organizational systems that allow for change and growth. Arranging your closet with the seasons makes it easier to identify which pieces you actually love and use, and ultimately simplifies your daily routine.
To get started in organizing my closet for the new season, I always go through a few steps to make it easy and painless. Here’s my process for organizing for the new season:
Step One Decide what to keep and what to donate
Take inventory of your clothes right off the bat, and carefully sort through your pieces by category. As you go, take a few minutes to decide what to keep, donate, sell, or toss, depending on the quality of the item. If you didn’t find yourself wearing pieces often in the last three months, or can’t see yourself wearing them next season, get rid of them. Ask yourself these questions:
“Does this fit my current lifestyle?”
“Is this comfortable?”
“When did I last wear this?”
“How often do I find myself reaching for this?”
“Do I love this?”
Answering these questions (and really being honest with yourself) is a great way to help you part with pieces that receive less love than others. Remember, you’re ultimately creating space for items that will be well-loved in the future!
Step Two Clean your closet
Fall sprucing is the new spring cleaning! At the start of each season, cleaning any physical space can be a wonderful way to refresh and create a new, clean slate. In the closet, this looks a little something like pulling everything out of your closet, dusting, vacuuming, and wiping down surfaces. As I often preach, there’s a correlation between cleaning your physical space and clearing your mental space. With a good clean-out between seasons, you’re creating a refreshed atmosphere and opportunity for new energy in the space.
Step Three Wash items that have been stored away
Once you have decided what you’re keeping, donating, or tossing, and have cleaned your space, it’s time to wash everything. Those items that have been tucked away for the past few months especially could use a fresh wash! After being stored, letting them breathe and refresh can actually prolong the life of your clothing items. With this step, you can be sure that everything you’re about to wear for the season is fresh, clean, and ready to go!
Step Four Determine what you won’t wear
As we transition from warmer to cooler weather, it’s important to take colors, fabrics, and prints into consideration when designating what to put in storage through the winter season. A few easy items to store away are lace tops, sandals, shorts, floral prints, spring colors (pastels and general brighter colors), summer fabrics (linen or other light-weight fabrics), beachwear (swimsuits and cover-ups), along with your spring/summertime dresses (if they differ from what you would wear in the winter, like short versus long-sleeved dresses, sundresses, or lighter fabrics). Basically, anything you know you won’t be frequenting in the fall or winter should be put into this category.
Step Five Store off-season clothes
As you brainstorm how your clothes should be stored in the off-seasons, first consider the space you’re working with. You can opt for uncovered baskets to store on shelves if you have the space, and don’t forget to label each basket for easy retrieval in the future! Alternatively, using covered bins that can be tucked under the bed, overtop of your hanging rod, or stacked on top of one another (since you won’t need to access them for a while) is a great option as well. You can also try air-tight, vacuum seal bags, which will be the best for maximizing the space you have. If you have space in your garage, attic, or basement, clothes can be folded into air-tight bins as well. One final option that I just recently learned is that most dry-cleaners will clean your clothes, and store them for you free of charge during the off-season!
Step Six Consider the hangers you’re using
Finally, when setting up these flexible systems in your closet, take into account what hangers are best suited (pun intended) for different types of clothes. Heavier clothing, like jackets, should be stored on wooden hangers, while any lighter clothes can be hung on slim hangers. Jeans can also be hung on light-weight hangers, too. If you’re not going to be hanging all of your items, the best way to maximize drawer space is file folding! We recommend storing athletic clothes, pajamas, or loungewear in drawers.
I hope that my step-by-step process to transitioning your closet with the seasons helps you to streamline your routine! For even more guidance on home organization, be sure to pre-order my book Life in Jeneral! When you pre-order, you’ll gain access to all 10 of Life in Jeneral’s how-to guides for FREE! That’s a $299 value with guidance for every space in the home. I can’t wait for you to start living the Life in Jeneral way, starting with your newly organized closet!