Spring Turnover
Today we are going to take your closet from winter to warmer weather, get your clothes organized, and have you feeling prepared and excited for the summer season. To make the most of this, head over to the Freebies page, and download the Spring Turnover Bundle.
Here’s what’s inside the bundle, and how each document will help:
Closet Assistant Sheet: Think of it like a grocery list for your closet. This is where you’ll keep track of any gaps in your wardrobe, and you’ll use it as a guide the next time you go shopping.
Spring Turnover Checklist: An easy way to keep track of the steps as you make your way through.
Toss/Donate/Sell: A guide to help you determine what to do with any castoffs from your closet.
Storage List: If you don’t have an alternate space to keep your off-season items, I recommend keeping them in a tightly sealed bin with this list visible. It will help you identify what’s inside, making it easy to find what you’re looking for when the weather gets chilly again, and will also keep you from buying duplicates of something you already own.
If you're someone who keeps all of your clothes out year round, here's a few reasons why it's important to separate:
Winter items, like bulky sweaters and scarves, take up a lot of valuable closet real estate. The fabric of your clothes should be able to breathe, so separating the seasons will prevent a jam packed closet and will keep your clothes in better shape.
If it's 90 degrees outside and you're digging through your cashmere trying to find a pair of shorts, getting dressed will always feel like a chore. Help yourself by setting up systems and staying organized.
It is so much easier to put together a successful outfit when you're only looking through options that are seasonally appropriate.
Regular edits help you stay organized and more aware of the items you own. This can actually save you money because it will prevent you from buying something you forgot you already have. It will also save you time, because when your closet is well organized it’s so easy to find what you’re looking for.
Decision paralysis is a real thing, and in our closets it usually comes from having too many things to choose from. Reducing the amount of options you’re looking through will help you make a decision faster, and will ultimately help you get more creative within your wardrobe.
If you make a commitment to spend a little bit of time every spring and every fall going through your wardrobe, your organization and your style will improve. Pour a glass of wine or a cup of tea, light a candle, put on some music, and get ready to edit. If you have any questions as we go, send me a DM on Instagram and I’ll be happy to help guide you in the right direction. Take a photo of your space before and after the edit to see what a difference editing and organization can make.
Step 1:
Take out all of the pieces that say winter to you (bulky sweaters, blanket scarves, heavy coats, tights, gloves, winter hats, etc).
Figure out if there is anything that you no longer want to keep. Look at everything and check for flaws. Are there any tears or stains, is anything pilled? What needs to be altered or repaired? If they DO need to be altered, how likely is it that you’ll actually do it? Do not put any guilt on yourself in this step, just be honest about if you’ll really get it fixed. Once you’ve made your decision, if anything is being altered, put it in a bag and go put it in your car right now, then set a reminder on your phone to drop it off.
Go through everything else and be honest about what you wore this past season. Is there anything you didn't wear? How many winters have gone by and you keep avoiding that sweater? Or every time you tried to wear those pants you changed your mind? Pull out all of those pieces, determine if it's something that can be altered, or if you need to buy a new piece to make it more wearable. For example, do you need a different bra, a better fitting jacket, or a higher waisted jean to make that piece work? If you come up with any holes in your wardrobe that need to be filled, write them down on your Closet Assistant Sheet. If you decide it’s not something you want to keep, put it aside to either donate or sell. If you’re unsure if it should be donated or sold, consult the Toss/Donate/Sell guide.
If you find something that you didn’t wear but you’re not quite ready to part with just yet, put it aside and we will address that in a later step. For now just make a decision on what you're definitely keeping or getting rid of, and make a plan to make that happen.
Step 2:
Keep out all the winter pieces that can be styled differently for the spring/summer season. Try to come up with at least 3 new outfits by pairing unexpected items together. How can you get more use out of some of your winter pieces? For a transition period like spring where you might get some chillier days, it can be as simple as throwing a thin sweater over a dress, or pairing a skirt with tall boots.
Step 3:
Now that you've decided what is staying in your closet and what isn't, get ready to pack everything for next winter away in a bin. Everything should be clean when it gets packed away, so do a few loads or drop off some pieces at the dry cleaners.
Here’s a bonus tip: Keep a little lavender satchel in your winter bin so the cashmere and the knits don’t smell as musty when you pull them out in the fall. Everything will still need to be washed again when you bring it back out, but it’s a nice step to keep the fabrics more fresh.
This is where we’re going to use the Storage List, and you’re going to write out everything that is going in your bin. Tape it on the inside facing out (if you’re using a clear bin) or tape it on the top of the lid.
If you're using a separate closet to store your clothes this isn't necessary, but it can still be helpful to write everything down to keep you aware of what you have. This will prevent you from buying a duplicate of something you already own.
When you’re writing on your sheet, put a star next to anything that you’re unsure of. We talked about this in the first step - any pieces that you didn’t wear this past winter but you’re not ready to let go of, put a star next to it, and make the commitment that if you don’t wear it next winter, it's time to move on.
Before you put all of your spring & summer pieces back into rotation, take the time to clean up your space. Wipe down all of your surfaces - your dresser, any shelves. Dust your boots or hats, and clean out any jewelry catchalls.
Step 4:
Now that the bulky stuff is put away, we’re going to reorganize your pieces to focus on warmer weather, and get clear on what’s inside. If you have one, take out your spring/summer bin. Take everything out, decide if there is anything you don't want to bring out for this season, and launder everything before it goes into your closet. Do the same thing here as you did with your winter items. Be clear with yourself on what you’ll actually wear, determine what needs to be replaced or altered, and be honest with yourself if there’s anything that you know doesn’t fit you properly.
If you DON’T have these pieces stored separately, take them all out of your closet and go through each piece. Check for stains, tears, pilling - does anything need to be repaired at all?
Spend some time trying everything on, making outfits, and taking photos of combinations you love. Create an album on your phone and label it ‘Outfits’ or ‘Lookbook’. Come back to those photos on a day when you’re uninspired and feel like you have nothing to wear.
Notice right away if there’s anything where you think, I’m going to need a new pair of white shorts, or last summer I wanted more dresses, and write those down on your Closet Assistant Sheet for your next shopping trip.
This is also a good time to go over any events you have coming up. Are there weddings you’re attending this summer? Do you have other events for that as well? Bridal shower, bachelorette party? If you have travel plans, what do you need to bring with you that you don’t already have? Between inventory shortages, shipping delays, and the general busyness of summer - it’s a really good idea to start now. Go through your options while you’re reorganizing your closet and start getting ideas of what you need for any of the events you listed, and write them down.
Ok, now it’s time to organize. When you go to reorganize your closet, hang items by category, and in this order: white, black, gray, followed by the rainbow. Patterns are placed in front of solids.
Everything is arranged by item length or sleeve length (sleeveless in front to long sleeve in back) and this is done within each color and section. So your white tops will go from tank top to long sleeve, followed by black tops going from tank to long sleeve. For dresses, skirts, jumpsuits - organize by color, and then item length within each color (black skirts would go from mini to maxi). Don't forget to keep patterns in front!
The main reason this is so helpful is so you can actually find what you’re looking for. Setting up systems sets you up for success. When you want to wear a red long sleeve, you know to look at the back of your red tops. If it's not there, it's in the laundry!
The order that you organize your clothing in is up to you based on what pieces you wear most, but to give you an example I’ll share how my closet is organized. From left to right, it goes: jackets, tops, skirts, pants, jumpsuits, dresses, coats, formal coats, formal dresses. I use my formal dresses the least, so they’re all the way to the right, that way they aren’t in my direct visual when I get dressed in the morning. If you work in a corporate setting your needs will be a little different, and it would make sense to have a separate section for office wear. If I had that requirement, I would put casual tops before dressier tops, casual pants before dressier pants, etc. When it comes to denim and sweaters, I keep both folded. Denim can be hung if you have the space, but heavy knits should always be folded to help retain their shape.
If you're having any doubts about placement, or you’re wondering if something should be hung or folded, just make a decision and come back in a couple weeks to check in and see how you’re feeling about the order. Switch things around if you’d like, and notice which way brings you more ease when you’re getting dressed.
Ok, that’s it! That wasn’t so bad, right? If you do this even just twice a year in spring and fall, you’ll be so much more in tune with what you have in your closet, and what you’re actually missing. I recommend keeping your Closet Assistant Sheet somewhere readily available, so if you get dressed one morning and realize you could really use a brown belt, or you’d love a new pair of jeans, you can write it on the list and use it as your own personal shopping guide.
I would love to hear about how this worked for you, so please come over to Instagram and send me a DM. If you took a photo of the before and after, I’d love to see!
Thanks for joining me for the Spring Turnover!