Recently I moved into a new city and a new space and had the joy of reorganizing my closet. I am not being sarcastic either- I really do mean JOY. So often we fall into ruts of just wearing what sits on the tops of our piles, is clean or visible from our closet door opening. There are loads of new outfits dying to be discovered and I would bet a few pieces that have never been worn ready to break out of their dark crowded tomb!

Here’s how to reorganize and make the most of your closet:

1. Take everything out and I mean EVERYTHING.
2. Clean out your dresser and the back of your closet floor- start fresh!
3. Planning is your method to the madness- make piles (summer vs winter, giveaway, maybe giveaway…) and think about how you want it to all come together.
4. I like to start with everything out on the bed and then “put things back” in a new organized way.
5. Clothes grouped by color provide more options when you are looking to put an outfit together- so for clothes hanging in the closet that means I put all my blacks together, whites, greys, blues..and so on. I also do this by article- so my sleeveless tops followed by short sleeve and then long, next are my skirts followed by pants and finally dresses.
6. my closet rainbow goes something like this: green, yellow, grey, white, beige, brown, pink, orange, red, blue, black- ordering my clothes this way feels good to me and lets me see combinations with clothes outside of their color family.
7. I put my jackets at one end and my cocktail dresses at another.
8. My shoes line the bottom of my closet floor and again here I am organized- boots and sneakers on the far left, heels and wedges in the middle, and flats and flat sandals on the right.
9. In my dresser I have a fews different stacks: the first is my “going out tops” stack, followed by my “everyday” tops, next to my long sleeve tops (sometimes I put these away all together during the summer), and last are my cardigans.
10. The bottom shelf holds my shorts, jeans, and exercise clothes.
11. Somewhere- on top of your dresser or on an open shelf- you should organize your accessories where you can see them. I have my scarves, belts, headbands, jewelry and watches all lined out so I can easily pair them with my outfit.

12. Handbags- these should also be on display and out in plain view- either lined up on a shelf or hanging together so you can quickly choose the right one for your outfit.

It really is about visibility- so the more you can display your clothing and accessories the more they will get worn and in really great combinations. Spend an evening in or a lazy Saturday reorganizing and reap the benefits all summer long.