by Jennifer Luers

Created on: October 24, 2008

As the summer days fade into shades of red and gold, and the cooler evenings begin to leave me longing for my favorite cozy sweater, I am reminded that it is time to put away the summer clothes. I wish I had a closet the size of Carrie Bradshaw's; however, my walk in closet, much smaller than hers, does not have enough room to keep all of my clothes neatly organized. Finding the perfect shirt, pants, or accessories for a night on the town should not be a hassle. Sure, my closet isn't huge, but there are enough storage spaces and deep shelves with the potential to turn my search into a treasure hunt, worthy of a map, if I am not organized.

When you walk into my closet, everything is grouped according to garment type. The way I see it, if the black pants I am looking for are not with the pants, then they are dirty. Depending on how many shades of pants you have in your closet you may want to group items by color. I find that when trying to coordinate two pieces it is easiest to recognize which colors will match and then immediately search that color section rather than searching through an endless sea of pants reminiscent of a thrift store.

Pulling out the tank tops, sleeveless shirts, summer dresses and shorts I leave everything grouped as it was organized in the closet so that next spring the garments are already in order. Maximizing storage within whatever space you have is critical. I highly recommend vacuum bags and under bed storage boxes. Many more clothes can be stored in the boxes when the air is removed from them. Plus, you won't have to worry about spiders or moths and summer sandals can be added without permeating your clothes with the smell of summer feet.

Don't forget that organizing accessories is just as critical. When storing handbags, place smaller bags inside of larger bags. Hang scarves and belts on a tie or belt rack. Shoes can be stored on two tiered shoe racks to double shelf and/or floor space. Invest in a jewelry box with dividers to keep earrings together and avoid the ever-dreaded knot of necklaces. Most importantly, give away items if you cannot remember the last time it was worn, especially if it was not in the last season. If you no longer treasure a shirt that was your favorite when it was first purchased, then pass the shirt along to someone else who may enjoy the same excitement you once had. Organization may sound like a lot of work initially, but the time saved by knowing where everything is, will more than pay for the effort you put forth.

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