Organizing a closet for your first professional job can be a challenge. I wish that I had had a system when I’d first started out. I also wish that when I was 21 at my corporate job, I had had fewer clearance skirts from JC Penney, but that’s neither here nor there.
Now that I’m well into my thirties, I’ve finally figured out how to put together a closet—with the help of The Container Store! Keep in mind that many of my tips here are for people with small closets.
UGLY! (Before)
- Get Some Fancy Hangers – The Container Store’s brand is called “Huggable Hangers” and they really give you back inches. It also helps you feel more organized when you look over your closet to see a uniform color. Don’t do what I did which was buy two different colors, not good.
- Don’t Leave Clothes in Plastic Dry Cleaning Bags – It might be convenient to just put things directly in the closet in plastic, but it’s hard to see what’s in there. Also you might have a sweater hanging that really should be folded so it doesn’t stretch on the shoulders. Trust me, get it out and put it in its rightful place so you don’t forget you own it.
My sweaters above my husband’s side of the closet. Yes, I’m encroaching…and I’m not sorry about it.
- Fold Sweaters and Jeans and Put Them Up High – Sweaters can stretch on hangers, but they are thick and take up a lot of space. I also like to fold my jeans for the same reason. They are too thick!
- Any Saturday Clothes Stay in the Dresser – This is probably the most controversial thing I’ve written in this post. I like to knowing that all my nice work stuff is in the closet. My fun Saturday clothes are in my dresser along with my workout wear. Why mix it up? I mean, I’m wearing work clothes five days a week. They are way more important.
The OCD part of me is rejoicing!
- Organize with Dividers – The only way to describe this is with a picture. Another purchase at The Container Store that I will never regret.
AFTER: Definitely not perfect, but much better.
So I don’t have Kim Kardashian’s closet space, but everything is organized. I can move the hangers (they’re not packed in so tightly that they will not move). I’m saving myself time in the morning because I can just grab and go.
My only caveat here is if you are working exclusively with the under five crowd, you may need to adjust your wardrobe’s expectations. Note: there will be boogers and playdough. Check out my previous post: What I Wear to Work.
What are your thoughts? Let me know!