Organize Your Closet Like a Stylist

Stylists always seem to have their lives together, and part of that is because they keep their closets organized. That way they easily and with little stress choose what outfit and accessories they're going to wear every day. How does a stylist organize their closet? Read on to find out.

Image via Flickr by Aninha Miranda

A Professional Organizer's Opinion

Stacey Agin Murray, a professional organizer, says that most of us only wear 20 percent of what's in our closet. She suggests donating, selling, or throwing away anything that isn't used often, then putting every day clothes in the middle of the closet, with weekend and special occasion clothes around the edges. She recommends high-quality hangers and says to never use the wire hangers from dry-cleaners. Those can permanently damage sweaters by leaving dents. She says to leave some breathing room between hangers. Squishing your clothes together too tightly can cause them to lose their shape. Murray also says don't forget your socks and underwear. Organize them by style and color, and make sure they're easy to reach and visible.

Andrea Rapke, an organizational blogger, recommends hanging everything if you have the space. Not only will that make everything visible, but it also keeps shirts wrinkle-free. She organizes her jeans by color, from light to dark. You can also organize them by cut.

What Stylists Recommend

Personal stylist Amy Salinger recommends organizing by silhouette rather than by color. All the pants go together, then by wide-leg, boot-cut, skinny, etc. Salinger says to not store your shoes in shoe boxes. Make sure everything is visible. You can use clear storage bins for accessories, but make sure you know what's inside each bin.

Jenny Gering, the stylist for the TV show The Americans, agrees with Salinger's recommendation. She organizes clothes by style and then by color within those styles, so she can reach right for her blue turtleneck. She also protects vintage items in plastic garment bags. The older the item, the more delicate it is. There are clear garment bags, but you can use solid-colored bag with labels so you remember what's inside each one. Gering uses a muslin sheet with Velcro-ed canvas tags to hang her necklaces, which is a good space saver for small closets.

Making Your Closet Work For You

Tan France, the style expert for Netflix's "Queer Eye," uses every inch of space to its maximum potential. His closet is an odd shape, so he had to be creative. He added shelves to maximize the floor space and hanging racks for the vertical spaces. He keeps his clothing and accessories separate. He added a floor-length mirror to create the illusion that the space is larger than it really is. He can also check out his reflection right there while getting dressed!

The most important thing all stylists agree on? It's about maintaining the space. Keep it organized by putting everything away every day. A place for everything and everything in its place will keep your closet beautiful.