Flipping Out
As a born and raised Kentucky girl that grew up with four solid seasons, Memorial Day has always been the official kick off to summer. It means sundresses and flip flops, swimming, barbecues and weekend getaways. This year…well, I guess we still have our flip flops and sundresses? It’s weird times friends. Just like that one Memorial Day in while I was living in Chicago and IT SNOWED.
As we adjust our ideas of a typical holiday weekend, I suggest now is the perfect time to flip your closet from winter to summer if you haven’t done it yet. Are you thinking, “Amanda, what is this seasonal flip that you speak of?!” Listen y’all, if you’re not dividing your closet into seasons, you’re doing yourself a disservice and making getting dressed a lot harder than it needs to be! Here are 5 seasonal tips to doing THE FLIP. (If you are interested in some deep editing and organizing, check out my previous article about editing your whole closet.)
ONE
There are really two seasons in your closet; A/W and S/S (Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer). Pull out all of your hanging winter pieces. I like to stay fabric focused. Heavy wool or cashmere, chunky knits, velvet, leather etc. Anything you don’t plan to reach for in the oncoming months. Take these items and find a place in the back corner of your closet (you know, where all those old bridesmaids dresses are hanging!) or take them to a closet in another room. This helps prevent what I call the “hunt and peck” when getting dressed. You don’t want to have to hunt through off-season items when getting dressed. By removing them, you should only have seasonally appropriate pieces left.
TWO
For sweaters that are folded on shelves, now is a good time to properly launder them. Read the label for specific instructions, but it’s better to store clean sweaters to avoid moths. If you have moth issues, launder, then store them in a cotton storage bag (no boxes or bins!) and include a few cedar blocks. Leaving them on an open shelf with cedar is fine too, or I’m obsessed with The Laundress’ Wool and Cashmere spray. A couple of spritzes smells lovely and keeps away the critters! Don’t forget to dry clean winter coats and spritz those too!
I’m obsessed with products by The Laundress, totally worth the $!
THREE
With winter items out of the way, I like to organize what remains by item type; dresses, bottoms, jackets, blouses, shells. Within those categories I organize into casual vs.dressy and tops by sleeve length. Some people like to organize by color, which is pretty, but I prefer this method because it’s how I put together a look; one item at a time based on the day’s activity. I don’t usually wake up and think, “Wow, I’d really like to wear orange today!” If you do, then by all means organize how it works for you!
FOUR
While you’re organizing, edit and curate. As you touch each piece (that you likely haven’t worn in months) ask yourself if you wore it last summer? Does it still serve your lifestyle? Is it tired? Dated? if the answers are yes, let it go to a better home. Click here for my previous article that has more detail about how to know what to let go of.
FIVE
Don’t forget the shoes! Move heavy boots and shoes to higher or lower shelves and place sandals and sneakers front and center so they’re easy to access. Edit out sandals with stretched straps and scuffed or torn foot beds and any that pinch or you can’t walk in! Now is also a good time to whiten those sneaker soles with a quit hit of a wet Magic Eraser!
So satisfying!!! And yes, I’m desperate for a manicure!
Don’t hesitate to reach out if you get stuck or need help with this project, that’s what I’m here for! This may not be the most fun holiday weekend we’ve ever had, but you’ll be ready for summer and I’m personally hopeful we will still have some fun! Wishing you a safe and anxiety-free holiday friends!