Extreme Makeover: My Closet Edition

After

Today a friend came over and helped me do a wardrobe makeover. It was probably more like the show What Not to Wear than Extreme Makeover. Well, except I didn't get five thousand bucks to spend on a new wardrobe. I still kept a lot of my clothes. And there wasn't this big "reveal" at the end. But it was still a thrill and will continue to be for the next few days when I go into my now huge-feeling closet.

Here's how it worked: Before my friend, Linda, arrived I had emptied my whole walk-in closet (not including Musing Dad's clothes that have taken over some of the space) and all of my drawers onto my bed and a nearby chair. Then one by one we looked at each piece and decided one of four options: pitch, keep, give away, or store for "retro fashion parties" my daughters might attend (yes, some of my clothes had been around long enough to be almost retro).

It was exhilarating! Linda did a great job pointing out which things would go together and noting what items were mate-less. She even rescued the bottom part of an old suit to use just as a simple black skirt. Here's a picture of what we evicted from the closet:


The great thing about doing this is that I can now more easily see what I have. I found some great pieces I'd forgotten about. And I've only got a short list of things to purchase to really fill things out - at a cost of $150 max! Plus I know better what works together and what great outfits I've got.

I got the idea for this, not from TV, but from a wardrobe workshop I went to at the Hearts at Home conference. The presenter suggested this kind of closet gutting and I must say that I'm pleased with how it worked. It only took an hour and a half to go through everything and another half hour to put stuff back together. And now I've got a trip to the Goodwill Store in my future. Which always gives me a good feeling - getting my stuff I can't use into the hands of someone who can use it. I think Linda was a little motivated by the experience too. We both certainly had fun at it.

Question: is your closet crammed full? Are your drawers hard to close? Maybe you need a wardrobe makeover. I'm pitching my idea to Hollywood this week. Send me your application and I'll try to get you on for Season 1. And if you don't make the cut for that, there's always Supermarket Survivor.