3 Keys Thursday: Outfitting Yourself and Your Closet Between Seasons

Photo: Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

This time of year, as the warm weather goes on and on (where I live, anyway), many of us find ourselves plucking a few things off clearance racks, trying desperately to add a little life to a wardrobe gone stale. Consequently, the clothes and shoes that are most easily accessible in my closet are a mishmash of summer and fall, making getting dressed in the morning frustrating and challenging. 

It's a great time for taking stock and putting the one in/one out rule to work. 

• To keep or not to keep? Whether it's those new clearance rack acquisitions or last year's fall pieces you're putting away, take a moment with each piece. Is it unique, or one of many just like it (a.k.a. how many white tee shirts does one person need?) Does it match anything you own, or, more important, is it still a fit for not just your body but also the style you want to pull off this fall? Keep the best, lose the rest. If you have trouble parting with piles of clothes, try one in/one out -- for every item you add to your closet, something has to go. 

• Store it so you can find it. Let your personal and organizational styles define both your systems and your containers. At its core, a closet is just a big rectangular space that can be outfitted so it suits you and your outfits. If you have lots to hang, go with the standard hanging rod. If you prefer to fold (or just like to see things), ditch the rod in favor of shelves. Labeled bins clue you into contents at a glance, while clear bins allow you take a peek before you dig. As is the case with most clothes, one size doesn't fit all when it comes to closet organizers and systems.

• Keep those transition pieces handy. Tired of trying on everything in your closet to put together an outfit that works for summer temperatures and a fall vibe? Take five minutes one evening or weekend afternoon to go through your closet and pull out transition clothes -- clothing that's lightweight enough to keep you cool but has enough heft or color to hint at fall. Then, give those pieces a place of honor in your closet, at least until the temperatures level off. Have ten minutes? Put away white slacks, strappy sandals and anything else that screams summer so that you're not even tempted to use them as go-to pieces.

Fall is my favorite season, so I'm holding out hope that it will arrive with a vengeance very soon. Meanwhile, I'm going to take my own advice and put these three keys to work so that this week maybe, just maybe, I can get dressed "right" on the first try.