Making space for you: A guide to closet editing part 1
A gentle guide to clearing the clutter and creating a wardrobe that truly feels like you.
If your closet feels overwhelming, you’re not alone. So many of us hold onto pieces that no longer reflect who we are today. And with time and energy already short in supply, your wardrobe shouldn’t add to the stress. Getting dressed should feel enjoyable, not exhausting.
As a personal stylist, I’ve been doing wardrobe edits professionally for a while now, and over the years I've tried and tested countless ways to make the process easier for my clients. I still use many of the same strategies I started with, but I’ve refined them and added new steps along the way - like my “need” pile (more on that later).
What I’ve noticed is this: for most people I work with, their wardrobe is a source of stress. It demands time and attention almost every single day - and instead of feeling inspired, they end up feeling frustrated.
In all my years as a personal stylist, I’ve come across one truly edited wardrobe. And honestly, it belonged to someone with the clearest vision of her own style. She never worried about what to wear. I was called in not because she felt overwhelmed, but because she wanted to take her style to the next level and get a fresh perspective.
Most of us, though, tend to keep things. We hold onto clothes because they’re “nice”, they were a great deal, or maybe they’ll come back in fashion someday. And then there’s the emotional side: we develop deep attachments to our clothes, often without even realizing it. Maybe a piece reminds us of a special moment in our life, or maybe it represents a version of ourselves we’re not ready to let go of - like a pair of jeans from five years ago that we hope to fit into again. Whatever the reason, letting go can feel really hard.
But here’s the thing: once you start releasing those pieces, you realize they’re just things (if you were to lose one of the pieces you never get to wear, chances are you wouldn’t even notice). The wardrobe editing process is freeing. It’s not about making space in your closet - it’s about making space for yourself. And along the way, you’ll learn so much about who you are, how your style evolved, and the patterns that have been shaping the way you dress.
Why Closet Editing Matters
Clarity: an unedited closet hides your best pieces under a pile of “meh";
Confidence: when every item left fits both your lifestyle and your style, getting dressed feels effortless;
Value: clothes you are not wearing still hold value - for someone else, or for you through resale.
With my clients my priority is guiding them toward a wardrobe that not only feels exciting to them but also works hard in their daily lives - pieces that are versatile, practical, and aligned with who they are right now. Below, I’ll walk you through the same approach:
Step 1 - Prepare
1.1 You don’t want to be overwhelmed, especially if it’s the first time editing your closet, not just reorganizing your clothes. So start small, with a maximum of two seasons: fall-winter or spring-summer. The rest can wait.
1.2 Make sure you set out enough time for this process. A real wardrobe edit takes time - more than an hour, sometimes even a couple of days depending on how many clothes you have. Give yourself permission to move at a pace that feels kind, not rushed.
Step 2 - Divide and go through by category
I usually recommend starting with pants and skirts - they tend to be the most mentally challenging pieces to edit, so you want to get them out of the way first. Then move on to dresses - they’re easy and feel like a nice break after tackling pants - followed by tops (sweaters, t-shirts, shirts, blouses), then blazers, outerwear, shoes, bags, and finally accessories.
Let’s say you start with pants and jeans, per my recommendations. You want to take every single pair out of the closet and lay them on the bed. Yes, it will feel messy, but it works! Seeing everything all at once is key. Right away, you might spot duplicates or pairs that are so similar they serve the same purpose. That’s when you can start asking yourself the real question: do you actually need both?
Step 3 - Sort into Five Piles
Try every piece (and please don’t skip this step) and sort them into one of the following categories:
Keep: items you really love;
Need: items you need, that you rely on;
Maybe: the in-between pieces you’re emotionally attached to or unsure about;
Sell/Donate/Discard: items with which you’ll have to part ways - pieces that you are not wearing at all, are worn out, or damaged;
Alter: items that can be saved with a simple tailor visit.
Identify your keeps, your foundations
Before you tackle the tough decisions, start easy. As you try out the pieces, pull aside and put into a pile the ones you wear often and love without question. The ones you truly love, these go into the Keep Pile - your foundation.
As you go through each item, be completely truthful and ask yourself:
Does this piece genuinely make you feel confident and comfortable when you wear it?
Does it align with your personal taste, does it reflect who you are?
Does it align with your lifestyle? Do you actually get to wear it?
Other things to keep in mind when choosing your keeps:
They have to fit: not too small, not too big, or they can be altered.
The fabric works for you: no matter how much you love how it looks on you, if you don’t like the feel of the fabric on your skin, it has to go.
Fits your style: there are these pieces that you love to see on others, or are trending right now and you truly like them, but they do not fit your style and/or lifestyle, so you find yourself not reaching for them. Those have to go.
From here, you can measure everything else against them.
Figure out what are the pieces that you Need
As I mentioned above, over the years, I learned the importance of creating this category: the Need pile. When I first started, I was pretty ruthless - if a piece didn’t make it into the keep pile, it was gone. But as I grew and matured as a stylist, I began to understand that there are some pieces you don’t exactly love, yet you find yourself reaching for them again and again. They are practical, they fill a gap, and they help complete outfits. Those pieces earn their place, for now. Keep them. But as you continue refining your wardrobe, aim to replace them with versions you truly love, so your closet brings you both function and joy.
If you’ve made it this far, I want to say: I am so glad you’re here! Editing your closet is about so much more than clothes.
Next week, we’ll go deeper into how to evaluate the rest of your closet and I will walk you step-by-step through it, without overwhelm.
If this resonated with you, share it with someone who could use a little wardrobe ease too.
This two-part series is free and serves as a sample of what to expect from my paid newsletter.
Curious to find out what are your reasons for holding onto clothes 👇🏻