WARDROBE WONDER: overhaul your closet and lose the ‘nothing to wear’ blues with clever storage solutions for clothes, bags and shoes

Organising your wardrobe may seem daunting, but take it step by step and, as Jamela Ejjamai shows, it doesn’t have to be. So stop procrastinating and prepare to change your life, or at least make getting dressed more enjoyable.

First things first

Set aside some time to tackle this task without distractions. Ultimately you want to be able to sort everything in your closet into three piles – items that you want to keep, items that you want to offer to family and friends and a pile for charity or recycling.

If space is an issue in your wardrobe, a great way to get the most out of the space you have is to put one season in good storage vacuum bags or plastic tubs with lids. While one season is stored away you will have a better vision of what you have to wear.

Treasure or toss

When going through your wardrobe, start with your hanging space, then move onto folded clothes and accessories. Be prepared to make cut-throat decisions about what stays and what goes. Ask yourself these questions when pulling each item out. - Have I worn it in the last 6-12 months? - Is it damaged and worth repairing? - Will a friend or relative like this?

- Is this a designer label that may fetch money from eBay or an online market place?

Have a little fun with this part, try things on, go down memory lane. Pick which category that item needs to go in – keep, donate or give away.

If you have items that are damaged and not fit for a charity to re-home, have a look online as there are some great initiatives out there which turn old textiles into new items.

A great website to start from is recyclingnearyou.com.au. Another handy tip is to cut your cottons into cleaning rags for use around the house.

Only donate clothing that is still in a wearable condition: that means no holes, tears or stains.