Fewer slacks, more sweats
Tips for re-evaluating, organizing and even culling your pandemic wardrobe
Remember when we wore fully co-ordinated outfits and different pairs of shoes every day of the week? Doesn't that seem like a lifetime ago? So much has changed in the past six months or so, including our wardrobes.
Some people did a closet cleanout in March, when it seemed as if the coronavirus would be a shortterm problem. Everyone wanted to use their time at home to get organized. But at this point — with no end in sight to the pandemic — it makes sense to adapt our closets and dressers to our current lifestyle and to acknowledge that pieces of our pre-pandemic lives are not returning anytime soon. Here are a few simple ways to organize your clothes and maximize your storage space:
FORMAL CLOTHING, ACCESSORIES
We're not going to a cocktail party, fundraising gala or theatre production in the near future. If your closet is packed with hanging clothes that are taking up valuable space, you might consider moving them to a guest room or basement closet if that's an option. I'm not suggesting you get rid of them, though if there are some you no longer like or that don't fit, you could set aside for donation or sale.
The same goes for formal shoes and handbags. Consider storing them elsewhere to make room for the pieces you are wearing. hanging storage bags will protect dresses, plastic shoe boxes can protect delicate shoes and handbags can be stored in cloth bags or pillowcases.
LOUNGEWEAR, EXERCISE GEAR
Our stay-at-home lifestyle has made loungewear a main clothing category. But many people's closets and dressers weren't ready to accommodate the influx of casual clothes.
One way to create additional — or different — storage for items such as sweatshirts and sweatpants is to re-evaluate what's in your drawers and on your shelves. Maybe some of your formal shoes can be moved from a closet shelf to accommodate your sweatpants. Try hooks to hang sweatshirts and fleece jackets where they will be easy to find and to keep them off the floor.
Likewise, all of that exercise gear that's been getting more use can be moved to a more accessible spot in your closet or given additional space in a dresser. If you're short on drawer space and there's room on the floor in your closet due to the relocation of hanging clothes or formal shoes, it may be worth investing in a portable drawer unit to accommodate exercise shirts, shorts, leggings and undergarments. Rolling these items and using bins or boxes inside the drawers to separate similar pieces will help keep them neat.
BUSINESS ATTIRE
What do you do with all of the clothing you previously put on to go to the office or important meetings? I don't recommend getting rid of it all, or even moving it very far, but if there are pieces you were barely wearing or that didn't fit before March, consider donating or selling them. The remaining items, especially pieces more appropriate for spring and summer, can be shifted to the back of your closet to make room up front for the clothing you're wearing most frequently.