How to Organize Clothes and Shoes in Your Closet
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Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. 2. Figure out why there's a jam. Fifty-plus is a time of change and transition that affects what you wear and keep. Have you with storage to a condo short on closets? Do your clothes and accessories not fit your current (be honest!) body, life or style? Are you widowed or divorced and dating again? Has your social life amped up with volunteer work, clubs, committees or back-to-school classes? Did you move from one climate to another, from an office to working at home, from an urban lifestyle to a suburban one? Often, we hate to let go of stuff because you never know what's around the corner. Adjusting to an accelerated lifestyle or a more laid-back one is a definite closet U-turn. Check these questions when you're deciding what to save, donate or toss. For style advice and more, . Getty Images and sunglass frames. When it comes to designer label or logo anything (vintage or newish), try selling at a local consignment shop or an online vintage retailer. You just might get something back. Otherwise, give your goodies to a women's shelter or nonprofit. Most women don't wear 50 percent of what's in their closet. Entertainment $3 off popcorn and soft drink combos See more Entertainment offers > 5. Add the right closet organizers. If you can't see it, you won't wear it. And why let space guzzlers like big down puffers (during summer) and shoe boxes take up real estate? Every woman needs five things easily found on Amazon or at Bed Bath & Beyond or the Container Store: Skinny flocked hangers. Get enough to replace all of your old wooden, plastic, wire and metal mismatched ones. Stick to black, beige or gray. Skinnies take up half the space, keep clothes shapely, prevent slipping, and give your closet a pulled-together, neater look. Get the matching pant/skirt clips for multitasking.Compression bags. Space-saving, ziplock vacuum bags work by squeezing out all the extra air so no mildew or mold can get in. Get puffers, outdoor jackets, and strictly summer clothes out of sight and make room. Slip the slim cases under the bed, armoire or dresser, or place on a top shelf in the closet.Shoe shelves or a hanging shoe bag. Ditch the original shoe boxes. Get either a two-, three- or four-shelf unit that sits on the floor of your closet, or an over-the door (or rod) hanging shoe bag.A cloth garment bag. Get rid of plastic bags from the dry cleaner. They trap moisture, turn clothes dingy or yellow, and make leather toughen and crack. Store fragile items you don't wear often — like dressy dresses — in a cloth garment bag.A rod or hooks for the wall or inside closet door. Hang scarves, belts and necklaces for visibility and access. AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe , which can be folded and stacked on a shelf (like stores do) or slipped onto a slim multirod hanger or on individual slim hangers side by side. Store jeans according to wash color (light to dark, as in No. 6); then by fit (skinnies to straight to wide-leg); and last, by length (cropped to long).
9. Protect but don't overdo it. Get cedar blocks and lavender sachets. They are not a myth and do prevent moths from nibbling holes in cashmere and wool garments. Resist storing bags within bags — with the exception of a tote with matching clutch. Keep everything visible. Ditch dust bags for your leather bags. Hobo bags and totes can be stored flat and stacked on a shelf or hung on a peg or hook. Stuff structured satchels and crossbody and shoulder bags with a little tissue paper to keep the shape (or use old T-shirts as I do).
For more beauty and style tips for women age 50-plus, check out The Woman's Wakeup: How to Shake Up Your Looks, Life, and Love After 50 by Lois Joy Johnson and . More on entertainment AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS
How to Organize Your Closet If You re Not Marie Kondo
9 tips for getting your clothes shoes and accessories in top order
Getty Images Need a flashlight to find your good velvet jeans, kitten-heeled party shoes and the vintage gold-chain belt stashed somewhere in your closet? That used to be me, too! Yes, I have read Marie Kondo's best-selling book The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up, and while I'm sure reducing one's wardrobe to only the things that “spark joy” works for some people, I'm not one of them. For many women age 50-plus (like myself), any paring down the closet(s) to a perfect, tidy small group of clothes and accessories does not bring happiness ... more like anxiety. Where's my stuff? My history? My memories? My choice? No one wants to be a hoarder, but getting dressed shouldn't require a GPS, either. Here's my tried-and-true fashion editor declutter guide to your closet. 1. Give the closet itself a DIY makeover. First make your closet a brighter, cheerier place. There's no need for a pricey company that designs customized racks and shelves. Just take everything out. Give the interior a good dusting and vacuum. Paint it your favorite good-mood color, such as butter yellow, peach, pale pink, apricot, powder blue — nothing too dark. Add extra lighting so there are no dark corners, either. Stick on battery-powered LED lights (check Amazon.com) that work with a touch-tap to turn on and off ... no electrician necessary. The latter are life changers , trust me.Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. 2. Figure out why there's a jam. Fifty-plus is a time of change and transition that affects what you wear and keep. Have you with storage to a condo short on closets? Do your clothes and accessories not fit your current (be honest!) body, life or style? Are you widowed or divorced and dating again? Has your social life amped up with volunteer work, clubs, committees or back-to-school classes? Did you move from one climate to another, from an office to working at home, from an urban lifestyle to a suburban one? Often, we hate to let go of stuff because you never know what's around the corner. Adjusting to an accelerated lifestyle or a more laid-back one is a definite closet U-turn. Check these questions when you're deciding what to save, donate or toss. For style advice and more, . Getty Images and sunglass frames. When it comes to designer label or logo anything (vintage or newish), try selling at a local consignment shop or an online vintage retailer. You just might get something back. Otherwise, give your goodies to a women's shelter or nonprofit. Most women don't wear 50 percent of what's in their closet. Entertainment $3 off popcorn and soft drink combos See more Entertainment offers > 5. Add the right closet organizers. If you can't see it, you won't wear it. And why let space guzzlers like big down puffers (during summer) and shoe boxes take up real estate? Every woman needs five things easily found on Amazon or at Bed Bath & Beyond or the Container Store: Skinny flocked hangers. Get enough to replace all of your old wooden, plastic, wire and metal mismatched ones. Stick to black, beige or gray. Skinnies take up half the space, keep clothes shapely, prevent slipping, and give your closet a pulled-together, neater look. Get the matching pant/skirt clips for multitasking.Compression bags. Space-saving, ziplock vacuum bags work by squeezing out all the extra air so no mildew or mold can get in. Get puffers, outdoor jackets, and strictly summer clothes out of sight and make room. Slip the slim cases under the bed, armoire or dresser, or place on a top shelf in the closet.Shoe shelves or a hanging shoe bag. Ditch the original shoe boxes. Get either a two-, three- or four-shelf unit that sits on the floor of your closet, or an over-the door (or rod) hanging shoe bag.A cloth garment bag. Get rid of plastic bags from the dry cleaner. They trap moisture, turn clothes dingy or yellow, and make leather toughen and crack. Store fragile items you don't wear often — like dressy dresses — in a cloth garment bag.A rod or hooks for the wall or inside closet door. Hang scarves, belts and necklaces for visibility and access. AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe , which can be folded and stacked on a shelf (like stores do) or slipped onto a slim multirod hanger or on individual slim hangers side by side. Store jeans according to wash color (light to dark, as in No. 6); then by fit (skinnies to straight to wide-leg); and last, by length (cropped to long).
9. Protect but don't overdo it. Get cedar blocks and lavender sachets. They are not a myth and do prevent moths from nibbling holes in cashmere and wool garments. Resist storing bags within bags — with the exception of a tote with matching clutch. Keep everything visible. Ditch dust bags for your leather bags. Hobo bags and totes can be stored flat and stacked on a shelf or hung on a peg or hook. Stuff structured satchels and crossbody and shoulder bags with a little tissue paper to keep the shape (or use old T-shirts as I do).
For more beauty and style tips for women age 50-plus, check out The Woman's Wakeup: How to Shake Up Your Looks, Life, and Love After 50 by Lois Joy Johnson and . More on entertainment AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS