Getting the most out of your wardrobe

I talked Saturday about my large number of clothes. Over the years I have shared my tips for keeping your old wardrobe new...but I wanted to share them here.

A while back, I read that wearing the same color of different shades in an outfit was a good way to add some pop. That was when layering was in (but when isn't it?). So, I organized my closet by color. All the shades of red were together and all the grays and blacks. I put bright colors near bright colors and neutrals near neutrals.

When that got old, I organized it by type. All the pants were together, all the sweaters were together and all the hoodies occupied the same space. I kept the button down shirts together and all the "fancy" tops in the same area. All the short sleeves mingled with their like counterparts. I know if I need a cardigan to go over a short-sleeved shirt to keep me warm, that I can choose the best color by seeing them all at one time. This system helps me know exactly where I need to go, depending on the mood I'm in.

• Some mornings, I build an outfit around an accessory. I choose a necklace or earrings that I haven't worn in a while and pair it with an outfit. I do the same with shoes. I have a cute pair of red heels I hardly ever wear, but it's easier to start with them and add black pants and a red top than it is to decide to wear the shoes...because I usually go for the old standby black "teacher" shoes that are comfortable and not really stylish.
• Now that my closet has a section that is hard to get to, I often pull items to the front area. It's usually stuff I haven't worn for a few weeks. It gives me a fresh peek and I can avoid leaving clothes in the back to wrinkle over and over again.
• I still have a lot of clothes that I rarely wear. I keep them thinking if I lose 5 pounds I will feel more comfortable wearing them. When I lost a lot of weight before, I made the mistake of getting rid of ALL my pants, since I went down 2 sizes. I won't do that again. Life happened and I gained the weight back....leaving me longing for those cute pants that used to fit so well. And the reverse doesn't seem to be working. I long to wear the cute smaller sizes, but it just makes me more upset that I worked hard to lose weight and gained it back. So despite what Dr. Phil or Oprah says...keep a few sizes around. I am not saying keep a size 2 if you are a 12...but if you fluctuate between a few sizes...don't part with them too soon.