No, not me silly!  (Ha! Made you look!) I’m stripping my closet and it is long overdue!

A little background on me first.  I am a highly organized neat freak.  I really thrive when there is order and routine in place.  I take longer than most people would on any given task, but once I’ve completed a task, no stone has been left unturned.  The task is done to completion and it is done well.  Chaos flusters me – to the point of making me completely ineffective.  My closet is currently in chaos.  Choosing something to wear almost causes me to shut down and crawl back into bed.

I’m not sure how it happened, really.  I have nice clothes, nice shoes, handbags, etc.  My closet isn’t messy.  Everything is on hangers, neatly folded or otherwise stored.  I change my clothes out every season, moving spring and summer items into our guest room closet during the fall and winter and vice versa.  Even so, things just aren’t organized in a way that makes sense and I have way too many things right now.  According to the Association of Image Consultants International, the average person only wears 20% of their clothes 80% of the time.  I admit this is true for me.  My closet is so crammed with things, I can’t even see what I have.  It’s ridiculous!

So, this Saturday if you’re looking for me, I will be working on Phase 1 of my closet overhaul.  Phase 1 – “Stripping” will consist of the following tasks:

Step #1: Access current hanging space, shelving, and accessory storage.  What isn’t working well?  Make a list of needed supplies such as additional hanging racks, shelves, or hooks.  Send hubby to store for the supplies.

Step #2: Strip my closet of every single clothing and accessory that I own.  Relocate these to other rooms of the house for Step #5 – wardrobe assessment.  Relocate some items such as pajamas, t-shirts, scarves, etc. to dresser drawers if possible.

Step #3: Help hubby install or remove shelving, racks and hooks as needed.

Step #4: Release hubby from husband torture to go and watch football.

Step #5: Access each wardrobe item.  Try on clothing as needed to ensure that it currently fits.  Only basics and adored, often worn items may be returned to the closet.  If I haven’t worn it in over a year, for whatever reason, it goes directly into a box to be donated to charity.  If I think I may wear it again but aren’t sure, it goes into a box labeled for that size and stored.  Items needing to be altered will go directly into the trunk of my car for a trip to the tailor on Monday morning.

Step #6: Create a typed list of items that I am storing temporarily.  Beside the item, include the reason why I haven’t been wearing it (too large, too small, nothing to match it with, not sure about color, etc.).  One month from now if I have missed any of the stored items, I will allow myself a “shopping” spree from the boxes.  If not, they get donated too.

Step # 7: Keep a notebook and pen in my closet.  If I feel that I need some new items to fill in the gaps, list them here for future purchases.  Refer to list of stored items prior to making any additional purchases.

Measureable Goals for Phase 1:

A – That I be able to see every single item in my closet at a glance

B – That I reduce the total items in my closet by at least half

C – That my closet look like this:

Just kidding! That’s Mariah Carey’s closet.  A girl can dream, right?!

Check back in with me next Wednesday on The Stylish Planner to read about my progress.

Have you completed a closet overhaul recently?  What is the biggest challenge your closet presents for you?

UPDATE 1/13/2010:  Due to unforseen repairs necessary for closet overhaul, the post on my closet makeover will run at a later date.  The date is subject to my husband’s availability due to the current NFL schedule.  Check back soon!