At one of my style talks on “Dressing For Your Body Shape” at Troon Country Club, a women asked about the best way to arrange her closet. She had just moved into a new home and, before she got too comfy with her previous way of organizing, she wondered if arranging by color, by season, or by type of piece might be a better way. My instinct was to share the tried and true method that I use, and that many of my clients have adopted — arranging by occasion (see Closet Lessons). By this I mean, thinking about the ways in which you spend your time and organizing your clothes accordingly. For my lifestyle I have four major groupings of clothes: client meetings, elegant evening, dressy casual, and yoga/work-out/running errands.
But, before I told her about the “occasion arrangement” I stopped short, recalling a recent evening when my husband and I decided to rotate our budding art collection. We realized that, after pieces hung in the same places for years, we actually stopped seeing them at all. So, we took every piece down and found new locations for them throughout the house. Our goal was to start seeing these pieces with fresh eyes like the day we purchased them. Now, the art grabs our attention. We see the pieces surrounded by different décor and we can appreciate each piece for the beauty it brings to the new space.
What this experience tells me that the same thing is most likely true for how we organize the clothes in our closets. Perhaps it would be a good idea to periodically rearrange our clothes so that we see new combinations and styling possibilities. Our brains tend to lock into our previous ways of styling and accessorizing, but by changing up what our eyes take in, our brains will be more likely to actually see things anew. You may discover new color or pattern combinations, pleasing mixtures of different fabrics worn together, or new layering combinations. You may even discover pieces you had completely forgotten about. I for one will be experimenting with new arrangements and I hope you do too. Please keep me posted on your experience!