Jennifer Mackey-Mary: When a new season begins, does updating your closet mean just pulling out what you’ve stored other places, and packing away what you don’t have room for? That’s what most women do, and over time, you end up managing more clothes than you actually wear. I know that the changing of the wardrobe can be a daunting task, but there are things you can do to make the process easier, and your wardrobe better. Today, I’m going to share my 30 minute closet edit you can do to start the next season off on the right style foot.  Let’s get started

Hello gorgeous, welcome back to the Everyday Style School, the podcast that gives real life style advice to real-life women. 

I’m your host, Jennifer Mackey Mary, I’m a wardrobe stylist who’s been dressing everyday women for over 25 years, and the founder of Everyday Style, where we’re on a mission to inspire women to love the way they look and give you the tools to make getting dressed easy.

Like many of you, I don’t have a huge closet with enough room for a sofa and a center island, although, goals. In fact, I don’t even have enough room for all of my clothes, probably like many of you, which means that I have to do the dreaded task of changing my clothes over a couple of times a year, digging out things I need now, and putting away things I won’t use for months.

It’s honestly one of my least favorite tasks, and I’ll admit I put it off as long as I can, but there comes a point where I’m digging in bins, or visiting my office closet for off season clothes more than I’m actually getting dressed in my closet, and that’s my cue to make the switch. 

Although this isn’t a task I love, I’ve found a way to make the process less painful, and refine my wardrobe at the same time, and in this episode, I’m going to share my secrets. 

Now if you’re thinking, there’s no way I can edit my closet in 30 minutes, you’re right. I don’t care how small your wardrobe is, doing the kind of closet edit that requires you to try on everything you own, and ask yourself all the questions required to make good choices probably can’t happen. Which is why we’re not talking about that. In fact, you’re not going to try anything on. This is meant to be all about quick decisions, with the goal of setting future you up for success. If you do this edit at the end of every season, you’ll find that over time, switching out your closet is much easier, and you’ll even end up wearing more of what you already have. 

This also might take longer if your closet is not already organized the everyday style way, with like items together, tops grouped by sleeve length, bottoms by hem length. If you need to do that, set a timer for 30 minutes and reset your closet. In this time, also take out all the trash, like shoeboxes with nothing in them, empty shopping bags, broken hangers, anything like that. 

The rest of this though, you should be able to tackle in about 30 minutes. Like I said, you’re not trying anything on, and you’re only focusing on the current season transition. So right now, we’re heading from spring into summer, that means I’m not even going to look at the winter sweaters that are still in my closet. I’m only focusing on editing spring clothes. In a few months, I’ll only be focusing on summer things. 

To be clear, this does not replace an actual closet edit. This is just to make the process of changing your closet from once season to the next easier and more successful. 

Here are 10 things you should do at the end of every season.

Number 1- This might seem obvious, but gather up all the current season things. I don’t know about you, but I can be a little scattered with my clothes. I take a jacket off in the car when it warms up, and then it lives there for a few weeks, or I have shoes in multiple places. Skipping this step kind of reminds me of when the Christmas season is over, and I’m trying to pack everything up, but inevitably there’s that one mug, or the bathroom rug I was washing that get forgotten about, and then there’s just holiday flotsam and jetsam stuck in random boxes. Often I forget about it, and only discover it AFTER christmas is over the next year, and wish Id remember where I put it. Avoid that by looking in  all the places you may have clothes–laundry room, your car, your gym bag…whatever. Get the shoes too.Collect it all. 

Number 2- Empty your handbags and totes. If you're anything like me, your bags become catch-alls for everything from receipts to random bracelets. 
This keeps your bags in better condition, and while it might be fun to find money in a coat pocket or a bag when the weather turns cold, it’s a lot less fun to find tissues and a random dusty advil. Future you will thank you for a clean slate next year.

Number 3- Next up, look for anything worn out. We’re not trying anything on in this mini closet edit, but I do want you to look at the season’s clothes before packing them up. If something has clearly seen better days, why pack it up and store it only to not want it in a few months. This is one reason the changing of the closet is so daunting…managing clothes is a lot of work, and managing clothes you’re not going to wear isn’t a good use of time.

Along with that, look for #4–items that need to be tailored or repaired. If you didn’t wear a fabulous pair of pants all season because they needed hemming, don’t pack them up and hope that future you makes time to do it. Nope, pull them from your closet and put them in a bag to be tailored. Now, if you’re like, these pants are worth hemming, take them out and put them in the donate pile. You’re not going to grow 3 inches this year, or value those pants more next year. Again, don’t move and store clothes you can’t wear.

Number 5 is an ongoing one, and that is make a quick note of what you need for the season next year. If you pulled out all of your white tees and tanks because they were stained by sunscreen and self tanner,like I did last fall, make a note in your phone to replenish them. Sometimes, you can use the end of season sales to restock seasonal items, but I only do that when it’s something unique or different–like a dress, or a pair of cute shoes. I know staple pieces, like tees and tanks, will be around, and on sale, next year, so I wouldn’t bother with those. 

Next up, number 6, is prep your items for storage. For items you won't be wearing in the upcoming season, make sure they're clean before storing them away — especially light-colored pieces.

Trust me on this — there's nothing more disappointing than pulling out your favorite white linen pants for the season only to find spots that have mysteriously darkened during storage. Even if something looks clean, invisible oils from your skin can oxidize over time and create stains. If you’re not sure something’s been washed since it was last worn, its better to be safe than sorry. 
I know this step seems like a huge pain in the butt, who wants to do more laundry? But, when you get to the point of loving the clothes you own, washing them before storing them away seems like a small price to pay to keep from replacing them.

Number 7–no laundry required is to get rid of anything that makes you feel bad–either physically or emotionally. A scratchy sweater, a tee with a neckline that chokes you. A dress that always makes you feel frumpy and washed out..I’d bet good money you’re not wearing them anyway. For most people, it’s just part of the winter wardrobe, or spring wardrobe, so when it comes time, we just pack it up with the rest of the stuff…but what if you just didn’t? When you unpacked those bins next year, would you miss the dress that made you feel frumpy? Nope. Would you miss the sweater that gave you a rash? Absolutely not. Remember, no trying on here. If you have to put it on to see if it’s scratchy, or if you feel bad about yourself in it, leave it until your next real closet edit. We’re just looking for easy casualties here. 

Number 8 is along the same lines. And that’s your someday stash. The clothes you’re keeping in case of a wardrobe emergency–like in case all of your good clothes are washed away in a flash flood, at least you’ll have some ill fitting jeans to wear. These wardrobe emergencies never happen, and there’s no point in managing clothes you don’t wear. Think how much easier these closet changeovers would be if you just had to deal with the things you really wear. If you were super ruthless, could you eliminate the closet changeovers altogether? That’s a question for another day, but for now, don’t make these someday clothes a problem for future you. Just deal with them. 
One more easy thing to get rid of is #9–anything you’re keeping solely out of guilt. This usually comes in two forms. Guilt because someone gave it to you, or guilt because you spent money on it. If someone gave you the gift of clothing, their part in the exchange was over when they gave it to you. If you’re worried they’re going to ask about it, wear it once, snap a pic, and send it to them…then donate it. Just because someone gave you something doesn’t mean you have to manage that thing for the rest of your life. That’s a burden, not a gift. The other guilt, which is more common, is hanging onto things we spent money on, but aren’t wearing. The things is, the money was gone the second you bought it, no amount of hanging on to that item will bring it back The best thing to do is sell it on ebay or poshmark while it’s still in season and in style. Every year you pack it up and hang it back up, it loses value. Get out sooner, rather than later..its the only way you’re going to get any of the money back.

Finally, number 10 is get rid of anything that requires you to be someone different. If all you need to do to wear those summer dresses you keep packing up and rehanging is become a person who likes to wear dresses in the summer, let them go. If all you need to do to start wearing that black sweater you stored is become a person who looks good in black, let it go. If all you need to do to wear 80% of your closet is lose 20 pounds, well… I can’t tell you to let everything go, but I would advise you to pack all of that stuff up separately, and not deal with it again until you can wear it. It’s a lot of physical and mental energy  to spend on clothes you can’t wear, and I know you’ve got better things to do with your time. 

One last bonus tip before we wrap up. Go find everything for the new season. It’s like my Christmas mug, you don’t want to find things halfway through, or at the end of a season. Things you could have been wearing, and might even spend money to replace. Go on a treasure hunt and make sure you have everything.

Over time, doing this 30-minute mini closet edit at the end of each season will result in less time spent changing over your clothes, less clutter, and a better wardrobe. Seems like a pretty good use of 30 minutes to me! 

I hope today’s episode inspires you to set a timer for 30 minutes and get to work! Don’t forget to do the same thing in 3 months, or whenever you need to switch over your closet. I also hope this encourages you to think about the time spent managing clothes you don't really like or wear. That’s not a good use of your time or storage space, and by being intentional at the end of each season, you can create more margin in your life. 

That’s all I’ve got for you today. Thank you so much for listening, and remember that your everyday matters, so get dressed for it. 

Jennifer Mackey-Mary [outro]: And that's a wrap. Thank you for listening today. If you're loving the Everyday Style School podcast, I'd like to invite you to become a member of the Style Circle. It's our monthly all-access membership that gives you everything we create to make style easy, so you can save time and money, have easier mornings, and more confidence all day long. You get our seasonal capsule wardrobe guides, all of the masterclasses we offer, and our exclusive members-only podcast, The Everyday Style School Extra Credit. Plus, you're invited to the Facebook community, where you can get even more style support and inspiration. I would love to get to know you and support your style journey. It's just $19 a month, less than the cost of a clearance shirt you're never gonna wear. Come join me and make your everyday style easier.