I like to crow about storage. I brag that I feel free to thrift to my heart’s content because I have the storage capacity to accommodate all of my clothes. But if I’m being totally honest, I owe my nearly-endless storage options to Jerome. Jerome is the giant, multi-armed, professional-grade clothing rack that lives in my basement and stewards my off-season clothes. Without Jerome’s help, I’d be drowning in pools of excess clothing.
And I truly love the changeovers: Transitional seasons that force me to stow my weather-contingent clothing (heavy wool and velvet for winter, transparent voile and linen for summer), and reacquaint myself with the upcoming season’s goodies. Bona-fide temperature shifts that force me to break out the appropriate gear or perish. I’m not the first to have said this, but stowing off-season clothes means they feel newly-bought when they emerge from hibernation.
BUT. Part of me hates it, too. As a gal who loves to layer, bend rules, and use items for bizarre and unintended purposes, it drives me bjonkers to know that I have “supplies” in the basement where I can’t easily brainstorm around them. OK, so there’s no chance I’ll find a way to work my ankle-length brown wool cardigan into an August outfit, but you know what I mean. At least you do if, like me, you have just the tiniest touch of clothing-centric-OCD. It sucks to have to break up the family. If I had the capacity to store all my clothes in the same place at the same time, I think I’d be far more creative in my outfit assembly.
Now, I realize some of you maintain exquisitely curated and purposely tiny wardrobes. I realize some of you simply cannot find scads of clothes you love that love you back, and only wish you had enough spillover to necessitate your very own Jerome. I realize that some of you don’t have the budget to maintain separate seasonal wardrobes. But I’d still love all of your input because I trust you to use your imaginations:
Would you rather keep off-season clothes stashed out of sight, or keep everything together all the time? Do you feel like you’ve just gained a new wardrobe when you bring seasonal items out of storage? Do you wish you could keep everything in one place, for easier outfit creation? What do you see as the pros and cons of each system?
Image courtesy bitchcakesny.
{ 59 comments… read them below or add one }
Funny, I just did the switch on Sunday.
I definitely put sweaters away as soon as warm weather hits because I am so sick of them by April/May. And same with shorts. But a lot of my wardrobe is, I dunno, temperate you could say? Most of it can be worn year-round. I do love pulling out the storage bin at the change of seasons and remembering, "Oh yeah, I love this sweater".
I'm always curious about gals that live in real temperate climates, do they just keep everything out all the time?
I do it the same way as you. I didn't name my additional space though! I will get on that.
I do tend to forget about what is down there though. Every spring and every fall it is all about me going, "Ooooh! I forgot I bought this last year. Holy Hannah – how cute are these shoes"? You get the drift.
I am craving (I think because of one of your posts) a small rack I can have in my bedroom to hang options on for easier outfit mixing and matching.
I do have a "sweater bin," but my sweaters have outgrown that space. I would like to keep my winter coats (all 7 of them) separate from my wardrobe, but I currently only have one closet (which I must share with my man). I kind of hate seeing those big coats in the middle of June, but I can't do much about it right now.
I have stuff that works all year round but I do pack away all the very unseasonal items.
Well I spent Sunday washing all my (supposedly dryclean only) tweed skirts, ready to store away for a few months. Part of me wanted them to shrink or felt so I wouldn't have to look at them again come September, because I am so OVER woolly layers. I had no sooner pegged them out on the washing line, than a hailstorm struck. In May. Which just goes to show I am kidding myself about a seasonal switchover. Lucky I kept the wool trousers out of the washing machine….
Oh for those scads of clothes! But, not having them and being in England I actually find that I *can* keep most of my wardrobe close to hand. The trick when you have variable weather and a more limited wardrobe, I think, is to put away only those clothes at the extreme ends of the spectrum – the ones that are *only* suitable for the depths of winter or high days of summer.
So, my looong wool coat with the red lining that I've worn for well over a decade and been complimented on every year? Stored. The really heavy cord skirts and thick wool sweaters have gone with it for the time being. But, I've hauled out the light linen items and the few light sundresses I own, which hibernate for winter as they're not easy to layer until the chill is off the temperatures. It's still too cold for them here, but it's getting warmer and it's good to see them now so that I can think of ways to start incorporating them into outfits – and see where any wardrobe gaps are.
Lighter shirts and camis etc stay out all year round as I often find a layering use for them even if it's too cold to wear them on their own. Anything of even remotely medium weight and every boot, shoe, cardigan, scarf and shawl I own stays in the wardrobe all year round.
I do sift somethings out seasonally and put them in my office closet, but only the truly seasonal items ride this merry-go-round. Most of my staples (dresses, cardis, blouses, jeans) can be worn through 3.5 of the 4 seasons, so I just organize my closet by item type.
I only put away what is seriously unwearable during late spring to late summer. Wool, thick coats/jackets, turtlenecks, etc. My wardrobe is small and fairly versatile. During the winter I tend to layer the heck out of my wardrobe, so a good part of it is wearable in the warmer months as well. I do love haveing access to the majority of my wardrobe at all times, because I AM a layer freak and NY is the weather twilight zone, so it works better this way.
I currently live in the Middle East and so my Summer wardrobe and my colder weather wardrobe are mostly the same thing with a few dresses and jumpers being moved into the upper half of my wardrobe.
Personally I would love the space to have everything in view, preferably in a wardrobe like the one from Sex and The City movie… hopefully one day.
Angel
I also store away my winter clothes, usually around March! I really shouldn't be buying so much winter stuff because living in Houston means it's warm most of the year. So I am able to keep my warm sweaters, etc in a few boxes. That said, I also have limited closet space so I need to be as efficient as possible. What I really need is a shopping ban, but I find it so hard to do…sigh!
Sal, you know my answer to this one. Separate seasonals. @Kelly: I, too, get sick of looking at those woolies after wearing them for 7 months. Sometimes I even re-home an oft-worn sweater because I can't imagine ever wanting to put it on my bod one more time.
Then, 'round about September I start looking in my storage for that perfect, plain black, thin cashmere crew-neck only to remember … damn. How could I have jettisoned my favorite sweater???
Happens every year.
I guess I'm lucky in one respect, we have one season here–hot, hotter and hottest, with horrible humidity. So I only have one wardrobe and a few sweaters that I put in a clear box when it is really hot.
I have space to store a few closets of clothes, but, personally, anything that doesn't fit in my walk-in closet including the shoes&sandals should go out of the house. This is with the exception of coats and boots. I like seeing everything when I'm dressed for efficiency reasons. I store shoes in clear boxes on the top shelves of the closet so I can see what's up there. Living in a warm climate helps. I have two clear storage boxes of Winter clothes that I box in April and put back on the hangers in September. The boxes stay on the top shelves of my closet and, again, anything that doesn't fit in those two boxes have to walk out of the house with me. Sometimes it's really hard to make a choice, but I don't like accumulating too much stuff and this is the only way I can keep it under control.
I have a very small coat closet by my front door, so I only keep the current season's coats in there, and move the rest to my spare storage closet.
As far as my regular clothes go, I wear pretty much everything year round, except for turtleneck sweaters and sandals. I'll switch items around so that in the summer my camis and light sweaters are most easily accessible while putting my heavier sweaters on the top shelf. In the fall, I switch back.
I also change my shoes so that right now the sandals and heels are in the front of the closet and the boots are buried towards the back. In the fall I'll switch again. Other than that, I don't really remove things seasonally b/c I wear all my clothes year round. My sweaters get quite a workout in the winter, but I'll use them in the summer as a layering piece in lieu of a jacket for cool evenings and airconditioned spaces. Same with shorts. Even in January, if we get a warmer day, I'll wear a pair of shorts with heavy tights underneath.
Like others have said, I store coats and summer clothing. My closet is narrow and deep, so
"storing" them is really just hanging them on the rod behind my everyday clothing. But most of my clothing is used year-round, so I only put a few things back there.
I am totally with you on this. I don't like to "break up the family either" lol—and you know how those fashion authorities tell us to put away the stuff that is not in fashion right now and bring it back out when it is? I can't even do that. The way I feel is it all has potential and if it is out of site it is out of mind. My exception is for wool coats and bathing suits. Plus I find the seasons are never as long as I think they are going to be and since for me storing means going up in the attic with the ladder and ducking beams in the dark and it always feels like, "Didn't I just do this????" I just skip it now.
Like the previous poster, I live in Texas, and we're pretty temperate. Most of my clothing works for all seasons – the only exception being my leather coat, a few velvet pieces and one (1!) wool sweater. Those get put away during the summer, which extends from March to November!
I would WAY rather have everything available all year long, but I just don't have the space. I even have to swap out shoes.
The one thing I do like is seeing things after a long spell – it's like getting new clothes.
I have five closets (yes, five)… They are organized somewhat by season (the walk-in is all skirts and dresses and shoes), then I have a wall of sliding door closets, which I call 3 closets because each section is 5 feet and has it's own door. I keep all sweaters, pants, shorts, and sewing supplies (including my sewing machine on a little desk in there). I have a big coat closet downstairs where I keep all my jackets and boots and a clothing rack with all the stuff that is for sale on my etsy.
If I had a basement, I might consider throwing some stuff down there, but I like being able to access everything. You never know when there will be a cold snap and I'll want a sweater in August, or suddenly want to wear shorts in February.
I totally hear you about splitting up the family! Stairs are such a barrier to creativity
I do switch up my wardrobe – moving certain things to the back of the closet or the bottom of the folded shirt pile – but I manage to use most of my wardrobe through all the seasons. Putting stuff out of sight would make that tricky.
Once the summer hits it will be 3 months (ish) of wearing unlayered outfits – generally dresses – and sandals. Simple and cute, but ultimately boring.
I do begrudge the need for a warm sweater, even in the depth of summer because the office is air conditioned. That's a big challenge. Always lugging an item – and desperately trying to make it work for warmth while still having the right weight to complement, and not look all wrong, with a summer shift.
(PS: Lately, since they've decided to conserve energy, it can be pretty warm at work, when the outside heats up.)
This is the first year I did not store away all my winter clothes, and I have to say its great! And I feel like I have a brand new wardrobe for spring! I discovered that all the outfits that felt a tad too exposed for winter, are perfect in spring.
For example, wool blend skirts are better in the spring than denim pencil skirts. The pouch caused by sitting in denim skirts doesn't happen as much with wool skirts. And believe it or not the wool was not as scratchy as I had imagined, since most are lined, and they were not too hot in 78 degree weather.
I am a clothes minimalist. I like simple, uncluttered spaces, even in my closets. My ultimate goal is to have one small closet of clothes that are just right for any situation: a little black dress (funky, slightly sexy), the perfect wool pants, a couple pairs of hipster chinos, tanks, camis, cardigans, 2 pairs of perfectly fitting jeans… you get the picture.
In real life my closet is cluttered and I have lame clothes that I don't love but wear anyway. However, I do strive to let go of those items when I bring in new clothes. I have a few pieces that belong in clothing nirvana, the rest have to earn their space by proving themselves to be indispensable.
And I do a lot of thrifting, for environmental as well as financial reasons, so I don't feel guilty about having a high turnover in my personal closet. I'm recycling rather than buying new and tossing.
I have neither the room nor the volume of clothing to do real separation like you're talking about, but it has been WONDERFUL the past month to pull my linen skirts off their hangers where I've been staring at them all winter long. I'm frolicking in the new pairings for them I can make with clothes that I've acquired over the winter. I do the same thing with my sweaters and boots in the fall.
Over here on the Left Coast, right by the water, we get a 'modified Mediterranean' climate, which means a lot of my stuff can be worn during the 3.5 out of 4 seasons (I love that!)
So come April, just the heaviest of the winter sweaters and coats get tucked into hibernation under the bed, and the flip-flops and shorts come out.
I love the chance to feel like it's a whole new set of wardrobe options, like shopping for free. But I also find it's a chance to look at things with a new, critical eye: do they really fit well, or am I hanging onto them for nostalgia's sake? Sometimes, having a few months of separation gives me the strength to let things go that aren't perfect. The wear and tear and rattiness that I was blind to at the end of last season becomes more obvious; or the fact that the tags are still on and it's the third summer I've dragged it out? Time to move it on.
The only thing I really put away seasonally are shoes. I pack away my sandals every October and bring out my boots, and vice versa every May (almost time to get out the sandals!).
The weather here is so goofy, I could conceivably need a sweater in the middle of the summer. And I do the layering thing with a lot of my "summer" dresses.
I used to love separating out my seasons but then I started realizing that I was buying multiples of items that were stored away. So now my storage is for clothing that are either too large or too small. I give myself a year to store things that don't work but I still love and if they still don't fit after a year they are donated. That seems to work for me and my small shared apartment closet.
Haha, I don't really have a seasonal wardrobe. I find it expedient to store my Underarmor and sweaters during the warm season… I wear everything else all year round. I have too many shirts to fit in my dresser, but too few to not wear t-shirts in the winter.
I love putting some things away as the seasons change. I feel like a kind of renewal. I am putting the past aside and committing to what is now. (Also, I just don't have the closet space
What bugs me is not separating out my clothes. I am annoyed by those garments that are seasonal transition items, such as thin winter sweaters that I will need as a jacket in the cool days of spring. I have to hold on to them even though all of the other winterwear is in storage. This is an irritant to my OCD need to have ALL that season's clothes in ONE place.
Another irritant is that I have to push past these transition garments for most of the season. From Mother's Day to mid-September as the weather is too warm for sweaters but I have had to retain a few. The same thing annoys me in September when I have to keep out some hot weather items to manage those few warmer days that crop up.
Sometimes I buy stuff for deep discount at very end of season and stash it. Then I am pleased to see my old favorites and have some new garments when the seasons chanage back.
I have scanned the other comments and did not expect my own to be so long. Who knew "seasonal wardrobe separation" struck so deep in the feminine heart?
I have all my clothing in one large(ish) closet and a good sized dresser. The closet is designed such that the spaces extends deeper beyond the doors. So while I do keep everything in the same place, come spring, I do move sweaters, coats etc. to the more inaccessible areas. Right now I have shorts, breezy skirts, dresses and the likes towards the front. This way I do get the feeling of having acquired new stuff every time the season changes, while at the same time I can reach back for the sweaters and scarves if I want to play around with them.
And most importantly, having no extra storage prevents me from over shopping on ebay or thrift stores and accidentally buying things similar to what I already own.
All my shoes are in the same place though. The only change I make is putting the boots in the back of the closet around mid-spring.
I have a son who has moved out and he occupied a room with two closets so those are mine now also!
One result of becoming a fashion blog reader is that I've put my digital camera to work and now have a photo of many of my outfits. I keep all photos in a book and can look there and then go find it rather than relying on memory.
My closet's not very big, so I've found that doing some seasonal wardrobe switching is helpful. Everything stays in place, for the most part, except for skirts and dresses — one under-bed box holds the out-of-season stuff.
I do some rearranging, too, like other posters mentioned — switching sandals to a more accessible location, burying boots in the back. I also swap the drawer organizers that hold swimsuits and tights, so the swimwear's at the front of the drawer.
I wish I had a place to stash my wool coats that wasn't my closet, but for now they just have to stay where they are in the summer. (I do my very best not to look at them.)
I'm a keep it all together type of gal. 100%. My style would feel at a disadvantage if the seasons were separated.
I get a kick out of knowing exactly what I have all the time. Funkier clothing combinations surface when it's all there for the picking. But I don't have a large wardrobe and I love editing so it's easy to keep organized in my small walk-in wardrobe that I share with hubby.
But I totally get that some people just don't have the closet space, though.
I have to store some of my clothes when they're out of season, because our closets are so small. We have a small, old house without a lot of storage space.
I purposefully try to buy clothes that work year round, because that way I feel more like I get my "money's worth" out of them. I've accumulated a mid-to-large sized wardrobe (thanks to thrift stores, sales, and keeping a lot of my older clothes for yeeeeears), and I keep everything together. Even my warm sweaters. But I also live in New England, where we do still have the occasional cool (or downright chilly) day in the summer. So I do still get the occasion to use some of my lighter-weight-winter/fall-clothing even after spring is gone.
At the moment the only thing I really store out of season is coats as the coat closet is really small, but generally, now that I have three closets I keep things available. But I worry about space, not at the moment because I just purged scads of stuff, but usually, even with three not huge closets, space is at a premium. If I had a safe basement or attic I would probably store stuff, but I don't. I understand the problem. When I only had one tiny closet I had to store and I hated it. I have to see everything.
I have very few things that I pack away. In the winter I pack away sundresses, eyelet, and sandals. In the summer I pack away sweaters,coat, and boots. Most everything else in my closet can be layered into wearing all year long, so I just pack away the things that I KNOW can't work in the new season.
I separate by seasons and I usually take a day when the weather shows signs of either fall or spring and bring the new season in and phase the old one out.
It is like getting a new wardrobe all over again, though! definitely!
Hi there-certainly if you've the space, its great! Personally I have a small edited wardrobe and drawers of multi seasonal items only, I'd feel swamped if I had too many clothes-certainly everyone is different in their views to this!
I live in a truly temperate climate, near the beach, so I need jeans in summer and shorts in winter. I don't really store anything except coats and fancy dresses (those go in the back of my closet — hubs and I share a walk-in). Lately, I've been buying a lot of layering pieces to get more use out of my moderate weather clothing and I just know all those "useless" layers are going to drive me crazy in a couple of months. It would probably help if I could store them.
More and more, I find that my wardrobe tends to span the seasons. I'm layering more, can't abide heavy clothes (thanks, menopause), wear fewer sleeveless filmy blouses (thanks, flab). Still, there are clothes that are definitely locked into winter or summer, and those are in separate closets. I'm fortunate to have two, and they're divided by season in this way.
I have always lived in old houses with tiny closets, so I have always had to store my out of season clothes. Currently I've taken over a hall closet for hanging items, and use rubbermaid boxes for folded items. I also bought a cedar chest to store sweaters in (particularly my handknits) but unfortunately this means I forget to wear them, even in the dead of winter. Out of sight, out of mind.
California doesn't really go through as drastic a seasonal weather change as the rest of the country, so my wardrobe doesn't change all that much. My summer tanks get layered under sweaters for the winter, and my sweaters serve as light coverups for the summer. The only things I really put away are my shorts and my coats.
Since my apartment is tiny, my alternate storage is in bins under my bed (or covered up hangers in the back of my closet), so everything is pretty much accessible whenever.
Well, I'm one for the tiny/minimalist wardrobe–there is no space in my apartment to store a full off-season wardrobe. On the other hand, I live in a climate where the worst winter days are -15F, and the worst summer days are 100F, so there are some items that are simply inappropriate for one season or the other. There's no point in shuffling around them half the year.
So basically, I keep my 'core' wardrobe around all year. This is all the layering things which are good in various combinations for anything. The season-specific items (sandals, snowboots, coats of different kinds, wool hats and heavy gloves, etc) go in storage. But they all fit in one bin.
I am a strong believer in STORING.
(if possible)
I think that transition and seasonal purging and cleansing is really essential to a clear and fresh wardrobe.
There will always be things that will wear through every season but I keep them to just a few pieces.
~taryn
I love having the extra space by putting away off-season clothing, but I hate it when there is an unseasonable day/evening that forces me to drag out the bins looking for something suitable to wear. As much as I love reviewing my clothing, it can be bittersweet. I yo-yo so much in my weight, so I never know what will fit and the whole changeover can take a whole weekend…
I have three dressers (one small, two medium-sized), a small closet, and some shelf space for all my clothes, coats, shoes, handbags, and accessories, so I don't have the luxury of doing the seasonal switchover. Lately I've been trying to cultivate a smaller wardrobe and purge what I rarely/never wear, and coax more versatile looks out of the items I do have. It's working out pretty well actually! It makes me a lot pickier when I go shopping, and I find myself being more satisfied with the things I already have.
It's funny to read the comments from the other Californians about not having seasonal clothing. I've always lived in CA (SF) and I've always had seasonal clothing. There are items I wear in winter that would certainly still work temperature-wise on a foggy summer day, but in the summer I want to wear summer textures.
I was just thinking about this recently. I haven't made the switch to my spring/summer wardrobe yet – but will soon.
I do store my winter clothes during the summer and vice versa, but I wish I didn't have to. Sometimes I forget what I have and end up buying pieces that are very similar to what I already own.
Especially when I see all the seasonal items in the store and think "I need shorts, I need boots, I need sweaters…" and in truth, I probably don't need any of those things.
But, what's probably the worst about the two wardrobes, at least for me, is those in-between times, like we're having now in Oregon. Freezing in the morning, warm in the afternoon, necessitating layers from both wardrobes.
I won't complain too much though – it's nice to have options and the surprise of 'new' clothes every season.
Wow! That's my closet! This just turned up in my Flickr stats. I'm only embarrassed to have wooden *and* velvet hangers (I had to incorporate those because I now own too many shirts and the velvet ones take up less room). Anyway, thanks
I have never organised my wardrobe according to seasons, apart from my coats. I also put away winter boots for summer and sandals for winter, which is sort of a no-brainer.
I am sure the question of saving space would be a major benefit if I decided to do it with the rest of my clothes, but I tend to layer so much that there isn't all that many things I would never consider wearing because it was a particular season. Having said that, I also have a good amount of space available for all of my clothes, so if I was struggling with storage, I'd definitely be more practical and I could see myself "seasonalising".
"…some of you simply cannot find scads of clothes you love that love you back…"
That's me, right there. I'm the only gal in NYC who shares her closet (singular!) with her husband and doesn't mind, because there is still room. We have a few drawers as well, and do switch out truly seasonal items, but my wardrobe really IS that tiny.
There was once a time when I had more clothing, but none of it was worth keeping and I pared down. Even before The Great Closet Purge(s) I didn't have very much.
I just rarely find items I love in a price range that doesn't make me twitch, in my size.
Anyway, I do believe in switching out seasonal things (sandals, down coats) but I keep anything even remotely weather appropriate at the ready to be mixed in. That might be why I find myself with several sweaters on hand in a heatwave thinking "hey! It might be chilly one night!".
ETA: My word verification is "duckhorr". I am mildly offended, and certainly confused.
I like to keep all my clothes in the one place, stashing away seasonal pieces is not an option for me, even though I live in a tiny apartment. You never know when your going to get one of those random days where the weather is all wrong.
My closet is colour co-ordinated too.
I need to see a photo of Jerome!
I have WAY fewer clothes than you. I still like to store my off-season clothes in a box under my bed, as looking at too many clothes is too much for me.
I haven't checked to see if someone's mentioned this, but I do what I like to call the "Closet Shuffle". I have one of those long closets, with a sliding door, and when spring/summer weather rolls around, I sort of shuffle my spring-y clothes towards the front, and put my warm stuff further back. That way I've got my seasonal-appropriate stuff within easy reach, but if I get the creative urge, or want a pullover or something else warm, it's really just an arm's length away.
It just occurred to me that if/when my boyfriend & I get hitched up (he had me get ring sized the other day), and if we end up living in his current apartment… we'll only have ONE closet to SHARE. I may have a panic attack, now.
I definetly love having my clothes all in one place- I live in Florida so we pretty much have one season, which is summer! When it actually does get cool (which we were lucky enough to alot of this winter) I want to be able to bust out my winter clothes right away, because if I wait too long, I might miss my chance!! If i had room in my bedroom though, I'd definetly get a clothing rack, I think they are amazing.
I'd like to see a photo of Jerome, too!
I don't have a big enough closet to really hide anything (and I simultaneously wish I did have one and am glad I don't have one), but I move things around about four times a year – around the change of the seasons.
I put my winter dresses – those that are truly winter dresses – in the back, I rearrange my shoes to make my sandals most accessible and my boots least accessible.
But I also change around the order of blouses and blazers and bottoms. It makes me look at my closet with fresh eyes and I usually find new pairings that I hadn't thought about.
I have just recently started to seriously get into seasonal wardrobe separation and I LOVE it so far. I do like way things feel new-but-already-loved after being rotated in, and I have sooooo much more room this way! Also, I have a decent amount of clothes and feel less overwhelmed now. In Houston, where I live, most of my clothes are not interchangeable between seasons because it gets so dang HOT (it is already in the 90's). I am also lucky enough to have my off-season clothing be a bit more accessible – they are stored in a different bedroom’s closet – that really helps.