A few helpful hints

I am in the middle of a closet purge. Actually, I am at my laptop taking a momentary break from a closet purge. I have been reading a book about the history of modern fashion designers and I found myself thinking about my wardrobe and realizing it needs a massive overhaul. I have been discarding things that I have clung to for years - things that have survived many previous closet purges - deeming them "hideous" (with a silent "h") as I'm sure Karl Lagerfeld would also do had he been standing by my side. So, fellow fashion lovers I am here to give you five pieces of advice:

1) Purge ruthlessly. I mean, ruthlessly. I always thought that I saw my wardrobe through the eagle of eyes of an experienced professional stylist, but my god, I have some atrocious items. Well, I should say, I had some atrocious items.

2) Get rid of multiple basics that you keep around because they're basic and keep the quality stuff. Par example, I tossed all my ratty old Target tanks and kept my nice Alternative Apparel tanks in the same colors.

3) Iron your clothes! I found six awesome tops that I haven't worn in ages because they were wrinkly and I am lazy. I am ironing them. Tonight.

4) Take stuff to the tailor! I have black trousers that I got at Ann Taylor. The hem fell out and I stopped wearing them even though I paid about $100 for them (this was pre-recession, natch). Those are going to the tailor along with an Armani jacket I got at the thrift store with sleeves that were too long.

5) Take stuff to the dry cleaner. Same basic story here. I typically don't purchase "dry clean only" clothes because they are a hassle to deal with. I have a nice little pile of jacket and pants that have been neglected for, oh, years, because I haven't taken them to the dry cleaner.

Holey swiss on rye! I've got a whole new pile of wearable clothes now. It's kind of amazing.

Also, my other tip to you is, plan outfits in advance. I never do it, and I pay the price in the morning when I am bleary-eyed and resentful of the evil capitalist system that demands that I work for a living (Quelle horreur!). I found that planning everything down to my underwear and accessories has shaved an easy 15 minutes off of my morning routine. Added bonus: planning outfits ahead of time means you won't make any irrational choices that one is apt to stumble into in the early am's.

I'm a list person, so I think everyone should be a list person because lists are so much fun. So, before I depart, I urge you to make a list as you conduct your ruthless closet purge. Keep track of the things you need. My list is going a little something like this right now: black leggings, fur vest, ankle boots, trim little black skirt, and new LBD(wore my favorite one to the point of utter destruction). During previous wardrobe organization whirlwinds, I failed to make a list and I went around and around in my head for weeks after trying to figure out what items I needed to buy that had seemed seemed so vital at the time. Really, nothing is so vital that I have to have it RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND (even though my fevered brain is telling me other wise), but my list basically consists right now of things I have to replace because I have worn holes into my other stuff. I kind of like clothes with holes naturally worn into them, but not when they are strategically positioned on my bum.

Happy cleaning!