Yesterday, a friend of mine from out of state mentioned she’d spent all weekend on a her closet edit and that she had loads of things going out. Then she mentioned she was going to start using the backward hanger technique to keep her closet from getting crazy like that again.

Do you know the backwards hanger technique? At the beginning of the spring or fall season or after you have edited your closet, you hang all of your hangers backwards, (where the hook is on the back side of the bar.) Then when you wear an item, you turn it around. At the end of the season, any items that are still hanging backwards get donated, consigned, given to friends, etc.

This system has merit; however, I think a better strategy is to really make sure you love something when you’re shopping, before it even gets a home in your closet. I know you may think I’m silly always saying “love your clothes” but truly, why buy something (no matter how low the cost) if you’re not totally excited to wear it?

I do have a system for making sure I’m going to wear something. After I come home from my shopping trip, I try on my new purchase at home if not immediately, then in the next day or two. If it feels/looks different than it had in the store, and I’m not as crazy about it as I thought, I make plans to take it back.

The second part of this system is if I haven’t worn the new garment or shoes within 2-3 weeks, it goes back. Chances are good that I’m just not going to wear it! An example of this is a white lace crop top (no, my tummy didn’t show) that I bought last summer at full price. It hung in my closet for a few weeks with the tags still on. I struggled with the decision, as I liked the top a lot. For some reason, I wasn’t compelled to wear it and was quite sure I wouldn’t. (See, even professional shoppers aren’t perfect!)

So back to the backward hanger system…as I mentioned, it does have some merit, but only after you’ve been brutal during your closet edit! When you get down to those final few pieces you’re not sure about, ask yourself if you would buy it at full price today. If the answer is “yes” go ahead and turn the hanger backwards and then resolve to start buying only clothes you can’t wait to wear!

When you brutally edit your closet, only buy what you love when you’re shopping, and take back clothes you haven’t worn soon after their purchase, you’ll find your closet will be a place where you can get dressed easily and your future closet edits will be lightning fast!

If you’re at the point where you know you’re ready to update your personal style and edit your closet, but you just can’t face it on your own, check out how I work and schedule a phone call with me, and together we can discuss what you really want your wardrobe to be like and talk about next steps of how to get you there. I look forward to talking to you!