Facing your Small Closet
Small closets sound like the most awful injustice, especially to us fashion forward people, but in today’s world where freedom and agility are the power-move, a capsule wardrobe is like a secret weapon.
I know all too well how hard it is to pare down, especially when we live in a climate with four very distinct seasons, but unless you work at Vogue, and even then, the likelihood is you don’t need as much variety in your closet as you think.
There is the common 80/20 rule (there’s even a clothing brand named after this theory) that says you wear twenty percent of your wardrobe eighty percent of the time. This is what gives us our favorite sweater, pair of jeans, suit, sundress, or reliable pair of sneakers—those items we feel utterly ourselves in. But then we also love to have those outlier pieces for that one-day-someday event, like a western party we swear we’ll be invited to, or that pair of super cute but uncomfortable high heels we need just the right occasion for—and those are the items that are subtly ruining our mornings.
Our lives are not spent in the outliers, they’re spent in the everyday eighty percent, so part of the key to loving a small closet is loving a small wardrobe.
What’s the most effective way to instantly create more space in a small closet?
People usually think of storage solutions or ways to cram more in, but the best way is to do what I call Shop Your Closet - a process of culling and curating a whole new wardrobe from what you already own. Bonus—it’s free, and you can do it without leaving home.
What should you remove from your wardrobe? Anything that doesn’t check all the following boxes:
Fits your current size ✔️
Flatters your shape and height ✔️
Works for your skin tone (you should wear your clothes, the clothes shouldn’t wear you) ✔️
Allows you to move comfortably (even if it’s a tight fitting piece) ✔️
Feels current, classic, or aligned with your personal style ✔️
Is in good condition (no holes, stains, fading, or excessive wear) ✔️
Some garments will leave because of just one reason, and that’s okay.
What’s the biggest mistake people make when organizing a small closet?
Thinking that they need more than they do.
How can people better use vertical space in tight closets?
Too many people rely only on the hanging rod and ignore the space above and below it. If you have a shelf over your hanging rod, use it for folded items or out-of-season pieces in bins. Under what’s hanging, there’s often room for shoe racks or a small set of drawers.
Are there any organizing products that are actually worth it?
Bins are essential for storing out-of-season items - under the bed, on high shelves, or in other closets. Drawer organizers are great for grouping delicates, jewelry, or accessories.
Some“solutions” to avoid:
Drop hangers that store multiple garments vertically. Unless you have the closet height and are using them for off-season clothes you dont need access to, they do more harm than good.
A friend of mine bought these recently and immediately noticed the pitfalls. These are really only good for people who don’t need them, because to open one up you have to have the room on your hanging rod to do so, which means pushing your other clothes to the side, and if you have the room to do that, then you have the room to keep these items hanging directly on the rod itself to begin with, eliminating the need for a system like this.
Hanging cubbies. They take up too much room, fall down, and rarely stay level unless perfectly balanced. They’re also hard to fill because they dont stay in place unless the weight in them is significant. Most items you’d put in them could be stored more efficiently in other ways and would likely make better use of the space.
What daily or weekly habits help keep a small closet organized long-term?
I tell my clients that the key to good organization is The Two P’s - Purge & Put Things Away- this means letting go of what no longer serves you and making sure everything else has a home, aka, a place where it lives and always returns to when you’re doing using it (I like to think of it like this…from the items perspective, unless it’s at work doing its job, it wants to be home resting and relaxing. PS. this framework works really well with kids- they like the story and emotional element).
So if you’re doing the job of purging weekly, than the daily habit is to simply put things away. If we break it down further…
Daily: Do a reset. Put things back where they belong - before you leave or before bed. Put laundry away immediately to avoid buildup and wrinkles.
Weekly: Be a constant curator. For example: If you’ve had something all season and haven’t worn it once, you can probably part with it. Once you decide to let something go make sure it leaves your house within 5 days.
Can I still shop?
Absolutely! I’d never rob a fashion lover of their love of the hunt. Just make sure you dont bring back a huge haul you have no room for- unless you’re willing to adhere to the 1 In 1 Out Rule which is that for every item thatenters one must leave. There’s nothing wrong with shopping as long as you’re buying versatile staples you’ll wear and love. But when that moment arrives that you realize you’re wearing only the same 20% again that’s when platforms like Poshmark, ThredUp, or your local consignment store become your best friend to help you recirculate that 80% you’re not wearing. Buying and selling secondhand lets you own better-quality items while keeping your clothing budget in check not to mention the environmental benefits- yay Planet!
Any other closet organization tips?
Don’t be afraid to go custom. When I lived in NYC, my then-husband and I shared one modest closet. Since he had the height and I didn’t, we split it into a top and bottom zone with rods at different heights. We used the Elfa system from The Container Store, but there are plenty of options now, some that will design and install for you.
Whatever your budget, there’s an option—it just needs to work for how you live.
And my last bit of advice for those teenie closet owners is…Don’t get closet envy, because there is a dark side to the walk-in-closet too, and you can read about it Here…