"If you haven't worn it in a year...blah blah blah"

We probably have all heard that when you are cleaning out your closet "If you haven't worn it in a year, then get rid of it" or some variation on that advice.  Even the neatest, most organized house keeper will still have an over full closet with many items that haven't been worn for at least a year. I think we need some variation on that advice. We don't follow it anyhow!  After you have the first 5 steps done (see my first post), and the clothes are organized, take another day to go through the clothes that you haven't worn in a year.  Try things on and make sure they fit and look good on you.  If they pass that test, then try to make some outfits using these items that you don't wear.  I came up with a bunch of cute outfits by doing this with my seldom worn clothes.  I keep getting compliments at work on my cute "new" outfits.  One reason we don't wear things, but can't give them up, is because they are nice, and we like them.  We get in a pattern of grabbing what is easy, instead of taking time to mix and match.  It takes a few hours of quiet time with you and your clothes to sort through them and find ways to wear them.  I found some things in my closet that didn't go with anything else, or I needed a belt for it, or a button on it.  I made a shopping list for the things I needed.  I needed a belt, a black skirt, a white blouse, textured hose, and new boots.  (Well, maybe not the boots) 

Sometimes we have all these great individual items of clothing, but we can't think of how to put them together.  Then it's back to what is easy, and our great clothes sit there in the closet for another year.  

I have a trick I use to put my outfits together.  I cut out pictures of  outfits I like that contain things that look like what I have in my closet.  I use the Nordstrom catalogs that come in the mail.  You would be surprised how many things you already have that they might show, even if they are showing it as a new item. How did they layer it, what kind of belt, wide or skinny, flat shoes, boots, jewelry, how is it put together?  I save up the catalogs, and then cut out the pictures when I'm watching HGTV.    I put mine on a poster, or  it could be in a spiral notebook.