Any good business owner knows that taking inventory is an essential operation of any business. You need to know how much product you have, the quality of old stock, and find the discrepancies between what you believe to have and reality. It’s funny that many of these same intelligent and crafty business owners turn a blind eye to the auditing process when it comes to their own wardrobes. In this blog post, we are going to be detailing why you should audit your closet and some tips on how to do it.
Why Audit Your Closet
While the phrase “too many clothes, nothing to wear’ may be associated more with women, many of our clients have reported the same sentiment. Over the years we accumulate clothes; a sock here, a tie there, and another jacket for Christmas. This process goes on with more and more pieces entering and taking up space. This equates to time and confusion while getting dressed in the morning. A sad reality is over time our bodies and clothes change. This leaves most men recycling through the same old outfits, dressing out of necessity and not for the occasion.
At Henry A. Davidsen, we pride ourselves on helping our clients build a strategic wardrobe. For those who are new to wardrobe building, we would recommend a capsule wardrobe which you can read more about in our previous blog post. A capsule wardrobe is a collection of high-quality, versatile basics that are permanently stylish and, most importantly, interchangeable. As image consultants, we need to know the important pieces that you already own so that we can best help consulted on what garments are needed next.
How To Audit Your Closet
Closet audits are best done at the beginning of the fall and spring when most people are already changing out their closets for season-appropriate clothing. Begin by separating clothes into piles. Year-round clothes that stay, out-of-season clothing for storage, and a donate/throw-out pile. Here are some tips on choosing where a piece of clothing belongs.
1. Any article of clothing that you have not worn in a year, for whatever reason, should be donated (especially to Henry A. Davidsen’s Suit Drive Challenge). These outdated and never worn pieces are just clogging up valuable closet space. Those with sentimental value should go into storage. The end goal is a streamlined and optimized closet experience.
2. If you want to look your best every day, get rid of any shirt, blazer, or pair of slacks that you do not absolutely love. Life is too short to not look as fresh as possible.
3. If you have an item that doesn’t fit right, and you simply cannot part with it, take it to a tailor. If any articles are too small store them in the attic or the basement—anywhere not in the closet—until they are ready for use again.
4. Dated, torn, or otherwise damaged garments should be thrown away. Stained pieces could benefit from a trip to the dry cleaner.
5. When the elimination round is over, it’s time to start organizing what’s left in your closet. There is no right or wrong when it comes to organizing and should be based upon your own personal preferences, but a good way to start is to keep like items with like items: pants with pants, button-down shirts with button-down shirts, and so forth.
Conclusion
Closet audits can be messy, tedious, and time-consuming but luckily you don’t have to do it alone. Give us a call at 215-310-0219 or email info@henrydavidsen.com. From custom-fitted men’s suits to high-quality custom dress shirts, our Philadelphia image consultants and master tailors can set you up for success!
