Farida Abdel Malek 
We all know about spring cleaning, that one time a year where we like to start out fresh, take out everything in our cabinets, drawers and wardrobe, clean the space, filter through what we want and don't want and then organize everything in a new fresh way. However, we tend to forget about the wardrobe transition from summer to fall/winter and how to organize seasonal clothes in general. Winter clothes are a lot bulkier than our summer pieces and they take up a lot of space. When you have a small wardrobe it's hard to fit all the seasons' clothing in one place, they get crammed and hard to find.
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So, how to organize a small closet with lots of clothes? Do you take out everything but your pants, sweaters and jackets? My vote is no. I find it very frustrating to have to move my clothes around and store last season's clothes under the bed. Sometimes I need my light clothes in winter for special events or to layer under coats and cardigans. I have a pretty small wardrobe so I attempted to find a solution...
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Here's my guide to storing seasonal clothes and transitioning the closet from summer to fall/winter.
Check out my closet organization tips and tricks and checklist:
1. Filter out
Take everything out! Everything. Do some filtering. If you find clothes that you haven't worn for over a year, give it away, donate, or store it someplace where it won't take up too much from a useful space.
2. Beachwear
These are the summer dresses, beach coverups and shorts. I like to keep a swimsuit around just incase I'm feeling an indoor pool visit or quick weekend getaway.
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3. Reorganize & Think Practically
There are usually two sections to any closet, the hangers and shelves. Think about it practicality. What do find to be the most important to easily reach out and grab? I recently discovered that having my jeans on hangers was a waste of closet space that my coats and jackets were in more need of. I folded them in a pile from darkest to lightest, and placed them at the base of my closet under the hangers and it made my life is so much easier.
4. Mix & Match
Divide your shelves. Jumpers and sweaters take up a lot of space from the length and width of shelves. This would usually force people to take out all their basic T-shirts and summer loungewear and throw it back in storage. Because I like to have the latter around to wear under my winter clothes for layering, I wanted to find a space saving solution. My shelves can take up two piles in width, so I mix and match, the light basic T-shirts or thin pajamas next to a bulky sweater pile. That way I didn't compromise with anything and there's a balance in space between the bulky and non-bulky.
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5. Scarves
Scarves are also a mystery for some people. Where and how are they supposed to be stored? Winter scarves are big and bulky so hanging them up next to your jackets and coats isn't ideal for small closets. I found that folding them flat in an average length on top of each other and laying them out behind two piles of light clothing (In my case, these are my 'going out' tops and basic T-shirts) is huge space saver and it's not as hard reaching for them as you might think.
6. Delicates
Thermals, tights and undergarment wear. These are the kinder pieces because they barely take up any space and you can just throw them in the back of the shelf when it's still warm and bring them to front, replacing them with your swimsuits, when you start needing them in colder months.
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7. Conclusion
To wrap up, keep your basics, white button-downs, workout wear, night wear tops, scarves, even lighter pj's, swimsuits and cardigans in your closet all season. When winter approaches move in the heavy coats and bulky jackets and take out the beachwear. It's all about organization. No matter how small your wardrobe is, the way you pile things and use up every inch of space wisely will make a hell of a difference.
Main Image Credits: Haute Off The Rack
