4 Tips to Get Your Closet Spring and Summer Ready

Remember last fall when we spent 31 days creating a wardrobe we actually love?

One of those day we created a top 10 list of go to outfits that we had pre-created to get us through those mornings when we felt like we just didn’t have anything to wear.

I’ll be honest, having some outfits that were already put together, and I knew looked good on me, really helped me get dressed on mornings when I was tired, running late, uninspired and just wanted to crawl into those comfortable yoga pants.

We just came out of a long, cold winter where many mornings I would wake to extremely cold temperatures and all I wanted to wear was my warm and fuzzy clothing. And to be honest, there were a few snow days where the yoga pants won 🙂

Now that it’s spring and the frost is melted, the sun is shining and the temperature are starting to warm up, those yoga pants and warm, fuzzy clothing are no longer an option.

However in full disclosure, warmer weather has a yoga pant twin. I have my fair share of cropped Capri style yoga pants that I will wear with a t-shirt or tank top too often if I don’t get a plan together and challenge myself to dress for the {everyday} ordinary days.

Since I live in the Midwest, I know the hot and humid days are ahead of me and while there will be many days where we will be poolside, I also know that I will want to have some warmer weather go-to outfits, and I’m sure you will too.

I tend to get into more of a rut during the hotter summer months, wearing the same few things over and over again. So today I’m going to challenge myself (and you!) to a mini-challenge based off last fall’s 31 days challenge.

I want to encourage you to spend some time going through your own closet this weekend (it’s a 3-day weekend too!) and getting it ready for warmer weather and to help you I have 4 tips to get your closet spring and summer ready.

1. Take Care of Your Winter Clothing

First off, if you are one who lives in an area that either hasn’t got the memo that’s it May yet or it’s always cold and winterish, I’m sorry.

For the rest of us, it’s time to start moving those winter sweaters and boots to the back of the closet and pulling out the t-shirts, shorts and sandals.

While you are doing that though take the time to examine those sweaters. Are their holes, pulls, or stains. Does the sweater still fit? Did you even wear it this past year? Take a few minutes and pull out anything from your closet that you no longer want to give away or needs to be thrown out.

If it’s in your budget, plan to take your wool coats, pants or sweaters to be dry cleaned or care for them at home. Some dry cleaners off discounts during the late spring and summer months so it’s worth looking into, especially with your winter coats that are exposed to a lot of the winter elements.

Also make a list of any clothing items you will need to look replace or purchase for the fall and winter. Sadly most clearance sections at the store now probably don’t have much of a leftover winter selection, although you might be surprised. But most clothing stores begin to place fall and winter clothing on sale before it starts to get too cold.

If you create a small shopping list now, you’ll be ready and will have a plan when it comes time to shop for those items later on this year. Plus you can start setting aside money in your budget, especially if you know you have to purchase a big ticket item like a new coat or boots.

2. Take Inventory of Your Spring and Summer Clothing

After you have gone through your winter clothing, it’s time to take stock of what you have to wear for the warmer days of spring and summer.

I keep all of clothing in my closet. I don’t personally pack up and store seasonal clothing else where. Since I have purged through my closet and gotten rid of most of the items I don’t wear, I have plenty of room in my mine and my husband’s shared closet to store both of our full seasonal wardrobe. The only clothing that I have packed up and stored else where is my pregnancy and postpartum clothing.

I like to organize all my warmer season clothing together towards the front of my closet. I pull forward all the sleeveless shirts, t-shirts, lighter cardigans, Capri pants, shorts and skirts. I move my winter shoes and boots to a shelf up on top of my closet and place the sandals and flats in a more prominent place.

Having all of your clothing choices organized helps to see where there are gaps, if any, in your spring and summer wardrobe. You can quickly scam through your shorts and pants to see if you need to purchase anything to add to your wardrobe.

Usually I have plenty of tops it’s the bottoms that I usually have to replace more frequently. I knew after last summer I need to purchase a pair of shorts and Capri denim pants so I have been watching sales and was able to purchase them both a few weeks ago for a big discount.

It’s important to prioritize the items that you know you need to buy, which brings me to my next point…

3. Make a Wants and Needs List

I’m a firm believer in evaluating your Wants and Needs before going shopping. The two are very different.

While you may want a new summer dress, do you really need it? Rather should you spend your clothing budget on a new swim suit since you don’t have one and you know you’ll need one since your kids love to go to the pool?

Creating a list of things you actually need, as well as wish list of things that would be nice to have but not a necessity, can help you prioritize your shopping needs. You are much more likely to stay in budget if you know what it is specifically you need to buy when you walk into the store.

As you create your two lists you might even find that you don’t need or want anything which is an added bonus! Now you have no need to go shopping in the first place and you are less likely to make an impulse purchase which makes your budget really happy! 🙂

4. Create 10 Ready To-Go Outfits

After you have moved all the winter clothing back and have taken inventory of what you have, and possibly need to buy, now is the fun part!

You are going to piece together some items that you know look great together and on you. This will be your inspiration on mornings when you are uninspired to get dressed.

I tend to wear a lot of skirts during the summer, I have always felt more comfortable in a skirt over shorts. Some of my skirts are dressy enough to wear to church or for date nights, while others are more casual (like my cotton maxi skirts) for daily wear. Think about the clothing that you are drawn to wear during this season and create a few outfits that rotate around your preference.

I also think it’s a good idea to create a few outfits for church or dress up nights, as well as challenging yourself to wear every item of clothing in your closet. If you don’t feel comfortable wearing it anymore than it’s time for it to go.

I said 10 outfits just because it’s a round, even number that would provide plenty of variety and options but in truth you can create as many or as few as you wish.

One point of this challenge is to really examine the clothing that you have in your closet to determine if it’s worth it to keep. And the other point of this challenge is to do the work now to create inspiration for you to dress for the {everyday} ordinary days, even in the hot days of summer ahead.

So who’s with me? Who’s ready to tackle this mini-challenge over the weekend to get your closet spring and summer-ready?