What exactly does it mean to "flip your closet"? Flipping, for those of you who haven't worked in Retail, is a term used to describe a big merchandising change that is usually done at the start of the season. It takes a long time and a lot of muscle to get it done. Luckily flipping your closet doesn't have to be nearly as painful especially if you have the ground work in place.
If you have yet to apply the KonMari Method™ to your home you are actually going to get a good jump start at it if you follow the steps of flipping your closet. To start you must take everything out of your closet and all your drawers. You then hold each item, one at a time and decide if it stays or goes. Do you love it? Did you wear it this past season? How did it make you feel when you wore it? Would you look forward to wearing it next year or possibly sooner on a tropical holiday? Could you possibly wear it into the Fall or Winter layered? If the answer to any of these questions are positive it stays.
Now full disclosure, The KonMari Method™ has a preference of having all your clothes, both current and off season stored in the same place, all together, all the time. I just can't do it, I'm not a minimalist and although I do shop much more intentionally and mindfully since aligning with The KonMari Method™, I just can't get it all in one place. Maybe if I had a bigger closet? But that sounds like cheating and I really do enjoy flipping my closet twice a year.
I find by examining my clothing twice a year really gets me closer to the right pieces and right amount of clothing that sparks joy for me. It's also a good time to repair any thing that may need mending, take any shoes in before the weather really gets unpleasant, dry clean winter coats if you didn't get a chance to take them in before the end of the season.
Keeping an eye on fashion influencers and the trends of the season I make a small mental list of what I would love to add to my carefully curated closet. I also have a list of items that I love and will need to eventually be replaced. I strictly stick to the list. It allows me to enjoy fashion as I always have but in a mindful way that stays true to my personal style and not fall for fast fashion trends. Lastly I always address my shoes and accessories so that I'm keeping inspired when adding the finishing touches. My summer clothes get folded neatly and stored in an @ikeacanada Skubb Storage Case, easily accessible if by chance I travel somewhere warm during the winter.
Now for the merchandising details. I use all the same style of hanger. All the hangers face the same way. Items are grouped together by commodity; pants together, skirts together, tops separated by sleeve length. I then flow my colour by season. This is something that again goes slightly against Marie Kondo's direction. She directs to flow from long to short, dark to light, left to right. However years of merchandising in retail I find that I like to switch my flow based on the season. In the summer I flow my items from light to dark, left to right, within each of their groups. In the winter I do the opposite, I flow from dark to light. I just find this little change keeps my wardrobe interesting to me.
If you are looking to fall in love with your fall wardrobe and get started on The KonMari Method™ than flipping your closet is the place to start. Happy Fall Flipping!