I love helping people clean out their closets! It is a task that most people dread, but it actually can be fun. It is a great way to experience immediate and measurable results in your life, and most of my clients experience a profound sense of exhilaration even as we are in the process of getting rid of much of their wardrobe.

My dear friend Ella once taught me that "a fashion crisis takes precedence over everything". I think most of us, male or female, can easily relate to this; when you don't feel good about what you are wearing, nothing seems to flow as easily as when your clothing reflects who you are.

The stress of facing a jumble of clothing first thing in the morning (or any time for that matter!) when we open our closet doors can set us off course for the rest of the day. As long as we are hanging on (no pun intended) to clutter from our past, we are keeping ourselves from the freedom and excitement of expressing who we are in the present moment.

Less is more

I love helping people clean out their closets. It is a task that most people dread, but it actually can be fun. It is a great way to experience immediate and measurable results in your life, and most of my clients tell me they feel a profound sense of exhilaration even as we are in the process of getting rid of much of their wardrobe!

How does it work?

Closet organizing is usually a 5-7 hour job. We begin by thoroughly paring down what you have till only what you love is left, and most people are surprised at what an immediate difference this one simple change can make in their relationship to their clothing. We go through each article of clothing and decide whether to keep or toss or donate the item.

Once we have purged out those leggings from the 80's and the bright red sweater your mother gave you with that cute sequined snowman on it, the next step is to re-organize the clothes that are left, putting them back in order based on the categories that you determine at the time such as work, play, winter, summer, etc. We then organize by color, sleeve length and length of garment, and in short order, you have a gorgeous new closet, just like on the TV shows. Add some new hangers and the streamlined look and feel is complete. It really is that simple.
It's exciting.

Time after time people have remarked to me that they feel like they have a whole new wardrobe, even as I am dragging 15-20 garbage bags of clothes to their car to bring to the thrift shop! I believe this is because when you walk into an organized closet, it is no longer an overwhelming experience, and you know that everything there is something you can wear. It's so much easier to put together outfits, to choose the right jewelry and accessories and to find what you are looking for at a glance. Truly, the axiom of "less is more" applies here!

What about redoing the actual closets?

Because so many people in Los Angeles have older homes with closets that have only one rod and possibly one shelf along the top, which is not adaquate for today's needs, we have recently added a new service to our list. One of our team members worked for several years at a top closet design firm and is now available to design dimension-ready closet makeover drawings to your specifications at a very reasonable cost. All you have to do is hand these drawings to your contractor to build in the material of your choice, or we can help you find someone who can easily install the closets for you.

Why can't I do this on my own?

Most people have dreaded tackling their closets because of the emotional content projected into their clothes. Issues such as weight loss/gain, sentimental attachment (why are we still keeping our wedding dress when we have been divorced for 12 years?) and a false sense of the value of our things ("but I paid $350 for that silk shirt I never wear, I could sell it on eBay!") keep us attached and stuck in the past. Letting go is a complex process, but we at In Perfect Order have playful and effective strategies to bypass your resistance in order for you to reach your goal. I have seen people jump for joy at the new look of their closets and hug me in relief when we are done. Letting go is more difficult in your mind than it is in actual practice and we can help make it that much easier.

Several years ago, I watched a clip on a news broadcast of a professional organizer 'helping' someone clean out their closet. She was judgemental, harsh and bossy. This is the opposite of where we come from! We know there are feelings stored in your stuff and we respect your wishes while at the same time, cheerleading you on to get to where you want to be.

Tax & Feel-Good Benefits

Another meaningful aspect of our work is that with your permission, we will be donating any women's professional attire you no longer need to Dress for Success , where you will get the benefit of helping welfare-to-work women, as well as enjoy a tax deduction for your contribution.

Whatever is left goes to the thrift shop of your choice and you will also get a tax deduction. Several local L.A. thrift shops offer the service of "valuing" your donations---assessing the value so that you can claim a much much higher donation amount. (If you just lump all your donations, regardless of how much you have given throughout the year, you can only claim up to $500 annually in "Misc. Donations" before you are required to submit an inventory of the items you have donated.) Many times, your deduction can reach as high as several thousand dollars!!

If you are interested in reading more about the most effective way to donate clothing and other household items, please see this informative post on my blog, It's Not About Your Stuff: The best Tax Deduction system for your thrift shop donations.

Here's a rave from one of my beloved clients:

Jessica!! I CANNOT BELIEVE MY WALK-IN CLOSET!! It looks like the closets I’d see in magazines and would comment, ”nobody’s closet can really look like that”…”nobody can live with so few clothes and shoes.” But you CAN and it’s FANTASTIC!!!

The very next day after our last session, I needed to meet my parents at church REALLY early. Usually I think about what I want to wear the night before…but I was WAY too tired for that. I woke up late and ran to my closet…I was stunned that I immediately found the PERFECT outfit, shoes, stockings and even JEWELRY…within minutes, I was completely dressed and out the door!! Why did this happen? Of course, you know the answer…I could SEE what I had!!

I cannot tell you what a WONDERFUL difference this has made for my life. I usually wear some version of the same 3 outfits to work everyday…granted, I’m not crazy about my job and not particularly motivated to “spruce-up.” However, since my closet makeover, I’ve found more outfits to wear to work and I’ve started wearing more jewelry…I wear different jewelry almost everyday now…I also wear my scarves and change bags more frequently…I can’t believe it!! I love my closet so much that I often find myself wandering in just to look around. I’ve been bragging to all my friends!!

To schedule your own closet transformation, send me an email with your phone number: Yes, Jessica, let's talk closets!