Switch your closet to fall clothes

Every year there’s a day when you wake up, it’s cold, and you can’t find a single sweater. A closet switch fixes that: you store your summer clothes properly and bring out the fall ones. It takes an evening, costs nothing, and by the end you’ll have clothes that fit your season and a closet you can see into.

Before you start

Choose an evening when you have no plans, and put on a playlist or a podcast. Clear the bed or the floor, so you have room to sort.

You’ll need:

• Bins, bags or a suitcase for the summer clothes
• A bag for donations
• A bag for things that need mending or washing
• Your favourite sweaters, boots and coats, ready to come out

Step by step

1. Take everything out. Not just the summer clothes. It’s easier to see what you own when it’s all in one pile, or on the bed.
2. Sort into four piles: keep out for fall, pack away for summer, donate and mend or wash.
3. Try things on as you go. This is the part that makes the evening worth it. If you’re unsure, try it on and look in the mirror.
4. Pack the summer clothes. Wash each piece before it goes into storage. Make sure it’s completely dry, then fold it into bins or bags.
5. Bring out the fall clothes. Check each piece. Does it have a hole, a loose button or a pulled thread? Put those in the mend pile.
6. Put it all back. Hang what should hang, and fold the knitwear.
7. Take the donation bag to the door, so it leaves the house this week.

What to keep out all year

Some things work in every season. Keep T-shirts and tops you can layer under sweaters, jeans and trousers, a few dresses to wear with tights and boots, and lightweight cardigans. Packing everything away would mean digging it out again in the first cold snap.

How to decide what goes

Try it on and ask yourself:

• Does it fit now?
• Did I wear it last year?
• Do I feel good in it?
• Would I buy it today?

If the answer to most is no, it can go. Be kind to yourself, since it isn’t a test. If you’re unsure, put it in a bag, write the date and leave it in the closet. If you haven’t taken it out by spring, donate it.

How to store summer clothes

How you pack them decides how they look in spring.

• Wash or clean first. Stains and smells you can’t see now can set in storage.
• Dry fully. Damp clothes can go musty in a closed bin.
• Use breathable storage. Cotton bags or boxes with ventilation are better than sealed plastic for natural fibres.
• Keep it cool and dry. Under the bed or on a high shelf is better than a damp basement or a hot attic.
• Fold knitwear. Hanging stretches the shoulders.
• Label it. You’ll thank yourself in spring.

Things to do while you’re there

• Make a list of what’s missing. A good coat, warm socks, boots that need resoling, a sweater to replace one that’s worn out. That list is useful when you go to thrift a sweater.
• Mend what’s torn. A pile of small fixes is a good sweater mending evening.
• Check the pockets. There’s always something in them.

Cleaning as you go

A closet switch is the right time to deal with the small things. Brush off any dust from boots and wipe them down. Check the soles and the heels for wear. Put coats and jackets somewhere you can see them, and check the pockets for gloves and hats you put away last winter. If a coat needs cleaning, take it to be cleaned now, before the first cold week. Wash scarves and hats that were stored so they smell fresh.

Making outfits

Once the fall clothes are out, try a few combinations you haven’t worn before. A dress with a sweater over it, a scarf you forgot you had, boots with a different pair of jeans. Take a photo of the ones you like, and you’ll have a ready-made answer on the days you don’t know what to wear.

Make it a fall evening

Light a candle, put on a long playlist, and make it a small ritual. Make a cup of tea and keep it away from the clothes. When you’ve finished, put on a sweater from the new pile and sit down, because that’s the best bit.