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The seasonal closet switch
Technically, I don’t really have a closet.
Our house is about a hundred years old, and like many wee bungalows of its era, there isn’t much in the way of closet space. In fact, our bedroom is so small it only has room for one dresser and the bed. So I’ve taken over our second bedroom, where I hang my clothes on garment racks, store my own dresser, and have a lovely old deco vanity.
Even though I have quite a bit of room and not a huge amount of clothing, I like to switch it out twice a year. In the Fall, I unpack my heavy sweaters and silk long underwear from the old cedar chest where we keep our linens. I fold up all my flowery summer dresses that I don’t wear in Winter and store them in bins under the bed.
It isn’t that I have so much clothing that this is necessary. But it does make getting dressed a little simpler, and gives me a chance to sort through the things I own. This time around, I realized that I have an awful lot of summer-only clothing for the rainy climate I live in.
It’s also fun to pull out all the lovely things you’d forgotten when the seasons change. I love seeing all my pretty vintage and hand knit sweaters come out of the chest, smelling of cedar and lavender. It makes the oncoming Winter seem a little more inviting.
Do you rotate your closets?
Comments
Melissa
November 19, 2012 #
I never used to, but I have now started to. It makes it easier to see what I have, or more to the point what I don’t have and need! I do think there is something cathartic about putting away/getting out seasonal clothes! Alas I have nothing nearly so glamorous as a cedar trunk. Mine go in a large holdall stored on top of the wardrobe!
Sarai
November 19, 2012 #
That cedar trunk is one of my best furniture purchases ever! We got it at an estate sale and it happens to match our other deco bedroom furniture, but it’s also so so practical. The cedar prevents damage from moths, it provides storage, and it’s a nice place to sit when getting dressed or putting on shoes.
ShanniLoves
November 19, 2012 #
I do the exact same thing. Our bedroom closet is tiny so I took over one of the spare rooms with garment racks and a dresser. Turned it into my own walk in closet. lol. Every season I switch everything out including my shoes. It is nice to see what I have and get rid of things I don’t wear. Every season it’s like Christmas because I always come across something I had forgot about and it’s like new. I think my husband likes it too because I’m not waking him up in the morning trying to get dressed.
Jennifer
November 19, 2012 #
I rotated my closet over the weekend. I find it easier to be able to see what I actually have as options that season. and like you it is fun to bring it out at the next season like new items.
Gayle
November 19, 2012 #
I did this when I was little and we lived in a 1920s bungalow in Cleveland, where the weather dictated massive wardrobe changes by season and the closets were tiny. I’ve fallen off the wagon on the closet change-over, but now that we’ve bought a 1920s rowhouse in D.C.
Kate
November 19, 2012 #
I rotated my clothes already. Sharing a 6 or 7 feet wide freestanding wardrobe with my SO I don’t have a choice. The off-season clothers get pushed on the highest shelf.
I love that I need to go through everything twice a year. I try to get rid of stuff that is worn out or just not ‘right’ in whatever way at the end of the season and usually find some more pieces to get rid of once I get stuff out again.
Gayle
November 19, 2012 #
I did this when I was little and we lived in a 1920s bungalow in Cleveland, where the weather dictated massive wardrobe changes by season and the closets were tiny. I’ve fallen off the wagon on the closet change-over, but now that we’ve bought a 1920s rowhouse in D.C., complete with tiny closets (and run the air conditioning ducts through some of them!) it’s time to reinstate the Great Semi-Annual Closet Switchover.
When I was a growing kid, it was kind of a hassle to try on everything I owned under the watchful eye of my mother to see if it still fit, but now I’m kind of looking forward to the fashion show! Plus, you never know if you’ll find five bucks in a pocket that has been hiding, waiting for you all season….
Tessa
November 19, 2012 #
I live in Austin, Texas. Our summers are blazing, and our winters are mild. The most that changes about my closet are the colors I wear more of, but it is common to have a Christmas that feels like spring here so I wear spring colors on spring-like days. Mostly, I just add leggings, boots, and a heavy coat to my summer wardrobe.
Sarai
November 19, 2012 #
I grew up in southern California, where Winter just means more rain and a small temperature drop, so I didn’t grow up doing this, that’s for sure!
Our winters here are fairly mild really, but there is a LOT of moisture to deal with.
Jen
November 19, 2012 #
I’ve been gradually packing away the summer clothing, purging what I don’t wear and what doesn’t fit. This isn’t really necessary, given the size of my closet, but it does help to see at a glance what is there. As I unpacked the winter clothes, I also realized that I don’t really have enough long-sleeved shirts. It was good to find out that I have some things that fit once again, as well.
Kristin
November 19, 2012 #
I don’t have an extremely large closet, but I also don’t have too many clothes. So there’s no need for me to switch things out seasonally. :) Also, I use a lot of my summer clothes (short-sleeved shirts and such) in the winter because I wear layers.
Sarai
November 19, 2012 #
It would be nice if I could do that, but I feel my tastes change sort of dramatically between seasons.
natalia
November 19, 2012 #
I live in Jordan and summer is really hot and winter really cold with snow, so I have to rotate my clothes according to the seasons. I don’t have a lot of clothes but there is no point in leaving them in my armoire when I can’t wear them. I too, love to take out my sweaters smelling like lavender. I store my off season clothing in suitcases that I put on top of my armoire with sachets of lavender or french milled soap inside.
Tasha
November 19, 2012 #
I don’t have a lot of clothes either, but I do store all my woolies clean and safe from moths once it gets warm. I too love getting them out again in the fall, it is like opening presents to see my favorite warm things again! I don’t really put my summer stuff away since like Kristin I tend to layer a lot in the winter.
I like this process too, my husband makes fun of me for washing and pressing everything on each end (not always true, but sometimes), but I find it soothing, it feels like I am taking care of my clothes the way they really should be, and getting the most out of them.
Chris
November 19, 2012 #
I live in California, so you might think we don’t have real seasons [!] but we do here in the northern part of the state. I have one very small closet that I’ve hung with a double bar to try and expand the space. But I still put away my summer skirts and dresses..I wear alot of dresses in the spring and summer…in underbed containers, yes, under my bed. I keep all my sweaters in my great grandmothers cedar chest with lots of lavendar sachets ever since I discovered a moth hole in one of my cashmere sweaters. And I hang my tees…no room to fold them in a dresser, and I like that they are ready to wear when I need them, not all crumpled.
Sarai
November 19, 2012 #
I have containers stored under the bed too.
Unfortunately, the kitties have taken up residence in one, so we ended up making it into a little rolling cat bed for them. The other has to have the a lid on at all times to keep those little furballs OUT.
maria
November 19, 2012 #
Actually, yes I do. I live in the mountains in the Northeast of PA, and the weather is already frosty and quite cold here. Rotating works as long as you don’t store too much for the coming seasons, and keep some items that will work all year round.
Your blanket chest is just beautiful Sarai :) m.
Darlene
November 19, 2012 #
I don’t even though I live in Canada I am always warm so need my T shirts. Though I remember as a child this was ritual for my mom. We also lived in an old house and with 5 kids not a lot of room. She had 5 old flour barrels in the basement (grandpa was a baker) each with our name on it and one week in the spring and fall each of us would go down and try on clothes starting from the eldest (me) so if it didn’t fit it would get passed down to my sisters. We we would be fitted and all alterations were done by Mom. She also made our ‘Sunday’ best dresses! And you would think being the eldest I would get the new stuff – nope, she would cut down her clothes and make them for me. That sewing machine was so busy !!! Love your blog and patterns!
Nina
November 19, 2012 #
In the UK you can’t ever really put your warm jumpers away! I also found myself wearing woollen socks on several occasions this “summer”, and on the other hand there were a few days back in March when I went out bare-limbed. So no, I don’t rotate my wardrobe! The only things I rotate are two pairs of shoes: my Birkenstock sandals get wrapped in tissue and returned to their box for the winter, at the same time as my big felt boots come out of storage.
anne
November 19, 2012 #
oh, yes. here in virginia we have to have 2 complete sets of clothes. i love the seasons!–anne
Kat
November 19, 2012 #
Here in Perth, the summer is about 7 months of the year and the rest of the time is “winter” (I put that in quotes because I’m a native Canadian!). So, I’ve been sewing more summer clothes than I ever have before, since in Canada it’s pretty much the opposite – all about fall/winter and only a few months of summer. I do miss the distinct seasons and I love fall the most of all. Ah well, nothing wrong with a few more flowery summer dresses, eh?
ELIZABETH BRADSHAW
November 19, 2012 #
Hi Kat
I am also in Perth, two of my children live in the UK (although they were Perth born) and I find I really enjoy winter there, when I visit, cold though it is.
ELIZABETH BRADSHAW
November 19, 2012 #
I rotate my clothes and I HATE it!, especially as summer slowly changes to winter and winter slowly changes to summer! So — I am about to invest in a wall of IKEA wardrobes and cupboards for my sewing room, where I can store ALL of my clothes (instead of sharing tiny walk in robe with husband) and suitcases, Christmas decorations and my sewing stuff which currently overflows my current sewing storage.
By the way, what about all that re-ironing you girls have to do at the start of each season? Not for me thank you.
I can’t wait to have a more organised wardrobe/sewing room.
francesca
November 20, 2012 #
oh god, I have to do this starting yesterday. It is the thing I hate most in the world. Although it doesn’t snow in my little Mediterranean island, and it’s a short winter usually – from end December to March – April – it gets jolly cold – especially when it’s damp… flats and houses here don’t tend to have central heating, just aircons, plus bathroom heaters and freestanding heaters. The one must is a heated towel rail….
I move things around and swear my head off twice a year. I wash anything that needs it before I put it away but press when they come out again…. you all sound so organised – I am, in a way, but i have to keep a list to remember what’s where! Summer dresses/big heavy sweaters rotate in big zip bas on top of a warbdrobe in the big sewing/ironing/clothes storage/computer room:)…. Work clothes move seasonally between my bedroom fitted cupboards and a wardrobe in the little store room… the handknits and cashmeres are in special bags in a big chest of drawers in the living room, all year round…. I also have a chest of drawers in my bedroom, for underwear, tights etc, with two big drawers dedicated to work tops – which rotate with pretty storage boxes from on top of a wardrobe…. Last year I finally managed to get rid of the biggest bugbear – a suitcase which used to hold beach and houseclothes… kept on a shelf in the little store room, and backbreaking to move. That was a victory!
Yes, I do have too many clothes. But Malta is a special case. Firstly, in winter it’s colder in than out – so you get home and change from work clothes into heavy wool or fleece stuff – which absorbs fluffy cat hair and doesn’t let it go – we have a fluffy angora-ish cat, a persian and a fluffy half siamese – so we actually keep the house clothes in a separate laudry basket and do them together – work or out clothes are ruined if they’re washed together. Also, even with dehumidifiers, everything takes forever to dry – even underwear – so you need to have loads! And I knit – and although I give away stuf fI knit, I can’t give everything. And big, bulky sweaters which I love take up SO much room!
Plus, summer is super hot – so you change every five minutes…. Plus, my mother was an adult during the war, with older sisters – I have flapper dresses, coats mummy had which are still totally wearable – even though I try to be ruthless and very often give stuff to the SPCA and refugees, it is impossible to get rid of certain things….
Well – Sarai – this one rang a huge bell… now, I want a cedar chest – yours is gorgeous….
Claire
November 20, 2012 #
I need to rotate – no enough space in our Edinburgh tenement flat, and too many people. I would love a cedar chest – we have a problem with moths. I keep the internet sale of lavender bags going and even resorted to ‘micro wasps’ from Germany, they are almost invisible things that parasitise moth eggs. (Yuk!) The jury is still out on whether they have done the trick.
Claire
November 20, 2012 #
That was meant to say ‘not enough space’!
Beaudon Thomas Matthews
November 20, 2012 #
Would be nice to have a spare room, i guess some of us are lucky
Hughie
November 20, 2012 #
I also do the season closet change. A twist I put on it is at the beginning of each season, I place the hangars in the closet backwards. When an item is used and replaced, the hangar goes back in…but forward this time. At the end of the season when it’s time to switch again, the clothes still hung on backward hangars are given away, since they haven’t been worn for the entire season. That way I never have excess, unworn clothes and they can be given to someone who needs them more. Plus, it optimizes our space in our small home.
petite josette
November 20, 2012 #
I also have to rotate my closet, for lack of enough room. I share a dresser and a tiny closet with my boyfriend, and there isn’t enough room for all of my clothes.
So twice a year I put the out of season items into those plastic bags that you can vaccum the air out of – great for space saving, and put everything in a suitcase in the downstairs storage.
I find that it’s often a great opportunity to purge and gte rid of things I don’t wear anymore.
And I love how neat and organized my closet is right after the rotation…If only it could last…:P
Tasha
November 20, 2012 #
It’s only since we’ve had our house that I have ever rotated my closet, even though like you it’s not really necessary as I don’t have a huge wardrobe, nor a huge closet. In doing this a few weeks ago, I learned I own a LOT more summery clothes, with the exception of sweaters. Considering I live in Chicago, it would seem I’d need way more fall/winter clothing than I own, or at least more ways to winterize some of the lighter-weight items in my closet. So I’m going to work on that in the coming months!
Sewing Sveta
November 20, 2012 #
I do! I have very small wardrobe and the weather is pretty cold in winter, soyou don’t need any summer skirt or dress%(( Also I don’t like to see the winter jumpers in the summer, it makes me sad%))
Sewing Princess
November 21, 2012 #
I have been doing most of my life and also do it for shoes…mainly due to lack of space. I had a grace period when I had my own place. I don’t like doing it though…although I admit it helps me clean up my closet. In Italy, the seasonal closet switch is institutionalized in the language: Fare il cambio di stagione means Doing the seasonal switch
Christina
November 22, 2012 #
Actually my wardrobe stays as it is, as it is rather big for the number of clothes I own. But I change the things that I keep in our hallway twice a year. This means my jackets/coats and shoes. There are a few that are ok to be worn on a very cold summer day and on a warm winter day so they will stay out the year round. I found that this also helps keeping them in better condition to put them away when not being used in a while.
Melissa
November 23, 2012 #
I live in southern California and don’t have many winter clothes so I don’t pack them away, I just store sweaters in a drawer or on the closet shelf.
Joanne
November 28, 2012 #
You wouldnt think living on the desert in Arizona would require a change of closets, but it does! Clothes for hot HOT weather (shorts, halters, etc) go in one closet along with sleeveless dresses to wear to church and out for dinner. The other closet (in the garage) has winter cardigans, long pants, long sleeved shirts, etc. This is the one I change each December. There is even a 3rd closet filled with clothing suitable for life at 7000 ft. — where I lived for 20 years. Heavy wool jackets, wool sweaters, even a sheepskin coat and boots.
I have no idea how I ended up exactly like this!
Anna Hallquist
November 29, 2012 #
Wow. Your cedar chest is identical to mine. I’ve been doing the biannual wardrobe switch for as long as I’ve been married and have to share closet space. It’s a great idea.