Hangers:

Throw away those vile metal hangers, they make your clothes lose their shape over time. Instead use wooden hangers for normal garments like button down shirts, and padded hangers for delicate tops with skinny straps. For pants and skirts invest in some hangers that have clips, so that clothes are secure.

Use a double rod system:

To maximize your closet space and double the amount of clothes it can hold, invest in a second rod that can be affixed below the original one. This means you can hang shorter garments on the bottom rod and longer ones on the top, with room for storage containers underneath.

Baskets:

Buy some attractive and very useful baskets for easy storage for your purses and bags. This will keep them all organized in one place so you can located them quickly as needed. The baskets can be stored on the floor underneath your clothes or on the top shelf.  

Buy some stacking shelves:

These clear plastic drawers are great tools and can fit neatly into a corner of your closet. This is wear you can store items like socks, underwear, belts, and scarves and other accessories. Lighter weight knits can also be stored in these drawers. NEVER hang knits- they will lose their shape over time. If you have special knits like cashmere, use acid free tissue to line each garment.

Be creative:

To give your closet a colorful look, buy some decorative boxes in bright patterns or motifs that you enjoy. Use large boxes to store your very heavy knits, and use hatboxes to store your lingerie. When bought in various sizes the hatboxes can be easily stacked on top of each other and stored on the top shelf.

Hooks:

Hooks are another way to help organize things like belts and ties. You can also use them to hang the bags you use most often for easy accessibility.

Storing your clothes:

When putting your clothes into your newly organized closet, try to divide your closet into different zones. Put dresses all together, and do the same for your coats, pants, shirts etc. Group clothes by color, for easy visibility, and if you are extremely picky, you can organize your clothes by season as well. If you store your clothes away each season, make sure they are clean. Stains will set and spread over time. Also, don’t store wool or silk garments in airtight containers- they need to breathe.

Jewelry:

For your jewelry and small accessories, there are several options. You can use drawer dividers that settle into an existing drawer and organize your pieces by type, or you can use small labeled boxes that fit into a larger box that can be stored in your closet. Hooks would be a good place to hang longer necklaces like beads. Expensive rings and necklaces should be kept in their original jewelry boxes to protect them. These can then be stored in your dividers.

Shoes:

Shoes can be stored in clear shoe drawers, or in hanging shoe racks. An inexpensive option: keep your shoes stored in the original shoe boxes, stacked neatly on your top shelf. Label each shoe box with a brief description of the shoe ie: pointy toed pumps-black or brown tweed kitten heels. If you have the time, take a Polaroid of each shoe and attached it to the appropriate box. These options will help you locate your shoes quickly, and ensure that your outfits always look put- together.

By Fashion Journalist Erica Salyi-Pannozzo.  Erica writes for Think Fashion , a new Online Fashion Magazine which offers Celebrity News , designer info, and a variety of hot fashion tips!