Healthy and Green Living

As spring approaches, most of us start thinking about clearing out the winter woollies from our closets. But why stop there? It’s easy–and oh-so-refreshing for the spirit–to do a feng shui clear-out that will make you look great, and help you attract more energy and prosperity.

Kingston says that most of us wear 20 percent of our wardrobe 80 percent of the time. Do you? Here‘s the easy test to find out, and some quick tips for clearing out your closet so you can look and feel your best.

The Test

If you doubt that you wear 20 percent of your wardrobe 80 percent of the time, try this for a month:

Every time you wear something and launder it, hang it on one end of your wardrobe. By the end of the month you will probably find that you are wearing these same clothes most of the time. (The only time this won’t hold true is if you cheated and deliberately changed your habits to beat the test–or if your job requires lots of varying outfits.)

The Fix for Cluttered Closets

1. First, be brutally honest. Separate your clothes into the 20 percent you love to wear and the 80 percent that are just hanging around taking up space and cluttering up the energy in your closet.

2. Next, look at colors. Color makes a great criterion when you have to decide what to toss and what to keep from your 80 percent pile. If you’ve never seen a professional color consultant to find out which colors make you sparkle (and which ones make you look like something you found sticking to the bottom of your shoe), now may be the perfect time to do it. (I know better than to wear beige, for instance, because it instantly drains any hint of color from my face. So–out goes everything beige!) What a simple litmus test: if the color does nothing for you, neither does the garment.

3. Have a one-person fashion show. Try on every item in the remaining pile to see how you feel in it. If you absolutely love it, keep it. If not, donate, donate, donate! It’s so fun to create a whole collection of outfits that you really enjoy wearing–whose colors, fabrics, and style make you look fabulous. No more opening a packed closet only to despair because you “don’t have anything to wear!”

4. For the future, only buy it if you really love it. Take the 20 percent pledge. What’s the point in buying clothes that will end up in the 80 percent pile? Far, far better to have a couple of perfect, absolutely fabulous outfits than a closet full of dreck. Oddly enough, even if the clothes you choose are expensive, you will probably save money: that 80 percent pile really adds up. And for what?

5. If you look great and feel good in what you are wearing, your energy will be better, and your powers of attracting prosperity will increase.

6. Better Vibrations. If you have stuff in your closet that you haven’t worn for 2 or 3 years (or longer), chances are it’s mucking up the energy. Let it go. You and your closet will feel lighter, clearer, and ready for spring!