Wardrobe Rework: What to throw out in your closet? What to keep?

Keeping with the last post, one of my favorite parts of TLC's "What Not to Wear" is when Stacy London and Clinton Kelly throw out the fashion victim's closet.
Basically they just tear threw their wardrobe with absolutely no mercy while showing the kind of disgust we usually reserve VH1 reality shows. (admit it though, you're a sucker for Charm School, Rock of Love, I love Money, I Love Money 2, Megan Wants a Millionaire etc...etc...)

Usually the whole entire wardrobe gets thrown out. Like everything but the clothes on the fashion victim's back. And then they are left to wander the stores of New York City in one shabby outfit.

Hopefully it hasn't gotten that bad for most of you. The point of NO return.

You open up your closet. You see bags from stores with sweaters with tags hanging out. Jumbled hangers, a pile of handbags, socks everywhere, scarves stuffed in the back, pairs of jeans long forgotten, cocktail dresses that seem impossible to fit into again.

It's so bad for some fashionistas that they hire Professionals! Get custom-made closets and even get an extra storage unit.

But with these simple steps, you can achieve a livable closet that is not only easy to navigate but hosts an endless possibility of new outfits.

First take inventory of everything you have-clothes, shoes, bags, accessories maybe even makeup. This way you at least have a picture of everything you own. This will help you decide later if you have a coherent style
Clear out the whole closet space. There should be nothing inside, just a big empty space for you to work with
Divide up your clothes into: Dresses, sweaters, dressy tops, casual tops, jeans, pants, sweats, skirts & shorts, coats and jackets
Sort through the piles and 'refamiliarize' with each piece of clothing. Try to remember why you have that piece. Was it a gift? Was it when you were going through your Madonna phase? Was it what you wore to Prom?
Try on EVERYTHING! This may be time consuming but there is no other way to see if something actually looks good on you. Sometimes it even helps to take a picture, we all know sometimes the mirror liesssssss.
Okay, now comes the work! What to keep and what to toss? Be tough! Be honest with yourself! If it still has tags are you really going to wear it? If you decide to keep it, promise yourself that you will wear it at least 5 times this year. Swear! Toss anything that can't be repaired. Toss anything that doesn't fit and can't be tailored. Toss overalls. Toss grandma dresses. Toss pleather mini-skirts if you are over 40. Add leather pants to that. Toss ironic tees. Toss tees that have TV shows, movies characters, dolphins, fairies or wolves on them. Toss short puffer coats, they don't look good on anyone! Toss any Halloween costume that you wear on a casual basis. Toss anything that is shredded or has chains. Toss jeans that give you a muffin top. Toss anything that barely covers crucial body parts. Toss jackets that make you look like a line backer. Toss UGG Boots and Crocs (unless you need them for purely functional purposes.) Keep 3 sets of nice sweats and 5 work out tees. The REST-TOSS. Otherwise, you'll fall into the "I just want to be comfortable" trap, aka NO STYLE.
Keep your Classics-white button downs, wool pencil skirts, cashmere cardigans, trenchcoat, lacy tanks, LBD. Keep bright colors. Keep wide belts, skinny belts, belts in general. Keep your suits if they still fit. Keep lacey pieces. Keep boyfriend blazers. Keep boyfriend jeans. Keep tights. Keep leggings. Keep scarves. Keep at least one black tie dress-these can usually be redone to make it look like a new dress! Keep wide-legged trousers. Keep ethnic pieces. Keep ruffles. Keep wrap dresses. Keep wrap sweaters. Keep plaid shirt. Keep leather bomber. Keep florals! (Big this Spring.) Keep white tanks. Keep basic tshirts. Keep animal prints. Keep great vintage finds.
Visualize your closet design. Layout where the hangers will go. Where the shoeboxes will go and where your handbags will go (where they won't be squished!) Got a small closet? No problem. Get creative, go to the Container Store for some ideas. They have clear shoe boxes, hangers for belts, rolling drawers, and boxes that roll under your bed.
Now you know what clothes you have, where they will go, organize them how the stores do it: group first by color, then by type. So all the blacks together, all the blues together, all the reds etc...Then all the black blouses together, then all the black skirts...you get the idea.
A cute trick I like to do with my shoes is take a pic of my shoes, print it and tape it to the outside of the box. That way I can protect and store my shoes while not searching for them.