In our last challenge we began conquering wardrobe clutter by creating three piles. Now it is time to begin revisiting these piles!

Now let’s revisit pile 1, the most important pile.

The first step is to match everything up. What bottoms go with what tops? Lay out these lovable outfits in sets, making sure everything has a match (and yes, one pair of jeans can have multiple matching tops). The goal here is to make sure that no-faves-are left behind.

If you find you have bottoms or tops you love, but don’t have a matching lovable counterpart, see if you can find anything in pile 3 that works. Make sure to try it on and ensure you are satisfied with the combo. If not, put this ‘stray lovable item’ in its own area of the closet.

Once you have completed this step ask yourself the following question of the combos you have made.

Are these combos easy for me to maintain? Move any that require special care into their own grouping.

Now count up the combos you have left. How many are there? Next, think about how often you will do laundry. If you do laundry weekly, do you have 7 outfits? If you do laundry twice a week, do you have 3 or 4? If you find that you have enough outfits to get through between laundering then you have discovered your core wardrobe. Carefully put these items back in your closet, keeping them grouped together for easy ‘grabbing.’

Next week we will conquer the remaining clothes clutter!