How do you organize your closet space?

Not all of us have the luxury of having a fashion closet like Miranda Priestly’s in The Devil Wears Prada. We have to plan, organize, compartmentalize — and sometimes sacrifice — to make precious space for our prized possessions.

And while we don’t experience a spring season here in the Philippines, it’s a good idea once in a while to try a little spring cleaning. So let’s start with our closets. I asked people this week how they manage to make everything fit — at least for another season.

RIMA LORZA OTSWANI, customer development manager, Rustan’s: My closet is organized by category (type of clothing) and color. Those that are hung are pants, blazers, jeans, formal dresses and gowns. On the other hand, sweaters, cardigans, casual dresses, skirts, shirts and tank tops are folded. Each category is further sorted by color. Same goes for shoes and bags. Belts, scarves and other accessories have their own compartments. This gives me a great visual of what I have in my closet and makes it hassle-free when looking for an item or picking out an outfit. This set-up is perfect for me since I’m a neat freak — I like everything well-organized and in proper order!

IYA VILLANIA, actress/TV host: I just put everything together according to function, and break it down further into smaller categories — each within close proximity. Then, those smaller categories get sorted out even further by color coding or frequency of use. To maximize storage space, I also make sure I clear out clutter at least once a year.

ALELEE AGUILAR ANDANAR, housewife: I like to keep my newest purchases in my luggage so it’s easier for me to find them and they don’t mix with my old clothes. Once it’s been worn, I organize them in my closet based on work, casual and formal occasion. I take away “out of fashion” clothes, shoes and other compulsive purchases, store them in plastic containers and give them away every Christmas.

INGRID CHUA GO, owner, Accessory Lab Rockwell: I don’t organize my clothes closet, but when it comes to my bags, it’s a completely different matter. Bags are such investment pieces nowadays, so I “protect” my investment by making sure to take out each bag at least once a week to air it out as a preventive measure against mold. I also don’t cram my bags together, and each bag shelf is organized according to the bag’s size.

LIZ UY, fashion editor, Preview magazine: I don’t actually. It’s an organized mess!

LIZA ILARDE CUENCA, editor-in-chief, Travelife magazine: There’s nothing really unique about the way I organize my closet — I hang together sleeveless, short-sleeved, and long-sleeved tops. But since my closet is small and I have a lot of skirts and jackets, I have separate rolling racks for those. And my husband is generous enough (or more like forced!) to share his closet space for my trousers and shoes.

AGOO BENGZON, contributing editor Preview magazine:

I have three closets: The one in our “lounge” room is where I put most of my stuff — tees, pants, dresses, underwear, pajamas, etc. The other two closets are in my bedroom. The clothing closet is where I put my more “special” items or items

I’m reserving for dressy occasions. It’s also where I put all my new acquisitions. My third closet is my shoe closet. The shoes I use most often are the ones I place in front for easy access. All my bags are placed on shelves, also in my bedroom. I don’t have a particular way of arranging them (i.e. by color, brand or fabric) since I am usually able to remember what I have, and where they are placed.

MAI KAUFMAN, designer of baby clothing line called The Story: To me, downsizing is the key to organizing a closet. I first take out all my clothes. I sort and categorize my in-season clothes while putting them back in the closet by type of clothing, occasion, hem and sleeve length, and then color. I also arrange them in terms of their function- according to how often I wear them, clothes that I wear at home, clothes that I wear to the gym, clothes that I wear to events, clothes that are timeless (pieces that are safe to wear, pieces you can dress up or down).

As for my shoes and bags, I shoot them one by one with my camera, print them and stick them to their corresponding boxes and dust bags. Finally, I separate out items that don’t fit right anymore, that I never wear and donate them.

JANINA DIZON HOSCHKA, jeweler: My closet is organized by color, length and occasion. 

CARMINA SANCHEZ, Marcom consultant: I grew up with the luxury of a dressing room so I used to color code my clothes and arrange them by style/type. However, I’ve since moved into my own place where space is an issue. I had to get rid of half my stuff and now, I still arrange my clothes by type and stack them rather than hang all of them. 

Now, only the delicate items and other important pieces earn a space in my overstuffed closet.