Closet by Color

5 Game-Changing Reasons to Arrange Your Closet by Color — and How to Do It

Elevate your style, spark your creativity, save money and save time with a cost-free closet makeover you can do in a day.

By Alaya Linton

We can fall into a clothing rut from time to time. Either we find ourselves staring at a closet full of “nothing to wear” every morning, or we end up reaching for the same tired outfits over and over again. It may be time to inject a little life into your wardrobe when this happens. Of course, one way to do that is to buy new clothes, but a cost-effective alternative is to give your closet a makeover. Yes, sis, simply rearranging your clothes can bring newness and excitement to your wardrobe.

There are many ways to organize your closet. One favored approach among professional organizers is to arrange your clothes by color. This technique has many benefits and can bring a fresh look and feel to any closet — regardless of size. So if your wardrobe could use a little freshening up or if you’re looking for a spring cleaning project, why not put organizing your closet on your to-do list?

Here’s a look at the advantages of arranging your closet by color and some tips for doing it.

1. You can get creative with your outfits.

When you arrange your clothes by color instead of season or style, you end up with an eclectic display of your clothing. And that can make it easy to mix things up a bit, experiment with color and cross the boundary of “dressing for the season.” For example, you may discover that two pieces in the same color family make a beautiful head-to-toe monochromatic look. Or you might pair two unexpected colors together for a fresh new combo. Or you might find that your favorite spring dress can work in the fall when paired with a cropped leather jacket.

2. You’ll be ready for transitional weather.

If you organize your closet by season and store the rest, you’ve probably gotten burned a time or two because you didn’t “switch your closet over” before the weather changed. Arranging all your clothes by color rather than season means you’re ready whatever the weather.

3. You’ll save time.

No more digging through your closet searching for that blue button-down blouse you know you have somewhere. You’ll save time getting dressed in the morning, and you’ll eliminate the chore of swapping your clothes and storing unused items every season.

4. You’ll streamline your wardrobe.

Grouping your clothes by color makes it easy to maintain a decluttered closet. You’ll be aware of the exact items you have and will avoid buying duplicates. You’ll also notice any holes you have in your wardrobe so you can shop strategically.

5. Your closet will look beautiful.

Regardless of how you approach your color grouping (more on that below), you will love the way it looks. Even if your clothes don’t represent the entire rainbow, having items of the same color together will give your closet an organized and neat look.

Tips for arranging your closet by color

1. Standardize your hangers.

Before organizing your clothes, address your hanger situation. If possible, use one style and color hanger. This will increase the streamlined look of your closet. If you already have a bunch of different hangers and don’t want to spend money on replacing them, try grouping the same style hangers together.

2. Decide on your color approach.

There are multiple ways to organize your closet by color. Here are a few approaches to try.

Rainbow order From left to right, arrange your colors in rainbow order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. You can sandwich your rainbow between your neutrals: white on the left side of the closet (right before your red clothes) and brown, gray and black on the right side of your closet (right after purple).

Dark to light or light to dark If rainbow order is not your thing, try arranging your colors from dark to light, still working from left to right. Or go from light to dark. Either approach will give your closet a nice flow.

Most-used colorsAnother approach is to arrange your colors according to what you often wear. Is your closet a sea of black? Do you always find yourself wearing some shade of blue? Group your clothes by color, and then place the ones you wear the most front and center.

3. Arrange by color first, then style.

Once you have your clothes grouped by color, take it further and arrange them by style within each color family. So, all your sleeveless tops go together, as do your button-down blouses, pants, dresses, etc.

4. Group patterns by color too.

For your printed and patterned pieces, put them in the appropriate color family according to the most prominent color in the pattern.

5. Take this approach to your drawers, shoes and accessories.

Go beyond your hanging clothes and consider arranging your drawers, shoes and accessories by color too. Grouping all your items this way will keep you organized, and you’ll have fun creating new looks.