Thursday I had a great, fun, light conversation with Geralin Thomas of Metropolitan Organizing. Geralin is seriously a ray of sunshine and an integral professional in our NAPO community. I’ll share more about her next, but she is such a pleasure to know and speak with – on any topic! But today we had a great time chatting all about closet organization and her expert tips for how to do a closet cleanse and choose a great wardrobe that is flattering / includes everything you love!

If you’d like to watch the replay, it was be found here on Crowdcast or on the Simply Organized Facebook Page where it was also live streamed.

ABOUT GERALIN

Geralin is the organizer behind Metropolitan Organizing based in North Carolina. She’s an instructor for NAPO and offers both career coaching for professional organizers AND home organizing services. She has an emphasis on decluttering closets and creating clothing capsules.

Geralin has appeared on the TV show, Hoarders, and has done commercial work with national brands like Glade, Lysol and Office Depot. She is also the author or 2 incredible books! From Hoarding to Hope: Understanding People Who Hoard and How to Help Them and Decluttering Your Home: Tips, Techniques & Trade Secrets. 

If that’s not enough she also created the The Wardrobe Wisdom Workbook so that women could take more accurate measurements, build better wardrobes, and create a personal, sustainable, and budget-friendly style. Her website is full of so much great info, free articles, checklists, handouts and more. Definitely explore her website and say hello to her! 

CONVERSATION TAKEAWAYS

Geralin shared so many great tips and we also had a conversation around where to drop donations right now during Covid-19.

When it comes to wardrobes + closets, where do you begin when working with overwhelmed clients? And, why are measurements so important?

She suggests beginning by measuring; head to toe. We both need to know proportions +  determine your current shape. There is no standard in sizing so really knowing your measurements (your true measurements AND all of them!) is helpful while shopping in person and online. She also said it’s a reality check. She elaborates much more on this answer in the conversation so be sure to listen. 

Consider colors that are flattering

Geralin shared her ideas for finding colors that are flattering and complimentary of your skin tone and hair color. She shared great ideas for how you can figure this out in the conversation. You can also hire someone to help you or make note of it when you get a lot of compliments when wearing a color or outfit.

What are your suggestions for creating a fresh new start and organizing our wardrobes?

• Color – pick a harmonious palette 
• Silhouette – strive to keep items that balance your shape
• Style – choose one or two styles and make this the majority of wardrobe
• Let go of items you’re holding onto ONLY because you paid a lot of money for it. The money is long gone!

What are a few related tools you’d like clients to have? 

We spoke a lot about tools and closet organizing products (and hangers!) that are helpful, but Geralin suggests black safety pins as opposed to silver. If you need to secure a garment to the skin, toupee tape or similar body / clothing tape can be very helpful. A full-length mirror is always a win. A valet hook or rod is great for seeing your entire outfit and a great way to lay out clothing for the next day. And bright lighting is a good choice in a closet too! Trust me, something as simple as seeing your entire outfit hanging or in bright light – you’d be amazed how you’ll see small stains, dingy color or areas where a garment is fraying or needs hemming. These things tend to creep in over time.

Geralin shared fun games we can play to sort through our wardrobe along with many more takeaways! If you have the time, it’s a great conversation to listen in on.

A big thank you to Geralin for joining me! I finished out the week this morning with a great conversation with Amanda Kuzak of Kuzak’s Closet. She is so fun and hilarious and down to earth. It was a great time and will share the details in my next post!

Hope you guys are having an awesome week!

xx,

Sam

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