When left up to our own devices, most of our closets become overstuffed, chaotic jumbles—and if your closet is immaculate, I tip my hat to you! But for the rest of us, we could likely use a little help from a professional. And just in case hiring an organizer isn’t quite in your budget, we figured we’d share some sage advice from our favorite celebrity closet organizer and owner of Clutter Healing, Lili Pettit. We asked Pettit for the first thing she does to help organize a closet (a.k.a. the first major closet mistake she often corrects for her clients).
Scroll down to see her unexpected response—we bet it just might inspire your next closet cleanout!
The first problem Pettit tackles? Getting rid of duplicates.
“I know it’s important to have a great white T-shirt, but I see people keeping 20 white shirts, and then saying, ‘I can’t get organized,' and 'It’s so hard for me to get dressed.’ I think having a lot of the same kinds of things makes it hard for people to stay organized because they feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff they have in their closet.” Lili Pettit, Clutter Healing
How she does it:
“I like to ask people, 'If you were to go shopping today, would you buy this T-shirt off of the sales floor?' Most likely the answer is no.” Lili Pettit, Clutter Healing
The Perfect T-Shirt
Madewell Slub V-Neck Pocket Tee ($20)
Cropped Jeans
Acne Studios Pop Jeans ($270)
Ankle Boots
Topshop Marr Pointed Mid-Heel Ankle Boots ($140)
Trench Coat
Zara Trench Coat ($169)
Black Blazer
T By Alexander Wang Cady Blazer ($170)
Classic Bag
Everlane The Petra Crossbody Bag ($365)
Button-Down Shirt
Equipment Margaux Striped Cotton Shirt ($190)
Leather Jacket
Rider Leather Jacket ($630)
Menswear-Inspired Watch
Nixon ($175)
Suede Pumps
J.Crew Elsie Suede Pumps ($245)
Little Black Dress
Byron Lars Carissima Sheath Dress ($258)
Pencil Skirt
A.L.C Delia Lace Overlay Striped Pencil Skirt ($725)
Next up, check out 11 Oraganization Ideas From Pinterest.
-
20 High-Quality Sale Items From Gap and Everlane to Style With JeansWe'll take two of everything.
-
Challenge Accepted: I Created 5 Elegant Winter Outfits From Madewell and J.Crew for Under $452You're welcome.
-
24 Incredibly Chic, On-Sale Sweaters and Jeans to Mix and Match From J.Crew, Madewell, and AbercrombieBring on the cool winter outfits.
-
Everything at Zara Right Now Has Me Unwell—25 Items I Swear Will Sell OutMy shopping cart is full.
-
I Just Scanned All the New Arrivals From Zara, Shopbop, and Ref—These Are the 30 I'd BuyVery 2025.
-
I'm a Loyal Zara Shopper—Here's Everything I'm Buying From Its Epic January SaleBlazers, knit tops, kitten heels, and more.
-
30 Items I'm Eyeing From Revolve, Zara, and Mango for 2025New year, new wardrobe.
-
Absolutely Do Not Snooze on These Sure-to-Sell-Out Pieces From ZaraToo good to miss.
