I feel like I am always working to organize my closet.

When I first move in somewhere it’s all good – I have everything sorted and I’m diligent about putting things back where they belong. But after a few weeks and several instances of coming home late and forgetting to hang things back up, it seems like my closet becomes more of a dark void to just throw items in.

Can anyone else relate?

I just made a cross-country move and don’t have an apartment yet, so I’m currently living out of two suitcases. That means EVERYTHING that I own is in these suitcases. And it’s driving me crazy.

I’ve been daydreaming about finally moving into my own place and getting everything organized, which got me thinking about how to sort clothes in a closet.

If you want to organize your closet, there are a few different ways to sort clothes. It all depends on what works best for you. (And after you’re done, see our post on closet organization tips and tricks for even more on this!)

Here’s how to sort clothes in your closet 5 different ways:

Table of Contents

1. By Type

This is a simple and easy way to sort. Pants go with pants, shirts go with shirts. It’ll take less than a second of thinking to figure out where something belongs.

You can even go further than this and organize into subcategories (sleeveless shirts, tee shirts, long sleeve shirts, etc.). That way, it will be incredibly easy to see what you have when you’re looking for certain type of item.

2. By Occasion

Even though it might look weird to have jackets, shirts, and pants all mixed together, organizing my closet by occasion actually makes more sense to me than organizing just by type.

When you’re going to work or to an interview, it’s nice to have all your business attire in one place, that way you can grab the matching jacket and pants at the same time.