organizing your "gorgeous" shoes...

i was having coffee with a friend...when we got on the subject of shoes (i know...big surprise...) she was telling me that although she loves shoes...and has many...she had reached a wardrobe organizational low point...

how you ask?

her wardrobe organizational low point occurred one day last week at work when she looked down at her feet at an important business meeting and noticed she was wearing two different shoes! i know...mortification (is that a word? i think so!)

so after coffee...i headed over to her place...in opening up her closet door, i found dozens of shoes thrown all over the floor...she didn't know what she owned...let alone what matched or was in fashion...

awww....i love projects like this!

so i thought...maybe there are others with this dilemma...maybe i should blog about the most popular tips for organizing shoes, boots, and sneakers so you start your day off on the right foot... =)

so...as i switched over to twitter...mid blog post...my girl linda is posting a pic of her shoe closet...she so graciously let me post her pic...see below? talk about a well organized shoe closet...btw...please visit her blog as she has great fashion tips as well...AND she posts the most glorious shoes...at princess dominique

tip 1 - take a polaroid or digital snapshot of your shoes and attach the picture to the outside of the shoebox...i have to admit that when i first saw this done by a client, i thought she was a little compulsive...over the years...i have come to respect this practice, especially for those who have lifestyles that justify extensive shoe collections...

tip 2 - invest in clear shoeboxes...not only does your closet look well put together when you stack two or three of these together...but it becomes so easy to access shoes through the pull-front compartment

tip 3 - if you like to store shoes in the bottom of your closet...place a three- or four-level shoe shelf under the short hanging items in your closet so you can better see (and organize) them...getting them off the floor and hanging them in over-the-door shoe pouches is also a good idea if you have limited space and want to see your shoe options more clearly in the morning...

tip 4 - a client confided in me that she places clothes dryer sheets in the toe of each shoe in her closet to keep them all smelling fresh and clean, especially in the summer months...

tip 5 - if it's in the middle of winter and you keep tripping over your beach sandals...purchase a large, clear tub with a cover and throw all your strictly summer shoes inside...store it somewhere where it is easy to access should a winter vacation to a warm climate present itself...use the same strategy for sneakers, boots, and other seasonal footwear you use for various sports at different times of the year...most people only need one or two pairs of "everyday" sneakers in their main closet...

tip 6 - keep your knee-high boots in upstanding condition by purchasing plastic boot shapers specifically designed to support boots...you can also use rolled-up magazines to get the job done...

oftentimes...freshening your shoe collection is the "first step" to a more well-dressed you...taking the time to retire shoes that are uncomfortable, worn out, or out of style and then organizing the ones you want to keep will do wonders for the organizational state of your closet as well as your self-confidence...

photo by: princess dominique