If you have as little storage space as I do and, if, as I do, you can't help yourself from buying new clothes that you like, but don't want to get rid of old clothes that you like, you probably have had to deal with the seasonal overhaul of your closets.
It's actually a good thing (I think?) Everything gets clean and folded and organized and it's nice to have a break from seeing your clothes for a while. By the end of winter, I'm so sick of my sweaters - I'm happy to put them out of sight and mind until it's the fall and I'm chilly and open up my storage and say, "Well, hello beauties!" Unless of course, I say, "Oh, you're still here?", in which case, that item goes directly to the donation pile. Sometimes absence doesn't make the heart grow fonder.
Anyhow, my system theoretically is to group like with like, though it breaks down with questions such as: is a bulky gray cardigan best stored with bulky sweaters, with other gray sweaters, or with cardigans - or maybe with interim clothes, as it's also outerwear on days when it's a little cold, but not coat cold? I haven't decided yet. We're tapping into deep veins of thought here, folks. What is my true nature and where do I belong? (just kidding.)
And then there's how I store them. Do I use Space Bags, which half the time reinflate during the summer, make my clothes super-wrinkled, and leave a funny plasticky smell? Or do I store things in canvas so there's air for clothes to breath (but also for moths to breathe?). I've always opted for the Space Bags, as I've never had a bug problem and a travel steamer takes the wrinkles and smell out pretty easily. But I don't know. I feel like a canvas bag with a lavender sachet is a more elegant option. But that requires more investment and space. One solution I love is to use old rolling suitcases that don't travel any more (broken zipper, etc), but that function well enough for me to use them for seasonal clothes storage. They roll and stack. Perfect! Btw, I asked my dry cleaner whether plastic boxes or bags were bad for clothes storage. He said they are, but not for short periods of time. I guess a few months is ok. A few years, probably not.
Last year, I was super ambitious and washed every single piece of wool I own with the Laundress' cashmere detergent and laid them out to dry flat. Every single piece! It took FOREVER! For over a month I had clothes spread out on the living room floor. Every other day I did laundry, because the clothes took 2 days to dry fully. It was a drag, but I felt incredibly virtuous and it was nice knowing that my clothes were all clean and smelled really good, but still... who wants to do that every year? This year, with the broken wrist, I am not in the mood, so I'm just washing the sweaters that I wore the most and next to my skin. It's still a pretty big pile, multiple drying days' worth, but not as bad. I use a clean terry cloth shower curtain for drying (another solution I'm pleased with).
So how boring. It really is just a post on storage.
I'm quite proud of my folding here.
This is the part of a change in seasons that I do not like!
