I’ve been taking and immensely enjoying fashion and image consulting classes at Fashion Institute of Technology New York City. I just finished a course on professional personal shopping and my current class is an image consulting course revolving around creating wardrobes for your clients.

Although I’ve known and put into practice these concepts for my clients in the past, I’ve learned additional concepts and would like to share them with you so you can have an easy time getting ready every single morning (both genders). This is a 2 or 3 part series so make sure to check back in August (1 per month) for the second part.

The first thing you need to think about, when creating an easy, efficient wardrobe is your lifestyle. Clothing needs parallel (or should) lifestyle. How do you spend your time? Do you have a corporate job that you spend many hours at a week? Are you a stay at home parent who spends a large chunk of your time running after kids and taking care of the home? Do you attend many formal events including charity galas? Do you spend hours outdoors hiking, biking, running or gardening?

An easy, efficient wardrobe means having enough clothes that are appropriate for each of your activities. Obviously the more time you spend at a certain activity (such as work), the larger the percentage of your wardrobe it should include. Filling out a lifestyle form will give you a clear idea of what your wardrobe needs to include. See below for an example.

This shouldn’t take more than about 5 or 10 minutes. Remember, this isn’t how you want to spend your time, it’s how you actually do. That’s another whole discussion.

If you’re an analytical person, create a simple spreadsheet and chart it. This gives you a great visual. If you’re more creative, draw a circle and cut it up into pie shape pieces that correlate in size to your chart below.

When you’re done with this activity, start thinking about how your current wardrobe fits into the reality of your life.

Next month we’ll talk about the next step in creating an easy, efficient wardrobe.