Insiders’ Guide FASHION

HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR ACCESSORIES

An Interview With Linda Rothschild

Rothschild is the founder of Cross It Off Your List, a personal organizing service based in New York City. Even the most impeccably dressed women may still toss their jewelry, scarves, and sunglasses into one jumbled drawer. But organizing all that chaos will not only save you time when you’re putting together an outfit; you’ll also find that you wear your best pieces more often.

• Whittle down.

  The first step is identifying the accessories you no longer wear. If you’re over your scarf phase or haven’t worn those sunglasses for a year, get rid of them. Give the items to a thrift store or a friend, or sell them on eBay – someone, somewhere will love them. If you have accessories that you rarely wear but can’t bear to give away (heirlooms or designer pieces), store them in a clear, labeled container in your closet.

• Plan it out.

  Sort what you have left (chunky necklaces in one pile, bangles in another, belts by color, etc.) and note the number of groups. Then decide on a drawer for your accessories and measure its length, width, and depth, keeping in mind that a deep drawer will allow for stackable containers.

• Go Shopping.

  Once you know what you’re working with, check out containers at storables.com, organize.com, or the Container Store. While you don’t need a separate receptacle for every category of accessory, you will need dividers of some sort. All these stores carry a variety of large organizers with different-size nooks (perfect for jewelry), and you can buy smaller containers for sunglasses, scarves, and belts. I like clear ones, which allow you to see everything at a glance without digging around.

• Keep it up.

  Now that your drawer is organized, try to put your accessories back in their designated place when you get undressed at night. Believe me, it’s easier to spend 30 seconds a day doing this than to wait until the drawer is a huge mess and you have to do a total overhaul. And once every season, go through the drawer and weed out any accessories you no longer wear so you can make sure that your favorite things are always front and center.