Sorting Your Wardrobe
Sorting Your Wardrobe Into Lifestyle Zones First.
One of the biggest questions I get asked about wardrobe organisation is: “Should I hang my clothes by item or by colour?”
And honestly? I used to do exactly that.
I hung everything by item first, tops with tops, dresses with dresses, and then arranged them by colour within that.
These days, however, I know without a shadow of a doubt that I have the perfect wardrobe for me, and I hang by lifestyle first.
So what does that actually mean? It means I organise my wardrobe based on how I live, not what the clothes technically are.
Because when you’re standing in front of your wardrobe at 7am (or 6pm, or five minutes before you have to leave), your brain isn’t thinking:
“I feel like a top today.”
It’s thinking:
“What do I need to show up as right now?”
And that’s where lifestyle zones change everything.
My Brand Rack (aka: my power zone)
These are my most special pieces. The irreplaceable ones. The items that feel like me at my very best.
They’re unique, powerful, and unmistakably in my voice (my brand) and in my very best colours.
They help me stand out, without trying too hard. They make me feel confident and completely myself.
This is the rack I go to for:
Major events
Guest speaking
Running workshops
Important first-impression moments
This is not my everyday zone. This is my occasional zone.
And giving these pieces their own space matters.
Why?
Because when everything is mixed together, nothing feels special. But when your strongest items live together, you can see them clearly, respect them properly, and use them intentionally.
You’re not watering them down with the everyday. You’re honouring them for what they’re designed to do.
Then we move on to my second-most important lifestyle zone.
My Elevated Loungewear Rack (aka: my travel sets).
These are the pieces that sit in that sweet spot between comfortable and pulled together, the outfits that feel easy on the body but still look intentional.
This rack is where I go when I want to feel relaxed, but not sloppy. Comfortable, but still like me.
I reach for this zone for:
Travel days (planes, cars, long lunches at the other end)
Visiting friends when I want to feel effortless but polished
Comfy-yet-cool occasions, like light working bees or casual days where I still need to show up feeling confident
These pieces work hard.
They mix beautifully, pack well, don’t demand attention, and yet always look considered.
Having them grouped together means I’m never overthinking what to wear when comfort is the priority. I know that anything I grab from this rack will behave, feel good on my body, and still represent my style.
And that’s the point of a lifestyle-based wardrobe: The decision is already made for you.
How the rest of my wardrobe is organised
Once my lifestyle racks are in place, everything else becomes very simple.
Beyond those two racks, I pull together my absolute wardrobe heroes:
shirts and blazers.
These are my most-worn, most-loved pieces, so they deserve their own real estate.
I group them by item first, then organise them by colour within each category.
Next, I separate out what I call my classic fabric racks.
There are two fabrics every wardrobe relies on again and again:
Denim
Linen
Each of these gets its own zone.
My denim rack includes jeans, shirts, pants, skirts, shorts, tops, and jackets, all living together in one place.
I do exactly the same for linen: shirts, pants, skirts, shorts, and jackets, all grouped by that fabric.
When classic fabrics are grouped, everything automatically works with itself. The weight, texture, and casualness are already aligned, so outfits feel cohesive without effort.
Once my lifestyle racks, hero items, and classic fabrics are sorted, everything else is grouped by colour.
This gives me complete freedom. Some days I dress by lifestyle. Some days by fabric. And some days? Pure colour mood.
When that mood hits, I grab my COCO eBook, choose a colour, and build something completely fresh.
This makes outfit building fast, especially when I want to be a bit lazy, or be creative with colour, or add structure or polish without thinking too hard.
Your Weekend Wardrobe Reset Checklist
If you’ve got an hour or two this weekend, try this:
Step 1: Create your two lifestyle racks
One for your brand / best outfits
One for your elevated comfort outfits
Step 2: Pull out your hero items
Group all shirts together → then sort by colour
Group all blazers together → then sort by colour
Step 3: Create your classic fabric zones
One denim zone (all denim items together)
One linen zone (all linen items together)
Step 4: Group everything else by colour
Light to dark works beautifully
Don’t overthink it, this is about flow, not perfection
Step 5: Test-drive it
Get dressed one day by lifestyle
Another day by fabric
Another day purely by colour
That’s what a wardrobe designed around your real life looks like.
Nat xo