Fashion

Closet Organization Tips from Personal Stylist Andrea Walker-Leidy

Walker-Leidy, owner of the personal styling company Look on Purpose, shares her tips to bring order to your outfits

January 23, 2026

Andrea Walker-Leidy posing in an organized closet — Andrea Walker-Leidy launched her personal styling company, Look On Purpose, in June 2025. // Photograph by Sal Rodriguez

“What is your intention in this season of life?” That is the first question personal stylist Andrea Walker-Leidy asks her clients before a closet consultation.

“I prepare people for events, and the last thing they always ask me is, ‘What do I wear?’” notes the owner of Walker Publicity, who launched her personal styling company, Look on Purpose, in June 2025.

“There’s not a right thing that you’re supposed to wear,” says the Rochester Hills resident. “But let’s make sure that you are purposeful about how you want people to feel when they see you.” This often results in a closet purge.

To help mentally prepare for what could be an emotional process, Walker-Leidy says to first ask yourself, “What have I worn in the last six months?” Move those items to one spot in your closet. “Let the other part of the closet live on its own and see what happens between now and the next six months. If anything moves over to the other side, that’s good.” And if it doesn’t, it’s the end of the line and time to part ways.

A closet organized by Andrea Walker-Leidy — Among Walker-Leidy’s clients is a professional speaker who really knows and loves her look. She had some signature pieces but was too busy to figure out the transition into new outfits. Her closet was bulging with clothing in multiple sizes. // Photograph by Sal Rodriguez

Walker-Leidy’s Top 10 Tips

How to execute a closet clean-out and create an intentional wardrobe

Prepare before you touch a hanger.
Have bins, bags, and labels ready. Make five piles: donate, give/sell, keep, emotionally connected, and undecided.
Sort in real time.
As each item leaves the hanger, it must land in one pile.
Set your repurchase threshold.
If you could buy it again tomorrow for under $20 (and you’d still never wear it), let it go. Freedom is worth more than that clearance-rack top.
Seasonal reality check …
Did you wear it last season? No? Then why is it still auditioning for another round?
Beware the one-hit wonder.
That dress you only wore once to a wedding? If you’d buy a different one next occasion, release it.
Box the “love it but out of style” pieces.
Fashion is a boomerang. Keep the signature pieces that will come back around out of sight until they are back in style. Store them instead of clogging your active closet.
Limit your “emotional storage.”
Decide on a bin cap based on storage space. Categories allowed: emotional clothing, out of style but loved, doesn’t fit (right now), and six-month recheck. If it doesn’t fit in the bins, it doesn’t fit in your life.
Make peace with being undecided.
It’s fine to be unsure but set a six-month deadline to revisit. If you don’t think about it in that time, it’s just closet filler.
Respect comfort and fit.
If you tug, fidget, or feel like a stuffed sausage when you wear it, let it go. You need to feel amazing in your clothes. If it’s not motivational, it’s masochistic.
Celebrate the space.
Empty hangers, clean shelves, and a closet that actually closes are your reward. An intentional wardrobe means having space for what you love as well as space to continue to grow your brand.

This story originally appeared in the January 2026 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.