Spring Cleaning - Organizing Ethnic Wear

Indian ethnic wear is a beautiful example of tradition, art, and intricate designs. While we love how these outfits look, they present a problem from time to time. There is nothing more FRUSTRATING when prepping for a wedding weekend than figuring out your kid’s Ethnic Wear. There have been so many times when I sit down with my girls to figure out their Indian outfits and I realize we are missing a dupatta or a blouse for the outfit they HAVE to (or WANT to) wear. Or, and the one that happens the most - NOTHING FITS them since they have grown so much. In these moments, I would tell myself that I am going to spend some time to organize their Ethnic Wear. Unfortunately, LIFE HAPPENS and I never get to it. 

Like many of you, I have been taking advantage of the Shelter in Place situation and have been spring cleaning. The last few weekends I focused on our Ethnic Wear from lehengas to casual kurtas. As I started this process I realized I should capture it and share it with you as it might be helpful if some of you were also doing some Spring Cleaning. 

Below are some simple steps to get Ethnic Wear organized for the kids and can just easily work for your Ethnic Wear.

1. DECLUTTER

Get rid of the clothes they don’t wear anymore or don’t fit anymore. At some point, your clothes will start looking old, or the kids will never wear them again, so put them aside to donate, pass on to family members, or resell. (If you want to know more about this let me know.)

2. SEPARATE

Since I have two girls I created two separate spaces to sort their clothes. I spent some time pairing the clothes up and separating them by size. I had the kids try on at least one outfit so I had an idea of which size fits them right now. I also created a pile for each of them for clothes that are too big or could fit them in the future. 

3. IDENTIFY YOUR STORAGE

I like to put our Indian clothes in see-through soft bags that I found on Amazon. I've used hard and soft under bed storage containers but these work best for me. It makes it easier to see what's inside and they can be stacked on top of each other in the top of the closet. I use a label maker to write down whose clothes are in which bag. So it's easier when you're trying to get ready for a wedding weekend with lots of events to go to and outfits to coordinate.

4. PACK IT UP & PUT IT AWAY

Once everything was sorted I put the clothes in these fabric storage bins. I was able to put four of the simpler outfits in one layer and then stack up about three times. In total, I was able to fit about twelve outfits in one pack. With just the front of the storage bags being see-through I cannot see ALL of the outfits but it gets the outfits all in one place. If you have lots of outfits you can sort them in the bags by type of outfits like lehenga choli, kurta pajama, etc. Clothes that are more casual or simple kurtas that the girls can wear to Sunday school or around the house I like to put on hangers.