Steps to organized closet

1) First go over every single item in your closet and pull out items you have not work in the past year. This often include very nice pieces that are hard to part with but face it, if you haven't worn it for that long, what are the chances you will in the next year?

2) Go over "not worn in the past year pile" and pick out
  a) items that are torn or otherwise ruined and non-fixable
  b) items that are not your size
  c) items that are your size according to the label but do not fit you
  d) items that are "wrong" color, i.e. color that is not in your color palette (spring, summer, fall, or winter)
  e) items that are not your usual style. Maybe that's why you haven't worn them for a year

The remainders of that pile should be hang in a separate closet for another 6 months to a year to see if you will use them or not.

3) Look over the rest of the items in your clщset and see if there are any colors outside of your palette. If there are, you should remove them. You do not need anything that does not flatter you.

4) Go over the jackets in your closet and check the sleeves if they are ending somewhere below the wrist bone but before the first knuckle on your thumb. If they are shorter you should get rid of them, and if they are longer - shorten them. Next check is wearing each jacket and lifting your arms to see if jacket moves with you and whether you are comfortable.

5) Go over the sweaters and tops and ensure they are not baggy and make you loook like a scarecrow, then check the length to make sure they are reaching to either your high hip bone, or your lover hip. Anything shorter or longer than that might not flatter you or look tacky.

6) Check the pants to ensure each pair is the right length for the style:
  a) Skinny jeans or pants with tapered leg should reach to your ankles
  b) Straight leg pants should cover half of your shoe
  c) Wide-leg pants or bell-bottoms should cover your shoe almost completely

Then try on each pair and make sure the pants are not wrinkly at the lover hip level, that zipper is working, and that the crotch is not hanging
If any of these criteria are not met, see if you can have the pants tailored to fit you and if not - discard them.

7) Check each skirt to ensure they are the most flattering length - either right below the knee, right above the knee or up to the narrowest part of your ankle. The most flattering hemlines are the ones at the level of the most narrow parts of the leg.

8) Do the same for dresses

9) Review the remaining items in your closet to check for the following
  a) each item is "your style"
  b) each item can be worn with at least 3 other items in your closet
  c) the patterns are suitable for you (if your facial features are rather small, I'd recommend getting rid of all the large prints for they will make you look vulgar, and if your facial features are larger, then small prints will only emphasize them and that's not very flattering.

Style on a shoestring

It was just OK. Nothing extraordinary and nothing new. I'd recommend The Pocket Stylist instead. There is info some might useful but to most it should be common sense. For example on how to pick the right fit. Does one really needs a guide to be able to tell if an item fits well or whether you can see undergarments' lines on your clothing or not?

I also found that most recommendations on the styles did not take into account specific body types. I could be wrong, but I got an impression the author was using a particular body type as a model for this book.

The book starts out talking about undergarments and wearing correct undergarment for each outfit, how undergarments should fit etc. Then it talks about how other clothing items should fit and what to look for to get the right fit. Also there is a lot of info on thrift stores and when to shop for what to catch good sales, some on organizing your closet, picking the colors and what each color means. There is also a section on what not to wear.

What I found useful was some info on the pockets, pocket alignment and shape. Information on thrift store was also somewhat useful, as well as the section on what not to do. Overall the book isn't bad at all, just not as informative as one would expect from all the positive reviews.