Style Unlocked: The Masters of Reorganization

Photo: Angela Zdrale, Afi Maita and Lisa Moore combined their skills to become a powerhouse wardrobe and beauty consulting team

It’s fall, and you have places to go. But your closet has become a place of pre-pandemic dresses in dry-cleaner bags … or it is filled with a variety of sizes … or it is in disorganized chaos. In my case, it was all three, and I needed help! Fortunately, The Power of 3 came to my rescue, and I am now in week eight of closet bliss.

Meet The Power of 3: Angela Zdrale, Afi Maita and Lisa Moore, three friends and former co-workers who banded together in 2020 to create an innovative and creative service showcasing each of their talents. 

Angela is the cheerful stylist, taking you through every item in your wardrobe to assess the fit and potential as a keeper. Afi notes the things you need to add to your collection, either as a replacement or something that will be the perfect addition to the final edit. She then works with Angela to create your custom “Look Book.” 

And, Lisa? Well, the Chanel makeup superstar is a bonus to the effort: She takes you through all of those drawers and cabinets in your bathroom for a clean-out, reorganization and creation of a personalized list of beauty must-haves. 

To start my closet and bathroom makeover, I scheduled a Zoom with The Power of 3. I gave them a video tour of my home so they could prepare a custom proposal and plan of attack. We would need a full day together and a half-day follow-up to get my wardrobe and bathroom fabulously functional. Day one started at 9 a.m. at my historic home in Central Phoenix and included a complete clean-out of the two closets I use: my everyday closet and my dressy closet as well as a new master bath we added in 2019. 

Some things were easy to say goodbye to, but most needed a try-on and a professional opinion. We sorted items into four areas: keep, sell, donate and tailor. By noon, we had finished the everyday closet and filled a garbage bag with old beauty products. After a short lunch break, it was time to do the same with the dressy closet and drawers of jeans, folded tops and workout clothes. 

By 5 p.m., we had amassed a giant pile of plastic and hangers from the dry cleaners, a carload of bags filled with items being donated to UMOM, about 20 things that needed tailoring and another 30 pieces headed to the consignment shop. 

I also had homework before we would meet again in a week for the finishing touches: namely, a list of items from the Container Store, including matching velvet hangers, sweater boxes and clear shelf dividers for handbag organization.

Day two was so much fun! Seeing everything rehung on the new hangers, folded into windowed boxes and organized into a new bathroom storage system felt so good. This was also when items were pulled and photographed for my new digital Look Book — a collection of outfits using the pieces that made the edit, mixed and matched in a whole new way. 

After I had a few weeks to live with my new organized life, I had some time to reflect on the experience and ask a few questions. First, how did my project compare with others? Angela said, “Every project has been completely different. No closet is the same, and no one’s wardrobe needs are the same.” And knowing the team’s diverse professional backgrounds means they know how to approach each case and create an incredible result. 

I know what you’re thinking next, how much does it cost? “We tailor each project to fit the client’s need and budget,” Angela said. “A proper closet clean-out will pay for itself! Consider the items that are being sent to consignment, the final Look Book, and that your future shopping trips will add items that build your wardrobe, not just buy a one-off item for an event that you will never use again.” 

Whether big or small, it’s easy to let your closet go awry in today’s busy world. This closet clean-out was just what I needed on so many levels. I love “shopping my closet” now that I know everything fits properly, that I can see my items clearly and pull up my Look Book on my phone for inspiration! 

For more info, visit thepowerof3consulting.com.