Go Inside Eva Longoria's Perfectly Organized Closet

When InStyle rummaged through Eva Longoria's 133-square-foot master closet for our March 2008 issue (above), the actress (then a star on Desperate Housewives) gleefully showed off her 200-plus pairs of shoes and explained why she loved her "hot-pink crocodile Hermès Birkin bag." But before we snapped the striking images of the actress's blinged-out room, we actually asked to fully reshuffle all of her items for the photo shoot. The result? A flawlessly color-coordinated closet that Longoria hasn't changed.

Since then her shoe collection has certainly grown but, as she explains, to this day she has InStyle to thank for making it so easy for her to get dressed every morning. Below, Longoria once again takes us through her immaculate closet, divulges her passion for sewing, and talks about her upcoming fashion line.

InStyle: Walk us through your closet.
Eva Longoria: The first photo shoot I ever did for InStyle they actually came and did a shoot inside my closet. They actually came in and they had to move stuff, and said, "Don’t worry, when we leave a person is going to come in and rearrange it. Don’t get nervous that we’re messing up." And it was a mess. I was nervous and I left because they were making a mess. And I came back in and I was like, "Oh my god, this is gorgeous. Oh my god, I’ve never seen bikinis folded like that. I’ve never seen bikinis folded in my life." So, that was maybe 10 to 12 years ago and I kept it that way. They color-coded my jeans. [I kept] the way they hung them, the way they switched out my hangers. It was a closet organizer who came and did it. So, we pretty much keep that up. I have a casual side and a formal side so I definitely have a beautiful closet that I love to go sit in.

Is it color coded?
EL: It is. Everything is color-coded. The dresses are color-coded. The jeans are color-coded. The sweaters are color-coded. Everything is color-coded. Then there’s tank tops, short sleeve, long sleeve.

What should every woman have in her closet?
EL: She has to have her go-to pair of jeans and she has to have some dresses that can go from the office to night. You know, maybe [wear it] with a blazer, but then it can be your little black dress if you have to go on a date. There are not a lot of things that you need in your closet. I like things that you can mix and match. So, like four different things. I like a gray pencil skirt. No closet would be complete without Spanx.

What have you learned about fashion since you've gotten older?
EL: To not follow trends. I’m not a trend person. I have my crisp white button-down shirts, a great pair of jeans, and a great pump. I’m really not a trend person. My go-to outfit is like a shirt, jeans, and a pump or a strappy sandal.

So how did your new clothing line come about?
EL: I’ve been sewing dresses for a long time. I would always get questions about what was I wearing and who was I wearing and I really thought I want to make my clothing at an accessible place for people, because I’ll wear a $29 dress and make it seem like a million bucks. I feel like everyone should be able to have that access to style at a good price. I find it so fun and I find it really empowering to make women feel beautiful. That’s all I want to do: make women feel amazing in their own skin through my clothing line.

You have a new clothing line coming out, how exciting! What has been the most fun and the most challenging about creating a collection?
EL: I think it’s a saturated market at times but you have to be unique and different in order to stand out and that’s what we’re planning to do. We’re trying to occupy that white space where those customers are not being serviced.

What does the process entail?
EL: Well, we had just signed the papers when the press release came out. We were in my closet taking pictures of my favorite pieces. I feel like there are some staple items that every woman needs to have in her wardrobe. So, we’re starting with apparel then we’re going to follow with shoes, handbags, and accessories. I think the beginning needs to be like this: Let’s define my style and then we’ll branch out from there. Sometimes I’m a dress-up person, then I’m a casual person. I like to be comfortable. I don’t like crazy side seams and bias cuts. There are so many high couture things that will not be happening in my line. That’s the stage we’re at now and then we’re going to start making some samples. We’re going to be specific about what I want and start getting it out. What color, what fabric, and the cut. So that’s really where we’re at—the beginning stages, which are the most fun to me. I’m also showing them things I’ve sewn and made and why I sewed it this way. So, when we do actually put this together this is what I like about it.