Do you feel like you’re stuck in a rut of wearing the same thing all of the time or like you have nothing to wear? Here are the key secrets to building a wardrobe you love. You will need to dedicate a little time, but the rewards are worth the investment.
The First Step
Shop at home. Go through your closet to determine what you already have. Try on everything you haven’t worn in over a month. The objective is to evaluate:Fit:
Does it fit well? I’m not talking about just fitting into it. Does it flatter you? There should be no gaps, hanging/loose material, binding or tight-looking pulls on the thread or material. Pockets should lie flat.
Comfort:
Can you move comfortably? Does it itch or caress the skin? I won’t wear anything that itches or sheds (Shedding is a major pain with contacts or any kind of lipstick.).
Repair/Alterations:
You need to decide whether to keep pieces that need minor fixes. If yes, make a pile and plans to get it done. It’s pretty common to make, then conveniently forget the repair pile.
Appeal:
Do you love how the item looks? More importantly, do you love how it looks on you? Does it flatter your figure and coloring? A beautiful item is only truly appreciated if it looks great on. Otherwise it’s a design and fabric wasted. Remember, the goal is to build a wardrobe of things you love, look/feel great in, and can’t wait to wear.
This is key. It doesn’t work without factoring in the colors flatter you best and your preferred style. See Determining You Style to learn more.
Below are some additional guidelines for filtering out the clothes that are just taking up valuable closet space:
“When I Lose Weight” Pieces – Forget it. Just let them go if it’s more than one size smaller than your current size, and has been in a holding pattern for more than two years.
Exception: It’s okay to keep things that are one size smaller/larger because we tend to fluctuate by 5-10 pounds, especially in the warmer months.
Hold Time – This rule will help you purge those items you’ve been holding forever. The hold rule is two years for casual/professional pieces, and three years for special occasion items.
The Next Step
Outline what you’ve kept. Prefer a mapped out inventory? You can simply...- Write it on paper.
- Take photos and create a wardrobe vision board (with pictures posted on a bulletin board) or a digital version (in an app or or via a private board on Pinterest).
- Create a wardrobe inventory of your items in a Word table or Excel spreadsheet.
The ultimate goal is to create a capsule of “go to” looks from your existing clothing, in addition to determining the pieces you’d like to buy to enhance what you have.
Note: We tend to be habitual shoppers; drawn repeatedly to the same silhouettes and colors. This can be a good thing, because it makes it easier to “mix it up” ... to create different looks that seem effortless.