Do you have a wardrobe full of clothes and nothing to wear?

Stats tell us that most people don't wear at least 50% of things stored in their wardrobes. On top of that, most of us are delusional about the proportions of what we OWN to what we WEAR!

So, why do we have so many clothes we don't use? Why are our wardrobes full of things we don't like, BUT for many irrational reasons, keep? 

It’s actually REALLY simple. What’s filling your wardrobe might not FIT right now – and by that, I mean a few things. Your wardrobe might not FIT your size, but it also might not FIT your lifestyle or FIT your personality.

So here are my top ten tips to help you identify the disconnect within your wardrobe. Once you’ve spotted the reason (or reasons) why your clothes don’t work as you’d like, then you can develop a wardrobe plan, so you know how to choose the best pieces to suit YOUR specific needs - for your body, your personality, and your lifestyle.

1. BE CLEAR ON COLOUR!

Do the clothes in your wardrobe share the same colour properties, or do you have a wardrobe with a combination of warm colours and cool colours, a blend of bright and muted colours…?

When you try to wear colours that have very different colour properties it can create a disconnect, making it harder to create outfits, as these colours can actually clash quite badly. You end up with single items or perhaps single outfits, but not an easy mix-and-match, versatile wardrobe.

The colours of your wardrobe should also be colours that really make YOU shine. If you’re not sure, one of the first colour challenges is to work out if you have a warm or cool skin undertone. If you want to finally discover your best colours, to save yourself a heap of time, energy, and money, to say nothing of giving you a healthy glow, making your eyes sparkle, and taking years off you, then a colour analysis is the answer.

2. AVOID BUYING FOR ONE-TIME USE

If you’re buying for an occasion rather than multi-wear use, you’re going to have a wardrobe full of pieces that don’t mix and match. This, for many, is their biggest personal challenge. You buy or quickly order something for a specific event. Sound familiar?

Putting together your wardrobe in a cohesive way will make it easy to put outfits together quickly. A game-changing tip is to be sure you can wear the garment two or three different ways before you buy it. This is the “Wear it Three Ways Rule.”

4. CHECK YOUR CLOTHES FIT YOUR LIFESTYLE

The pandemic has certainly caused lifestyle changes for many of us, so it’s likely you will have clothes in your wardrobe that no longer work for you.

You may need to shop for some key pieces that are missing from your wardrobe – but also try re-thinking how you wear some things, since they may be more versatile than you’d thought.

Take a basic blazer, for example, that used to be part of a work suit. You would have normally worn it with tailored trousers, but those days are long gone. Well, how about taking that blazer, pushing up the sleeves, flipping up the collar, and wearing it with a simple t-shirt and jeans for a more relaxed smart-causal look? In this case, the blazer is more of a cardigan or lightweight jacket replacement, as opposed to half of your dressiest work outfit.

And how about your black biker jacket, that you wore as a single, social butterfly to gig after gig? Have you considered how you can make it feel a little less edgy, perhaps by pairing it with a floral dress for your next date night or girls’ lunch.

Another of the principles of coordination is what we call ‘the level of refinement’ - how formal your clothes are.  Does your wardrobe contain dressy garments and very casual garments with very little in between or vice versa? Time to assess that your clothes suit your new lifestyle moving forward.

4. BE SURE YOU LOVE EVERYTHING IN YOUR WARDROBE

Do you like everything in your wardrobe? You’d probably say that you like most of what’s there, but there are surely things that you like more than others.

Think about it this way – if you have 5 pairs of jeans that serve the same function, there might be a couple that you always grab. But there are probably 1 (or 2) that you almost never grab, that never ‘win’ their way out of the wardrobe. The items that ‘never win’ are things that you just don’t like enough to wear, or there’s always something that you like better. And if your wardrobe is made up of a lot of ‘never win’ styles, it stands to reason that you feel like you have almost nothing to wear. I call this the ‘wash rinse and repeat’ syndrome.

It’s time to take stock of what you really like in your wardrobe and what you don’t like enough to actually wear. Think of it like money hanging in your wardrobe that just hangs there. What a waste!

5. DO YOU BUY ON IMPULSE OR ONLY IN THE SALES?

No one loves a bargain more than I do, and these days sales are pretty constant. BUT, if you only shop in the sales, you’re limiting your options and likely ‘making do’ with pieces that don’t serve you or your wardrobe well. If you’re all over the place with what you are buying, none of your clothes will “speak” to each other. I call these the “wardrobe orphans”.

We go to the shop and see items that are very affordable and look ‘nice’, so we often grab them without thinking. We buy stuff we don't really like, in styles and designs that we would never buy without a markdown. We grab them despite the wrong size and the unflattering colour! We only think of how much money we’ve 'saved' on something we would never have bought if it wasn’t at a discounted price. We stuff it into the already overstuffed wardrobe with a feeling of extraordinary self-satisfaction. Later on, we wear that thing only once or twice, but hold on to it for years.

The answer? Invest in better basics and use sales to discover a hidden treasure, to buy something you’ve craved at full price or to add fun, novelty pieces. A friend of mine once said “Would you buy it if it was ten times that price?” I’ve never forgotten and apply the principle often when I’m tempted by a bargain.

6. MAKE YOUR CLOTHES FIT YOUR GOALS

If you’re in transition and evolving – whether it’s in your career, your marital status or family size – your wardrobe may need to evolve as well. And it may need to evolve in advance of any big changes. For instance –if you’re looking to re-enter the dating world, you need a few things that make you feel fabulous on upcoming nights out.

It’s time to take stock of your wardrobe, identifying what makes you feel how you want to feel, what communicates the perception that you intend, and what works for where you’re going. These things may already be in your wardrobe, or they may be things that you’re missing.

7. CHECK OUT WHAT YOU’RE MISSING

Many of my clients already have a wardrobe full of fun and versatile clothes, but they still feel like they have nothing to wear. But what’s really going on is that they are missing the key pieces to complete their outfits – so it’s less about having nothing to wear, and more about lacking the items to balance what they already have. You may have a wardrobe full of basic, versatile styles, but nothing that adds a ‘wow’ factor to your outfits. Or you may have a wardrobe full of special pieces, but are lacking the simpler, staple items to help those pieces stand out.

To solve this one, take some time to try and create outfits out of your wardrobe. This will more readily identify your true needs –essential prior to a productive shopping trip.

8. STOP HAVING TOO MUCH

We have to redefine what it means to “have enough.” You don’t need 25 pairs of jeans! You can’t see what you have when it’s hidden beneath clutter, and if you can’t see what you have, you’re not utilizing everything. If your wardrobe is overrun with stuff, this is your very first step. Take some time to edit and organise your wardrobe and only keep what you love. And that loves you!

9. DO YOUR CLOTHES FIT YOUR BODY?

If you’re like most people, your body changes from time to time. A few pounds up, a few pounds down, and suddenly styles in your wardrobe that were your trusty ‘go-to’ pieces just aren’t as dependable anymore. Or your body proportions have shifted due to a new exercise regime, motherhood, menopause, your activity levels and let’s face it, many of us piled on the pounds during lockdown.

We keep clothes that are too small because we plan to lose weight. And we keep garments that are too large, in case we gain weight. Years later they’re still taking up valuable space without earning their right to be there.

Understanding your body shape is key and understanding how to dress that (new) shape is the secret.

10. AND FINALLY, DO YOU KNOW YOUR STYLE? 

With few exceptions, most women have style; but sometimes feel mis-aligned with their style or struggle to be consistent with it.

Once you identify your style, editing your wardrobe and shopping becomes so much easier. 

I highly recommend creating a personal style board on Pinterest where you can add images of outfits you like and “pin” all sorts of inspiration. Once you fill a board with around 50 pins, go over it again and edit it down to only your absolute favourites. You’ll soon start to see common themes. For example, do you prefer trousers to skirts? If you haven’t pinned any skirt outfits, stop buying them! Are you attracted to bold prints and patterns and yet you have a board filled with neutrals? Avoid bold prints when making your next purchase. 

You’ll start to see what you like, and that will help you curate your wardrobe in the future. I have a style membership that supports women in an ongoing way to discover and evolve their personal style and offer 1-2-1 style consultations too to help you discover what works for YOU, your lifestyle, your personality, and your body – WHATEVER size or shape it is!

If you are looking to eliminate the “I have nothing to wear” feeling and want a partner in the process, I’d love to help. There are many ways we can work together to evolve your wardrobe and your style. There is nothing more empowering and confidence building than knowing what to wear to flatter yourself and feel amazing! Trust me, I know. I was the girl with no confidence for years, who hid in big, baggy, black anonymous clothes for years, but who now wears more colour and with more confidence than ever before. All thanks to a colour analysis and exploring my personal style.