Over the last thirty years, wherever I travel in the western world, most women have the same complaint…they have nothing to wear despite a closet bulging at the seams.
It’s easy to understand why; they’re enticed by sales, friends and fashion trends and they’ve constantly purchased clothes with little thought to what they really need. As a result they’ve ended up with a cluttered closet and nothing they want to wear.
It’s time to stop, take stock and rethink how you’re managing your style and closet.
Looking and feeling your best every time you walk out the house doesn’t come about by accident. Our favourite style icons don’t randomly pick out an outfit, and walk out looking fabulous. They plan everything they wear, in fact Kim Kardashian has been open about her wardrobe process: she creates her outfits for the week down to her earrings. She hangs each complete outfit on their own rack, and sometimes even photographs them in case something gets mixed up. Yes, yes, I see you rolling your eyes and hear you saying ‘good for her, I don’t have the time or space to do that’. I get it, and hope that you can at least agree that when you look our best, you feel your best.
An inexhaustible wardrobe is a big call – I know that, but if you implement my guidelines, I promise your wardrobe will gradually transform into a place of versatility and inspiration which will serve you well every day.
So, are you ready to take the plunge and get things sorted?
Yes? Then let’s get started…
Make a Pie
No, not the type you eat, the type you use to map out the items you to need to met the needs of your lifestyle. Let’s face it, a mother of two can’t be expected to run around in six-inch stilettos all day – if at all, and a professional can’t have a wardrobe full of jeans.
Everyone has a different day-to-day experience, and your wardrobe should reflect your needs. Just as executives have their professional pieces so you also should have a specific set of garments that meet your lifestyle needs. The first step towards gaining a wardrobe that works is to map out your lifestyle, create a pie to reflect it and then buy and build clothing capsules that will work for what you do. For example if 35% of your time is spent a work, then 35% of your wardrobe should be work wear.
Here’s a link to a lifestyle and wardrobe pie chart you can create for yourself. When the two pies are almost alike in percentages you know you’re well on your way to a closet that works for you.
Enhance Your Shape
One of the most important factors of a great wardrobe is possessing styles that work well with your age and the shape you have today. I love the fact that we are no longer limited to our local area to find the styles that are best for us. The Internet can connect you with so many brands that no matter what shape, size or age you are there is plenty of choice. The important thing is to first discover exactly what styles suit your shape. Gaining this invaluable insight is available via online via My Private Stylist. Comment ‘Yes Please’ in the comments below and I’ll send you a 20% discount as a Style Clinic reader.
In addition, be open to wearing shapewear; it has the power to make fitted garments sit on your frame as if you were firm and flat. Celebrity stylists like Rachel Zoe swear by it and insists her A-Listers wear it on the red carpet to ensure they look their best. It’s like Hollywood’s worst kept, best secret.
Flatter Your Colouring
You’ve probably already worked out that some shades of lipstick or blush make your face come alive while others leave you looking flat or dull. The same goes for the colours you chose for your clothes. If you only work with the styles that suit your figure and ignore colour you can quickly come undone. Style and colour are equally as important when it comes to purchasing the right items for your wardrobe. A personal colour analysis is worth every cent as it will teach you not only about the colours that suit you best but also how to wear them.
Express Your Personality
Have you ever tried on a garment recommended by someone else only to say – it’s not me. Sure the fit was fine and maybe even the colour was good, others loved it on you, but to you it felt wrong – that’s your personal style speaking to you.
The clothes we feel truly at home in are those that express our innate style personality. It often takes women until they are past thirty to start feeling secure that they have found their style and experiences and changing lifestyles may cause it to change over time.
Being able to define your personal style is useful, because just like when you decide on a make and model for your new car – suddenly you start seeing that car everywhere. The same is true when you know what styles and accessories you are after. Instantly your unconscious style antennae will be on high alert and you’ll find yourself discovering what suits you all the time. By pinpointing your personal style you’ll be another step closer to achieving a wardrobe that works.
Purge the Past
We all make mistakes, that’s what learning and growing is all about. It’s OK to make them but not repeat them. So now is the time to get honest with your closet and purge it of all the items you seldom or never wear. This way you’ll clear space for the items that are right for you and you’ll be able to more easily see what you have to wear. To learn what suits your shape click here.
Explore and Expand
You can make an item look totally new just by wearing it differently every time. Set a date to play dress-up in your wardrobe – maybe even invite a close friend. Try on your clothes and accessories to find new ways to wear and coordinate them. At the end of the day you’ll be surprised at the number of options you have lurking in your closet. Read more..
Document and Log
It’s too easy to forget all the new outfit options you have it you don’t document or photograph them. There are even apps now that can store a “virtual” closet for you through your snapshots.
You can even keep track of the things you’ve recently worn to be sure not to repeat any obvious items. Also, at the beginning of each season write down the things you need to replenish your wardrobe so you don’t get caught up in all the new merchandise in the store. Don’t sweat it, it happens to the best of us every now and then.
Next time we’ll continue creating your inexhaustible wardrobe.
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Ann Reinten AICI CIP
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