I used to wear scrubs to work everyday, and I loved it! Now I have to put an outfit together in the mornings that makes me look thinner, younger, and is comfortable for the entire day. Well - that is what I'm aiming for when I walk in my closet, but 30 minutes and 10 changes later I'll settle for "this kinda matches".
Did you know we only wear about 20-30% of the clothes we own? And yet we look in our closet and think - why don't I have anything to wear?
I have an easy explanation and the fix!
The Explanation
Our brains are wired to conserve energy, it takes the path of least resistance. So when we pick out what we're going to wear, we automatically pair the same things together, over and over and over. So it seems we have nothing to wear, while we are actually wearing very little of what we own. We are repeating the pattern in our brains.
The Fix
There are actually several steps to take to "fix" this. First - get rid of things you know you will never wear. Just do it. If they are in excellent condition and not dated, sell them on Poshmark (if you do please use my affiliate code "JDKAMINSKI" when you sign up) or give them to an organization with a good cause. There are probably several in your area.
Next - are there things in your closet that need to be repaired or altered? Are you really going to do it? If not - get rid of them.
Clearing out some of the excess will help you focus better on what you are really working with.
Both of the above suggestions involve "letting go". While it may seem easy - it's really not. We develop emotional attachments to clothes. Oftentimes we have memories attached to clothes. We rationalize keeping something by saying to ourselves "I might need that sometime in the future, what if the style comes back, or I'll be able to wear that again when I lose a little weight"? Any of this sound familiar? Take a moment, have a cry if you need to, say goodbye - and let them go.
Now you are ready to tackle the next phase. Two options here - 1) turn all the hangars around in your closet or hang a belt on the closet rod at the front of your closet. The idea here is to give yourself a visual reminder of what you have worn and what you haven't. As you wear something, when you put it back in the closet either turn the hangar around the correct way or put it in front of the belt you hung off your closet rod.
Everyday - work to wear the things you haven't worn yet - those behind the belt or with the hangar turned the wrong way. Force yourself to think of ways to pair things you don't usually pair together. You may need to wear either a top or bottom again - but if you do - work to pair it with something you haven't worn yet and is different from what you usually pair it with.
As the items behind the belt (or hangar turned the wrong way) become fewer and fewer, you may find those are things you don't really like. Maybe it's the fit, the color, the style, or you really can't figure out how to wear it. Re-evaluate what's left again and if you should keep those items or let them go. By now - you most likely have found some new ways to wear what you have in your closet. Hopefully this stimulated your creativity in pairing items. You can expand this to your shoes, belts and scarves also! I'd love to hear how you did with this - leave a comment below and share your success!