Why do I have a full closet and nothing to wear?

Through this blog we aim to find answers for issues that women confront with while getting to know ourselves better and becoming more conscious of the decisions we make, starting to take control of our life’s and shifting into empowered women that we were born to be. We believe that small steps are the best way to start a lasting journey. Let’s do it together and feel this world with empowered women that will educate the man & women of tomorrow.

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Are you the owner of a full wardrobe and nothing to wear? Well… you’re not the only one. Myself, many of my clients and friends are in the same situation. This is the reason why we are having this blog post.

If you’d like to shift from that to a versatile wardrobe filled with:

• conscious purchases that show
• your unique re-discovered sense of style
• time & energy saved every morning while getting dressed
• a clear picture of what you own every time you open your closet

YOU ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE! Keep reading 😊

Before we jump to the solution, I think it’s important to stop repeating past mistakes. We must get real and look at the cause (rather than the symptoms) and then suggest some solutions.

With so many trends changing every season and so many fast-fashion retailers has become so easy and cheap to buy fashion items that we are not even stopping to question if we should buy or not, or if the item it’s representative of who we are, or even if we really like it because… well… it’s accessible. You are right. BUT… if we want to get the CAUSE of this, we need to be able to recognise what is our input, own our mistakes and learn from them. With this being said…let’s start.

No. 1 CAUSE of the full closet and nothing to wear syndrome: IRRATIONAL, REACTION or AIMLESS SHOPPING

  Most of our actions are, in fact, reactions to whatever life is throwing at us, we are living on autopilot mode. I know this is not comfortable to hear. I am guilty of that in some areas of my life. But it is the truth for many of us. We need to recognise the fact that most of our clothing purchases are not rational. Some of us are doing therapy shopping, others are shopping for who they’d want to be rather than who they are right now, others are just shopping because they were with a friend and seen something cute that was reasonably priced so…why not?

What’s the RESULT to that? Well… we all know the answer to that, right? In this case…

1. A wardrobe full of clothes and nothing to wear
2. An even further distancing from our true self
3. A lost sense of style and confidence
4. An overwhelming feeling thinking of fashion sustainability and the real price of our closet
5. A struggle to find a decent outfit every morning or every time we go out
6. Wearing mostly the same items every day because we don’t even know what we still have in there due to the build-up clatter

Solution for the No.1 cause: Pause and question yourself!

1. Do I already have something like this in my wardrobe? If the answer is yes…PUT IT DOWN.

2. Are these items representative to who I am and my style?

3. Can I find at least 3 situations in my weekly schedule that I’ll be able to wear it to?

4. Can I create at least 5 looks pairing these items with what I already own?

5. Are the items you are about to buy fitting you right now? We should really stop buying items that are a size smaller, larger or items that we are not 100% comfortable in. With the speed fashion changes today it’s very likely that we won’t like that much what we bought now in a few months’ time. Plus…if you are buying something in the hope that you’ll lose or gain weight very soon. Please don’t! Our bodies are changing so much, you can’t possibly know how those pair of jeans will look on even with 2 stones lighter or heavier. Besides…most of us already dealing with so many insecurities about our looks, why would we want a reminder of who we are not staring at us every time we open our wardrobe?

6. If therapy shopping is one of your guilty pleasures, pause for a second and think what is the real reason for your shopping? Is buying more clothes and cluttering your closet going to solve the real issue? If you still need to buy something to make yourself feel better, question if you could shop something else that’s going to bring you joy. Maybe try buying some plants to put in your garden, or homeware or even a course to learn something new. That’s all you must do. One step at the time. If I can do it, you can too!

 Full confession here… I used to be a bad shopaholic, always running to buy shoes, bags or clothing when I wasn’t in a great mood or was just not enough sunshine in the sky. I was literally using any excuse to buy more fashion. I am telling you…I was terrible. When I realised that I have a problem I started taking small steps towards change, I first turned to homeware and redecorated my flat, after that, I started doing my garden. At the end of the day, there is only that much homeware and flowers for the garden that you can buy. This has also given me the chance to do something productive with my frustration and my emotional charge resulting into something that I am proud of (I am really proud of my garden).

No. 2 CAUSE of the full closet and nothing to wear syndrome: THE CLOSET IS OVERLOADED!!! We can find so many excuses for still hanging on for things that we don’t use anymore…that’s how we end up here, with:

1. With clothes that don’t fit anymore, they are either too big, either to small or just uncomfortable for our body shape.
2. With clothes that we don’t even like.
3. With too many trends, buying too much of the same thing.
4. Lacking basic/essentials items that should be the bones of every wardrobe.

Solution for the No.2 cause: Purging and organising the closet!!! I know that’s something many of us are not over the moon about. But…think about it. How much easier your life would be with a clean & clear wardrobe? Being able to see everything you own so quickly. The time we would save in the morning while getting dressed and how good it feels when you are and feel put together? So…let’s do this!

Things we must get rid of:

1. Clothes that don’t fit us anymore. If you don’t feel ready to give them away just put them in a box and store them somewhere else for a while. They will be there in case you need them, but they won’t clutter your wardrobe. If for 6 months to 1 year, you don’t miss them, or you can’t even remember you own them…it’s probably a good idea to let them go.
2. Clothes that we simply HATE wearing and we constantly avoid - either because they don’t fit us or our body shape, or they have a funny cut, or it’s the wrong length etc. Let’s be honest…how many of those we have? With so much negativity around …we do not need daily reminders of anything below our best selves.
3. Clothes that are too similar or too many pieces of the same thing. For example, if you love bold prints and you own loads of them will be very difficult to put together a LOOK that you’ll enjoy. You’ll need to mix it with some basics. Unless, of course, you are excellent at mixing prints and you love the result. In which case you do you, girl.
4. To many evening & special occasions dresses. If you are like me…. you’ll have quite a few of those. But I have an excuse…I own a boutique that is renting this type of wear. And I am not the only one! There are many places that are renting any type of clothing. I think renting eveningwear is a great solution. Because let’s face it…how many times you’ll wear the same special occasion dress?

Tip: While you are getting through your closet, really question yourself what you like and don’t like about the items you own. This way you’ll get to know yourself better and will be a huge help next time when you’ll go shopping. Besides…it’s a great step forward into finding your unique style.

Organising the closet:

1. Make sure you have enough BASIC PIECES that are a PERFECT FIT for your body shape. Basics are the essentials in order to create quick and great looks. e.g. white/black t-shirts, perfect fit/comfortable jeans, black trousers, black blazer… you got the point.
2. Sort your clothing by type/category and then by colours. This will make it so much easier to see (e.g.) all the red tops you own and stop reaching for the same red top you always do.
3. If you have a small wardrobe will also be very helpful in separating/rotating your spring/summer & autumn/winter clothes. Just store the other season clothing somewhere else. This will give your closet so much breathing space.
4. Try and create some outfits now and have a look if there is anything that is missing. Write it down…write down what you’d like to match that with, next time when you notice something else missing, you’ll just add it to the list. It’s a shopping list. This way you will have it ready for the next time when you are going shopping and you won’t be aimlessly shopping again 😊.

Those are my tips for a better wardrobe. I hope you enjoyed it and please let me know yours in the comments below.

Also…if you’ve read so far and you find the content helpful feel free to share it with your friends and family or why not…. challenge them to a better version of themselves starting with baby steps.

Have the most gorgeous day, use your time wisely and hope to see you here for our next blog post “LINKS BETWEEN OUR CLOTHING AND EMOTIONAL STATE” available on 23^rd April.