What to Do When You Don’t Like Any of Your Clothes
If I had a dollar for every time I heard the common refrain, “I have no clothes!”
My sister in particular is very fond of this phrase, despite the fact that she has three closet’s worth of clothes packed to the brim with tops, jeans, sweaters, and heels in every color and brand under the sun.
I’ve also witnessed this phenomenon with many of my clients, who bemoan owning no clothes when in reality their closets would suggest otherwise. The translation of course, is not that they have no clothes, but that they don’t like any of their clothes!
This can be quite common as we slowly but surely phase out different styles in favor of something new. Low-cut tops are traded in for more demure blouses, skinny jeans are swapped out for ones that are more loose-fitting, heels collect dust as sneakers become the preferred footwear of choice.
If you find yourself in a similar frosty situation with your wardrobe, here’s what you can do to rekindle a relationship:
Phase out the clothes you’ve outgrown. And by outgrown, I don’t simply mean clothes that no longer fit. I mean the kinds of clothes that were totally your style forever, and then pouf! Never again. Examples include: mini skirts, frayed jean shorts, men’s style oxford shoes, blazers with intense shoulder pads. If there’s something in that pile you feel sentimental towards, by all means hold onto it, but don’t get carried away thinking you *MIGHT* wear these in the future. All these old flames are getting in the way of your ability to pick an outfit with clothes you currently love. Donate, Real Real, you know the drill. Just remove them from your closet so you can focus on building something that serves the CURRENT you.
Isolate what’s working. This won’t be so hard to do if you’re constantly wearing the same three tops and shirts, but it helps to pull out items from your wardrobe you currently love and wear lots. If you notice you’re wearing the same denim button up on repeat, consider buying a couple more button ups to round things out. If you keep reaching for the same black long-sleeved top to wear going out, consider adding a couple more black tops to the rotation. Which brings me to my next point:
Make a closet wish list. As you sort through your closet, make a list of all the clothing items you wish you had more of that would complete your wardrobe. Is it that dream pair of loafers? More turtlenecks? A nice pair of high waisted jeans? A few more blouses? Make a list of your dream items and then spend an afternoon browsing. Got a birthday coming up? Even better. Slot them into your birthday wish list. Bonus: it also helps to keep a list in your phone of your favorite clothing brands. In case it’s not clear, these are brands that aren’t necessarily COOL, but that make clothes you feel GOOD in. I’ve owned far too many clothes from cool brands, but half the time, they end up being ill-fitting. So don’t be afraid to return to those reliable standbys that work for you.
Rent the Runway all the way. One easy and low-stakes way to experiment with new clothing styles is with a rental clothing service like Rent the Runway. If you’re truly in a rut with your wardrobe, and also don’t have a sense of what might look good on you, experiment! This is a really fun way to try on a bunch of different styles and explore new designers so you can land on some new looks.
Be kind to yourself. If your weight has fluctuated and certain clothes no longer fit, don’t hold onto them. We all have that pair of skinny jeans we used to slide into, but if the mere sight of them undermines your current well-being, I say that they have no place in your wardrobe! Give yourself permission to let go of clothes from a different time. This act will usher in a whole new wardrobe that might have been under your nose the whole time! When you get rid of the skinny pair of jeans you’ve been fixating on forever, you’re finally able to see those cool high-waisted jeans that were next to them the whole time!