Lots of clothes but no outfits

I've been pondering how I could help you as we continue in the state of lock down and you might have a bit more time on your hands to sort out your wardrobe. It led me to thinking about this statement...

"I have loads of clothes but don't seem to have many outfits."

Sound familiar? I hear it a lot.

So, I want you to put the lock down to the back of your mind for now and use your imagination that we are in normal times and read on...

It’s Karen’s birthday in a few weeks she’s having a party for her 50th and you want something new to wear but you’re not sure what. You go out shopping without a plan or any ideas in mind of what you might be looking for, just browsing. You see a lovely top you like, you can’t be bothered trying it on because you can’t be bothered with the faff of changing rooms and the lighting is always awful anyway…You buy it thinking you’ll return it if it’s not right.

You go to the next shop and same thing happens. This time you’re not sure if the style is right for you or the colour is a bit different for you, it’s a step away from your usual black. You’ve never worn navy because it reminds you of your school uniform, but you read it somewhere that navy suits everybody. And also, you saw Sandra wearing navy in a photo on Facebook the other week and she looked amazing in it. Her eyes were sparkly, and her skin look fab. In your bag it goes.

The following week you’re in Sainsbury’s doing the big shop and you have a wander around the clothes section. They have the new stock in and there’s one of those 25% discount offers. Might as well see what they have…before you know it 3 more tops go in the trolley with the avocados and Whitley Neill.

Karen’s party is fast approaching. You have 5 new tops to choose from BUT you’re not sure what to wear them with.

You’ve got jeans but they’re too casual for the party. All your trousers are ‘work’ trousers. You don’t feel right in skirts. And then there’s shoes, jewellery; which handbag? And you hadn’t even thought about a jacket – it’s a bit too cold to go out without one…. aaaghhh – it’s all so bloody stressful. It’s just easier to stay in and watch a box set on Netflix.

This is how you end up with loads of clothes in your wardrobe that don’t go together. You go shopping, like something and buy it without thinking about what you already have in your wardrobe. Lots of individual items that you like but aren’t sure what to wear them with.

Here are a few ideas to help you make the most of your wardrobe and buy less but wear more of your clothes.

1. Start by having a wardrobe sort out. Try and create mix and match outfits using combinations you may not have tried before. It might be that something like a blue jacket could be the missing link for example - that goes on your shopping list for next time you’re browsing.
2. Sort your wardrobe by hanging things in colour groups. That way you can see if you have lots of repeating or similar items. (The first time I did it I was really surprised at how many black and white tops I had!) You’ll know then to avoid picking up more of the same.
3. Think about your lifestyle. If you had to work out a pie chart based on how much time you spend in leisure wear/going out clothes/ workwear etc how would it compare to the amount of clothes in your wardrobe dedicated to that activity. Shop for clothes accordingly e.g. If most of your time is spent in smart casual stuff for work but your wardrobe consists mainly of dressy going out clothes the balance is wrong.
4. You might want to invest some time taking photo of your clothes and uploading them into an app on your phone like Stylebook that way you can take your wardrobe out shopping with you. This app will pay dividends if you put the effort in initially as it gives you all kinds of style stats – how often your wear something, cost per wear etc
5. Set up a Pinterest board and collect styling ideas. Put ‘how to style XXXX’ in the search bar and see if anything inspires you.
6. Stick with a limited colour palette. This is much easier once you've had a colour analysis and know what suits you. These days my main wardrobe colours are pinks, purples, blues and black and white. It means that I can mix up my cardis, jackets and accessories to create lots of different combinations of outfits.
7. At the point of purchase ask yourself if it will go with at least 3 things in your current wardrobe. If it's a no think very hard about buying it. Maybe you need to buy something else to go with it at the same time?
8. Think about the capsule wardrobe concept...you don't have to go the whole hog and live with juts 20 key items, but you could have a selection of separates in a limited group of colours and a range of accessories grouped by colour that will change up your look in a flash.
9. Treat yourself to my Capsule Wardrobe 101 eStyle Manual with the money you are saving on not going out so that next time you do go out you have loads of ideas on what to wear. Easy, instant access on your phone, it shows how you can create over 100 outfits from just 33 items. It will give you loads of ideas to get you started...you probably will have some of the items (or similar) already. Use the coupon code CV19 at the checkout to redeem your discount.

Marketplace...

Make Up for Your Fab 40+ Years - mini video tutorials to guide you through the make up maze step by step, Click here to buy your copy and make sure to use the coupon code APR19 redeem your discount

Capsule Wardrobe eStyle Manuals now available access my blueprints for getting umpteen outfits out of a few items - mix and match to the max - STOP PRESS I've decided to put them on a special rate from now until the end of the official lock down use the Coupon Code CV19

Tropic - currently have FREE delivery on orders over ￡30 click here to view their website

And finally....if you like the Colour Me Beautiful make up products that I used to sell click here to go to their website

Bye for now

Lisa x

www.lisanewportstyle.com

Lisa Newport : image consultant and colour geek. I work with savvy women helping you express your identity and hone the language of colour, image and style. I'm an experienced trainer and can be booked to speak and deliver workshops face to face and online get in touch with me [email protected]