One of the goals behind starting this blog was to chronicle my journey towards building a versatile closet that will transition with me as I finish graduate school & into a future professional career.
I certainly do not have it all figured out yet. But it looks like I am not the only one struggling with the notion of a curated closet, filled with things you LOVE not just like.
This realization that we have much to learn from each other, kicked off my curated closet series.
In the first class we learned about how to avoid impulse shopping
And now we are expounding upon one of the points from CC 101: Identifying holes in your closet.
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I think I can safely say that no one reading my blog (including myself) needs clothes. Sure there are some versatile pieces that if you had, would maximize the use of your other clothes. But how do you pinpoint what these pieces are?
{1.} Get ready to try things on. Fix your hair, put some make-up on, turn the tunes up. When you look good, you feel good & this will make point #2 much easier!
{2.} Put it on your body. No ifs, &s, or buts about it. Sure you loved with when you bought it, but how about now? You won't know until you see it on your body!
{3}. Determine remix potential. While you have on each piece, play dress up in your closet. Consider belting tops, layering dresses, or dressing pants up & down.
Looking for inspiration of how wardrobe basics can be remixed, check out my "wear closet staples" Pinterest board!
{4.} Does it fit? Is it flattering? Really, is it? Turn around, bend over, sit down, stand up. Do you have shoes to wear it with? Can you tuck in your shirts if you want to?
{5.} Can it be fixed? So maybe the hem length is off, or the width of sleeves is no longer on-trend. Consider ways that you could tweak these items yourself (hello Pinterest tutorials!), or swing by a tailor to get an estimate for how much these updates will cost.
{6.} Sort as you go. Make piles of "stay", "donate", "sell", etc. As you compile these sub-sets, make a note of what you are getting rid of, & therefore what might become "holes"
{7.} Toss "closet crutches". Before I purchased the Madewell leopard flats that have rarely left my feet over the past month, I resisted purchasing new leopard flats because I had a 6 year old pair from Target. They were falling apart & I didn't totally LOVE them, but having them in my closet deterred me from replacing them, they were a closet crutch!
{8.} Be brutal. You are building your dream closet. If you haven't worn it, it isn't flattering &/or doesn't fit within what you imagine for your dream closet GET. RID. OF. IT. Maybe you could make some extra cash on eBay or Poshmark in the process!
{9.} List "wardrobe completers". Now you have gotten ride of "closet crutches" & identified pieces that will make your existing items re-mixable, write down these holes that will be "wardrobe completers" & take it with you next time you go shopping!
Maybe it is a casual blazer to layer over Summer dresses, or a colorful skinny belt that will give your tunic tops a whole new life!
Whether you are ready to tackle your closet now or plan to have a future date identifying "wardrobe holes" pin this handy guide you get you started!
Have you seen my Wardrobe Staple List that started it all?
Next week I will be sharing the "wardrobe completers" that I identified since first posting my 50 Wardrobe Staples shopping list!
Right now, I have my eye on some layer-able silk tanks for with skirts now & under cardigans later!
What "wardrobe completers" are you shopping for to pull your existing items together?
P.S. Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a $50 gift card to Lisa Leonard's fabulous shop {here}!!
