Many women feel as if they have to constantly buy items to feel in-style and up to date. However, many of us buy new things that sit in the back of our closets season after season, untouched and unused. Our closets are disaster zones of style and most women don’t know how to navigate through the wreckage. However, with a few simple tips, women can achieve great style and won’t even have to venture into a store to get it.
- Identify your staples. Every woman has their own style and although it’s fun to play around with looks and mix and match items, it is important to identify the staples of your personal wardrobe as a starting point to building great style. Look through your wardrobe and pull out your favorite pair of jeans, favorite coat, favorite jacket, go-to dress, perfect skirt, and a pair of shoes you could not live without. Lay all these items out on your bed and try to identify any common threads you see. Are all these items classic pieces? Are they trendy and edgy? Are they bohemian? Look at these pieces as a foundation upon which everything in your closet should be able to rest upon.
- Organize accessories. Women accumulate accessories in much the same way as men collect tools. They are often impulse buys that when combined with the rest of the collection become lost in the shuffle. Go through your accessories and get rid of things you know you’ll never wear. Then organize the remaining items into bins or drawers. Take stock of what you have. Every woman should have at least one long simple necklace and one collarbone length. You should also have a high-waisted belt and one that can be worn low on the hips. Also, women can’t have too many scarves in various colors and weights. Be sure that any outfit you wear involves at least one accessory from your collection to spice it up.
- Get rid of the clutter. For many women, boring or unstylish dressing is often a result of too many clothes rather than not enough. When we have too much stuff, we often revert back to the same few, comfortable outfits. Go through your closet and take serious stock of what you have, what you will wear and what you won’t. Be objective. Imagine yourself in a friend’s closet, what would you recommend she get rid of?
- Simplify shoes. Shoes are another category of clothing that women often accumulate without much thought to the practicality of their purchase. However, simplifying your shoe closet can help you keep cohesiveness to your closet. First, look for outdated or damaged styles. If the style does not seem current or the shoe looks as if it has been through war, get rid of it. Also, look for blaring disparities in style. Although every woman is entitled to at least one pair of completely frivolous shoes, if you are unable to find at least five outfits that you could wear with a shoe, it’s time to get rid of them.
The reality of style is that dressing can be very easy when you have a clear, clean palette to start with. Organizing and cleaning out your wardrobe can help you start fresh and give you a strong starting point from which to pick amazing outfits.