I’m feeling a little blah about my wardrobe these days. Suddenly, despite the fact that I’m basically not shopping (in October I bought one dress, and that was for a project) I am overwhelmed by all the stuff hanging in my closet. I have too many things and no idea how to pull them together into outfits I will love.
Part of my dilemma is that it’s suddenly fall here (seriously: one day it was almost 80, the next day it was hovering near 50) and I’ve essentially forgotten what to wear when it’s not a million degrees. At the same time, though, I am completely over my summer clothes, to the point where I’m having a hard time even thinking about how to remix the pieces that I could be wearing in the cooler weather. I just want to move on to a completely different look.
This is usually the point where I text Chris and say, “I want all new clothes.” Of course, that’s not going to happen, and essentially, I love what I already own; I’ve worked hard to curate a closet of things that work for me. I just need to rethink how they will work right now. I’ve been looking at what other women are wearing, as well as trolling Pinterest and Polyvore for ideas. I would like to make what I have in my closet work, without buying anything new, but I would also like to change up my look and not be wearing the exact same outfits I wore last winter (or the winter before).
There are some pieces in my closet that I’m really loving right now, like my skinny pants and my pencil skirts: I want to focus on building some new-to-me outfits around those items. I don’t necessarily want to change my look, I just want to make it more interesting. And I want to do as little shopping as possible, which means that I need to start by trying everything — everything — on and really figuring out what’s working and what isn’t. Time to open a bottle of Prosecco and lock everyone out of the bedroom for a couple of hours.
What’s your strategy for refreshing your closet? Do you remix or shop? Or do you just wave the white flag and keep wearing what you’re wearing?
Photos via J. Crew Factory, Old Navy, and Corso Como
Oh, to be a fly on the wall when you clean out your closets. (Or, better yet, to be a girl in a chair saying, “I’ll give you twenty dollars for that!”) I hate to admit this, but: I’m a total white flagger. AND, because of this, I’ve been a long-sleeved t-shirt wearer for years and years. I’m severely lacking in style, but I’m starting to feel the winds of change… (I often visit The Working Closet for inspiration!)
This is EXACTLY how I feel today – I’m also in OKC and the weather has me stumped. I look forward to seeing what new outfits you come up with.
I’m looking forward to seeing what you put together with your skinny pants and your pencil skirts, because I am a big fan of both! (skinny pants ONLY with tall boots for me, however, as I am a wee bit on the ‘full figured gal’ side
I seem to have NOTHING that I want to wear for fall in my closet, this is not good! I am wondering what the heck I wore last fall but even so, like you, I am SO TIRED of all of it….so I will be needing to invest in some new clothes. One look I am thinking will work for me (and some of the parent hockey parties coming up) is a new pair of tall boots, paired with a good quality, thick pair of black leggings/skinny pants, with a cute sequined tank top I saw at Wal-mart (yes, $14, I don’t care if it only lasts one season!), with a nice part cashmere Mexx long grey cardigan I found in Sears….but didn’t buy, because it had 50% acrylic and my girlfriend and I were scared it would pill….what do you think? Do you think it will? I think it was 33% cashmere and I can’t remember the other 17% but it was not a natural fibre. It was perfect for my body shape however, so I sort of hid it and may go back to get it! 
Looking to you big time for inspiration!!
It’s tough for me as well because we don’t really have seasons to “transition.” We have SUMMER and notsummer-either 100 or 50 degrees. I try to use accessories and shoes to make different outfits from what I already own. I have most all the pieces I “need.” I just need to find new ways to make them interesting for me.
Yeah. I have nothing to wear.
One thing that worked for me this summer was a little experiment: I only wore each piece one time, until I’d gone through everything in my wardrobe. Next weekend I’ll be switching out my closets, exchanging summer skirts for wool ones, and I’m going to do that experiment again. After I wore each piece I’d turn the hanger around backwards so I could remember what I’d already worn, and it really forced me to get creative with things I’ve had forever. It also highlighted the things that I really don’t like to wear (which I then gave away, to make room for new things next year!).