JOANNE WATKINSON
DO YOU REALLY HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR?
There is an online meme doing the rounds that says “Why, if I spend all my money on food and clothes am I always hungry and have nothing to wear?”. While I don’t spend all my money on clothes because you know – life, bills, kids... I can relate.
Who hasn’t said the words “I have nothing to wear” while staring at a rail filled with clothes?
But why does this happen? I won’t claim I can prevent it, the female psyche is a complicated web and there will be times when rationality won’t prevail, but how about we start with looking at the biggest reasons we feel we have nothing to wear and how we can fix it?
Of course there are exceptions. If the occasion we are getting dressed for requires specific clothing, such as going skiing or a black-tie event, even the most carefully curated capsule wardrobe would struggle to cover all the bases.
By this time in the year you know there is absolutely no chance we will get an unseasonably warm day that might require you to reach for something from your summer wardrobe.
So pack or move your high summer clothes away from your winter ones. Having them out serves no purpose other than to confuse things further.
Then think about the basics: these include T-shirts, short and longsleeve, vest tops, polo-necks, plain knitwear and sweatshirts. Don’t neglect them or leave them festering in the ironing pile because they aren’t exciting. These pieces are the glue that pull outfits together. Make sure they are visible and easy to reach. If you don’t have a good selection of basics then they should be top of your shopping list.
Remember 80% of your wardrobe should match how you spend 80% of your time.
Is your wardrobe filled with party dresses, sequins and high heels when your lifestyle is very low key? If you reach for casual clothes 80% of the time, next time you go shopping this is where your budget should go.
Lastly, play dress up, best to do this when you are not in a rush. Pull your clothes out onto the bed and remove anything that doesn’t fit you well on any given day. What’s left, try on. Ever worn that pencil skirt with a belted blazer over the top? Do those grey work trousers work with trainers and a hoodie? New combinations of the same pieces equal lots of new outfits.
Ask yourself why you don’t wear things. Are your jeans too long and you only wear flats? Have them altered.
Can you pop a polo neck under that sleeveless dress and wear it to work?
Do all of this and tell me you still have “nothing to wear”.