So you’re bored of your wardrobe and thinking of new clothes to buy. Before you go on a huge shopping spree based on your “New Era” Pinterest board, grab a pen and paper because I may have the solution for you: shop your closet.
Often times when we feel a lack of interest in our wardrobe is due to the temptation of impulse purchases and the lack of basics. To combat this impulse, think of why you shop. Is it because you’re bored? You admire a stranger’s style and want to imitate it? Or are you buying pieces to fill the gaps in what you already own?
While none of these reasons are a bad reason to shop, they can be the cause of your unhappiness with your closet.
For instance, if you’re shopping merely because you’re bored, you’re likely buying to buy with little thought for the sake of a thrill. If you’re buying based on someone else’s style, you may end up with pieces in your closet that don’t work well together – which can also be the case for buying to fill gaps – while the better tactic of the three, buying to fill gaps can lead to the purchase of unnecessary pieces that end up at the bottom of your closet where all unwanted items go to die.
Shopping Your Closet: Where Do You Begin?
First, identify your personal style. Before you begin purging and or buying, reflect on who you are. What colors are you drawn to? Which fabrics do you prefer in the day time versus night? What shape do you feel the most confident in? Do you like patterns? If so, do you prefer patterns in natural or fashion colors?
Though these questions are a start, finding your style can take some experimentation. If you feel yourself being drawn to a specific aesthetic or multiple, try them out using pieces you already own. Mix and match and play dress-up until you find the things that feel the most like you.
Just remember that you make the rules and there aren’t any right or wrong ways to dress (despite what society might tell you).
Step Two: Create A Visual Reference
Once you’ve identified your style, make a vision collage or Pinterest board. If you feel comfortable you can pair outfits together and take a picture to upload to your board – this way, the items you already own and like are reflected back at you.
Once you’ve created a visual reference for the outfits you’re already comfortable with, take it a step further and add inspo images to your board of outfit styling you admire as well as color combinations and silhouettes you’d like to experiment with.
READ: 2025 Fashion Ins & Outs: Rewrite The Rules
Maybe there are pieces in your closet that you can reimagine: a skirt you can wear as a dress, a shirt that you can wear upside-down and backwards like those cool TikTok girlies. Maybe all the supplies you need to try the trend you have your eye on are already in your closet.
It’s Time To Let Go
Now, let’s talk about the random polo you have sitting in your closet from over five years ago or the dress you told yourself you’d wear when the time is right. We both know you’ve never worn it and have been telling yourself you’ll wear it “when the time is right.”
It’s time to get rid of it. If there are items that you’ve been holding onto and haven’t worn, you’re not going to, so get rid of them.
It’s time to let the pieces you enjoy shine.
Take note of the pieces you wear frequently. Why do you wear them? What do you like about them? Use the answers to these questions to guide you while you’re decluttering. Your answers may also prove helpful later on when it’s time to add to your closet.
Shop Your Damn Closet
Now that you’ve identified your style, gotten rid of what you don’t like and made space for things you do, it’s time to go shopping. In your closet that is.
Remember that vision board you made? Go back to it. Find inspo pictures that are similar to pieces you have. Recreate the outfit and tada! You’ve now discovered a new way to wear something you already own.
If you want to get creative, try creating outfits intuitively based on what you know you love and adding a new flair to it.
Shopping your closet is not only sustainable and an obvious way to save money, but it also helps you to be adventurous without committing to a new piece that you may not love and may not keep for long. By identifying your style, creating a visual and then letting go, you’re creating a cohesive understanding of what you enjoy wearing, getting rid of what you don’t need and avoiding overconsumption.
Enjoy what you have because you love it for a reason.