Happy Monday! I decided to combine this Shopaholics Anonymous post series into a one week series. I’ll be sharing tips every day this week on how to ditch the shopaholic tendencies and curate a closet that you LOVE! Today we’re kicking things off with my suggested starting point…
How to Study Your Closet:
Ok we’re going to run through the basics of learning how to study your closet, how to really know and decide on what you love and wear ALL THE TIME. I think we think we know what we love and wear, but over the years and lots of buying things that just sit in my closet I’ve actually studied up enough to know myself and know what I’ll actually get a lot of wear out of.
Know What You Like
Pretty simple right? Right-ish. You know what you like until you’re tempted by ALL THE CUTE THINGS! If you’re a neutrals gal, all those fun bright patterns look good on other people! Or if you’re like me and only wear the bright stuff, you might feel the need to “have some basics” ya know like a classic black dress (aka something I’ll NEVER wear!) So here are a few tips on how to learn what you like.
Shop your closet. Pull out the pieces you wear time and time again. Basic tees, stripes, denim jackets, skinny jeans, tee shirt dresses, your favorite dress, top, skirt, etc. Pull those out and take a good, hard look at what you wear consistently. (Don’t confuse this with what you like! We’re looking at what you actually WEAR.) These are your staples. These also will change with the season. So, since we’re in summer let’s talk summer staples.
Summer Staple Styles:
I’m going to share a few summer staples. Read through these and take note of the ones you love and wear! There may be some on the list you love, but might not love on you, there will also be things you wear very often and there may be some that are absolute nos. So let’s see…
- Denim shorts
- Other shorts (patterned, elastic waist, etc.)
- Simple dresses (think basic tee shirt dress)
- Fun dresses (think patterned, fun cut, off the shoulder, etc.)
- Romper/jumpsuits
- Tee shirts
- Basic Tank Tops
- Fun tops (think off the shoulder, crop tops, patterned tops, etc)
- Skirts
- Jeans (think of the styles & colors you prefer, white, blue, skinny, cropped, flare, etc.)
- Fun pants (think palazzo pants, patterned pants, oversized pants, etc)
Go through this list and pick out 4-6 items that you wore in the last 7 days. Want mine? They are: denim shorts, other shorts, fun dresses, fun tops & tee shirts. I like some of those others, but those are the things I’ve worn in the last 7 days. These are the things that get the most wear out of my summer wardrobe. So do I need a closet full of simple summer dresses and rompers? No! I very rarely reach for those things. So now go look back through your closet and see how much of those other things you still have in there! I know, probably a lot right?! We’ll visit that part in a later post!
{Denim shorts, a fun printed top and fun accessories are all summer must haves for me! These stay in the front of my closet and in heavy rotation all summer long!}
Colors:
Ok now we can’t just stop at styles, we need to also look at colors. This has been a super hard one for me to get a grasp on. I dislike discriminating against color! I love it all! But let’s be real, every color doesn’t look good on everyone. So take a look at the colors you’re drawn to, the colors you feel your best in and the colors you wear the most. Most women love black outfits. If you love wearing black, don’t buy the hot pink top! It’s not getting worn! But if you love black paired with red, now we’re getting somewhere. Really look at the colors you wear and love and every time you go shopping remind yourself that you actually never wear the hot pink!
{Denim, white, pink, blue and yellow are all closet must haves for me! I love these colors and they look the best on my complexion so they’re guaranteed to look good any season!}
Fit:
Lastly let’s talk about fit. We know this is a huge one but just as a reminder, just because something says your size doesn’t mean it is, or that it will look good. Don’t be afraid to size up or down as many sizes as needed to get a fit that you will like AND wear! I shared in my denim shorts post that my preferred denim shorts size in old navy shorts is actually two sizes up from my actual jean size. Who cares what the size in the tag says, just go for what YOU feel best in! Another example is something with an oversized fit. Sometimes those oversized pieces are super oversized and can be unflattering. Size down to get a fit that you feel your best in! If you’re a size large and need a size small in that oversized top don’t be afraid to get the small!
Your Monday homework is to get inside that closet! Figure out what you love, love to wear and never wear! I’ll be back tomorrow sharing step number #2 for loving that closet you have!
Shop the Post:
Shorts: Nordstrom | Top: My Kind of Lovely | Earrings: Brynn Hudson (use code pearlsand30off for 30% off your order!) | Shoes: Target | Basket: Identical & Under $50 from Amazon
