Call it a capsule wardrobe, a well-tailored closet, a minimalist lifestyle — the name doesn't matter. But if you're after saving some money and curbing your spending habit, then you need to find ways to be happier with a smaller wardrobe. If you classify yourself as a hardcore fashion lover, you know firsthand that such a task is a hard pill to swallow. Limiting yourself to your old pieces can be some tough stuff when new trends are practically falling over themselves on their way to store floors and department store windows.
But the question to ask here is are you actually bored with your old clothes, or are you taking the easy way out? Buying new items every month helps to keep things fresh when it comes to outfits, but you can just as easily get creative with a limited rotation and come up with an infinite amount of street style worthy looks. All it takes is a little legwork and looking at your wardrobe from a different angle. Below are 11 tips on how to become happier with a smaller wardrobe — you no longer need your credit card crutch to get you through when it comes to being content with your style
1. Get Your Closet Organized
It's hard to remember all the amazing pieces you currently own if your closet looks like a hoarder's den. "If you can't see what you have, you're probably missing out on a lot of forgotten pieces," Style and Organization Blogger Maggie Kern at Polished Closets shares in an email interview with Bustle. Kern recommends going through each item and rearranging its place in your wardrobe based on clothing type, color, or material — whatever makes the most sense to you. Once you have it set up in a way you typically build outfits, you'll begin to realize there's a lot more potential for new looks already waiting for you in your closet (and not in a store!)
2. Weed Out Anything And Everything You Don't Love
That's right, make your closet even smaller. The idea here is to toss out anything that doesn't make your heart do somersaults and isn't a necessary basic. What should be left are only clothes you adore. "Assess what’s left in your closet: your LOVE IT clothes. Your true style should be practically screaming at you," fashion writer Caroline Rector from lifestyle site The Everygirl explained in an article. If half of your wardrobe is filled with clothes you're apathetic about, then of course you'll feel dissatisfied with the options. The size of your wardrobe isn’t the real issue.
3. Make It Fun To Shop Your Closet
Maybe you're not neccessarily bored with your actual wardrobe — maybe it's your closet space that's the problem. "Make your closet pretty. Even in the smallest spaces, a fun textured rug, pretty clothes hangers, or a fresh coat of bright paint give your closet the feel of your very own private boutique," Kern suggests. Just like how going to a coffee shop with personality motivates you to be creative, so will a jazzed up closet space.
4. Gather Intel Online
You don't have to find a new way to reinvent your old pieces on your own. Kern suggests hitting Pinterest and Instagram to find clever and inventive new ways to style those striped tops and chambray shirts. "You know that blogger/celebrity you follow on instagram? Chances are you have similar items just waiting to be used in your closet," Kern recommends. Save their looks and try them out yourself.
5. Introduce Pieces That Have Never Met Before
Who would think that your strapless cocktail dress could work so well with an oxford shirt? There’s no way of knowing unless you try it! "Pair pieces together that have never met each other to create endless options from clothes you already own," Kern advises. Take your fancy tops and introduce them to your off-duty bottoms, arrange your fancy dresses to meet your tomboy shoes, and play with hues that you'd never think would work together. You never know what amazing concoctions you'll piece together with a little trial and error.
6. Get Your Accessories In Order
Accessories are a total game changer when it comes to outfits — just think of how a look morphs when you pair it with different style of shoes or link it with an unexpected necklace. Because of that, make sure you stow your pieces in a way that's easy for you to see so you can be more open to new possibilities. "Organize your accessories in a way that you can pull the entire look together easily," Melanie Pace, a celebrity stylist, wardrobe consultant, on-air personality and fashion blogger, tells Bustle in an email interview. Whether that means having your hats on display, your shoes stacked in clear boxes, or your purses clearly organized on shelves is totally up to you.
7. Organize Your Closet Like Your Favorite Boutique
If you want to feel like you're shopping your closet, what better way to arrange it than like your favorite boutique? "A few ways to accomplish this is to color-coordinate your clothes, use the same/similar hangers, remain very organized and edit them to make sure they are all pieces you love!" Pace suggests. Think of what inspires you about your favorite store: Do you love the way everything is arranged into color ,or that they put separates that create outfits on the same racks? Do you like that they put layerable pieces next to each other, or break items into clothing genres? Do the same with your wardrobe and you might notice cool outfits you haven't before.
8. Bust Out Those "Special Occasion" Pieces
Do you have a skirt or dress you're saving for "some other day" that’s in the distant future that never seems to come? Ditch that plan and take all those pieces out for a spin — they'll add fresh breath to your wardrobe. "My previous habit of saving some outfits for special occasions meant that many of my favorite pieces were seldom worn. In an odd turnaround, my closet had begun to feel like a clothing museum," fashion blogger Debbie Roes from Recovering Shopohalic explained in a post. If you love it enough to save it, wear it!
9. Go On A Fake Online Shopping Spree
This might sound dangerous, but it could be eye opening. "Go on an online spree of cart-filling, and evaluate what you added. You may find you gravitate towards items that are similar to what you own, and you can copy the site’s styling tricks," fashion writer Sara Gaynes Levy from SELF offered. Maybe it's that minimalist leotard you want to snag, but can’t you pull off the same outfit on the website with the black tee you already own?
10. Focus On Beauty Instead
Maybe it's not your clothes that you're bored with, but your look. "I've found that often times a fresh face of makeup and good hair can be a game changer," Pace points out. Try out a cool new braid, reach for an unexpected lipstick shade, or toss your hair up if you always wear it down, and your outfit could completely change.
11. Get Playful With It
Instead of focusing on the fact that you wish you had the funds to overhaul your wardrobe, switch gears and make an effort to remember why you ran to the cash register with your pieces in the first place. "Nothing is worse than sitting in your closet wishing for more clothes to appear. There is a reason every item is hanging in your closet — because you HAD to have it! So remember why you purchased those pieces in the first place and fall in love all over again." Have fun with it — take yourself out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself to wear them in new, creative ways.
If you allow yourself to get a little offbeat and adventurous, the craving to whip out your credit card just might subside.
Images: Bustle
