Do you have a problem with cohesion in your wardrobe?
Here’s how to tell:
- Do you buy clothes because they fit (rather than because they suit you)?
- Are you an aspirational shopper? Buying pieces that you’d like to fit into…one day.
- Is your wardrobe an assortment of styles, from very feminine pieces with lace trims and dainty details in soft colours, to bold graphic prints in monochrome?
- Do you have a shoe in every colour of the rainbow that you’ve barely worn?
- Do you believe that the next pair of shoes you buy will be the pair you live in?
- Do you have every trouser shape known to man, but your skinny jeans may as well be surgically attached?
- Do you have a lovely collection of skirts, but you only ever wear trousers?
- Are you a magpie, attracted to fabulous pieces that you never end up wearing?
If you’ve answered yes to any of the above, this blog post is for you!
What is a cohesive wardrobe?
A cohesive wardrobe is one that makes sense. When you look inside, it looks as though the same person has chosen each piece (funny that!). There will be key basic pieces as well as more interesting items inside. The colours will be in harmony with each other, to make mixing and matching simple, and you’ll have a good mix of tops and bottoms. Items in a cohesive wardrobe should be hardworking and able to be worn often.
When you’ve got a wardrobe that works, getting dressed each day is quick and easy. Most of your tops go with most of your bottoms. You have great footwear options that are comfortable and versatile. And coats and jackets that go with everything (rather than ruining your outfit!).
How to create a cohesive wardrobe
Step 1 Make sure you’ve got the basics covered.
If your style is quite eclectic or if you enjoy wearing print and colour, you will likely need a good stash of basics such as neutral coloured tops, at least one great pair of trousers and jeans, and, if you like to wear skirts, one of those too. If ALL your clothes are highly patterned and bright colours, you’ll struggle to wear them without the basics that allow the more interesting pieces to take centre stage. I wrote a blog about this which you can read here.
Step 2 Check you’ve got ALL the ‘ingredients’ for an outfit before you buy.
Before you buy ANYTHING, know that you have the ‘ingredients’ to make it into an outfit. It isn’t enough to just love something. You must make sure you can use it in an outfit.
Step 3 Think about the proportions in your outfit.
Make sure that you have the right kind of tops to go with all your bottoms. We are all different but as a general rule, a looser-fit top looks best with a more structured or fitted bottom half and vice versa.
Step 4 Cull your footwear.
If your shoes or boots are uncomfortable, replace them with ones that you find easy to wear. You don’t need a different pair of shoes for every outfit. Find footwear that is versatile enough to be worn often.
Step 5 Educate Yourself
Most important of all, you need to educate yourself on what suits you and become confident in your style. This is by far the most effective way to stop the random shopping. Forever.
You’ll need to find out your best colours (including your best neutrals – back and pure white don’t work for everyone).
You’ll need to be confident as to what suits your style and stop buying things that look good on your friend. For example, you might feel chic in good quality basic pieces in neutral fabrics. This makes you a ‘classic’. If this is your true style, you’ll look and feel elegant. If it’s not right for you, you’ll look and feel boring.
Or, you might only feel like ‘you’ in floaty, feminine outfits, but feel like you should have more ‘sensible’ options. This would make the ‘girly’ style your best one. (BTW, you don’t need the sensible pieces. You won’t wear them!)
You might love statement dressing and be drawn to unusual shapes, bold prints and funky footwear. If so, you are a ‘dramatic’. That would mean that you don’t need all the floaty feminine stuff you keep buying.
We are all different and until you know your own style (it might take someone else to help you work it out), you’ll keep on buying things you think you love, without noticing that they don’t ‘love you back.’
There are a few ways that you can work out your true style and the colours that suit you.
- Trial and error
- Sign up to my free style series to open your eyes to the elements you need to think about to understand what suits you.
- Invest in my online style program. The Style Plan is a learn-from-home-in-your-own-time comprehensive program. Watch the eight videos which explain how you can identify the colours, shapes and styles that are true to you, learn how to wear print and accessories to your advantage and how to organise your wardrobe and shop more successfully. This program teaches you everything you need to consider when deciding whether an item of clothing or an outfit is going to make you feel good. It might just be the best £249 you’ve ever spent!
- Work with an image consultant.* This is the best way to up-level your style. You’ll get tailored advice and new ideas and you’ll reap the benefits for years and years to come. If you’ve been regularly wasting money on clothes you never wear (and have done for years), this is a no-brainer. Draw a line under your style mistakes and give yourself a huge confidence boost.
Having a cohesive wardrobe makes getting dressed every day quick, simple and enjoyable. Make it your aim to get your wardrobe working well for you. It’ll take some time and effort and may require a change of mindset, but it’ll be worth it!
And don’t forget to let me know how you get on by leaving a comment.
*I’d love to help you to build your own cohesive wardrobe. Did you know you can book in for a free consultation to decide whether working together on your style is the right investment for you?
If you’d like to find out more about how this could work for you, contact me here to arrange a call.
I have many, many lovely testimonials from past clients. You can read them here.
