Do you have an unbalanced wardrobe?
I borrowed this term from a comment made by a lovely lady in my community because I think it perfectly describes what is going on in many wardrobes up and down the country. I believe it’s the cause of many ‘I have nothing to wear’ moments and it CAN be solved.
Do you have enough occasion wear to be out at a fancy do every night, but in reality, you spend most nights cosied up in front of the fire with a good book/Coronation Street?
Perhaps you are like a magpie, collecting beautiful dresses and fancy tops that you can imagine yourself feeling fabulous in, but in reality you don’t have the lifestyle to go with them.
Maybe your problem is the reverse of this?
You have drawers over-spilling with ‘comfies’ but nothing decent to wear for a smarter occasion. Every time you have a social event to attend, you buy something new in haste, then hate it and never wear it again.
We all want to look and feel nice on a night out, but we don’t need a new frock for every occasion.
Life Audit
First things first, you need to do a quick life audit. Nothing too complicated, an imaginary pie chart will do.
What percentage of your time are you out and about, wanting to look ‘done-up’? You might have different levels of smartness, if so, create another slice of pie.
What percentage of your time are you ok to dress casually? Remember there are different categories of casual – from leggings and a sweatshirt, to jeans and a jumper.
When you have worked out a rough balance of what you get up to in life, you need to check how well your wardrobe reflects it. Do a comparison.
Whichever area is lacking, make a plan to improve it.
How to rebalance your wardrobe
In order to minimise wastage, and get more wear out of what you buy, I’d urge you to think about separates and what I call ‘blank canvas’ pieces.
Let me explain.
If you need more ‘going out’/smarter wear than you currently own, be clever about what you bring in. Mixing and matching tops and bottoms is always a good idea. This means you can create a ton of different looks from just a few pieces. A nice skirt, a good pair of trousers, a couple of coloured/printed tops/blouses/fine knitwear and a blazer/smart cardigan could make 8 different outfits if you choose pieces that work well together. This is the ultimate capsule wardrobe.
You can also wear other jumpers, tops, shirts, cardigans that you already own for more casual looks with your good skirt and trousers as well as wearing the new tops and blazer/knitwear over your jeans.
See how many outfits you could create now?
A blank canvas dress is another genius idea. A simple, neutral coloured dress can be worn in a gazillion different ways:
- With a statement necklace and heels
- With a patterned scarf and boots
- With a cosy cardigan
- With a smart blazer
- With a jumper layered over
That’s 5 more looks to add to your life! You’ll be overflowing with gorgeous outfits before you know it!
Whistles, Reed Devore Silk Mix Top, £139.00
Baukjen, Lynn Leather Skirt, £39
Marks & Spencer, Textured Turtleneck Jumper, £19.50
Marks & Spencer, Sleeve Swing Dress, £45
In summary, think about your lifestyle. Notice what’s missing from your wardrobe and creating the feeling of having nothing to wear. Make a concerted effort to rebalance your wardrobe using mix and matchable pieces that work hard for you. Take your time when you are choosing something new and know which other items it will work with. And remember to keep your eyes peeled for your perfect blank canvass dress too!
Tell me about your wardrobe! Is it unbalanced? Leave me a comment.
