5 Reasons Your Wardrobe is Overflowing (and what to do about it!): When you open your closet and assess what’s in there, are your first thoughts: “I love my clothes. I can get dressed for any occasion and I wear everything here.”
Or, do your eyes glaze over and you think: “Yikes! How did I accumulate all these clothes and why do I generally wear the same things over and over?”
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The second scenario is the one I hear most frequently. It’s easy to have good intentions to fill your closet with clothes you wear, but that isn’t always the reality? What can you do to change that?
Let’s explore 5 reasons your wardrobe is overflowing and how you can change that:
- Your Weight Fluctuates
You promise are not alone if you have more than one size in your wardrobe. Phew! Yes, you might need different sizes from time to time. The problem results when you’re keeping clothing that doesn’t fit you right now in your working closet. This does two things:
- You think you have more clothes to wear than you actually do because not everything in your closet fits.
- You have to filter through so many things to find what works. As a result, some possibilities just sit in your closet unworn because it takes too much time to find them.
- You feel badly that you can’t wear some of the items you own and this leads to a downward spiral about your body.
Solution: Move everything out of your closet that doesn’t fit you right now. Don’t get rid of them if you’re not ready, but definitely put them in another closet or pack them away.
There is another aspect of weight that can affect your wardrobe: You still wear the same size you did 5, 10 or 15 years ago. The only problem with this is that it’s easy to just keep adding to your wardrobe without getting rid of anything because everything still fits you. Over time, this contributes to an overflowing wardrobe!
Solution: Take inventory every season of what you need and stick to that. Wear your clothes over and over until they are worn out and then you’re ready to replace them. Or, have a policy of: one in and one out so your wardrobe size remains manageable and allows you to add new items.
2. You Might Need it Someday
MIGHT is the operative word here. It indicates that you’re unsure and worry that if you get rid of something, you’ll wish you had it back again.
The key here is to be able to assess the article of clothing so you KNOW if you’ll ever need it and wear it. It’s uncertainty that keeps you clinging to the piece.
Solution: Ask yourself these 5 questions and you must answer YES to all five in order to assure you will actually ever need it (please note that comfort is assumed):
- Is the color great on you?
- Does it fit properly or can it be altered to fit?
- Can you complete an outfit with it?
- Do you have a place to wear it?
- Do you love it (is it at least an 8.5 on a 1-10 scale of loving it)?
All of these questions above are non-negotiable. There is never a time when a dreary or overwhelming color will make you feel amazing when you wear it. Or if you can’t make a complete outfit, there’s no chance you’ll wear it. Maybe it feels too blousy or the sleeves are overwhelming or it’s not comfortable. Even if you like the color, for instance, if you answer no to all the other questions or even one question (nowhere to wear it?), then it’s time for it to go or be moved out of your working closet.
3. You Spent Good Money on It
Having spent money on something, especially if it was more than you usually spend, makes letting go feel harder. But if you’re not wearing it, it’s a constant, annoying reminder that you spent money on something you never wear. That’s no fun either!
Solution: Either figure out now how to wear it in a way that answers yes to all the questions above and makes you truly enjoy wearing it or cut your losses. But, before you do that, think of the money you spent on it as an educational expense. Once you understand why it will never work (perhaps the waistband hits in the wrong place or the print is too high contrast and overwhelms you or the color isn’t as flattering as it used to be, etc.) you can learn from that. Then you’ll know not to buy those styles or colors again. Write down what you learn so you remember so you won’t spend more money on that same style again. Then let the item go.
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4. Someone Told You It Looks Good on You
When you feel uncertain about making choices for clothing when you shop, it’s natural to ask someone to help you decide. Sometimes it can break you out of a style rut or boost your self-confidence and can feel fun.
But sometimes, while someone else might be excited to give their opinion, sometimes their take on it can be more about what THEY like than what feels good to YOU. This is when you go home with something that ends up sitting in your closet. Even if it looks good on you, if it doesn’t reflect your personality, you’ll never feel comfortable wearing it.
One day I was shopping for myself. The sales woman was delightful and eager to please me and brought me a number of items I might not have chosen to try on. I’m big on never say never and being open to trying something new so I put them on. There was one top that was a perfect fit, the colors were amazing on me and if I hadn’t known better, I would have gone home with it. But it felt too ‘sweet’ to me and that’s not who I am. I thanked her profusely and shared that it was really fun to try it on, but I didn’t buy that top.
Solution: Run every item through the 5 questions above and then close your eyes and feel how you feel in the garment. Are you excited to wear it or are you only buying it to please others and because you feel they must know better than you do?
5. You Settle for Good Enough Because It’s Too Hard to Find Something Fabulous
There are several reasons you settle for good enough:
- You hate to shop and want to get in and out of the store as quickly as possible. You’ll buy something that is okay or not horrible just to be done shopping and have something to bring home.
- You have a hard time finding clothes off-the-rack that feel like they fit properly. Something always seems off – it’s too short/long, too boxy in some places and tight in others. So, you settle for what feels close enough.
- Either or both of the reasons above are true so you put off shopping until you’re desperate. By then, you have to buy something even if it doesn’t excite you because otherwise you have nothing to wear.
Solution: Understanding how to make great choices for yourself will mean more success and a boost in confidence. There are 3 things that will help:
- Know what colors look good on you so you can skip entire parts of stores that have colors you know you don’t want to buy. This streamlines the shopping process and it means that whatever you buy will mix and match with other things in your closet.
- Use a tailor. This is crucial. Whether you spend $19 or $199 on something, if a quick adjustment like shortening the sleeves or taking it in on the sides, will make it fit better, it’s always worth the money.
- Find new places to shop. Sometimes you need to branch out. A favorite store’s buyer might make terrible decisions one season or they fill the store with colors that wash you out and if that’s all you have to choose from, you’ll feel frustrated. You need 4-5 stores (whether brick and mortar or online) that have at least a few things you like and are at your price point. This gives you options when one (or more) of the stores decides to stock things that are hideous or not your style.
Choose one of these 5 items above and start there. Maybe start moving things that don’t fit out of your closet or write down the 5 questions to ask yourself and tape it to your closet door or keep it in your handbag for your next shopping adventure. With each positive step forward, you’ll see your closet begin to whittle down to only the items you enjoy wearing and opening your closet will feel more joyful and gratifying.
GINGER BURR
I’m Ginger Burr, founder of Total Image Consultants (www.totalimageconsultants.com), with a passion for empowering women to feel amazing about how they look! After more than 30 years of working with women and experiencing my own transformation prior to that (read more about this on my website (with pictures!), I’m well-acquainted both with the frustration that accompanies having a wardrobe you don’t love and the delight that comes with recognizing and embracing your own personal style.
If every morning you think, “I hope people will forget what I’m wearing,” it’s time for a change. In the beginning I couldn’t do it alone and you do not have to either. As one client said to me, “I’m tired of expending mental energy trying to figure out what to wear. It’s exhausting.” I can help you redirect that energy to create a wardrobe that makes your heart sing.
It’s a different journey for each person. That’s why I have many ways of supporting you from my book, ‘That’s So You! Create a Look You Love with Beauty, Style & Grace’ to my signature live online class, ‘Create Your Personal Style in 6 Weeks’ to working privately one-on-one with me. In each case, the basic elements are the same and you learn to dress with confidence without shedding pounds, sacrificing comfort or compromising who you are.
I am a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and a speaker and leader in the field of fashion and style. My experience and understanding of beauty trends and fashion has been celebrated by Allure Magazine, Fox TV News, The Boston Globe, MORE Magazine.com, cnn.com, Bloomberg Business Week, Forbes Magazine, and Worth Magazine and I have presented corporate seminars for some of the world’s most prestigious organizations including Harvard Business School, the U.S. Army and Unilever.
Above all, I have a heartfelt belief that whether you are 25 or 85, you deserve to feel radiant and pulled-together every time you get dressed. No matter where you live, what your lifestyle is like or how old you are, I delight in working with women who long to connect with their inner essence to create a wardrobe they love.
One Response
Ginger,
I wrote down the five questions and the three solutions on a blue index card to pop in my bag when I know my colors. Also your make-up video was inspiring and I am practicing the techniques. I laughed out loud when you commented ” this is how I look when I’m shoveling snow”.