Sometimes when I feel bored with my wardrobe, my first thought is that I need something new. Not because I have nothing to wear. Obviously, I have a closet full of clothes, including pieces I love, pieces I’ve forgotten about, and the occasional item with the tags still on it, which is always a fun little reminder of my own questionable decision-making.
But I’ve realized that the problem usually isn’t that I need more clothes. It’s that I’ve been wearing the same pieces the same way.
And there’s a difference.
Your Closet Might Not Be the Problem
We’ve gotten very good at treating boredom with our clothes as a shopping problem. A new season of trends roll around and suddenly we need a new wardrobe. We get tired of our outfits and decide we need something different. We have a trip coming up and, somehow, that requires an entirely new wardrobe.
But what if before you buy anything, you tried looking at what you already owned a little differently?
Put the dress you always wear with heels on with boots. Layer a sweater over it. Wear a button-down open over a tank instead of tucked into trousers. Add a belt. Change your jewelry. Throw a jacket over something you normally wear on its own.
Sometimes the piece isn’t boring. We’ve just stopped putting effort into our full look.
I Grew Up Learning to Style What I Had
This is something my mom actually taught me growing up in Italy.
Every year before school started, she’d buy me a set of new clothes, but it was a modest amount. The expectation wasn’t that I would have a completely new wardrobe every year. She taught me to make the clothes work. One piece needed to have multiple lives in my closet.
I didn’t always follow that lesson as an adult.
I’ve definitely had periods where I bought something simply because I loved it without thinking enough about how it would work with the rest of my wardrobe. Lately, I’ve been getting back to that old way of thinking, and it’s changed how I shop.
For me, an item isn’t really a look until I can style it at least three ways.
And I don’t mean three versions of basically the same outfit. I want to know if I can take that piece somewhere. Can I wear it to the office, style it casually on the weekend, and make it feel completely different for dinner? Can I change the shoes, layer it, add a jacket, switch up the accessories, or play with the proportions?
If I can’t come up with at least three ways to wear something, I have to wonder whether I actually need it.
My Closet Has a Few Different Vibes Happening Simultaneously
My wardrobe has never had just one aesthetic, and I don’t think it needs to.
I have polished, work-friendly pieces from Aritzia, Reformation, and FRAME that make corporate life considerably easier. I also have considerably more romantic pieces from Spell, Free People, Christy Dawn, and Doên. Then there’s the casual, slightly grungy side of me that still loves a band tee from Urban Outfitters, ripped jeans from Good American, and some classic Dr. Martens.
I like all of those things. And I definitely don’t want to dress one way all of the time.
How boring would that be?!
What I’ve been trying to do is make those different sides of my wardrobe work together instead of constantly adding more pieces to each category.
That’s also why I’ve been buying more neutrals — something I once ran from.
My closet has always leaned colorful, bold, textured, and patterned, and I still love that. But some combinations can start feeling a little costume-y, especially when your actual life has changed. Neutrals give me more room to play with the pieces that have more personality.
And neutral absolutely does not mean boring. A beautiful knit, interesting fabric, great coat, good trouser, or simple tank can have plenty of personality when you pay attention to texture, shape, proportion, and what you put with it.
Shop Your Own Closet Before You Shop Online
When I’m trying to figure out what I’m missing, I pay attention to what I’m already wearing.
If I keep reaching for the same jeans, what makes them work so well? If I keep wishing I had something to throw over an outfit, maybe that’s the gap. If I own five versions of something but always choose the same one, I probably don’t need a sixth.
This is where a good closet cleanout helps, too. Once you’ve removed the things that don’t fit, don’t feel good, don’t suit your life, or simply aren’t you anymore, you can finally see what you actually have.
You might find a piece you forgot about. You might discover an outfit combination that never occurred to you. Or you might realize that the thing you’ve been shopping for is already sitting in your closet.
Sometimes you just needed to see it differently.
A Few Ways to Improve Your Styling
If you want your wardrobe to feel more fun without buying an assortment of new clothes, then start paying attention to the details that change an outfit.
Start with proportion. Try a fitted top with a fuller trouser, an oversized jacket with something slim underneath, or a longer layer over a shorter one. You don’t need everything to fit into one perfect silhouette. Sometimes the contrast is what makes the outfit.
Change your shoes. The same dress can feel completely different with a boot, sneaker, flat, or heel. If you always wear something one way, changing the shoe is an easy place to start.
Get better at layering. A sweater doesn’t always have to go over a shirt, and a jacket doesn’t always have to be worn open. Try a turtleneck under a dress, a button-down under a sweater, or a fitted cardigan over something more relaxed. This is especially useful when you’re trying to make your existing wardrobe work harder.
Pay attention to texture. This is one of my favorite ways to make neutrals interesting. Mix denim with knit, leather with silk, suede with cotton, or something crisp with something soft. You can have a very simple color palette and still have a lot going on.
Let accessories actually do something. A belt, bag, scarf, sunglasses, or different pieces of jewelry can completely change the tone of an outfit. I think accessories are often treated like the finishing touch when they can actually be what makes the outfit.
Mix your aesthetics. This one is especially relevant to my own closet. Take something polished and put it with something grungy. Wear a romantic dress with a tougher boot. Put a vintage piece with something very modern. You don’t have to dress according to one aesthetic from head to toe.
Take pictures for yourself. Not everything needs to become content. A quick photo of an outfit can actually be useful because you see the look and overall shape differently than you do in a mirror. After a while, you’ll start noticing what you consistently like.
When You Actually Should Buy Something
I’m not against shopping.
There are times when buying something new makes perfect sense. Maybe you need a great coat. Maybe your everyday shoes are falling apart. Maybe you’ve realized you wear jeans constantly and need another pair that actually isn’t hanging on by a literal thread.
That’s very different from buying something because you’re bored.
Before I buy something now, I try to channel my mom. Basically, I picture at least three ways I’d wear it with things I already own. If I can’t, that’s usually a pretty good sign that I’m buying the fantasy of the outfit rather than something that will actually become part of my wardrobe.
Sometimes, though, the new piece is exactly what you need because it makes everything else work harder.
That’s the sweet spot.
One great piece that gives you ten new outfits is a much better purchase than five things that each need their own separate wardrobe.
Make Your Clothes Feel Like You Again
I think personal style gets more interesting when you stop constantly trying to add to it.
Play with what you have. Mix the polished thing with the weird thing. Put a feminine dress with a tougher shoe. Add something vintage to a modern outfit. Try the color combination you normally avoid. Wear something slightly differently than you did last time.
And if it still doesn’t work, that’s useful information too.
Maybe you really do need something new. But at least you’ll know why you’re buying it.
That’s the difference between shopping because you’re bored and shopping because you’ve actually identified something missing from your wardrobe.
Your closet doesn’t always need more clothes.
Sometimes it needs better styling, a little experimentation, and a reminder that you probably already own more possibilities than you think. Get creative. Have fun.
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