How to Shop Your Closet
Do you drool over the new season’s clothes when they hit? *Add this one to cart, no that one…
Listen, we’re only human 🎵, and these stores’ marketing gets us in a chokehold.
But if our real goal is to wear outfits that we love and feel great in on the regular, buying every shiny thing won’t get us there.
Ask me how I know 🤣.
In my NYC apartment, I ain’t got the space to be effing with clothes I’m not actually wearing. It has forced me to think in terms of outfits and making the most of each piece.
And here’s what I’ve learned:
To build a closet you love, you need three things: to get in tune with your personal style, shop your actual closet FIRST, and when you do shop, have both a list and boundaries in mind.
In this blog, I’m gonna walk you through the “how to shop your closet” part.
*If you need help with the tuning into your style, and the shopping with your colors and boundaries in mind part, I made a podcast-style audio course that will hold your hand through the whole thing.
Now for the topic at hand…
People throw around the phrase “shop your closet,” but what the hell does that even mean?
I’mma give it to you raw and honest: it’s not quick, it requires effort. You will have to spend time in the mirror, and likely confront insecurities and general feelings of “what do I even like?” and/or “who even am I right now?” You’ll also have to pull a lot of crap out of your closet and drawers, and eventually put it back.
BUT: if you persevere, and it becomes a practice, you can look forward to:
unlocking your creativity and self-expression,
an album of go-to outfits that help you feel confident (even on days you have low energy),
learning more about who you are (and falling in love with her), and
being slowly freed from the never-ending, expensive cycle of trends and clothing FOMO.
How to Shop your Closet
Step 1: See what you have
First things first, you’ll need to see what you currently have for that season. So not ALL your clothes, but either your Spring/Summer clothes, shoes, and accessories, or your Fall/Winter stuff.
I’m gonna walk you through me doing this with my own Spring wardrobe, as an example as you follow along.
Now, open your closet and all your drawers, grab pieces that have been stored under the bed in the off season, and bring them all into one room. Make sure you can see everything you have, including shoes, belts, accessories.
We are NOT doing a closet cleanout right now (that’s too much to bite off in one day). We are in creativity mode. We are painting the canvas, we are seeking inspiration, in a discovery state; cue the happy throwbacks on Alexa.
Got all your stuff in one room? Good!
Step 2: Identify the pieces you’re most excited about
Imagine there was a fire, and you only had time to grab 10-15 items from your closet to save. Without thinking too hard about it, going with your gut, grab your 10-15 items from your collection. These spark joy, they are go-to’s, they inspire you, they are trusted. Now put them in a pile.
Like for real, do this right now. I’ll wait.
The most rewarding way to shop your closet is to start building outfits around the things you are EXCITED to wear. It’s gonna hit the same dopamine receptor in your brain that shopping does. We’re not trying to make sucky outfits after all, but outfits that we’re gonna be itching to wear. There’s no real point in making outfits with items you hate (or that don’t work for you anymore). That’s a waste of your precious time.
Here’s a pic of the things from my closet that I’m itching to wear this Spring/summer.
Step 3: Search for Inspo on Pinterest
Head to Pinterest for outfit inspo, prioritizing outfits that include some of your favorite pieces “i.e. Spring outfits with white jeans, floral skirt outfits, “Spring outfit moto jacket” “Spring outfit flares” “Spring 2024 outfit inspo.” Go ahead down the rabbit hole and save everything that catches your eye and fits your vibe.
Observe which types of pieces they’re putting together.
Even the cutest clothes will collect dust in our closet if we don’t know how to style them. 10 times out of 10, we will spring for the same “no-brainer” outfits we feel blah in, if we haven’t taken the time to make outfits with our faves.
If you get stuck, take heart, our capsules should give you several ideas of potential outfits!
Step 4: Challenge: Make Outfit Combos
Armed with your Pinterest board, let’s hop in your actual closet, set a time limit (2 hours) and challenge yourself to make AS MANY OUTFIT COMBOS as you can using your favorite pieces.
DON'T FORGET TO SNAP A PICTURE ANYTIME EVER IN YOUR WHOLE LIFE THAT YOU PUT TOGETHER AN OUTFIT YOU LIKE. Don’t let that effort go to waste, put it in your “outfits” album on your phone.
If you get stuck and are struggling to make outfits with a particular item, put it aside for now, and keep making outfits with the other pieces. Once you’ve made as many outfits with those pieces as you can, head to Step 5 for direction on the tricky pieces.
Below are my fave outfits from my own “shop my closet” challenge. Even though Spring is the season I struggle to think of outfits for the most, I surprised myself with several fresh pairings when I focused on one item at a time!
I also realized I have some holes in my closet when it comes to walkable Spring shoes.
Styling white wide-leg jeans for Spring
Styling a floral skirt for Spring
Styling denim flares for Spring
Step 5: Identify what you’re missing
When you struggle to make outfits out of a piece, decide if it’s an inspo issue or if you’re missing a key ingredient: an outfit-completing item.
If you need more inspiration (i.e. “I have a cute printed midi skirt, but what does that even go with?”) then head back to Pinterest and search “casual midi skirt outfits” for more specific ideas.
If you have a clear vision, but are missing a key piece (i.e. “I love these day-to-night midi skirt looks from Pinterest, but I have zero cropped cardigans or blazers that go with my skirt”), then add the missing piece to a wish list note on your phone. “cropped cardigan or blazer to pair with my midi skirt”
Next, since we don’t have an infinite budget, we’re going to prioritize our wish list by the pieces that complete the greatest number of outfits for us.
During the outfit combo challenge, I realized I needed a sandal that was less chunky for my white wide leg jeans, and heels that fit the vibe of my trouser shorts, but were more comfortable to walk in. Rather than buying two pairs of shoes, I’m going to meet in the middle:
I added a sleek sandal with a block heel, that can work with both, to my wishlist.
Keep in mind which color for your wishlist items plays well with what you have.
Even though my heart always leaps to colorful, statement everything, this exercise let’s me know that a more subdued color in these shoes will work best for the outfits I need them for (I’ll look for nude or champagne options).
Step 6: Shop your wishlist!
Now you’re ready to shop with intention for items that will multiply your outfit options.
Enjoy buying things that WON’T collect dust in your closet, but will help you feel pulled together and fabulous this season.
Our content angels release shoppable capsules by color palette each season of the year. I’m biased, but I think these are a great place to start, for both outfit inspo and actual items in your best colors.
If you’re vibing with this whole post, you’re gonna want to join our list. We’ll send you links to your favorite stores twice a month, organized by color palette, and a fresh, shoppable capsule each season.
Cheers to having actual outfits we love and want to wear in our closets.
XO, Lindsey from Created Colorful
Hang out with us on Instagram! We talk colors, style, and we dance to club hits from the 2000s.
