trendingFIONA

It’s a new year, and along with it comes that inescapable urge to refresh. To change our identities, to take on a new hobby, to switch career paths, and of course, to build ourselves a new wardrobe. When it comes to kicking off a fresh start, there are few things as transformative as a style rebrand—but it’s not exactly economical (or ecological) to throw out all of our clothes and start from scratch. But there are things we can do to make our closets feel like new—and full of pieces we actually love—without running up our credit card bills unnecessarily. So where do we start?

The Dreaded Closet Clean Out

Step one is the hardest, and the most obvious. We’re getting rid of the shit we don’t wear anymore, but I do have a few rules and caveats that make the whole process more effective than your usual closet cleanse.

First: empty the whole closet. Or dresser, or whatever else it is that you put your clothes in. Empty it out completely. Put everything on your bed, or on the floor, so that you’re forced to handle each item and actually take a look at it before you hang it back up. When you leave the clothes hanging, it’s way too easy to breeze past them and leave them where they are. This way, you have to personally examine each piece and decide whether or not it’s worth keeping. And more than that, it’ll remind you what you actually have—but we’ll get back to that in a second.

Second: You don’t have to get rid of something just because you haven’t worn it in three months, or whatever other mundane timeline people like to say about this stuff. It’s not about the time it’s been since you wore it—it’s about how much you like it. Do you look at the piece and feel inspired? Can you envision the outfit it’ll be a part of? Do you want to make plans just so you can wear it? It doesn’t always have to be that extreme, but my point is this: keep the pieces that you look at and think, yeah, that’s a piece I’d like myself in. And, that’s a piece I’d like to be seen in.

Start Cataloguing

This is our Cher-in-Clueless moment, bringing her digital closet to life so that we never forget all of the pieces we’ve got at fingertips. How often do you go through your closet and come across something, only to think, oh my god, I completely forgot about this. It happens to me more often than I care to admit, which is why cataloguing your closet is part two to the closet clean out.

Now, we don’t actually have a computer program or app like Cher (and if you do, please let me know) so when it comes to cataloguing the pieces in your closet, my preferred course of action is an just an album in your photos app, where you’ll store the photos you’re going to take of just about all the clothes you own. And I really do mean all of them. From your coolest statement piece to your most basic black tank top, the day will come when you need some specific item for an outfit you’re envisioning, and you need a reminder of what you actually own so that you don’t go buy a double of something that you already have. A quick scroll through this album will solve that problem—and if you don’t already have the thing you’re looking for, the odds are that your scroll will remind you of some other gorgeous piece you own, and you’ll get inspired to put together and entirely different outfit, no purchasing required.

When it comes to the photo album, I prefer to take photos actually wearing the pieces so I can remember what they actually look like on—a flat lay or hanger shot doesn’t always do the job. This goes hand in hand with the closet clean out—as you’re deciding what pieces to keep and which to donate or sell, try them on. Make sure you’re 100% sure it’s actually something you want in your wardrobe!

Make a List

As you catalogue, you’re likely to spot a few gaps in your closet. Something you’ve been wanting forever, that perfect pair of jeans, a well fitted LBD, etc., etc. As you go through your clothes, take notes. While actually looking at the things you own, what do you genuinely feel like you’re lacking?

Once you’re through cataloguing, review your list again. Make sure everything on the list is true to your personal style, and something you really, genuinely want.

Shop

Finally, the fun part—the shopping. I said we wouldn’t be unnecessarily running up our credit card bills, which is why this isn’t just one shopping trip. In fact, let’s not even call it shopping. Let’s call it scouting. We’re scouting for the perfect piece—the one that’s exactly as we described it on our list, that fits exactly how we want it. We won’t be making a purchase until we find exactly what it is we’re looking for, because one thing we’re not going to be doing this year is fill our closets with something that’s almost what we want—but just not-quite-right enough that we never reach for it.

It’ll be that much more gratifying when you do finally find that one perfect piece—something you’ll want to wear over and over, and can’t wait to show off.

This year, we’re not prioritizing consumerism. Gone are the days of impulse purchases that we’ll wear once and then shove into the back of the closet. The key to effortless style is having a wardrobe full of pieces you actually love—so that’s what we’re focusing on this year. Knowing what we have, and stocking our closets full of clothes we really, truly want to wear.