New Wardrobe, New Me

Oversized Alpaca Crew (Everlane) - Catherine Cotton Linen Selvage Denim (Imogene and Willie)

I was tired of spending money on clothes I never wore and frustrated with feeling like I had nothing to wear in a never-ending sea of clothing.

I view my wardrobe as being a creative outlet; I love how I feel in clothing that represents my personal style and uniqueness. I feel confident as well as a great sense of fulfillment in wearing outfits I’ve curated for myself. Until the onset of 2020, I hadn’t put much effort into intentionality when it came to my closet. For most of my life I’ve spent a large chunk of my time and money obsessing over and collecting pieces for my wardrobe without intention. Years of mindless shopping, spontaneous purchases and sale rack finds inevitably turned into a whole lot of crap and not a lot of satisfaction in my closet. I felt like I never had anything to wear with a closet overflowing with textiles. Thanks to a few helpful Youtube channels, (A Small Wardrobe is my favorite, but I also like Use Less) and other various minimalist wardrobe information available on the internet--I quickly understood why this was the case. As with any other challenge, I needed to take steps towards a more thoughtful approach.

I started by decluttering a major portion of my wardrobe over the course of about 6-8 months. During 2020 I was able to overcome any previous struggle I had with decluttering items I hadn’t worn in quite some time. I reached a point where I could begin to perceive recurring patterns in items I kept reaching for and in those items I left hanging. Where I ran into trouble was after I said goodbye to the items that no longer served me, I quickly replaced them with what I thought would satisfy my cravings. Anyone else here have bad shopping habits or have had in the past? I ended up with more pieces I wasn’t wearing on a regular basis because I had no formula for getting what I ultimately desired for my wardrobe. I decided on four main goals in regards to pursuing a new and intentional direction with my closet:

• Narrow down my personal style

• Own fewer items, but excellent quality

• Buy less—shop my closet more.

• Feel an overall increased sense of satisfaction with my wardrobe

Inside of these larger goals, I needed a detailed plan to get me moving in this new direction. In January I wrote down my 2021 wardrobe goals. I made certain I wrote specific and reasonably attainable, yet challenging goals. With each new month, I plan to add or update goals as I learn from my experiences.

1. Complete 30 day wardrobe tracker for the month of January

2. Make January a no-buy month

3. Buy less than or equal to 12 items in 2021

   • Shopping sustainable brands and/or american made

   • Thrift more

4. Continue refining style taking into account:

   • Colors that work for me

   • Comfortability

   • Versatility (Does this item work with other items already in my closet?)

   • Timelessness and Quality (Can I see myself wearing this item for years to come?)

   • Do I feel like my best self?

I aim to share some of my ups and downs as I navigate these objectives this year. My goals are a product of how I would like to see my closet evolve and are specific to me. Are you interested in building a more intentional wardrobe? If so, what changes would you make? Do you want to concentrate on uncovering your personal style? Or perhaps you’ve nailed down your style and want to continue to add pieces that reflect that unique style. Are you frustrated with having too many options and too little satisfaction? Do you want to be able to spend less time thinking about what you wear from day to day? Decide which elements are most important to you and write them down as goals with clear intention. From there you can design a baby-step process that will help you move closer to your ideal wardrobe.

Already have some wardrobe goals in mind? What are some of the tallest obstacles you’ll have to face? Whether you’re like me and find joy in getting dressed, or you lean towards a more utilitarian frame of mind when it comes to clothing—a more mindful approach will benefit you. I hope I’ve inspired you to think about how you might tailor your closet to fit your individual wants and needs. (See what I did there? This is the part where I wink at you then point and pull the trigger on my finger gun).

Thanks for reading.

Winter always destroys my poor hands!