After all this time I thought I had a shopping problem when in fact closet inertia is what I really suffer from. It’s hard to medicate the problem if you have the wrong diagnosis. If I have learned one thing this year about me it is that I have no imagination when I step into my poorly lit, over packed, closet. Upon entry, I look around at the sea of black, navy and a few bright pops and draw the immediate conclusions, “my wardrobe sucks” and “I have nothing to wear.”
How can that be, when a girl’s closet is full? As we all know having a closet full of clothes doesn’t stop one from wanting to shop and buy more. But my impetus for shopping has never been rooted in the need to hoard clothes; instead shopping taps into my need to be inspired and to look inspired.
Allow me to explain. My shopping instincts are strongest when I simply don’t have the energy to “shop my closet,” which is most of the time. It takes work. When I walk into a store like Anthropologie a talented fashion merchandiser has already put the outfits together on the wall or in the window so it’s easy to imagine myself in a great new “look.” Invariably, when shopping I will find something new that instantly makes me feel excited. And with the help of the well trained sales person I am always reassured of my need to spice things up. But when I shop my closet the only fashion muse I can rely on for inspiration is me and my preoccupied, rushed self. It takes time (alone time, no kids, no husbands) to look through what I have in my wardrobe, it takes creativity to mix and match items, and it takes the desire to imagine how various items pair with footwear and accessories. There is no high, no rush and simply no entertainment in that small space next to my bed. It’s much harder to shop my closet than it is to jump in the car, pay for parking, run up the escalator to my favorite store, try a few things on, pay and be done.
This past year without the convenience or excuse to shop I have been forced to wear what I own. This has lead to a decreased interest in how I look (though no one seems to notice, or they are not telling me). I have resorted to a uniform of sorts that is, quite frankly, boring and uninspired but much easier than my daily outfits before the diet.
So what am I going to do to remedy my closet inertia as I prepare to shop again? First off, I could use a bay of store windows lining my closet. Second I could employ my own stylist, one who makes house calls. Third I could hire an intern to take scrupulous inventory because the thought of that bores me to tears. None of these ideas are realistic or affordable though. I read somewhere about a women who solves her own closet confusion by photographing various outfits and versions of outfits that she puts together from her closet and then referencing them when it’s time to get dressed in the morning—sounds like work to me.
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i’m actually looking forward to this diet so it will propel me OUT of the inertia, and i get down and dirty and creative w/ my “nothing to wear.”
(altho outfits always look better in my head than when i actually put them on…)
i have a lot of accessories that i never wear, so they’ll see some sun now!
maybe try putting a positive spin on inventory/organization?
although organizing a closet is a lot of effort, it’s also like a treasure hunt.
i actually enjoy that seasonal switch when i pull my winter/summer clothes out of their boxes and touch every t-shirt, reliving the memories that come with them.
b/c once we know what we have in our closets, we can see that the “looks” in the catalogs (which you could tear out and paste to your closet door for cheatsheets) actually aren’t that hard to put together with what we have.
Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo of Visual Therapy are all about putting together outfits and making a look-book. Sure, it’s a lot of trouble–but more trouble than going to a shop?
I know a lot of closet organizing gurus suggest sorting your clothes by type and color, but perhaps you need to have pre-styled outfits on hangers, ready to go. If you are going into Anthropologie and buying the prestyled outfit, then hang it all together. If you are smarter and can find some of the items already in your wardrobe, then hang those with the new stuff–when you get home.
Obviously, a “uniform” is not for you. Stop buying “uniform” clothes–I love a uniform, so charcoal and black pants/skirts, knit tops and fun cardigans actually get worn. You seem to want more kick!
Another guru suggested listing the “events” you need outfits for in a given fortnight or month–like 20 days of work clothes, four grungy weekend days, two social casual weekend days–brunch?–and two date nights? Add a couple of special occasions–a funeral/interview suit, maybe, a cocktail dress? Then pick out the clothes that fit that list, per season. The rest need to go.
To stave off a “closet crisis”, I’ve been using a simpler, Stone-age version of the solution you mentioned at the end (taking photos of potential outfits and cataloging them). Everytime I manage to put together an outfit I feel good in, I write down in a notebook the items I combined, and I give the outfit a name that distinguishes it (and makes me excited about repeating it). Some examples:
“Animalia”: Leopard-print wool dress, sheer black stockings, black wool blazer, black elastic belt
“English Eccentric”: Brown flower-print dress, houndstooth jacket, woven green-red stockings, brown booties
“Technicolor Pop”: Blue circle skirt, blue blouse, pink cumberbund, pink stilettos
It has taken a while to build up my repertoire, but I know I always have something to wear!
I really enjoyed reading this post. Great step by step description!