I’m very much a “can I solve a problem before it becomes a problem” kind of queen. And when it comes to my wardrobe, I’ve learned over time that the best thing I can do for future me is to be intentional. Enter: how to build a wardrobe full of clothes you’ll actually love.
Now you may be the type of person who buys clothes ALL of the time. But you have actually no idea what you love. Maybe you don’t really know how to describe your style. You just buy.
Maybe you’re someone who doesn’t really understand what it means to style your clothes vs simply wearing them. Or, if you’re past me, you don’t know how to style things for YOUR body type.
How To Build A Wardrobe Full Of Clothes You Actually Love (And Want To Wear)
All of those are things, I’ve previously covered or will cover on the blog.
Whether you’re doing a big closet reset, looking to get more clear on how to style your wardrobe, or just looking to start fresh with a new style in mind, today’s post is for you.
Think of this as the official day 1 of you creating a closet full of things that you love to ultimately give you ENDLESS outfit potential. We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get started!
Step 1: Do A Wardrobe Inventory
I know there are the girls who buy all the clothes and have zero idea what’s in their closet, how to style it, and constantly feel like they have nothing to wear.
You no longer have to be her because we’re giving you a system to fix that.
If it feels too overwhelming to do this alone, invite a friend over who you know can help you make sure you only keep what you love and need.
From here, you’re going to divide your clothes into a few categories: things I no longer need, things I’m not sure if I need, things I want to keep but aren’t in season, things that I need to replace/update, things I want to keep but are no longer trending, things I don’t know how to style and things that are in season.
For anything you no longer need, you have a few options: donate, find a local consignment place to sell your clothes, use a service like Thred Up, or sell things on Poshmark (Depop, Ebay, etc).
The things you aren’t sure if you need, give them a new space in your home.
We’re going to check this place seasonally (and will probably share space with the things I want to keep but are no longer trending). I have an overflow rack in my office specifically for things I’m not sure if I want to keep, but want to keep within reach.
This might be a small closet if you have the storage space (I don’t). Or a space in your closet dedicated to just these clothes. But we want to be intentional with our clothes. If we don’t understand them or don’t currently need them, let’s be honest and figure out what might work better for us.
At the end of each season, which is spring and fall for me, I look at anything here that I haven’t pulled from and consider whether it’s worth hanging onto it any longer.
Everything else either goes in vacuum-sealed bags under my bed or remains in my closet.
For ease and practicality, what this looks like for me:
my closet: clothes I wear all of the time
under bed storage: everything that’s seasonally not right (determined by weather and color palette), anything that’s not the right size but I’m temporarily holding onto, anything that’s no longer in style but I know I’ll want again for the future
overflow rack: I keep jackets, thicker dresses, things I need to stop reaching for all of the time, and anything else that doesn’t feel right but doesn’t have another home
Step 2: What Do You Need To Replace
It happens to the best of us. Those pieces that are in your closet that aren’t quite perfect anymore but you’ve found a way to make them work.
I’ve got a white shirt that lost the fight to fake tan that still gets used if you can’t see the underarms.
For this part, let’s look at what you may need an updated version of. Do any of your favorites have holes? Maybe your white shirt doesn’t look quite the same.
Maybe you need a new size of something you once loved, or your shoes have been worn past the point of repair.
Take a picture of anything before you get rid of it, and make notes of anything you like specifically about this piece. Did it have the perfect cut for your waist? Were the straps just right? Was the fabric a dream?
if the fabric is something you love, take a picture of the “ingredients,” so to speak. If you are on the hunt for a new version, it’s easier to find it if you can search for exactly the same material it was previously made of
So, if you want to make this easier, I’d suggest starting a master list in a google sheet. And if there are items that are staples for brands, you can make a note to check during the next sale season if you’re not ready to invest. But it’s also a good way to keep up with anything you might need to replace, but won’t remember when you’re feeling spendy.
Step 3: What Do You Need To Learn To Style
There are always a few pieces in my wardrobe that I find it takes a bit of time to find my way with when it comes to styling. This metallic skirt from Amy Lynn is one of those.
If you’re the girl who finds the pieces that flatter and wears them on repeat, I see you. And I have to intentionally remind myself that fashion gets to be fun (not something to avoid because of childhood trauma).
Plus it would be horribly boring for all of us if I wore the same thing all of the time.
Now I make it a point to rotate my clothes. I constantly ask myself: Have I worn this recently? How have I worn this recently? What else in my wardrobe is available to me?
We will talk about my trick for finding new creativity with old clothes in a minute.
If you’re making the switch from shopping constantly to shopping intentionally, I’d suggest implementing the rule of “can I imagine how I could style this in at least 3 different ways?” A quick google in the store or a search of this blog can help if you need inspo.
Nevertheless, there will always be pieces you just love that you’ll eventually be inspired to style – so don’t let this question completely scare you away.
Now, of course, the blog is a growing resource for helping you navigate this. And I’m always a DM away if you’ve got questions. Let me know in the comments if there’s something you’re really struggling to find styling inspo for, and I’ll bump it up the list.
Step 4: What Do You Need To Repair
If you’re like me and you’ve had a bag on the bottom of your closet for the last 3 years with things that need hemming, this is where we do better. Or at least acknowledge it’s time to invest in what we already own.
I took a pair of Louboutins to be repaired earlier this year (not thinking I was doing so at the time). And it was much easier than I realized. I expected it to be something I needed to ship off and find a custom repair person for.
But my local shoe cobbler was able to help me, and it took almost no time.
If you want a wardrobe you love, that means investing in your clothes. Plus, the cost of repair is probably a lot less than replacing.
Ps. I have a full review on whether Louboutins are worth the invest. You can read it here.
Step 5: Check In – Does My Wardrobe Still Match The Vision I Have Of Me?
I’m not particularly good at the “choosing 3 words to describe your style” game. Because I find it’s more about how I feel in the clothes than how someone else would describe them.
So get clear on how you want to feel in your various activities. When you’re at home, heading to the gym, going for your hot girl walk, how do you want to feel here?
Whose wardrobe do you feel inspired by? Or what TV or movie character encapsulates that feeling for you?
This is the time when I start searching around Pinterest or looking at my saved content on Tiktok & Instagram.
Now, of course, as a pear-shaped girlie, I know that what looks good on someone else might need to be adjusted for me. But I know the rules for how to do that so it makes our next steps easier.
Step 6: Create A Vision Board For Your Inspired/Seasonal Wardrobe
You can use your above inspo and Canva for this one. I will often go a step further and scroll through stores I love, more Pinterest, and Vogue Runway for more ideas.
If you have outfits in your wardrobe that already fit the vibe, maybe you’ve taken photos in/of, add them to the board.
When you can see all the things laid out, it’s easier to find the gaps for things you might not have realized you need.
From here, you can poke around online and look for discounts, sign up for sale alerts, ask ChatGPT to help you shop, and even take your vision board into consignment stores to get help finding things more easily.
I’ll be sharing mine on the blog soon. If you want to make sure you catch them when they go live, you can sign up for the newsletter here.
Step 7: Plan Your Outfits Ahead Every Other Week (And Take Photos)
There are two reasons to do this. The first reason being is planning outfits is one of the ways I often see accidental (and amazing) outfits.
I have a small rack in my bedroom that often serves as outfit ideas for the week. And because I’m planning them all at once, I tend to subconsciously plan with a theme. Which means I’ll see items side by side I wouldn’t normally think to pair that suddenly feel like magic to me.
The other reason (taking photos) is because it’s not always easy to see what does and doesn’t work directly. Sometimes it’s body dysmorphia. Sometimes we just need to see it from a different place.
Maybe something looks a little more posh with a belt, or you need to tweak the hair a bit to get it just right.
Maybe there’s an outfit you keep trying, but it’s missing a piece and you don’t know why. It’s easier to see solutions when you’re looking at photos than when it’s crunch time and you need to be out the door.
If you found today’s post helpful, let me know in the comments below. I’ve got a list of things to style and post. But if you’ve got requests, I’m ready to hear them. If you want more real time style inspo, I post outfits on Instagram stories often.
I do plan to do maybe a monthly outfit round up on the blog as well so you can see how I style and adjust certain pieces over time. Sign up for the newsletter if you want to make sure you don’t miss that post. Until next time. Xoxo, Savvy
