It happens to all of us once in a while – we wake up bright and early, throw back our wardrobe doors and … there’s nothing. Well, there’s nothing we want to wear. Sound familiar? Your wardrobe may not be particularly sparse, but absolutely none of it looks appealing. Panic! What’s a girl to do when she feels utterly uninspired by everything she owns? Here’s a list of both short- and long-term solutions that I hope will help if you’re having a sartorial crisis.
Short-term solutions
Do a quick stock take of which clothes are clean, freshly washed, ironed, and most importantly, the ones you always feel comfortable and confident in. For an easy, stress-free morning, dig out an outfit you’ve worn many times before – one that you know really works.
Keep it simple – now is not the time to start frantically hemming a skirt or pull out something you haven’t worn for six years! Choose a dress, or basic separates (top and bottoms), and pair them with your usual bag and your favourite pair of shoes. You’re all set!
One word: accessories! When you don’t feel incredible in what you’ve got on, accessories can really help to lift both your look and your mood. If you have a patterned scarf, bright bangle or cute watch in your arsenal, now would be a good time to put it to some use!
Try not to despair about your clothing situation, and instead put your time and effort into styling your hair and applying make up, if you wear it. When your outfit isn’t perfect or you’re feeling self conscious, you can easily perk yourself up with a bit of preening.
If you live with sisters or female friends, see if there’s anything you can borrow from them. You don’t have to have the exact same measurements – they may have something in a general size, like a shrug or a wrap, that you can borrow. Just remember to ask them nicely!
Long-term solutions
When you have some free time, do a wardrobe detox and get rid of anything you no longer wear. Grab a big sheet of paper and make a list of all the clothes and accessories you’ve kept. Take photographs, too. Now that you know exactly what you’ve got…
See if there’s anything you can buy to fill in the gaps – could you get more outfits out of what you have if you invested in a leather jacket? Maybe another pair of flat shoes would help? Lay everything out, deduce what you need to stock up on, and make a shopping list.
Be organised! I don’t mean to sound like your mother, but it’s so helpful to do your washing and ironing on a regular basis. I’m guilty of ironing things in a rush at the last minute and believe me, getting dressed is a much smoother experience if you don’t do this!
Keep your wardrobe in order, and look after your clothes. Wooden hangers are much better than wire ones, which may stretch your clothes out of shape. And if it’s not too geeky a concept for you, organise your clothes by colour, type or season.
Finally, please don’t let a bad sartorial start ruin your whole day (or night). If you do your best to appear confident, smile at everyone and hold exciting conversations, no one’s going to notice if there’s a crease on your skirt or a loose thread on your sleeve!
What do you do when you’ve got nothing to wear?
