STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

subwolley · Kate Spade

Does Anyone else feel like they have nothing to wear?

Kel · Coach

I have the same problem. I feel like I have nothing to wear and I always wear the same outfits. But I feel like I am wearing all my clothes. Weird. Anyways, I have no tips obvious, but I remember reading an article a while agree saying that the british have very minimal things but they mix and match well. I wish I knew what magazine that was in.

Magnolia · BCBG

I completely understand what you mean! I was actually saying the exact same thing to a friend of mine today. I feel like I have a lot of clothes but I never have anything to wear. I've been monitering my shopping habits lately and I found that I just tend to buy the same things over and over again (jeans and t-shirts and some more t-shirts) So maybe taking a good look at what's in your closet can help you figure out what you need to mix things up a bit. I realized that I need more accessories and shoes to help upgrade my look from simple basics to chic and classic. And going down the same line Kel was talking about, I read an article in Allure about how French women are also very minimalist but they invest their money in beautiful, timeless pieces that they use to meticulously plan their outfits (according to allure they treat everyday as a battle and their clothes are their armor so the clothes need to be beautiful, seductive, and disarming.)

Alegria · Kate Spade

This is me trying to pick out outfits to wear

I keep thinking that I need to really start buying for the quality/look/durability/versatility/classicness of things but those cheap things are so hard to pass up. I feel like I spend tons of $$$ but still have nothing to wear. I want to learn how to mix and match more like some of the girls on here do.

honey · Gucci

hmmm....what kinds of things are you working with. are you a jeans and tee girl? or do you tend to buy more feminine things? since you said you have a lot of clothes, you probably don't *need* to buy new ones, you probably just need some fresh inspiration.

there are lots of easy (and inexpensive) ways to freshen up your wardrobe. you could probably start by going through everything in your wardrobe. if you have the time, take everything out and put it on your bed. then organize your closet. my closet is organized by item type, and then by color, so it's shirts, blazers, skirts, cropped pants, regular pants, dresses, and suits. that way you can get a good idea of what you have. look at the things you wear most and then think about why you wear them. if you tend to wear a certain item a lot then you maybe you should just buy a variation of that item. this may sound counterintuitive, but i've found that it works for me. for example i like black tops so i have a variety of them in different styles (short sleeve, long sleeve, button down, fitted, blousy, tunicy, etc.) this is an easy way to start b/c if you tend to wear like a denim mini and a black tee a lot, at least you'll have different variations of the theme to work with, which will help you wear your clothes more and make your outfits look different, even if they're actually the same.

i've found that i get the most creative when i haven't done laundry. i'm essentially forced to wear the stuff i don't usually wear b/c all my favs. are dirty. not that you should horde dirty clothes, but maybe develop some sort of rotation. i personally have my clothes on a two week rotation (well mainly tops, it's harder with bottoms). so once i wear something i'm not allowed to wear it for two weeks. another suggestion -- if you decide to empty your closet when you're putting stuff back in try and come up with new outfits. pick an item you don't wear a lot and then pair it with something else -- even if it's something you wear a lot it's a start. if you're really anal you can put that outfit on a hanger and then you have a pre-made outfit. i did this a lot during the summer since i was determined not to buy tons of new clothes, and it really works. especially since when you're running short on time it's really easy to just rely on a fall back pairing. this way you save time and have cute otufits.

go through threadstyle and look at the outfits you like then think about how you can re-create them. a lot the girls have great style created using pieces everyone owns. i'm sure if you think about it, you could recreate a look using stuff you already have.

another thing -- you don't have to go outside of your comfort zone. i honestly don't think there's anything wrong with having a uniform. many of the most stylish women in the world essentially have a uniform that they rely on. the key is to make sure you pick up interesting items that work with your look. if you love blazers look for blazers with interesting detail or different styling. cut away blazers and military style jackets are really hot this season, so picking up one or two will help you freshen up your look without having to resort to wearing some crazy trend that's "not you."

lastly accessorize. even if you start small accessories make an outfit. maybe it's a reflection of my personal style but a lot of the women i see wearing fantastic outfits usually have on really simple pieces paired with great accessories. plus they can be scored really cheaply. maybe set aside a bit of money and go to someplace like f21 or the like and only purchase accessories. a great necklace or cool belt can really make a look. hope this helps. i'll try and go back and edit this with some examples.

BargainQueen · Marc Jacobs

I'm trying this so far for the fall & I think it's working:

I put together all my outfit pics from magazines & websites I like & put them in a binder. I make a shopping list from the binder for the items I don't have in my closet.

I keep the list in my bag so when I go shopping I stick to the list (99% of the time ).

I've found this way I won't buy things I'll never wear or find that it doesn't match my current wardrobe.

-- Edited by BargainQueen at 20:21, 2005-09-14

Christine · Coach

Wow, honey, fantastic advice. Reading through, I realized that I, too, get more creative when my favorite fall-back items are dirty! Great points.

nicoley · Coach

Wow, honey..... That was a great post, it was really helpful as I am going through the same problem of having a bunch of clothes but nothing to wear. I am really looking forward to seeing some of the examples you post. Maybe you can help me with something, that may answer other peoples questions... I just bought a brown courdory blazer and dark black speckled tweed blazer with the button having a purple gem stone, really cute, well im trying to figure out differen things i can mix and match with both jackets to really change up my outfits, I hope to get a lot of wear out of these two jackets this fall/winter, but don't know what to wear underneath them. That brings me to my other problem, i think it looks great when things are layerd with a bunch of different shirts and jackets, but again i find myself having trouble mixing them all together.

Thanks again for your terrific post!

honey · Gucci

aww thanks for the compliments =) i try, plus this is way more fun than studying for the gmat which is what i'm *supposed* to be doing. you guys should check out nylabelle's articles since she focuses on wearing things in different ways, that should definitely provide some inspiration.

as far as examples, i've pulled some stuff from delias that i think would be good for fall basics (nicoley013 i tried to pull blazers like you have, these are the closest i could find) the general idea is kind of if you have two of everything (not that you should buy multiples, but you know...) you can just swap things out. as you can see the possibilities are endless. also this sort of caters to my personal style, but since everything is pretty much a basic you can fine tune it to make it more "you." for example, you can replace the wide-leg green pants, with khakis or something more tailored if those don't appeal to you.

subwolley · Kate Spade

WOW!!!! Thanks for all the great replies!!!! Everyone had great tips! Thanks for the pictures too, it all helps. I think my problem is that I am buying a lot of the same thing...tshirts and jeans. It's really hard to dress up because no one I hang out with dresses up, (they're mostly guys). So sometimes I feel silly wearing heels, or something nice when everyone else is wearing jeans and tshirts. But lately I'm like "screw it, I'm young, I wanna dress nice."

Thanks for the tips! I usually "right-click and save" all the pictures of clothes I like and put outfits together on my computer. This has helped me some, I just need to break my habit of buying the same stuff.

Looking at my closet I definatly need shoes and accessories to change up my look.

Kel · Coach

subwolley wrote:

WOW!!!! Thanks for all the great replies!!!! Everyone had great tips! Thanks for the pictures too, it all helps. I think my problem is that I am buying a lot of the same thing...tshirts and jeans. It's really hard to dress up because no one I hang out with dresses up, (they're mostly guys). So sometimes I feel silly wearing heels, or something nice when everyone else is wearing jeans and tshirts. But lately I'm like "screw it, I'm young, I wanna dress nice." Thanks for the tips! I usually "right-click and save" all the pictures of clothes I like and put outfits together on my computer. This has helped me some, I just need to break my habit of buying the same stuff. Looking at my closet I definatly need shoes and accessories to change up my look.

I am in the same boat as you. Everyone who I hang out with is so relaxed, so i feel odd dressing up. So my closet tends to be only basics, stuff I wear to school. I to need more accessories, but I feel funny wearing them for some reason. I feel like they overpower me.

Oh and Honey can you come to my house, and help me put outfits together, you are so good at this!!!!

laken1 · Hermes

WOW - great advice honey, then you go & put together all those outfits - I am always envious when I see this (like christine's outfits on the monthly thread) - I love a mix and match! I really love the idea of taking literally everything out of my closet & putting it on or making outfits with it before putting it back. WOW.

I do the same thing as most of you being frustrated on what to wear! This is such great timing because I was just thinking that since I don't work outside of my home, I feel like I am buying clothes that I don't really "need" - and i mean literally, i don't go enough places to wear what I have. But then this weekend we are going to a concert & I'm busy planning what I am going to buy to wear to the concert! IT'S INSANITY!!!!!!! So it's my solemn vow not to purchase something to wear this weekend! Well, I do need bottoms (either new jeans & I'm on the hunt for a jean skirt) but I have tops! I will not buy tops! I will not buy tops!

small fry · Chanel

great advice honey, you should have your own fashion and style style show or even a web site

Hermes

kaykay wrote:

great advice honey, you should have your own fashion and style style show or even a web site

FYI - Honey (Charlly) is a contributor/writer to stylethread.

KaffeeKlatsch · Marc Jacobs

Ugh...I'm with you on this one wholeheartedly.

So I had to give myself the challenge of not doing laundry until I have worn everything in my closet...aside from having to break this to wash "unmentionables" on a more regular basis...it's been working well so far. It's also helped me identify what I need to stop holding on to...making more space for future buys!