Nothing to wear… Really?

As women, we all know the frustration of staring at a full closet and not being able to figure out an exciting or inspiring outfit. How can someone have a closet full of clothes and good pieces and still feels uninspired and helpless every morning?

As a stylist I have the privilege of working with amazing women and identified two key elements explaining the “I have nothing to wear” phenomenon.

Lack of clarity

We live in a society where we tend to accumulate. As a result, we find ourselves with cluttered closets where most of the clothes are not readily accessible. This is one of the reasons for the 20/80 rule: women wear 20% of what they have 80% of the time because it is easier to go back to the same things, the one that are easily accessible. Most of my clients tell me: “really, I don’t have much”. And I always reply: “much” is a very subjective notion. Then I get to their apartment and find them with the “I-didn’t-know-I-had-so-much” look. While preparing for the closet consultation, they usually realize they have much more than they thought.

In order to avoid the clutter, start with editing your closet twice a year, preferably in early spring and fall. Anything that either does not fit right, or is not flattering, or is worn out or is outdated, is probably a good candidate for a donation. The first time might take long but the more often you do it, the faster you will be. Organization is also key. Organize your closet in a way that makes it easy for you to create outfits. It may be by colors (black, grey, blues, reds and pinks…) and by type of clothing (jackets, cardigans, sweaters, blouses, tees, pants, skirts, dresses, jeans).

Storing the off-season clothes is an excellent way to make room for the current season’s ones. Here are also few organizing tools.

Dealing with change

Women are constantly dealing with transition in their life: physically, emotionally, professionally … We reinvent ourselves everyday and we often have a hard time adjusting our wardrobe to those changes. The young mom sees her body changing and has a hard time dealing with her new hips; the young graduated struggles to dress professionally for her first job; the recently published coach realizes she needs to dress appropriately for public appearances…. And so on.

The twice-a-year process of editing your closet is also an excellent way to sit back and serenely think about the ongoing changes in your life. What are those changes? How are they impacting your wardrobe? The young mom might realize she still is a size 6 but needs a different cut for her pants in order to fit her hips; the recently graduated might need to integrate more processional pieces in her wardrobe to better fit into her work environment; the life coach might realize she does not have any outfit enabling her to make her public appearances with poise and confidence.

Feeling inspired every single morning is a matter of clarifying your closet more often. It is also about understanding which clothes bring out the best in you and allow you to look beautiful, feel confident and realize your hopes and dreams.

Tags: body changes, dress, inspiration, life changes, nothing to wear, style, wardrobe

This post was submitted by Silfath Pinto.

Author: Silfath Pinto (3 Articles)

Silfath Pinto, French and West African living in New York, is founder and President of Sense Your Style LLC, an Image Consulting and Wardrobe Styling company. Repeated suggestions by amazed friends as well as her impeccable eye for styling made her go for the obvious: embrace her passion for styling. Silfath offers Wardrobe Planning, Personal Shopping and Relooking Services as well as workshops and trainings for corporations and organizations. She aims at empowering men and women by helping them look their best and achieve their goals. She believes style must be accessible to all. Her contagious enthusiasm combined with a boundless patience as well as a pragmatic approach have been a valuable asset to her clients, helping them build a stylish and smart wardrobe, while saving time and money. She has even been called a "brilliant magician" on several occasions. Silfath is also a fierce promoter of Fashion Swap events and was featured on News 12 for a Clothing Swap story. She was also interviewed on Thrive Connect Radio Show to talk about Uncovering Your Magnificence and building your Personal Style. Born and raised in Ivory Coast, Silfath went to college in France. Prior to starting Sense Your Style, Silfath successfully worked as an auditor for KPMG for 3 years and at L'Oréal in Paris. She moved from Paris to New York in 2005. After 3 years in Reporting & Finance at ING Real Estate, she decided to focus on Sense Your Style LLC. Silfath holds a Master in Management and a Master of Science in Finance, both from EDHEC Business School- a French top ranked business school. She was trained as an Image Consultant at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, through the Image Consulting program.