Mornings in my house tend to start and end the same way every day.
They start with me hitting the snooze button one too many times.
They end with me standing in front of my wardrobe five minutes before it’s time to leave, cursing that I have nothing to wear.
Then I usually run out the door in some outfit I dug out of the dirty clothes hamper and growl at A-Rob over the irony of him owning more pants than me.
Shopping for clothes is a necessary evil in my world.
I don’t hate it per se, I just don’t choose to do it in my free time. And then there’s the whole thing about me not liking to spend money. As a result, my wardrobe is often shy of adequate, especially on days when I don’t wake up early enough to iron.
But because nudity is generally frowned up on in my office, I’ll often carve out marathon shopping days twice a year, once in the spring, and once in the fall. This way I can stock up on seasonal essentials all at once and come to work fully clothed.
I finished one such shopping trip last month. I had the day off of work, so I hit up a few malls and thankfully had good luck (that’s not always the case).
But as I was driving home that day, even though I’d added some great new pieces to my collection, my mind was still making lists of more things I needed.
I need some more cardigans, preferably colorful ones.
I need another pair of pants.
I need a grey blazer.
I need some leggings (do people still wear leggings?).
And then it occurred to me, I don’t need anything else.
I mean, I could still stand to have a few more pieces, couldn’t we all? But I bet if I figured out every possible outfit I had with all the various mixing possibilities, I could make it to spring without feeling clothing deprived.
So the very next day, I did just that. I laid out every single item of clothing I had and tried on as many possible combinations I could come up with until passing out from needing lunch.
And to document the winning outfits I photographed them with my iPhone. It’s been a month since doing this exercise and I still have a back log of several outfits I’ve yet to wear. Every Sunday night I plan out the next few days of clothing, sometimes pulling out my phone if I need a refresher on my options. And if it’s a piece that needs to be ironed, I make a mental note to get up a few minutes earlier that day.
Amazingly enough, there’s been a lot less growling from me in the mornings. And I’m going to work in clothes (clean ones!) I feel good about, which really shouldn’t make such a big difference but it totally does.
It’s kind of the same concept as meal planning, really. Without a plan, you’re more likely spend money on takeout because you “have nothing to eat in the house.” Or, “nothing to wear in your closet.” But with an organized effort, you realize you have more than you think.
In general I’m not much of a planner, but this is one area where a little forethought goes a long way.
December 5, 2011 at 6:24 AM
I like the bare foot look in pic #3. I sort of have a minimum of 5 of each of jackets, pants and skirts that all go together. Having said that, I appear to own a lot of black sweaters. My neutral of choice is black and I like having a sort of “uniform” concept for work clothes. I can’t go shopping willy nilly without a plan because I’ll end up coming home with 3 more black sweaters when there’s already 5 in the closet. I do the same with black boots or pumps.
December 5, 2011 at 11:18 PM
I’m the same way with grey sweaters. Now when I shop I force myself to only buy colors, I have more than enough grey to sustain me for a while.
December 5, 2011 at 9:03 AM
UG my wardrobe is horrible. I hate clothes shopping and I hate spending money on clothes. It’s something I really need to do. A few years back I made a promise to buy one new thing item of clothing each month. But that has slipped away. I should get back to that.
December 5, 2011 at 11:15 PM
I’ve made that pledge in the past too. It’s hard to keep up, especially if you’re low on time. I’m trying to get into the habit of online shopping every two months. That way the clothes I liked the first time are usually on clearance two months later.
December 5, 2011 at 9:50 AM
Love it. I feel the same way about clothes shopping. Old body issues don’t help. (What woman doesn’t have them?) Just so you know, I still wear leggings. But I may not be the person you want to take fashion advice from. I’m still wearing them so I don’t have to go shopping again (or wash those jeans…)
December 5, 2011 at 11:13 PM
Oh yes, I’ve had two kids, I know all about those body issue things. :)
December 5, 2011 at 12:49 PM
Holy moley organization Batman. That is such a good idea.
I just went shopping for clothes too, I have a very similar technique, I wait until I feel I have absolutely nothing to wear and then go shopping. Not the best plan but I can’t seem to strike a balance of buying a few things a month rather than a spree once a year. And even after my spree I inevitably take a few things back.
Thankfully, I don’t have to have work attire. I am having too much trouble with jeans a tee.
December 5, 2011 at 11:11 PM
I know, it seems unless shopping is your hobby or high on your priority list it doesn’t get done on a regular basis.
(PS: I’m normally not this organized, but it was definitely time well spent to make mornings easier).
December 5, 2011 at 5:17 PM
Since I’m not working it’s really easy for me to get into wearing black yoga pants 24/7. I have a girlfriend who is great about dressing nice even if we go out for drinks after working out. She gives me all her hand-me-downs so I’m trying to channel her a bit more in my wardrobe choices.
December 5, 2011 at 11:06 PM
Mmm. Black yoga pants sounds like my dream wardrobe. I would be wearing the same thing if I were in your situation.
December 7, 2011 at 10:33 AM
My mom says you can never have too many pairs of black pants! She has 17 pairs! Of course she bought them all at GoodWill at about $3 each. 17 might be a bit much though. I love black pants and gray. Gray goes with just about every other color in my experience, so it helps the combinations. Great job on figuring out so many outfits!
December 6, 2011 at 1:27 AM
I just had a baby 3 weeks ago (3rd son!) and my wardrobe is in a sad state of affairs! I have gained a lot of weight, and history has shown it will take me about 6 to 9 months to shed it. Not only do I literally have one pair of jeans (a recent “I’m-too-fat-to-wear-my-pre-pregnancy clothes” purchase from the thrift store), but I have been recycling my old maternity shirts, which is a big “no-no” for the mom that just wants to feel like her old self again. But once I am back down to my normal size, I promise, I am going to pull out a little chic-ness and work it! And I love Ashley’s idea of buying a new item of clothing per month!
December 6, 2011 at 9:39 PM
Congrats on the baby! I wore my maternity clothes for months afterwards. That’s probably why I was so happy to give them away all too quickly.
December 6, 2011 at 1:30 AM
And can I also add that sporting the same frumpy undies from pregnancy into post-partum-hood is also a fashion crime I am guilt of? Lol
December 6, 2011 at 8:58 AM
Genius. I am guilty of the ‘oh wow I’m late for the metro because I’m staring into my wardrobe with tears in my eyes while scooping up that top I wore yesterday from the wash basket.’ A particularly low moment happened when I stumbled to work in quite frankly revolting clothes only to discover that it was London Fashion Week and the streets around my office were uncharacteristically brimming with beautifully presented stick-insects.
Depressing.
I will be taking some leaves out of your book!
December 6, 2011 at 5:06 PM
It’s amazing how often we wear the same things over and over again (or maybe that’s just me) but it sounds like your idea really helped!
December 7, 2011 at 10:59 PM
First of all, I love your clothes!
I frequently feel like I “need” a lot – a grey blazer, a dark grey cardigan, a new pair of black pumps, etc.
I try to remind myself that I shouldn’t be freaking out about work clothes all of the time – I have the basics (and then some), and I’m in them less than 1/3 of the time! Plus, I get a lot less joy in dressing for work than I do in dressing for my leisure, so why sink money into something i don’t even want to do?
It’s kind of nice, coming to that realization, no?
January 5, 2012 at 10:29 AM
Oh, I love this idea! I frequently feel as if I have nothing to wear and grab for the same items over and over again. Not only do I need to do this, but I need to take a hard look at my closet and get rid of things that no longer work for me.
January 6, 2012 at 2:07 AM
I don’t think I need anything else, either, so unless something crucial in my wardrobe craps out, I’m not buying anything in 2012! I’ve been meaning to do a photographic wardrobe inventory…maybe once I get my blogging backlog out of the way…