What To Do When You Have “Nothing To Wear”

Hey everyone! I hope you’re having an awesome week so far. I wanted to make a post about A few weeks ago, I had a bit of a rough morning because I had “nothing to wear.” Please see the tweet for reference:

If you’ve ever experienced this, you know how annoying it can be. I was running back and forth between my closet, my rack, and my dresser with tears brimming at my eyes. I was half an hour late for work. It was probably a little dramatic in retrospect, many things I do are, but this incredibly frustrating scenario is something I know others find themselves in as well. I have so many clothes to wear, so why in that moment could I find “literally freaking nothing?”

Since I was in no position to write this post the day that the ~incident~ occurred, now that I’ve had a few weeks to try out some new ideas and gather some thoughts, I figured it would be a good time for me to share some of the ways to avoid this happening in the future.

1. Assess what’s actually in your closet

The best way to do this is to block out three hours on a Saturday and grab a very honest friend.  Start by getting everything off the hangers and spread it out so you can see it. Figure out what you wear the most and what you wear the least, and then decide if you’re willing to let go of any of the items that don’t make it into your #OOTDs as often as they used to. If you want to sell some stuff that is lightly worn, Poshmark is a great way to do it. (Check out my Poshmark shop here.)

2. Sort and organize your wardrobe

Part of the problem with this day for me was that I couldn’t find half of the things that I thought would make for a great outfit. I try to keep all of my basics in one place and all of my denim in one place. I also usually sort my closet by color and then style so even if I don’t know where something is, I know where it’s likely to be.

3. Find a basic formula that works for you

When all else fails, find a go-to combination of things for each season. For example, summer can be dress, necklace, and sandals, and fall can be T-shirt, leather jacket, and boyfriend jeans. The items themselves can change up depending on what’s cool at the moment (and what’s clean) but the formula remains the same. That way you can count on your outfit being a look you really love without having to put any extra thought into it.

4. Less is more

Whenever I really doubt my outfit, it’s usually when I’m trying something different. Like let’s tie a bandana around my head and layer a dress over pants different. So when that happens, I always try to stick to simple silhouettes and timeless colors for clothing, and may add in color with my shoes or a statement bag. As tempting as it can be to experiment with your look, on days when you’re doubting your creative styling a little black dress or a leather jacket will be there to save you.

And there you have it! I hope this helps alleviate some of the stress that inevitably comes with those mornings where you have nothing to wear!

Has this ever happened to you? How do you deal with it?

yours,

Austen

Photograph above by Sarah Ratner