A Wardrobe Full of Clothes and Nothing to Wear

By Nichola English.

How often do you head to your wardrobe, staring at the clothes in front of you but feeling you've nothing to wear? You're not alone; many women have the same perplexity regarding their wardrobes. 

There could be many reasons for this. Perhaps you feel your clothes don't convey who you are right now, you may have gained or lost weight, or maybe you feel so overwhelmed at the very thought of opening those wardrobe doors you don't want to tackle the endless choices. 

Whatever it is, you need to find the root cause of why your wardrobe isn't working for you.

Although it may appear that your wardrobe lacks the perfect piece or outfit, it may just be the opposite. I will help you in this article by summarising why we typically think we have nothing to wear and ways to break the cycle and turn your wardrobe around. So, instead of spending more money on clothes you don't need, consider the root issue and make changes to get your wardrobe connection back.

Is your wardrobe in Disarray?

You may think you have nothing to wear, but it could be you have too many clothes cluttering your wardrobe space. When was the last time your wardrobe space was nice, neat, and organised? Usually, when I pose this question to my clients, the answer is that they cant remember. Sound familiar? If so, I suggest that at the beginning of every season, you remove anything that doesn't fit, is outdated or unlikely to be worn. Sort the clothes left into colours, styles, or seasons and keep them organised. Once you can see what you have accessible, it's much easier to create outfits. 

You Have Nothing to Wear Because You Don't Have Core Pieces.

How does a core wardrobe work? It's essentially a collection of versatile pieces that all function together to form a basic wardrobe. These clothes can be mixed and matched to create lots of different looks, but they can also serve as a base for other more distinctive looks you have at hand. Remember, entertaining core wardrobe pieces doesn't mean you can't wear specific colours, styles, or patterns; it just means that you use those core pieces to help create desired outfits.

For example:

• Take a black T-shirt from your core pieces.
• Team it with a pop of colour like a pink blazer and a pair of jeans.
• Add accessories to bring the outfit together. 

Wardrobe Pieces aren't Varied.

If you think you don't have anything to wear, it's possibly because your wardrobe lacks variety (think one dress style or multiple pairs of the same type of black jeans). To combat this issue, add various styles that suit your shape, pops of colour, and different fabrics to help create outfits for multiple occasions. 

You're Buying for One Time Use.

We've all been guilty of buying that one-off clothing item for an event, date, or night out. It often still has tags on and lives at the back of the wardrobe for those 'just in case' moments or unplanned last-minute events. 

Stylist tip: when dashing to the department store or online to shop for an item, even with an exact event in mind, be sure, before parting with your money, to ascertain how versatile an item is and try to find three ways you can style it. Wearing the same dress for many events is fine all you have to do is make it look different by freshening up the look with accessories minor alterations to your piece. 

Imagine how much money, time, and energy you would save if you were prepared to wear your clothes more than once instead of buying new pieces every season or for every event.

You're Only Shopping Sale.

Who doesn't love a bargain? I know I do, and these days we are abundant with sale rails in stores and online. But, if you only shop sales, you're limiting your options and likely making do with pieces that don't serve you well. Invest in better basics and use sales to discover a hidden treasure or add fun, novelty pieces to your current core wardrobe. You'll save time and money overall. 

Final thoughts.

Don't be afraid to let go of anything in your wardrobe that keeps you locked into the same overwhelming cycle. Liberate yourself from the negative association that holds you hostage every time you open the closet to get dressed; take control, and you'll feel more empowered and ready to take on the world. 

 Nichola English is addicted to fashion. From an early age picking out clothes for friends and family, she always had an eye for style which only expanded as she got older, eventually creating her business, The Wardrobe Provocateur. 

Nichola adores working with women (and men) across the world discovering personal style, reinventing that old tired wardrobe and realising new confidence and vitality through coaching, shopping and good old clearing out of the old. You can read her full story of becoming The Wardrobe Provocateur here.