Style rut?

Ya know how you sometimes you stand and look at your clothes in your closet and your mind is totally blank? The conversation bubble is completely empty? 

And you have a meeting in an hour…you haven’t had coffee* yet and you have a half hour commute on a good day? 

(*I mean that’s part of the reason you’re drawing the big blank, right? Or is that just me?) 

You just might be in a style rut. 

I realized very recently that I was in a wardrobe rut! (Yep, even a personal stylist is human on this front.) 

It all began when I started planning what I was gonna take on vacation to Cabo San Lucas. After the flights were booked in February, the first thing I started thinking about was what I’d pack. (After I calmed down from panicking about getting ready to wear a bikini!) 

My first thought was “Oh, I should get a new sundress to wear sightseeing/out to dinner.” I actually have a lot of summer dresses, but I was hard at work thinking of reasons why I needed a new one. 

But then the weather started getting nicer, and I was out and about professionally more and more, I found myself in the scenario I described in the very beginning. (Ok, the convo bubble wasn’t 100% empty, but still…) 

I quickly began to notice I was in a rut with my professional clothing. Admittedly my style has gotten a little more casual the last few years, so I’d been buying more casual clothes.

 I hadn’t done a BIG update on my professional clothes  for a while and I was getting a little bored with my outfits. 

So I did a little planning and bought some new things I’m really excited about. Stay tuned for a blog post where I’ll reveal my new purchases. 

NOTE: Shopping isn’t always  the answer to get out of your style rut. 

As much as I know you’re thrilled to find out I get in a few ruts from time to time, I want to give you some tangible tips to figure out if you’re in a wardrobe rut and how you can get out of it. 

There are LOTS of reasons you could be in a style rut, but I’ve distilled it down to 3 that I often see in my clients’ closets. 

3 Clues You’re In a Style Rut…And how to get out

Style Rut #1: You don’t have the right clothes in your closet  

This was my case—I had plenty of casual clothes, but I realized I didn’t have enough workwear that was updated for my needs and personal style.

 It’s easy to get an overload of clothes you like to buy. Then you end up with a big hole in a category of clothes you need. 

There’s also a chance you might have plenty of fun clothes, but you either don’t have basics or your basics aren’t fitting quite right or perhaps they’ve simply expired…(i.e. spots, pills, snags, etc.) 

And if you’re anything like me, you’ll agree that basics aren’t that much fun to shop for, BUT your wardrobe just won’t work without them. 

While a closet edit can really help you see what you have and what you need, sometimes simply organizing and assessing your lifestyle and needs can help get you out of your style rut. 

And other times you do need to shop to be able to get dressed with ease and feel super confident! 

Style Rut #2: You haven’t edited your closet in a really long time. 

Yes, I know…it’s not that much fun to edit your closet. (Well, it’s what I do for a living and it brings me a lot of joy to help you edit your closet and up level your life.) 

But there are times even I have to get psyched to do mine. (Um, it was kind of on my to do list today, but I’m writing this blog post instead, lol!) 

Here’s the thing…when you have a lot of clothes in your closet, it tricks your mind into thinking you have a lot to wear. 

It’s okay to have just a few clothes that are versatile, fit you well and you’re super excited to wear! 

Style Rut #3: You don’t shop your closet for new ways to wear your clothes

If you’re only wearing each piece of clothing ONE way, it’s easy to get bored. 

However, if you have enough clothes to: 

• fill your lifestyle needs,
• fit and flatter you and 
• you love them all…

You should be able to come up with lots of outfits…you simply need to take some time to create them and possibly you just need some inspiration. 

Here are a couple of ways to find inspiration: 

1. Check out my outfit ideas on my Goodpix site. Scroll through until you see and outfit that catches your eye. Then think about how you can recreate the outfit in your closet.
2.  Use Pinterest. Even if you never pin just for fun, Pinterest can be a really useful tool. For example, let’s say you have a pair of beautiful navy pants you love, but you’re sick of only wearing them with their matching suit jacket or a white blouse. Simply type “Navy pants ideas” in the search bar, and voila, 100’s of ideas are right at your finger tips! 

There’re lots and lots of reasons you might find yourself frustrated and bored with your wardrobe, but if you follow the tips in this blog, you’ll be well on your way to soaring out of your style rut! 

If all of this sounds overwhelming, you don’t know where to start or you simply don’t have the time, I’m here to help! 

It’s quicker and way more fun with a style expert helping you!