Sure, “makin’ a list” sounds like a holiday reference! And yes, I couldn’t survive this holiday season without my list of all the gift ideas I have and if they were bought or not.

As valuable as gift lists are, what I’m talking about here is your shopping list. I confess—before I learned all this image/wardrobe stuff, I went shopping without any kind of list or plan. And just to be even more transparent, I shopped a lot when I was single. (I guess I was hoping to meet prince charming at the mall, lol!)

I’d walk into a store, browse around a few minutes and then get serious. It was at the “serious” juncture that my mind went absolutely blank in terms of what I needed or what I already had in my closet.

What ended up happening is that I wracked my brain as best as I could and still couldn’t’ remember, so I either bought random pieces that I knew would go with black pants (ah, correction-I remembered one thing!) Or I bought outfits. The final result was either blah (well, okay, not that blah) or outfits that didn’t have any mix and match possibilities.

I had a lot of  great clothes, and it was still hard to

get dressed!

After I took image consulting training  and learned about wardrobe planning,  I now make clothes shopping lists. I start compiling them when I do my seasonal closet switch-a-roo and then I’ll add to it as I think of things I’ve seen that I want or I identify a hole in my closet. Below is my shopping list. You can see I use notes on my phone, but you can use any app that works for you, and since you always have your phone, you always have your list!

 

I know! My shopping list is just a little boring, huh? But let’s set something straight…I’ve deleted the more fun things I’ve bought (um, so I don’t buy more of it…) For example, after searching for some sweaters for what feels like a couple of years, I finally found 2 casual sweaters, 1 work/casual sweater and 1 date sweater. (Bonus: 3 of the 4 I got at the Rack at an amazing discount.) The 4^th was this one that was on a holiday sale. Somehow, I get into a bit of a spending frenzy for myself as I’m holiday shopping. You know, “one for me, one for you.” (It’s actually not that bad!)

Last but not least, you should know that you don’t have to find everything on your shopping list in one season. If you don’t find the perfect item, so be it. I don’t believe in settling. For example, I’ve had black pumps on my list for about 4 years! (Seriously, it shouldn’t be that hard but me feet have gotten quite fussy over the last several years.) Luckily, I have better luck shopping for my clients than myself.

Don’t settle!

I truly believe that to have a wardrobe that really works for you, it’s important to edit your closet and create a shopping list of your wardrobe needs. I mean you wouldn’t go to the grocery store without a list, would you?