You find a really great jacket.
The color is fantastic. It fits like a dream.
You can imagine wearing it to meetings, dinners…maybe you’ll take it on your next work trip.
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And six months later, there it is…still hanging in your closet…With.Tags.On. 😬
If you cringed and thought, “Ooh, I have a jacket and a cute top with tags,” you’re not alone.
There are plenty of reasons for ending up with unworn clothes in your closet, but here's one I see all the time with my clients:
We shop for individual pieces without always thinking through how they’ll become complete outfits.
This doesn't mean you need to BUY an entire outfit every time you shop. You may already own everything you need,
But if one important piece is missing, a fantastic jacket, pair of pants or dress can spend a whole lot of time just hanging around looking pretty.
Why do good clothes go unworn?
We find a blazer. A pair of pants. A dress. A cute top. Or a great pair of shoes.
We try the piece on; it fits…Yay! Sold!
But once we get it home, reality sets in.
- Maybe the jacket needs a top underneath it, but everything you own has the wrong neckline.
- Maybe the pants are great, but the shoes you normally wear aren't the right heel height.
- Maybe you bought the dress thinking, “I can wear this to work,” but you forgot your office thermometer is set to “Arctic” and none of your jackets or sweaters look right over it. 🥶
The individual piece may be great. But without the right pieces to wear WITH it, you still don't have an outfit.
And that's how some really good clothes end up barely being worn.
The missing piece may already be in your closet
This is why I don't assume an unworn piece means my client needs to go shopping.
When I see something good hanging unworn in a client's closet, I want to know WHY.
- Which shoes work with it?
- Do you need a layer over that cute sleeveless dress with the pockets?
- Can you wear it with two or three things you already own? (And of course, I often see the pieces that'll make a complete outfit right in your closet.)
- OR do you even like it well enough for us to go on a small scavenger hunt just to make ONE outfit? (Don't get me wrong—I'm in if you are!)
Often a wardrobe STAR that's barely—or not at all—being worn is actually just one supporting player away from becoming incredibly useful!
Think in complete outfits before you buy more clothes
Once we know what my client already owns, and what's keeping those unworn or barely worn clothes from becoming outfits, the shopping list gets much more specific.
Instead of simply adding more clothes, the strategic shopping list might look:
- The perfect, COMFORTABLE shoe that makes four pairs of pants work.
- A beautiful, quality blouse that works under two jackets AND with the fabulous orphaned skirt.
- Two complete outfits for networking.
- A small travel capsule that works together in different combinations.
Now we know what we're trying to accomplish before we add more stuff.
And that can make for a very different shopping list.
A wardrobe works better when the pieces work together
I had lunch with a client the other day who told me:
“I get so many compliments, and they’re never about my pieces. It’s always, ‘You look so put together!’”
In my book, that’s the best compliment ever!
I don't want my clients to simply have a full closet. I want them to have complete outfits they can actually wear for the meetings, dinners, travel, networking, events and everyday life that are really on their calendars.
Pulling all of those pieces together, and figuring out what's missing when they DON'T come together, is one of my favorite parts of what I do.
If you'd like help figuring out why your wardrobe isn't working as well as you'd like it to, let's have a Style Chat. We can talk about what's going on in your closet and whether working together makes sense.