6 Reasons why you have a closet full of clothes, but nothing to wear

How many times have you just stared at your closet and said to yourself “I have nothing to wear”, even though your closet is full of clothes?  Why is this?

There are many reasons why this happens and it can be frustrating when you’re trying to find the perfect outfit for a special occasion. Here are my top 6 reasons why you might have a closet full of clothes with nothing to wear and tips on how to fix the issue.

1. Your closet is disorganized. This is a big one in my book as it helps with some of the other reasons listed below.  How many times have you looked for your favorite tank top only to find it buried in between two chunky sweaters?  This is probably because you have closet chaos going on.  Short sleeve tops mixed in with jeans or skirts mixed in with your winter jackets.  If this sounds like you, then you definitely need to organize your closet.  This may not sound fun and might take a little bit of time so why not grab a glass of wine and have some fun with it.  Trust me, you’ll love it when it’s all organized and you can actually find what you’re looking for.  You can start out with small things like categorizing your closet.  Categorize by tanks, short sleeves, tees, long sleeves, jeans, skirts, etc.  Maybe take all those chunky sweaters you’re not wearing right now because it’s too hot outside and fold them neatly to stash them away. Get rid of clothes that you no longer wear because they are damaged or you know you’re not going to wear again.  You can even color coordinate your categories but let’s not go too crazy if you’re not really in to organizing.  Categorizing your closet can help you to see what you actually have, what you’re missing, and how much is similar.  Sometimes we tend to buy the same thing over and over and forget about actually putting outfits together with what we buy.

2. Clothes no longer fit your lifestyle or body type. You might be holding onto clothes from when you used to go out clubbing with your girlfriend but now, you’re a little older or you’re married and have kids and no longer going out in the club scene.  If you still have those apple bottom jeans and the boots with the fur you wore, girl, get rid of them if you know they no longer fit your lifestyle.  If you have clothes that you haven’t worn in a year or maybe even two years, get rid of them.  There’s a reason why you’re not wearing them and they are just taking up space in your closet.  The same thing goes for clothes that don’t fit you anymore.  Take the time to try things on.  Pretend you are pretty woman walking down Rodeo Drive and trying on clothes in fancy boutiques.  Figure out what still fits and what doesn’t.  For the clothes that don’t fit you anymore, reevaluate why you’re keeping them.  For example, maybe you want to lose weight and you’re holding on to a dress that is a couple sizes too small.  I’m 100% all for being healthy and having motivation to lose that weight.  I will even be your cheerleader to help keep you accountable but if you’re still looking at those clothes a year or two later and you haven’t done anything to try and lose the weight, then it might be time to get rid of them.  Donate what you can or if you’re keeping something because you spent a lot of money on and don’t want to give it up, try selling it.  There are many places now where you can sell your clothes online or sell to a resale/consignment store. 

3. You’re missing staple pieces. Staple pieces are basically the foundation of every outfit.  Timeless pieces that can go from day to night, week to weekend.  These are items that you might want to spend a little bit more for quality because you’ll get the most wear out of them. Some of my favorite staple pieces are a great fitting black blazer, a basic neutral colored cardigan, a striped v-neck tee, and an awesome fitting pair of comfy jeans.  Other staple items include a neutral flat shoe, pair of black heels, or a little black dress.  These are items that can be layered and interchangeable.  Easy to mix and match and create easy, effortless outfits but still look chic and put together.

4. Your closet has a missing gap. You might find as you look through your closet that you have sleeveless, statement blouses that you never wear.  They are blouses that are perfect for your office wardrobe but as you dig a little deeper into why you’re not wearing them, you discover that you are always freezing in the office and you don’t have a basic cardigan to wear over them.  Or you have a beautiful floral dress that you want to wear to a wedding but just don’t have a great neutral heel to wear.  This all comes back to having staple pieces in your closet.  Having this simple addition helps with being able to wear some of those clothes you haven’t worn in a while.

5. You’re not sure how to put outfits together. Wouldn’t it be nice to have Cher’s closet from the movie Clueless and with just a click of a button you have your outfit prepared and ready to go.  That would be AMAZING!  I think the easiest way to start building outfits is to start with those staples pieces I mentioned earlier.  These pieces of clothing are usually interchangeable and create so many different options.  For example, start with your favorite skinny jean, a solid v-neck tee, a blazer, and add your favorite sneakers.  Easy and so chic.  Then maybe you can start looking at adding trendy or statement pieces.  Start out with your favorite statement piece and build around that.  Say you have a snake print jogger pant that you want to wear out to dinner.  Find one of your basic tops such as a black cami or maybe a solid colored blouse and pair with a comfortable pair of black heels.  Add a little bit of accessories and have fun with it.  It’s really about finding those outfits you feel comfortable in and experimenting a little. Take note of those outfits or maybe take selfies of you wearing them so that you remember what you like to pair with each other. I can go into more detail on this topic but we will save it for another post.

6. You’re not giving yourself enough time to get ready. You’re in a hurry meeting up with your best friend for lunch. Panic mode sets in and you just grab the same thing that you always wear.  For me that’s a graphic tee and distressed jeans. But sometimes, you might actually want to dress up for an occasion.  You need to start giving yourself more time to get ready.  Maybe that means creating outfits the night before or making sure the clothes you want to wear are ironed or pressed.  I’m sure you have many blouses in your closet right now that could use a steamer….I know I do.  Having those done before hand will make life so much easier when needing to rush to find an outfit.  Your outfit has a lot to do with how you feel that day, so why not spend the time to get it ready that way you’ll feel confident throughout the day and feel like the pretty lady you are!

I could go on and on with some of these subjects but I think my best advice for the next time you are on a shopping spree is to have a plan.  Ask yourself some of these questions to avoid having closet full of clothes, with nothing to wear.  Ask yourself, can I build more than one outfit with this? Will this fill a gap in my wardrobe? Does this fit me properly and does it fit my lifestyle?  These are some tips to remember the next time you’re out and about.

I hope these tips help for the next time you’re searching through your closet.  I hope you’re able to say to yourself “dang, I love my wardrobe and have so many options”. HAHA  I would love to hear your thoughts.  Feel free to comment or send me an email at info@homegrownheartsfl.com if you need any advice or any questions you might have.  Need help with putting outfits together, I got you!