What does Shop Your Wardrobe really mean, and why would you embark on such a thing?
The answer is because it’s the single most effective way to make getting dressed easy, stress free and maintain personal style.
To really get the purpose of this concept, I’m going to start by rephrasing ‘Shop Your Wardrobe’ to ‘Knowing Your Own Wardrobe’. I take full responsibility for how daft this statement initially sounds - I am totally aware that the collection of clothes in your wardrobe are all items you have put there, so why am I even penning the term ‘Know Your Own Wardrobe’, in a manner that suggests you don’t?
Because, my friends, our Wardrobes are tricksy havens, that have developed and evolved with us over numerous seasons, years, milestones, occasions, and lifestyle changes, resulting in unique Tardises of sentiment, necessity, joy, and frustration. Within this hub of frenzy and emotion is our series of garments that have each individually served us for a reason or more, along the time scale of how long it’s taken us to reach today. However, today is not the day you want to be wearing the blouse you wore when you didn’t get to second interview stage, or the dress you wore to a wedding reception, or the jeans you continually wear because you always wear them, and they make you feel boring and frumpy - but you are wearing them anyway, because nothing else in your Tardis is jumping out at you as a better option.
Breathe.
You are stuck in the same outfit rotation and possibly thinking some new clothes are needed but you don’t know what to buy and don’t have any space left in your wardrobe if you were to buy more. This is where ‘Shop Your Wardrobe’ can seamlessly sort it all out and inadvertently organising your Wardrobe, re-discover clothes you love (& no longer desire) and get you to Know Your Own Wardrobe all over again - like new!
How to Shop Your Wardrobe – 30day, 30outfits “The Outfit Selfie Challenge”
It’s simple. Only wear clothes you already own, no purchasing new or pre-loved. Take an “Outfit Selfie” each day, to remind yourself of what you’ve worn. You can mix and match items but ensure each finished outfit combination is different. Think shoes, accessories, jackets, layers to ensure each outfit is different, even if a single item is worn again like favourite jeans, statement coat etc they can be styled in a variety of finished outfit combinations.
The 30day, 30outfit is a guide only. Your lifestyle might require repeating outfits within 30days, like a uniform, sportswear, or functional wear. The underpinning principle is to try and wear much more of your Wardrobe than you currently do. On average we wear 20% of our Wardrobes 80% on the time. If we make the effort to spend 30 days creating outfit combinations that use 80% of our wardrobe, we will re-discover our true style, or recognise change is required to match our wardrobe with our current lifestyle.
The ”Outfit Selfie”
A quick, snap of each daily outfit is accountability that you are Shopping Your Wardrobe. Use a full length mirror or use the front camera and remember to get the entire outfit in. Don’t worry about getting your face in – it’s your clothes that are the subject.
The Outfit Selfie process also has other advantages:
A reason to wear all your clothes and be creative with accessories
Forms a record so you don’t forget new-found outfits
Creates a comparison of looks to help identify your best styles
What if I don’t have 30 different Outfits?
That’s perfectly okay. 30 is just a guide. The objective is to wear ALL your clothes, rather than how many days that takes.
What if I have more than 30 Outfits?
That’s perfectly okay too! You can do more than 30 days, or repeat the challenge, or segment your wardrobe into seasons, work wear, etc.
What if I have clothes I don’t wear or don’t fit me?
The short answer is, if you know you are not going to wear an item, don’t keep it in your wardrobe.
That doesn’t mean you have to get rid of these garments, it just means they don’t need to be clogging up your daily wardrobe. Store them somewhere else. Items you know aren’t going to wear and don’t want to keep in your life, can be sold or donated.
Shop Your Wardrobe Results
The outcome will be a Wardrobe of Outfits, that you wear, with a photo gallery to remind you of all your looks.
This outcome can be used to identify any missing key garments, confirm if you have enough clothes, or too many clothes to handle, and if you like the style of dressing you see in the photos. You can also compare the photos to see what looks you like best and use them as a guide to define your style as you add items to your collection.
Don’t forget to share your “Outfit Selfies” on our social media
Insta: @MYVOSUK
FB: @MYVOS The Sustainable Wardrobe Edit Service
FB Private Group @GetDressed
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