Have you been wearing basically the same thing for the past few months? You know what I mean, right? When you were heading to the office and hanging out with friends, you were pretty good at wearing different styles from your closet – a cute top and jeans for business casual, easy dresses for summer weekends and your favorite sneakers for running around with the kids. But since you’ve been home (for what feels like forever), you’ve been in a ‘quarantine style rut’ – your Mon-Fri is spent in leggings with Zoom-appropriate tops and for weekends, you transition to sweatpants. You’re wearing the same things over and over and over, and essentially ignoring 95% of your closet.
Well, I’ve got news for you - it’s time to break out of your quarantine style rut. Whether you’re venturing out more (socially distanced and wearing a mask), heading back to the office or you’re just tired of not liking how you look in clothes, it’s time to wear something else. But if you’re overwhelmed by stepping into your entire closet every day or just need ideas on how to get dressed again, check out my 7 steps to enjoying more of what’s in your wardrobe and breaking out of your style rut.
PICK SOMETHING OUT
Yes, it’s that simple! Go into your closet and pick out a handful of things that you’d like to start wearing again. Cute blouses that haven’t seen the light of day for months, dresses that you grab every summer (but haven’t touched this season), sandals that are normally your weekend go-to’s, etc. Don’t worry yet about how you’re going to wear everything – just shop your closet and rediscover your favorites.
Accessories I pulled out prior to creating outfits for my client
PUT IT SOMEWHERE VISIBLE
After you’ve selected some of the things you miss wearing most, you need to make sure you see them often – so put them somewhere visible. You can use a valet hook in your closet or a coat rack in your bedroom, or even just a designated section on the hangbar in your closet. The idea is to place these things in a location where you won’t forget to put them back into regular rotation.
MAKE AN OUTFIT
One of the biggest stumbling blocks I hear from clients about wearing certain pieces is that they’re not sure how to outfit them. You stand in front of your closet in the morning, contemplate a super cute top and then toss it aside, since it’s too hard to figure out an outfit in the 2 minutes you have to get dressed – this is what I call ‘outfit paralysis’. The best way to deal with outfit paralysis is to create outfits with these pieces before you need to get dressed. So, take a half hour, grab a few of your most-loved styles and make (and photograph!) a few different outfits. And if you need a little inspiration on creating outfits with rarely worn pieces, read this.
DECIDE TO WEAR IT
Another seemingly simple notion, but it’s one that can trip you up. Everyone’s done it – you always think that you want to wear more dresses, but when you’re standing in front of your closet in the morning, you never seem to grab one. So, it’s time to just decide and commit to it.
A fun practice that I’ve done with many clients is selecting one day a week to wear something specific. I refer to it as ‘dress Thursdays’ – the decision to wear a dress every Thursday. For you, it may be ‘silk blouse Tuesdays’ or ‘real pants Mondays’. But whatever it is, making the decision gets you much further along on the path to getting out of a style rut than just a general intention. Click here for other ideas on wearing things that you don’t naturally gravitate to.
Business casual & weekend outfits I created for my client
BE OKAY WITH COSTUME CHANGES
Let’s be realistic – you’ve been working from home more than ever before and that may not be changing soon. So, instead of getting dressed in the morning for your entire day, be okay with ‘costume changes’. What I mean by that is being comfortable with changing your top at some point in the day or updating your outfit once you’re done with Zoom calls.
I know many people who prefer to get dressed in the morning for their entire day. When you know you’ll be taking a walk before dinner, you may put on your athleisure gear first thing in the morning. But that doesn’t support breaking out of your rut. So, while you’re at home, be okay with the idea of putting on a top for your daily video calls and then changing it before your afternoon workout. Or update your outfit from your 9 to 5 style into evening lounge clothes. Getting dressed for different parts of your day allows you to be more occasion-specific with your style, rather than defaulting to at-home cozy 24/7 (and it also helps shift your mindset from work mode to relaxing).
SET ASIDE TIME TO GET DRESSED
Giving yourself the time to be happy with your reflection in the mirror is a form of self-care (read more about self-care with your wardrobe here). And it also supports getting out of a style rut. Devoting just 5 more minutes to figuring out what to wear will help you enjoy more of what’s in your closet – and it also can have a huge impact on how you feel about yourself during the day.
Inspiration from one of my style mood boards
FIND INSPIRATION
If you’re truly at a loss in venturing out of your quarantine style rut, it’s time to find some inspiration. Check out a few of your favorite bloggers (discover a few of my favorite style bloggers here) or scroll your Instagram feed to find outfit inspiration that you may be able to achieve with what’s already in your closet. And if you enjoy Pinterest, read this article for how I guide clients to create their own inspiration style board.
Are you ready to get out of your quarantine style rut, but you’d like a partner in the process? Click here to discover the different ways we can work together – we can define your style, clean out your closet, shop strategically to fill your wardrobe gaps and I can create outfits that support your goals and make you feel great when you look in the mirror.