Have you heard people say, “instead of going shopping, shop your closet?” (You might have heard it from me!) But then you go into your closet & think, “now what?”
So, here’s a quick reframe. Instead of ‘shopping your closet’, approach it like ‘playing in your closet.’ Because I think the notion of play allows for more creativity. It gives you permission to just try things out - some may work, some may not. And it focuses more on the feeling of enjoyment, rather than just the end goal of great outfits. (Not to confuse you - the goal is still great outfits. But you’ll be open to more new ideas if you stop thinking, “this has to be a great outfit” & start thinking, “let’s put these things together & see what happens.”)
I had styling sessions with two clients recently, with the priority of creating new outfits with what they already had in their closets. And I used some specific strategies that I realized I hadn’t expressly shared before. So, here are three (mostly) new ideas that you can use to create outfits with what you already have - for work, hanging out with the family, date night & girls night (and for anything else). Or as I often refer to it - here’s how to play in your closet.
ONE PAIR OF PANTS & 5 TOPS
One thing I did with both of these clients was have them put on a pair of pants - and then try on a succession of tops (and third pieces). One client wanted different outfits with a pair of olive trousers, the other wanted ideas for barrel leg jeans. So, I handed them different tops to put on with the bottoms - and then we added jackets & blazers to see what worked. And (of course) we didn’t hit the target every time - but we did discover outfits & ideas that they never would have tried before. And we also noted consistencies regarding silhouettes of tops, lengths of jackets, etc.
And you can do this with anything you want. Start with one pair of pants & five tops. Or one top & five pairs of pants. Or a skirt & top with five different jackets. (Check out 10 outfits I created with one pair of jeans & a white t.) You can focus on something you wear all the time (to get new ideas) or something that’s more difficult to outfit. It’s totally up to you…
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