Sale PSA: A slim rib tee from Theory, now 40% off, a very cute prep shirt from Everlane, now $55, and a great oversize blazer from Uniqlo U, now just $60.
I recently read this piece via the NYT, about how to reboot your closet. I was going to save it for a weekend update, but then something kind of bothered me about it, so I read it again, and then again.
And then I thought about it. I suppose what ultimately jarred me about the piece was I thought it really didn’t say anything – the advice was to a) add color and b) get some classic white shirts. Which is advice, I know! But I guess I’ve heard it before. But also, Vanessa Friedman is one of my favorite fashion writers, and as someone who has been blogging for over ten years I do very much sympathize with the fact that at some point, you just run out of new things to say about clothes.
I have been in a closet rut (which is why I read the article). And that’s also why I read the piece again, and again. And now I’m thinking that maybe I’m just meant to be in the rut for a while, and the solution is to get more creative all the many things I already have. I always say I want a routine but once I get to that point why do I feel like I’m in a “rut”? Maybe it’s just part of the closet evolution process. That and all the various calamities we are seeking distraction from.
I would really like your thoughts. What has truly, truly worked for you when in a “rut”?
12 Comments
Jaime Stephens
April 25, 2022 at 9:58 amI have worked both for The Color Association of the United States and as Executive Director of Color Marketing Group, the arbiter (or some say color mafia!) of what colors are out and in in the marketplace. My personal opinion is that less is more and if one has too many choices, it’s much more difficult to get dressed or pull an outfit together. I agree!!! A well curated closet is much easier!
Anonymous
April 25, 2022 at 11:36 amI switch between genres, like if I am in a rut with business casual I’d switch to yoga aficionado and once that feels like a rut I might switch to bohemian and then back. The perks of working from home is I define my own dress code.
Enjoying my clothes too!
April 25, 2022 at 1:42 pmI think you’re right! You’re not in a rut; you’ve got a wardrobe that works. I agree you should stop second guessing yourself. Enjoy what you’ve got for as long as you enjoy it and it works for you. The only thing I’d consider changing is swapping out things your husband hates, like ponchos and harem pants, if and when you find more aesthetic pieces that function in their place.
Doni
April 25, 2022 at 5:13 pmI recently had a consultation with House of Colour. So fun! Check them out on Instagram. I went home with knowledge on how to edit my closet for my specific color palette and style.
Lara
April 25, 2022 at 10:43 pmI’m in such a rut now. I’m 34 weeks pregnant and have gained more weight this pregnancy than my 1st and have very few clothes that fit. I also don’t want to buy a lot of maternity clothes at this point because I won’t wear them for long. I’m debating trying tent the runway. But I don’t if it’s worth it. I can’t wait to deliver and go through my closet. I need to purge but I have such a hard time. Then I think I’ll try to figure out what types of items I need (cardigans, tees, pants, etc). I’m also planning to take an extended amount of time off work so my wardrobe needs will be shifting. Pre-pregnancy if I was in a rut, I’d take a month off shopping to try to see what I was reaching for and what I needed to buy. Rather than just rely on impulse purchases
Groupthink7
April 26, 2022 at 11:35 amNo you are not in a rut. I think we hold clothing up to be this magical area where all of your dreams can come true. Fashion is a big part of fantasy that has ballooned beyond its purpose of being functional. It’s just clothing; and it’s primary purpose is to cover our naked bodies. Fashion has been elevated to this high standard of being looked up to, where the standard is not reality. I feel that way. I think what the energy is telling us: enough is enough. Be happy with what you have and make it do what it do. Just some thoughts that I struggle with as well.
Frustrated Fusspot
April 26, 2022 at 12:47 pmObsess over something else instead. Like lingerie! It was a massive rabbit hole I didn’t expect to fall into, but it was a strange and beautiful universe to enter.
Diane W
April 26, 2022 at 6:31 pmMy biggest challenge these days seems to be deciding when to get rid of things that are “perfectly fine” but that I tend to put on and then take off again for no real reason that I can pinpoint. I’ve begun limiting this frustrating habit by putting pieces I do this with aside, after it happens twice. Then they have to go, unless I can honestly say I still really like them….they usually fail that test. I’m not sure where this will go, or end, but I’m finding it a relief to get rid of things I’m not wearing.
Elaine
April 26, 2022 at 9:19 pmWhenever I feel like I’m in a style rut, I do a 10×10 challenge: pick 10 items of clothing and make 10 different outfit over 10 days. By day 9, I start coming up with some combos I normally wouldn’t have thought of. Also after 10 days with the same clothes, dipping back into my whole wardrobe is a joy.
A.S.
April 27, 2022 at 10:15 amI think the article might bother you because the advice is just not that great (which is indeed surprising coming from VF). Adding a “pop of color” with a T shirt doesn’t revitalize anyone’s clothes. I like Amy Smilovic’s advice about brights and pastels: they need to be icky glossy or sculptural. I’ve gotten a lot more wear out of color since thinking about it that way.
Long time listener, first time caller
May 2, 2022 at 3:26 amI recently realised I’ve successfully built a closet full of warm neutrals (camels, chocolate browns, burgundys, deep inky blue blue) that are super high quality and in fabrics and cuts I love. But I’ve bought practically no cool tones neutrals (light greys, bone, cooler oranges, cobalt or cerulean blues). And so I’ve been been buying and wearing those once a week — and it feels soo good.
Warmer, deeper tones and more pensive looks are what I continue to love viscerally. But I am enjoying the “lightness” that adding a cooler toned outfit once a week has brought!
Kat
May 2, 2022 at 9:24 amThis is interesting! I’ve never tried that. And love the name 🙂