Top 3 Closet Problems Holding you Back from Dressing your Best

Is your closet a well-oiled machine, churning out perfect outfit after perfect outfit? Or do you start most mornings staring blankly into the void thinking “I have nothing to wear!” 

In this article, I’m going through the three closet problems that I see most frequently. 

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If you’re new here, I’m Missy of Simplified Wardrobe, an Ethical Personal Stylist & Capsule Wardrobe Curator. I help ambitious, eco-conscious womxn who want to look great, feel confident, and simplify their lives.

Find more information about personal style, capsule wardrobes, and color analysis over on Instagram. You can also download my free 10-page Guide to Defining your Personal Style.

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You might think the state of your closet doesn’t make a difference, but how you get dressed in the morning sets the tone for your whole day.

Whether you start the morning frazzled, stressed, and disheveled, in an outfit that doesn’t do anything for you or calm, prepared, and put together in an outfit that makes you feel confident and powerful depends on the state of your closet. 

Here are three of the most common problems I see in client’s closets that keep them from dressing their best.

Closet Problem 1: No Organization

First things first, it’s really hard to get dressed easily and without stress if you can’t see what you have to work with. If all your clothes are mixed together and not sorted by type, color, or season, you have a closet organization problem.

The fix here is pretty easy: you need to get organized!

First, you want to remove any out of season items and store them out of sight, either in your garage, in a guest room closet, or if you don’t have that much space, in storage containers under the bed or in your closet in the back or on a high shelf. 

If you have the option, it’s better to be able to see all of your clothes either hanging or on shelves if you want to get the most out of your wardrobe. Out of sight, out of mind. The items we don’t see are the ones that we don’t wear. 

You would be shocked at the number of clients I’ve had who rediscover items of clothing they haven’t seen in years during a closet cleanse session. 

That’s why staying organized is so important so that you struggle to find the exact top you’re looking for or forget about your clothing all together. 

Closet Problem 2: Too Much Stuff

If your closet is packed to the gills and you still struggle to put together an outfit, you have too much stuff. 

Usually, when you feel like you have nothing to wear, a lot of people try to remedy it by going out and buying more clothes. You feel great in your new clothes for a week or two, but then you inevitably end up in the same position a few weeks later. 

This is because of a social psychology principal called the Paradox of Choice. The more choices you have, the more difficult it becomes to make any choice at all.

And what’s worse: as the number of choices grows, you become less satisfied with your options and you’re more likely to be dissatisfied with the decision once you make it. That means, the more clothes you have, the less happy you are with any outfit you put together.

Not only that, but most women only wear 10% of what’s in their closet anyway. 10%!!

So it’s not just that there’s too many options, there’s also a lot of wrong stuff: stuff that doesn’t fit, stuff that doesn’t look good, or stuff you don’t even like, stuffed into your closet, taking up space, and blocking you from seeing the pieces you do love.

And of course, having too many clothes easily exacerbates the organization problem, creating a vicious cycle.

Cut to you standing in front of a packed closet thinking “I have nothing to wear.” 

Closet Problem 3: Wardrobe Holes

The final reason it might be difficult for you to get dressed in the morning is that you have some gaps in your wardrobe. That means that you’re missing some key items that would help you make more outfits. 

This could be something like a basic camisole that you could wear under a blazer, a sweater, or a sheer blouse; or a specific color pant that could be worn with all of your patterned shirts. 

Generally, most people are missing some basics. And listen, I get it. Shopping is a fun way to hang out with friends or a stress reliever after a long day. Its fun rather than a utilitarian duty. I’m even guilty of indulging in a little retail therapy. I know that it’s way more fun to shop for statement pieces and not as much fun to find the perfect navy blue slacks. But it’s very difficult, I would say even impossible, to get dressed with only statement pieces. You need basics to make outfits: they’re really the unsung heroes of the closet. 

A great basic can be worn in many ways, with many different outfits, and mix-and-match with almost everything else you own. 

How to Fix your Closet Problems?

One of the reasons I love Capsule Wardrobes is because they address all of those closet problems, and then some.

• With a Capsule Wardrobes you have fewer items, so you can see everything you have to work with and organization is much easier.

• They cut out the fluff, leaving you with just the hits.

• And because you’re regularly wearing and curating your clothes, you easily identify holes. Capsule Wardrobes are basically designed not to have holes.

There are a lot of other benefits to having a capsule wardrobe, and if you’re interested, read this article all about the basics of capsule wardrobes.

Even if you don’t want to go as far as a capsule wardrobe, maintaining an orderly, curated, and usable closet will help you get dressed every day. If you just can't wait to start getting your closet in order, read this article on the 5 things you can ditch from your closet today.

I’m going to be running a limited Closet Detox Workshop in early September. Find more information and secure your spot here.

Or, if you’d rather schedule a 1-on-1 Closet Cleanse or other Private Styling Service, get in touch.

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