When I have the first conversation with my clients, many of them usually confess that they have a wardrobe or several wardrobes at home that are dedicated to their clothes, but they do not have anything to wear in the mornings.
In most cases, the accumulation of a large amount of clothes is due to the fact that for years they have been buying fast fashion and consuming trends that now are no longer fashionable or that they have realised were not for them. So they feel their clothes do not represent them or that even though they have a lot, they do not know how to combine them or when to wear them.
When this happens, the first thing I do is recommend my clients to do a wardrobe review. We can do this experience together, guiding you through the process of understanding when a garment or accessory should stay in your wardrobe or should go, or you can do it yourself.
The wardrobe edit is necessary to do it before you continue shopping because you will often find clothes you didn't even know existed, and maybe they can reduce a lot of the clothes you need to buy new.
If you feel that you have too many clothes in your closets and do not know what to wear anymore, you will probably be excited to hear that there is a simple solution to your problem, which is to reduce the number of clothes you own.
This is part of the 5 R's of fashion (reduce, re-wear, recycle, repair and resell). Buying fewer clothes will not only help you be more environmentally conscious and sustainable. But you will also find yourself happier because you will have better control over your closet, and you will be able to enjoy wearing all.
WHY DO WE BUY CLOTHES WE DON'T NEED?
We have grown up in a society of frenetic consumption, and we think buying clothes monthly or weekly is normal. We are in a world of social media that constantly bombards us with the latest trends that have come on the market, creating needs that we do not have, this does not promote the reduction of consumption, but on the contrary, it encourages it.
Seeing influencers with new clothes every day makes us think that this is normality and that we must follow these steps. The same happens when we repeat clothes, we often feel that we can not be seen in the office or when we go to dinner with friends in the same clothes, but this is a big mistake. The clothes are there to be used many times, that's why when we add clothes to our closet it would be ideal if we could combine them with as many clothes as possible, this way we will use them more, and we will have a lower cost per garment.
ARE YOU AN IMPULSE BUYING PERSON?
The first thing is to know if you are an impulse buying person; these are some of the phrases that indicate that you buy clothes compulsively:
"I have a wardrobe full of clothes, but I always wear the same thing."
"I don't know how to combine the clothes I have in my wardrobe, and I end up wear jeans and a T-shirt."
"I would like to dare to wear the trendy clothes I have in my wardrobe, but I can't find the occasion."
"I have a lot of clothes, but I don't know how to combine them."
If some of these sentences sound familiar to you, I'm sure you find yourself justifying your purchases for these other reasons:
because something is trendy
because you have seen it on someone and you liked it
because you had a special dinner
because you had nothing to wear
because it was a bargain and you couldn't resist the opportunity
because you were walking around the shop looking at the new items, and it caught your attention
If you have identified with two or more of these phrases, we can confirm that you buy impulsively, but don't worry, it happened to me too, and I learned to correct my consumption habits.
HOW TO STOP YOURSELF FROM IMPULSE BUYING?
There are a few tricks that will help you stop shopping compulsively. Initially, because you have had this habit for a long time, it will be complicated to carry it out, but I am sure you will gradually reduce your consumption of clothes and stop filling your wardrobe with things you don't wear.
1- Remove clothing apps from your phone
To avoid online shopping, start by deleting the clothes brand apps you have on your mobile phone. We spend a lot of time looking at what's new in the shops every week, and in the end, it's almost impossible with how easy they make it with just a couple of clicks not to buy what we liked so much.
One of the big problems with online shopping is that when we receive the garments, we realise most of them don't suit us. You probably liked it on the web when you saw it on the model, but you have to take into account that models do not always have the same silhouette as our body, so the product will not look the same on you as it does on her.
Also, the photos we see online are not always honest. When they do photo shoots, they use stylistic tools to adjust the clothes and make everything looks perfect, but this is not the reality. Not to mention photoshop, which, as we all know, can retouch anything we can imagine.
When we order clothes and find they do not fit us, we begin a process of frustration, often thinking that our body does not fit into the clothes on the market, but this is not true. I always say the clothes today are made for everyone and at the same time for no one because it is challenging to find a garment that fits perfectly without having to make alterations.
In short, online shopping has good things like saving us time from going to the stores, but also bad things, like the time you invest in return the clothes that do not fit properly. We all lead busy lives, so there are times when we forget to return the product and end up in the closet with the labels on and knowing that we will not use it.
2- Make a list of items you need
Another way to end the problem of impulse buying is to make a list of items that you really need. This way, when you go to the stores or shop online, you won't have to look at all the products in the stores; just focus on the pieces you are looking for.
Forget about going to the stores as a trend hunter, don't just go "to see what you find" because I'm sure you will end up finding it, but in the end, it will be just another impulse buy, and you won't get the most out of the garment.
3- Wait to buy
Sometimes we go into a store and see something we like so much that we can't resist not buying it. I encourage you not to buy it at that moment, take reference of the product just in case you decide to buy it later, but first think about it for a few days. You can think about it for 24 hours, a week, or a month; it's up to you.
After this time, think if you need it and if it will solve part of your outfits. If the answer is yes, go for it; if the answer is no, you will have saved some money by not making a compulsive purchase.
4- 3 items combination rule
And finally, the last trick that works when it comes to improving your fashion consumption habits is once you know you are going to buy a garment, shoes, bag or accessory, go through your closet mentally and find at least three other garments with which you can combine this new one. If you don't have things in your closet to mix and match them with, don't buy them and save that money for something you need later.
I hope you find these tips helpful for your next shopping and that you discovered how to have a sustainable closet and eliminate the feeling of not knowing what to wear in the mornings. But if you still need some help, I will be glad to help you!