Now that I’ve tried on a bunch of clothes and know what looks good on me, I can start creating a plan for my closet rehaul. I did a closet clean-out where I evaluated all of my clothes and sorted them into 5 categories: donate, repair, tailor, temporary hold, and keep.
This allowed me to see obvious gaps in my closet - not enough basics or solids! At the same time it allowed me to see what I already owned enough of. I have dresses, patterned skirts, and patterned button-downs galore. This was a good exercise for me because I am a sucker for a cute, patterned dress and will get them in a heartbeat if they’re on sale. It is now clear: no more dresses!
Lifestyle Analysis
I took a look at my current lifestyle and what clothes I already have for those activities. It’s a bit strange doing this in lockdown since I’m at home ALL THE TIME, so there is really no need to build up a going out wardrobe ASAP. However, we won’t be stuck at home for the rest of our lives, so I accounted for that in my ideal wardrobe.
Ideal wardrobe composition
Current state of my wardrobe
Currently, my wardrobe supports this kind of lifestyle:
Knowing this, I definitely added a few comfort/lounge wear pieces to my 2020 wardrobe!
Closet Composition
It is all about a balance of key pieces, statement pieces, and basics.
Key pieces really signify the essence of your style and you can wear in lots of different ways. The perfect key pieces for your style are neither particularly bold nor plain but smack-dab in the middle of what you consider dressed up versus dressed down.
Statement pieces add variety to your looks and help you express different facets of your style. Statement pieces don’t have to be quite as mixable as the rest of your wardrobe, but as a rule of thumb, each piece should still work as part of at least three different outfits.
Basics balance out bolder pieces and give the rest of your pieces a neutral backdrop. Your basics’ job is to support and balance out the rest of your pieces. They can tone down a bold look and give other pieces a neutral foundation to stand on. And they can also be used to fill in any gaps (for example, when you know your statement dress will run the show for the night but you still need a pair of shoes to wear).
I’m already highly aware that my closet contains way too many statement pieces and not enough key or basics pieces. This is what I am going to stock up on first.
Color Palette
This was one of my favorite exercises to do! I LOVE color both in my wardrobe and in my home. But I had to think long and hard about what colors I want to wear and are most mixable. Here’s what I came up with:
I noticed that I like to wear accent + neutral colors in the spring/summer and main + neutral colors in the fall/winter. I hardly ever mix accent + main colors. This just my personal preference. Ideally, your entire color palette should mix and match.
Make a Shopping List
One more step before hitting the stores! I made a detailed list of every single item that’s missing from my wardrobe. These were my guidelines:
Prioritize pieces that really signify your personal style and that you can wear in lots of different ways:
- Key pieces (over basics and statement pieces)
- Pieces in main colors (over accent colors, neutrals, or colors that are not a part of your color palette)
- Pieces that are a part of one of your outfit formulas (over pieces that aren’t)
Prioritize pieces that fill a big gap over pieces similar to what you already own:
- Pieces for activities and occasions that are currently underrepresented in your closet
- Pieces in colors that are missing from your wardrobe (over ones in a color already represented by a couple of items in your closet)
- Pieces for outfit formula ingredients you don’t own, or have only one of (over pieces you already own a couple of)
I won’t reveal my entire shopping list since that would ruin the surprise! But I will say that I’m 90% of the way done filling out my fall/winter wardrobe. I love choosing outfits now, and I feel like a boss bitch when I wear them!
The next step is now revamping my summer clothes…and repeat this cycle all over again 
However, this should be an easier/smaller effort since I already have so many skirts and dresses. Once again, casual/lounge wear is what I’m missing! But since I love shopping, I think I will enjoy being “on the hunt” for just the piece in these next few months.
I learned all this and more from the book The Curated Closet. Buy The Curated Closet on Amazon.
Have you tried any of these methods to upgrade your wardrobe? How were the results?
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