As a fashion blogger, I have a really good idea of what is in my closet. I wear a good portion of my clothing and can easily recognize any gaps in my wardrobe. But how can non-fashiony people have more awareness of their clothes and their wardrobes without becoming a fashion-focused person? Easy do an inventory!
Knowing WHAT you own is the first step to wearing more items in your closet and slowing down your purchasing. I have done closet inventories several ways over the years, you can do a COMPLETE inventory from your sock drawer to your closet or be very specific about which clothes you inventory. For example; only look at the pieces you wear to work or the items you wear when working out.
Your closet inventory can be as in depth or basic as you want it to be.
First, gather all the items you want to inventory. You could do your whole closet, or just do it one drawer at a time. Take them out of the dresser drawer or closet and put them on a rack or on your bed. As you begin to list each item (which we will get to in a second), consider the last time you wore it, does it have any damage, and what you like or don’t like.
Now how to list each item in your inventory is up to you. You can keep a list; on a sheet of paper, you can create an excel sheet, or you can take pictures of each item for a visual databank. I prefer to keep a digital copy, you can do this in excel or as I prefer in my Notion app.
Why go through all the work of having a closet inventory?
You are browsing your favorite brand online and see they are having a sale, and you think, “Oh I’ll see if there is anything I need.” STOP.
Okay, this sounds harmless. But if you don’t know what you ALREADY own, how can you know what you need?
Recently, I was putting outfits together for a post and realized how valuable a par of black flats would be. I have 3 pairs of stylish and versatile flats; red, yellow, and a camel brown. Yes, I can wear the yellow and red when brown doesn’t work but I would like a more polished finishing piece to my look if I could add black flats. Another item, I’ve considered adding to my wardrobe is a felt wool hat. Apparently, when you turn 30 you begin to wear hats, but that is another story. I have so many cute outfit ideas that I could finish with a cool-girl felt hat. I save links of items I am interested in adding to my wardrobe in my phone/computer so I can shop intentionally to build a wardrobe I will love wearing for years to come.
When you know what you have you can wear it more often.
Shelby
Sometimes, you just don’t realize how many great pieces you have until you take the time to see them all. During the pandemic, like everyone else, I got caught up in wearing leggings or joggers for days on end. At some point, I decided to get dressed even if I was only working from home and so one day I threw on one of my maxi dresses. It was early fall and I was not going to go bare legged. Not only was I dressed, but I realized how incredibly comfortable I was wearing this dress! It has been worn on repeat lately because I feel dressed and super comfy. If you’ve seen the #housedress trend this is the perfect house dress. And on top of that my neighbors had no idea what to do with me all dressed up to walk the dog.
The stylishly YOU workbook is a helpful tool to help you not only do a closet inventory but to discover & embrace your personal style! Learn more about the stylishly YOU workbook, here!
So, will you do a closet inventory? What pieces do you want to add after looking at what you have?
Stylishly Shelby 