By LaShanda Millner-Murphy
Do you open your closet door every morning only ask the same question, “What am I going to wear today?”
If your answer is to give little or no thought on how to change the outfit you wear regularly then your wardrobe ritual or lack of one occurs for one of two reasons:
- You have many optional pieces of clothing, but the pieces are not capable of being used in various ways; or
- The few pieces dangling on the hanger are not functioning together.
Both situations are manageable, if you intertwine two major verbs the next time you go shopping: coordination and versatlity. Coordination creates color variations. This gives you the opportunity to take advantage of the color mix and match game. Versatility, on the other hand, expands your coordination options giving you more ways to wear each fashion piece.
It does not matter if you are an impulse buyer or a browser, stop and look to see if the item that caught your eye provides coordination and versatility. The object of enhancing your wardrobe is to fill your closet with winning pieces to create inspiration and confidence.
To create a stress-free wardrobe and new look it will require you to embrace change. This first step of change is to detach to declutter. Decluttering your closet will require you to remove clothing that you are attached to and makes you feel comfortable. These items do not add up to the coordination and versatility equation, but items found in during the decluttering phase will help you identify the “holes” in a functional wardrobe.
After you’ve detached to decluttered, you’re ready to fill your closets. Here’s an example of 30 pieces to start inspiring your new look.
- 1 pair of fun shoes
- 1 pair of nude shoes
- 1 dress shoe
- 1 sandal
- 1 evening shoe
- 1 pair of boots
- 3 purses
- 1 pair of black slacks
- 1 pair of grey slacks
- 1 dark skirt
- 1 pair of casual pants
- 1 pair of black/dark jeans
- 1 knee length tailored skirt
- 1 short jacket/blazer
- 1 basic black/grey dress with a sleeve
- 1 black evening dress
- 1 da dress that’s fun/printed
- 2 accented blouses/shirts
- 2 tailored blazers
- 2 cardigans
- 2 tank tops
- 1 long sleeve blouse
- 1 trench coat
With the 30 pieces suggested above, now you have an answer for your morning wardrobe ritual question. This new path of creativity will lay the foundation to future investments of coordination and versatility. Stay Stylish!
LaShanda Millner-Murphy is a fashion image coach, and author of the book, “Professional.”