Shop your closet

Janet Carr

Dec 3

Shop your Closet is an oft-repeated phrase that I try to keep in mind. They say we only wear 20% of our clothes. I always tend to reach for the clothes at the front of the walk-in or the top of the drawer. I also tend to have tried-and-tested outfits that I grab when I am in a hurry or need to feel comfortable and confident. When I buy things, I tend to buy more of the same, forgetting how many black cardigans and trousers I already have. I wore a very strictly enforced uniform at school for 12 years. I think even after I school, I still had a uniform, this time voluntarily. My style has never really changed. This picture collage by The Mom Edit (what a lovely site) kind of encapsulates my look. I like the idea of wearing the same jeans and top 'uniform' but ringing the changes with a different top in the same colour or a different colour of the same top.Jeans can vary in style but keep the shape pretty consistent. And then shoes can be same style in different colours or with different details.

I basically have a "uniform": dark skinny jeans, sneakers, and tshirt. Every now and then I want to look a little bit different or more put together but still comfortable.

Over the years I have tried many tricks to get the most out of what I have:

spent a Sunday putting together outfits for the week, trying to wear new combinations of existing garments. I try not to change things up too much. Maybe a different colour or texture shirt in the same style I normally wear.
changed buttons on cardigans, dresses and shirts. My best ever switch-up has been replacing black buttons with a rainbow of different colour buttons.
wore colourful brooches on a jacket, hat or coat. I am bad at using brooches but a brooch on a hat or coat can stay there all season
using handbag charms in different colours and designs
re-dyeing greying jeans back to black
dyeing dingy-looking white trousers and jeans to other colours
wear interesting scarves in colder weather
use unusual hair accessories

You can also wear jewellery in different ways:

hang tiny charms on your hoop earrings
stack rings you normally wear separately. This is where mixing gold and silver really works. I also have hematite and enamel bands that I can stack with silver and gold.
join two shorter chains together to make a long one
wrap a longer chain twice around your neck
wear several dainty chains in different styles and lengths
stack bracelets, as long as they don't make too much of a noise.
I have worn my mother's clip on and screw on earrings as clips on a coat
buy a cardigan clip (above) and wear that instead of a necklace
turn worn jeans into shorts. I tend to just cut them off and not hem them

I wish I were better at using silky scarves. You can really add pop to an outfit by

tying one onto the handle of a handbag
rolling them into a band and tying them around your head to keep your hair back
wrapping them around your neck
wearing a scarf as a belt through trouser loops

One thing I used to love to do with my best friend in South Africa was swapping and sharing clothes. We were the same size in clothes and shoes so we used to share the cost of - for example - a pricier skirt, and then we would share it. We would swap once a month unless one of us needed it for an occasion. We also used to have clothes swapping evenings where we would swap what we had become tired of. When we were in South Africa in January, she gave me so many clothes she didn't wear anymore and I have worn them loads. My problem is that I get bored easily so even if the clothes are not new, anything that is new to me seems new and exciting.

I am also really trying to stay away from having too many black t shirts, black trousers, and white shirts. They are my 'uniform' and I have so many that are almost identical. I need at the most three of each (one on, one off, and one in the wash).

My friend gave me this dress and I love it!