How to Shop Your Closet (and Find 47 New Outfits): A Guest Post from Caitlin Skidmore

Hi ladies! I’m Caitlin, and I’m so thrilled to be here with you today. I absolutely love Nada’s heart to help you feel as gorgeous as you are. Today, I’m excited to share with you how to shop your closet to find at least 47 new outfits and give you the know-how to find dozens more.

To be honest, I’ve never liked to repeat an outfit twice. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that, because in the past, that meant I was constantly shopping and spending money on clothes I didn’t need or really even like. As a high school and college student, I mostly thrifted, but I felt like I could only wear my pieces one way, so I kept shopping. I felt guilty, but I pushed it down and tried to ignore my feelings.

When we got married, my husband and I had a little chat about my spending habits and how they needed a makeover. Honestly, I was relieved. I was tired of buying all the time and yet feeling like I had nothing to wear. I knew it was crazy, but I felt stuck in this cycle that I didn’t know how to get out of.

This is my sweet husband. Look at that face! How could I say no to him?

Not long after our chat, with Troy’s wise words echoing through my mind (but no real idea of an actual plan to quit shopping) a few things happened that ended up with me breaking up with shopping for a year.

Yes, you read that correctly. 🙂 A friend and I made a plan to give up shopping for a year- no shoes, no clothes, no accessories, and we’d save the money we would have spent on ourselves and pray about where God wanted it to go.

Honestly, I thought I was going to help someone else with the added bonus of killing my shopping addiction, but those 12 months flipped my thoughts and habits upside down. The challenge changed every piece of my life. Along the way, I also learned that my average-size closet had more than 365 unique outfits hanging in it. Crazy, right?!

Today, I’m so excited to share this mini guide with you that describes how to shop your closet. It’s full of some of the best strategies I’ve learned during thousands of hours spent learning to shop my closet. These have also been tested with hundreds of women who have gotten the same results. We are going to kick the “nothing to wear” dilemma to the curb once and for all!

First, use the idea of a capsule wardrobe to open your eyes to the combinations your closet is holding.

A capsule wardrobe is a group of clothes that works together to give you a bunch of outfit options. If you break it down into pieces, you get:

1. A tank
2. A short sleeve shirt
3. A long sleeve shirt
4. A completer piece (cardigan, jacket, etc.)
5. A pair of shorts
6. A skirt
7. A pair of pants
8. A dress

You’ve probably got one of each of those in your wardrobe right now.

If you mix and match just those eight pieces, look at the combinations you can come up with:

1. tank, shorts
2. tank, pants
3. tank, skirt
4. tank, completer piece, pants
5. tank, completer piece, skirt
6. tank, completer piece, shorts
7. tank, completer piece, dress (as a skirt)
8. tee, pants
9. tee, skirt
10. tee, shorts
11. tee, completer piece, pants
12. tee, completer piece, skirt
13. tee, completer piece, shorts
14. tee, completer piece, dress (as a skirt)
15. long sleeve top, pants
16. long sleeve top, skirt
17. long sleeve top, shorts
18. long sleeve top, completer piece, pants
19. long sleeve top, completer piece, skirt
20. long sleeve top, completer piece, shorts
21. long sleeve top, dress (if you wore the top under the dress and then over and knotted or belted, you could count this combination twice.)
22. long sleeve top under dress, completer piece
23. long sleeve top over the dress (used as a skirt), completer piece
24. completer piece, pants (this look and the next combination only work if your completer piece can be closed or buttoned to create a wearable shirt! :))
25. completer piece, skirt
26. completer piece, shorts
27. completer piece, dress
28. dress
29. dress (worn as top) and skirt

Not all of these will look great or even work with the specific items you have in your closet, but do you see how many looks you can create with just a few pieces? Mind = blown.

You don’t have to stick to just those eight pieces. The goal is to start to see how many possibilities there are from just a few items. What you do with them is up to you! Maybe you pick out a casual and a work version of your 8 pieces and build outfits around them. Or seasonal versions. It’s up to you! Here’s a quick example.

I chose 8 pieces and shopped the rest of my closet to come up with 28 outfits in February.

Now that you know your closet holds more combinations than you realized, get ready to try on, try on, try on! You never know how something will look until you try it on.

Practice putting together outfits (and trying them on!) using this cheat sheet:

Consider Capsule Wardrobe Combinations.

Use the 8 piece guide above to choose your own pieces and work through a few (or all) of the 29 options.

Use The Rule of 3.

One of the quickest ways to look put together is to add a completer piece. Instead of wearing just a top + bottom, like this…

go for a top + bottom + completer piece, like this jean jacket.

Adding the jacket makes the tank and shorts combo look more polished instantly.

A completer piece can be a jacket or sweater of some sort, a scarf, or a large piece of jewelry.

Sub in Outfit Formulas.

Think of your outfits as formulas. Like we talked about with the rule of 3, an outfit broken down is basically a top + bottom + whatever else you want to add. Use these boards to help you envision new combinations and shop your closet to find similar outfits.

• Tank Outfit Formulas
• Tee Outfit Formulas
• Short Sleeve Blouse Outfit Formulas
• Long Sleeve Blouse Outfit Formulas
• Button Up Outfit Formulas
• Sweater Outfit Formulas
• Cardigan Outfit Formulas
• Jacket Outfit Formulas
• Vest Outfit Formulas
• Dress Outfit Formulas
• Skirt Outfit Formulas
• Shorts Outfit Formulas
• Jeans Outfit Formulas
• Pants Outfit Formulas

Try to avoid the, “but I don’t have that exact piece so there’s no way I could recreate this” mindset. What is it you like about the look? Can you recreate the color combination, shape, etc.? Use looks as a springboard, not a set-in-stone template.

Remix A Favorite.

Go-to outfits can start to feel boring if we reach for them too often. Here are three ways to put a fresh spin on your favorite looks.

1. Use the same pieces, but different accessories.

Look 1: black tee, gray blazer, and skinny jeans with a statement necklace and heels.

Look 2: black tee, gray blazer, and skinny jeans with a scarf and riding boots.

I used the same pieces, but switching up the accessories (statement necklace for scarf, heels for riding boots) creates a totally different look.

2. Use similar pieces, but different styling.

Both of these looks use a button up, completer piece, a statement necklace, slim pants, and an interesting shoe.

The outfits are similar, but using different completer pieces (the crew neck sweater and blush cardigan) as well as different accessories (in the statement necklaces and colored v. bow shoes) give a unique spin to both looks.

3. Use similar pieces and the same accessories.

I used similar pieces (the black v. gray tee, and dark v. light wash jeans), and traded the gray loafers for gray booties. I could use the same idea and traded my anorak jacket for a jean jacket or blazer, the blue jeans for a colored pair, or subbed in some riding boots for a different spin. The combinations are endless.

And that, my friend, leaves you with 47 ways to shop your closet for new outfits!

• 29 capsule wardrobe possibilities;
• the rule of 3;
• 14 outfit formula pinboards;
• and 3 ways to remix your favorite look.

• What do I like about these looks?
• What don’t I like?

Recognizing now that you won’t love every outfit you come up with will help set you up for success, and thinking through the ‘whys’ will help you create a style that not only makes you feel gorgeous, but fits your life.

We covered a lot of information today. It can be tempting to come back later to do something about it, but remember that action always beats intention! Before you go, choose one tiny action step to take today to start shopping your closet. Here are a few ideas:

• Download the ‘how to find 5 new outfits in your closet today’ from the special bonus page I created for Beauty Mommy readers.
• Take 5 minutes to find a look on Pinterest to recreate this week.
• Set a calendar reminder with the link to this post to make a review easy.
• Or share your own action step in the comments below! Pick one that you’re excited about and works for you.

Thanks so much for having me today! If there’s anything I can do to help you, please don’t hesitate to ask!

XO,

Caitlin

Caitlin Skidmore started Greater Than Rubies as a diary about her experimental break up with shopping in 2012. Since then, GTR has grown to include an online style course, style coaching, and speaking engagements to help women create a style that makes them feel gorgeous and fits their life, body, and budget perfectly. GTR’s mission is to inspire women to cultivate a life of great worth by helping them celebrate their unique style and feel gorgeous in their own skin, while cheering them on to love others well and make what matters happen.