If you spend your days in a corporate office, but your closet is 70% swim wear, you may well be the best dressed person at the beach, but you’ll probably feel like you have nothing to wear the rest of the year. To support your busy day-to-day, your closet should contain enough clothes for everything you do regularly, even the boring stuff.
Often the reason we have that feeling of “I have nothing to wear” is simply because our wardrobe contains a large proportion of clothes that no longer reflect our Lifestyle, especially if we have changed careers or taken a long-term break to raise a family for example, or we have been through a life-changing event such as the birth of a new baby which has drastically changed the balance of activities in your life.
It happened to me when I left my corporate job and moved from Europe to Cairo to start my own business. I came to realize that my wardrobe is filled with clothes, such as suits and many dressy items, which were worn in my past career and life. They remain in my wardrobe but will never be worn or maybe worn rarely as they are no longer appropriate to my new lifestyle needs.
I started analyzing my lifestyle to ensure that the contents of my wardrobe reflect the balance of the activities within my life. To accurately estimate what types of activities my day-to-day consists of and in what ratios, it’s best to go the extra mile and track your lifestyle.
How to do that: For two weeks, keep a daily log of your outfits and the occasions you wear them to. Include everything from special events to just lounging at home. After two weeks, identify your main activities (e.g., work, gym, nightlife) and create a chart that reflects how often you need an outfit for each one.
What types of clothes do you spend time in?
Casual – 50%
Active – 20%
Professional – 0%
Business casual – 10%
Semi-dressy – 10%
Dressy – 10%
Formal – 0%
Now have a look at what your actual wardrobe is made up of:
Casual – 15%
Active – 5%
Professional – 10%
Business casual – 20%
Semi-dressy – 20%
Dressy – 30%
Formal – 0%
Now think about your lifestyle vs. your actual wardrobe, ask yourself these questions:
-What would make my wardrobe more practical?
-What are the key items that would make my life easier?
-What items could work with my existing wardrobe pieces to make them more functional?
Then make a list of the pieces that will make your wardrobe more practical for your lifestyle. For example:
I need to buy more…
-Casual pieces
-Active wear
-Accessories to dress down my dressy items (maybe flat shoes or sneakers)
–
I need to hold off on buying…
-Dressy pieces
-no more suits
-no more heels
When you shop with your lifestyle in mind, you can get the most out of your closet and enjoy it more
