Have you guys heard about the statistic that women wear only 20% of their closet 80% of the time? Now hearing such an outrageous statement definitely begs the question why do we then spend so much money on shopping every month, while at home we have a whole 80% of unexplored wardrobe. Probably because most of us are either not aware or haven’t warmed up to this concept called shop your closet. But guess what, everyone can totally adopt this amazing solution to extravagant shopping ways and it is as therapeutic as actual shopping if not more.. (well I do find gaining “new stuff” without spending a dime definitely more therapeutic). Anyway so I thought, I often give style advice, tips on what to pair with what but most of it based on buying new stuff. So for a change how about for the next few weeks we talk about ways you can re-fashion clothes you already own to come up with amazingly stylish outfits you never thought your closet was capable of? And what better way to do this than being the example myself; we will shop our closets together. This is actually one of my fashion consult services so if you like what you see call me up and we’ll reinvent your wardrobe without spending a dime! How cool is that.

Well there are many ways to shop your closet and we’ll discuss them over time but the simplest (and most elegant way) is simply getting more creative. This means three things:
1. Edit your closet- Set some time aside to go through your closet and make a decision on the stuff you just know you won’t wear ever again. This is a difficult phase because if you are like me, it can be hard to part with some pieces. But for you to gain a new wardrobe you’ve got to let go of the old. So if you haven’t worn an item for more than a year and it’s not the seasonal stuff like coats, set is aside for recycling. Don’t worry you may not have to give it away, you could re-purpose it which we will talk about later. But for now let’s assume it’s out of the picture.
2. Model your clothes – Once you have done away with things you know you won’t wear again, look through what’s left and wear them in front of the mirror, pairing everything in as many different ways as you can think of. If you like an outfit, take a picture of it so you don’t forget. This should be easy for things you wear often but can be difficult for stuff you wear rarely. So if you can’t figure out a way to wear something that you really love, keep it aside until you get some inspiration.
3. Get inspiration – From your favorite style blogs, an app like Stylebook (my favorite) to Pinterest, a simple search can help you figure out how to wear your ‘problem’ pieces. Especially seeing an item you own worn in a stylish way by someone else will definitely be the boost you need to get out of your wardrobe rut. So in the spirit of inspiration let me share with you one of the outfits I put together for Valentine’s Dinner entirely from the 80% of my wardrobe that has been neglected for a while. I’ll share my other outfits later this week (it was a weekend getaway so I needed more than one) and more tips on shopping your closet over the coming weeks.

The dress was the biggest problem piece in this outfit. I bought it a while back because I was smitten by the back design, but when I wore it I found the front way too plain to be glam and the color and fabric didn’t do much to help. So I pushed it at the back of a drawer to figure it out later when I had more time.

The neck-piece and bracelet were desperately needed to add some excitement to this dress without being over the top. The red clutch was my something red for Valentines and I haven’t used any of these accessories before (oh the necklace, once) and they have been lying in my closet for over a year now!

These Steve Madden heels are probably the only item here that has been worn more than once. Probably thrice. They are just too glam for everyday wear and too complicated to pair with stuff for dinner or a night out. But I put in the effort this time and it was worth it !

I hope you enjoyed the ideas and learned something new. Try shop your closet for at least a month and you will be surprised by how much your sense of style will evolve! I will definitely be sharing more in-depth tips and tricks to get you started.

Love and light. Stay elegant. XX

PS. My photographer of the day was Eric as I played dress up at home 🙂