Maybe it’s spring where you are, maybe it’s not, but I wanted to share an example of how I think about my wardrobe for a new season. You certainly don’t always need to buy new things each season, but having a plan ensures that you don’t end up with stuff you don’t actually need. I see many people making one of these three mistakes:
Buying the new stuff that catches your eye, without pausing to consider where the new items fit in with what you already have.
Buying the thing the influencer recommends without considering how her lifestyle might differ from yours.
Buying the thing that’s discounted even though it’s ultimately money wasted when you don’t ever wear it.
If you take a few minutes to go through this exercise, you’ll have a much clearer idea of what you need and want.
Step 1. Collect inspiration. Create a spring inspiration board on Pinterest. Grab any images that appeal to you, without censoring yourself based on your body or your lifestyle, just stuff that looks cool. If you like to save images on Instagram, don’t forget to pin some of your saved IG images to Pinterest as well. Here's mine on Pinterest and a snapshot below:
This season I’m also heavily influenced by
from :Step 2: Analyze. What do your inspiration looks have in common?
Immediately, I see lots of blue. Denim, chambray, and cobalt blue. I also see small bits of a tomato-y red, a couple of graphic tees, long shirt dresses, pants legs with volume of some kind, lots of stripes and as always, there are still lots of neutrals.
What outfit combos do you see repeated in your inspiration images? (ex: Wide leg pants+cropped top+sneakers or skinny jeans+tunic+birks)
I see oversized button downs with wide pants, simple dresses with volume on their own, and blazers with graphic tees and wide leg pants.
What colors or neutrals are most represented?
Oops, I answered my own question above. Blue, red, white, off-white, and a small amount of black.
Step 3: Make a list of items you’ll need to recreate some of the outfits on your inspiration board (ex. wide leg linen pants, light wash denim, cropped white tee, etc)
I needed (need is a strong word, wanted is probably more accurate here) a graphic tee, accessories in blue or red, blue pants, off white pants with an interesting leg shape, white and blue striped button-downs, a shirt dress, a chambray shirt, slightly baggier jeans…
Step 4: STOP! Don’t buy anything yet until you've done this step. Take your spring clothes out of storage and take inventory of what you already have. Check off any of the items in Step 3 you already have.
a graphic tee, accessories in blue or red, blue pants, off white pants with an interesting leg shape, white and blue striped button-downs, a shirt dress, a chambray shirt, slightly baggier jeans…
Step 5: Reflect. What worked and didn’t work last spring? What’s worn out or doesn’t fit? What do you need to replace? What will be different about your wardrobe needs this spring? What might you need or not need that will be different from last year?
For the first time in years, my body is not a different size than it was the year before (or maybe I’ve just been wearing enough oversized clothing that it’s not apparent 🤔). The major difference this season is this really weird (for me) deep draw to these bright primary colors.
Step 6: Finalize your shopping list.
a graphic tee
red or blue birkenstocks
cobalt blue wide leg pants
off white pants with an interesting leg shape
a bag in red or blue
Step 7. Set a budget. Depending on your habits, you may need to set a budget to limit your shopping (overbuyers) or to give yourself permission to spend anything at all (underbuyers).
NOW, AND ONLY NOW, CAN YOU GO SHOPPING!
For paid subscribers, continue reading to see what I bought and how much I spent, a workbook version of this post, and for a big discount on my ecourses.