Beauty & Fashion > Fashion

Stylize Your Wardrobe

5 ways to make the most of what you already own

If you're anything like Lovergirl, you have a closet jam-packed with clothes of all shapes and sizes, and NOTHING to wear! The very best example of this is jeans. Twenty-five pairs and none that look perfect a panoramic view of your closet includes Jeans-From-High-School, your Skinny/Normal/Fat Jeans, and Maternity Jeans - you get the picture. Here's Lovergirl's top five suggestions to make the clothes you feel and look GREAT in come to the forefront of the jumble you call your wardrobe.

#1 TRY EVERYTHING ON - EVERY SINGLE THING!

Be vicious. Take every single thing out of your closet and put it on. Look at it in the mirror, and give your honest, unbiased opinion. If it doesn't fit, pitch it. I don't care if you are losing weight - by the time you get into it again, it will be out of style, and you will want something new anyway. This could hurt a little, but be brave. Think of it as a psychological exercise in self-actualization. I will never again fit into these jeans, and that is OK with me. Say it until you believe it. This is the hardest step, and you will feel much better when its over.

#2 IF YOU HAVEN'T WORN IT FOR A YEAR, GET RID OF IT!

Say goodbye and good riddance to some of those shopping mistakes - like the bright yellow peasant blouse you bought when you were in the cowgirl stage, and when you bought into the leggings trend - bad decisions, but hey, you're human! If you think it still has some life in it, like a long skirt you could shorten to the oh-so-current mid-length, attempt to alter it - you have nothing to lose. Try donating all usable items in good condition to your local women's shelter.

#3 CREATE A SMALL SECTION OF SPECIALS

The sexy dress you wore the night you got engaged (hey, it worked, didn't it!) - the fantastic stilettos you bought on the whirlwind NYC shopping trip (you cant walk in them, but, oh man, they look so hot!) - the rhinestone belt from Vegas (its been around the block too, ok?!). You are allowed to keep these, and add items to this special section of your closet which you deem worthy (the first jeans you were able to zip up post-pregnancy do NOT count). To quote a fashion icon, Cynthia Rowley A persons closet is like a scrapbook. When you take something out of it, you think about all the good times wearing that item (as quoted in InStyle, March 2005).

#4- MAKE A DETAILED LIST OF REPLACEMENTS

You count four white t-shirts, and they all have stains? Pitch every single one (no, you are not allowed to keep them for PJs) and spend the $15 on a brand-new one. Make sure it fits you perfectly, and you will wear it under everything, dress or casual. Do you have twelve pairs of black pants, and still not the perfect, 365 days a year style? Get rid of all of them (painful, I know - be brave). If you cant bear to give away perfectly good (if only slightly last year) styles, sell them online and use the proceeds to buy THE perfect pair, even if it sets you back a few hun. Ditto for all your denims. These are the basics that will make all your funky jackets and camis, which are so NOW, look so RIGHT. This is the FUN part, so get goin', girl...GO SHOPPING!

#5 PUT THE WINNERS BACK INTO YOUR CLOSET AND EVALUATE!

Now, what you have left, after reliving your glory days, intermittent crying jags and laughing fits, and some tough soul-searching, is the Best of the Best the epitome of the Fashion Called You! This will become the basis for your signature style - pieces that make you feel great, pretty, sexy, smart - who knew fashion could be such a pick-me-up. If there's not much left, you know what to do (Can you say..."Little Brown Bag"!) Each season, use your pin money (aka your secret stash) to pick up some inexpensive pieces in the latest and greatest colors and styles to round out and extend the life of your basics. Voila - you finally have SOMETHING to wear!

Written by: Kim Kristofferson-Magnusson
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