Do you find yourself wearing the same “uniform” every day? Plain tops and pants? All black or all monochromatic? No accessories?

Truth is, we can all get in a style rut from time to time. In fact, research shows that women often wear only 20% of their wardrobes, often pulling the same few outfits each week. How did we get here?

• Time – many women, putting themselves last on list, rush to the closet every morning and pull the most familiar items so they can dash out the door. It’s easy to do, but results in a closet full of clothes that rarely get worn. This can be solved by planning your daily outfit.
• Planning – What is your day going to be like? Lots of running around? If so, you’ll want to wear something comfortable, with flat shoes. Power lunch? You’ll need a suitable dress or suit to help convey your confidence. Waiting until the last minute may leave you with the wrong outfit for the day’s activities. Take five minutes before you go to bed to pull your clothes for the next day.
• Weight issues – let’s face it, most women experience weight fluctuations, up or down. Some hang onto small sizes in the hope they’ll fit again someday. Others are swallowed up by too-big clothes that they keep “just in case” but end up wearing long after they don’t fit. The answer? Purge your closet or relegate off-size clothing to a different closet. Fit is the number one consideration for choosing an outfit!
• Style “rules” – somewhere in our experiences we’ve been led to believe there are hard-and-fast style rules we’re supposed to follow. We may not be clear on those rules so we avoid wearing anything “disruptive” to our habitual outfits. Truth is, there have never been fewer rules! Gone are the 50s and 60s where women were required to wear hats and gloves, or couldn’t wear pants to work. Wear white after Labour Day? Yes, please. While there are some guidelines to help you pull outfits together, self-confidence goes a long way to making an outfit work. Read my post on how to pull together an outfit (click here)
• Accessories – some women wear too few, some wear too many. How’s a girl to know? It starts with having a sense of your personal style. If you are athletic or natural, you probably wear minimal accessories and it works for you. Women who have a dramatic style favour statement necklaces, scarves and chunky jewelry. Today’s trends though do allow for more layering of necklaces or bracelets. The trick is to choose ONE focal point – necklaces or bracelets or rings… don’t have your accessories compete with each other.

Small changes can make a big difference and open a world of possibilities right within your own closet.