5 things to do when you are stuck in a style rut
The seasons may be changing but do you feel like you’re still wearing the same 5 outfits on repeat? We’re all guilty of a wardrobe full of clothes that we’ve fallen out of love with far too quickly. These are tell-tale signs that you’re stuck in a bit of a style rut, so we’ve got some tips that will help you fall in love with fashion again.
1. Clean out the closet
Most of the time you will feel stuck in a style rut because your wardrobe is more of the same. Do you have the same skinny jeans in every colour? Or maybe you’re only jacket choice is a cardigan? This repeating will easily become tiresome and boring as there is no variety in your life! Having too much of the same thing can be overwhelming, reducing it down to a capsule wardrobe of your staple items will give you the baseline that, in time, you can add to. Be sure to try everything on when you do this, it’s also a good time to see how things match with one another so that you already have outfit ideas ready to go. Donate the unwanted clothes to charity or better yet, throw a ‘clothes swap’ party with your nearest and dearest. It’s a more sustainable approach to re-inventing your wardrobe – one lady's trash is another’s treasure!
2. Moodboard
Visualising the outfits that you’d love to wear through a moodbaord is a helpful tool to help you feel inspired. You can do this the old-fashioned way, flicking through the magazines and cutting out styles that catch your eye. Or get onto Pinterest and Instagram, pinning and saving the best looks. As your collage of outfit inspiration comes together you will begin to see trends within what you love. Maybe there are certain colours that you are drawn to or is it that you find yourself wanting a sleek minimal look? Make note of these so that when you are shopping for something new you will have more focus on creating the styles that you love, instead of falling into a trap of picking the safe options that you have come to grow bored of or choosing trend led pieces that you will never actually wear.
3. Make easy wardrobe swaps
Don’t feel like you have to do it all at once. Simple and small changes can go a long way. After you’ve done the wardrobe clear out and moodboarding you may come to learn that the jeans you love and wear all the time are a part of your style, so trying a wide leg cut or opting for a pair of coated jeans can update the look whilst still remaining true to your own personal style. Swap the cardigan for relaxed fit blazer, or your silver jewellery for gold. If you try to do too much at once you can lose a sense of yourself which can feel even worse than the style rut that you started with.
4. Make the most of accessories
Accessories are the small and easy change that can lift your outfit and improve what you already own, plus there is no need to shell out on a whole new wardrobe! For those that want to delve into colour, start with a bright pop of colour in a cross-body bag. This is the entry level way into a more colourful wardrobe. Bought the same style of suede ankle boots every year? Swap it out for something different, like a chunkier biker boot that’s bang on trend. They will still go with all the jeans and dresses in your wardrobe it just shifts the look to something more edgy and modern.
5. Challenge yourself
Once a week make a challenge to do something a bit different with your style, it doesn’t even have to be your clothes! Maybe wear your hair down if it’s always tied back or wear some red lipstick, it’s amazing how these changes in appearance can have a massive effect overall. If you live in jeans challenge yourself to wear a dress that week, or if you’ve been reaching for the same pair of trainers why not choose the smarter pair of loafers that are sat at the back of your wardrobe? Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone once a week is enough to feel like you're doing something new, plus you can avoid the daunting (and time consuming) task of having to re-invent yourself and your style.
One last thing, give yourself a break! Sometimes we can be hard on ourselves for not looking a certain way. It may be days when you’re doing the school run, or you're on your feet for work all day so kitten heel ankle boots might be something you’d love to wear but it’s just not practical. Find a balance between living your life and wanting to look good, some days might be better than others and take pleasure in them but don’t beat yourself up if you’re wearing loungewear to do the food shop!
