I’m sure you’ve said, “I have nothing to wear!” many times before. And although it may appear that your closet is void of the perfect outfit, it may just be the opposite. What if you have too many clothes to choose from instead?
There are many reasons why you feel as though you have nothing to wear when in reality you do. The result is spending even more money on clothes that you probably don’t need and may never wear again.
So instead of spending more money on clothes, consider these reasons why you have nothing to wear.
8 Reasons why you feel like you have nothing to wear
It’s easy to just think that you have nothing to wear. Instead, consider these reasons for why you may actually feel this way.
1. You aren’t clear on your personal style
Your personal style is how you express yourself through fashion. Knowing your personal style helps determine what kind of clothes you want to wear and, therefore, purchase.
When you lack clarity on your personal style, you may end up buying clothes that you don’t like. Ultimately, this leads to a closet full of clothes that you don’t want to wear and the thought that you have nothing to wear.
This can be easily avoided by simply learning more about your personal style. When you know your personal style, you can shop for items that you will love and, ultimately, wear. This will help you attain your fashion goals without breaking the bank!
2. Your closet is cluttered
Though you may think you have nothing to wear, you actually might have too many clothes. When your closet and drawers are cluttered, you’re unable to see what you actually have. This might mean that it’s time to purge your closet.
When you go through your closet to declutter and organize it, you’ll find things that you don’t even remember buying. The idea is to identify items that you want to keep, upcycle, donate, sell, or toss away.
When you’re able to see what you actually have available, it’s easier to curate outfits to fit your needs. You can get extreme with your organization and use the KonMari Method or simply do some basic closet organization.
3. You’re comparing your wardrobe to other people's
It’s easy to believe you don’t have anything to wear when comparing your closet to fashionable celebrities. After all, their looks are likely meticulously curated by stylists and possibly even custom-made.
Though you can draw inspiration from these looks, they shouldn’t dictate what you should buy or even need. The same holds true for anyone else’s fashion that you’re admiring. Although they may look desirable, these outfits may not even be functional for your lifestyle.
So instead of basing your fashion needs off of someone else’s wardrobe, go with your own personal style.
4. Your pieces aren’t diverse
If you’re thinking you don’t have anything to wear, it could be because your wardrobe lacks diversity. This means that you have too many of the same types of pieces. For example, you own a ton of black dresses and or the same wash of jeans.
In this case, you’ll need to diversify your wardrobe pieces so that you have a variety of outfits for different occasions. This could mean adding different styles, fabrics, or adding some pops of color.
5. You only have clothes for work
If you’re a corporate professional, it’s easy to fall into this trap of only having clothes for work. This means that your closet may be full of button-up shirts, blazers, and slacks.
Though this may make you the most fashionable person at work, it doesn’t do much for your personal life. However, with a little creativity, you can still dress these pieces down for more casual looks.
Nonetheless, when choosing pieces for your wardrobe, make sure that they have multiple uses. This helps you save money, while also adding options to your wardrobe.
6. You don’t own staples
It can often feel like you have nothing to wear when you have too much fast fashion. With fashion changing so rapidly, the styles that you own may no longer seem in style. Even worse, the quality of these garments may mean that they are no longer wearable.
Though you’re free to wear whatever style you want, having timeless, staple pieces allow your wardrobe to transcend fleeting fashion trends.
Some staple pieces to consider having include a black dress, loafers, a blazer, and black pumps to name a few. These pieces can be dressed up or down and used for different occasions. In fact, you may find that a capsule wardrobe simple consisting of these staples is appropriate for your lifestyle.
You can never go wrong with having staples in your wardrobe! Consider these fashion must-haves to keep in your wardrobe!
7. Your pieces aren’t cohesive
Although you may own lots of individual pieces of clothing lining your closet and drawers, they may lack cohesion. So when trying to curate an outfit, you fall short.
For example, the purple leather skirt looked amazing when you bought it, but you don’t have anything that goes with it.
It’s important to think about how a piece will fit into your overall wardrobe before purchasing it. This will help you avoid buying clothes that you’ll never wear and, ultimately, wasting money. Having a style uniform helps ensure that your pieces are always cohesive so you never run out of outfits. It also allows you to create an easy wardrobe!
8. Your clothes don’t fit properly
Poor-fitting clothes can ruin an outfit and truly leave you with nothing to wear. That’s why it’s important to make sure your clothes are properly fitted and that you check for size every so often.
Find a local seamstress so that you don’t have to toss items away that can just be adjusted. This is a great frugal hack that will allow you to keep your clothes longer and save you money over time.
How to stop spending money on clothes and ending up with nothing to wear
Now that you know the small tweaks to make to your wardrobe, it’s time to cut back on unnecessary shopping and spending. There’s always a way to look stylish on a budget!
Here are some steps that you can take to stop spending money on clothes you don’t need.
Determine your personal style
Once you know your personal style, you can begin to purchase clothes that are a true representation of you. This means that you’re more likely to wear them. If you have trouble figuring out what your personal style is, be sure to take our personal style quiz!
Purchase clothes that fit your lifestyle
What’s most important is that you purchase clothes that fit your lifestyle. There’s no need to have a closet full of designer handbags and shoes if most of your time is spent outdoors hiking or working out. It just wouldn’t make sense for your life. Buy what makes sense to you and are things that you’ll actually use.
Shop for staples
Remember that staples are your saving grace when it comes to keeping a simple, yet diverse wardrobe. Instead of going for fast fashion that will quickly go out of style consider a slow fashion approach. Find things that you can wear for years to come.
In some cases, they may require that you make an investment upfront. However, after wearing it for years to come, you’ll drastically reduce your cost per wear-- making it a worthwhile investment. Quality garments are much better than quantity!
Avoid aimlessly shopping sales
Don’t get swept up in the frenzy of sales. Companies make a great effort to entice you to spend money on things that you may not need.
Approach sales deliberately--knowing exactly what you want to purchase and having a budget for it. Avoid simply buying clothes just because they’re on sale. If you feel the urge to shop, consider shopping your own closet!
Constantly organize and declutter
Remember that clutter is your worst enemy when it comes to finding something to wear. Make it a habit to constantly go through your clothes to sort and update your wardrobe.
Decluttering on a regular basis prevents you from keeping clothes that no longer fit your personal style or lifestyle.
Shop your closet first
The most important thing that you can do before deciding to purchase new garments is to shop your closet first. This simply means that you look to see if you already have a piece that’s fitting for the occasion before purchasing something new.
Doing this quick glance over will save you from spending unnecessary money on clothes that you already have.
Stop telling yourself "I have nothing to wear!"
It can be easy to assume that you have nothing to wear. Instead of resigning to spending more money on clothes, take time to examine what you actually have. Use each of the tips mentioned above to save yourself from overspending on clothes that you don’t need.
If you need more fashion budgeting tips, subscribe to the Clever Girls Know podcast and YouTube channel for help! You can also learn how to avoid overspending and make saving money fun with our completely free "savings challenge bundle!"