What to Wear When You’ve Got Nothing to Wear

Most people spend 10 minutes per day thinking about style, clothing, and outfit assembly. Those 10 minutes are typically spent staring, panic-stricken, at the contents of a messy closet, wondering what the hell to wear.

Sadly, there’s no universal solution to morning wardrobe panic because each person will need to deal with the “I’ve got nothing to wear” crisis differently, depending on how she’s wired. But here are some possible starting points to consider next time sartorial stress begins to set in:

Pick a piece

Often, the quickest way to build an outfit is to pick an anchor piece and select other items to accompany it. So start with your favorite pants or sweater or shoes, and reach for items that you know will work well with that fave.

Pick a color scheme

A “scheme” doesn’t need to be any more complex than two colors. Mustard and navy, red and black, green and teal. Or go for all neutrals: Gray, black, and brown. Use your color scheme to pick the necessary pieces for a complete outfit. This one may prove a bit more challenging, but when you’re absolutely sapped of inspiration, just having a starting point can help.

Pick a print

Printed pieces can seem daunting, but they actually make for marvelous outfit glue. Prints generally contain multiple colors or shades, which means that they can tie together seemingly disparate garments. Grab a printed piece and then track down the remaining garments needed.

Pick a recent winner

The likelihood of anyone remembering that you wore that same outfit a week and a half ago is extremely slim. Don’t worry about repeats. Reach for an outfit that has worked in the past. And, if the very idea makes you cringe, consider swapping in a different but similar item for one of the pieces.

Of course, none of these can truly replace preparation. The absolute best way to avoid Morning Closet Panic Syndrome is to make an outfit list, keep track of combinations of garments that work for you, and/or be well aware of your closet inventory. Dressing is like any other task: It requires practice, patience, and the ability to utilize the tools at hand. I’m not saying you should spend hours each week studying the contents of your wardrobe, but allotting a couple of hours every few months to assess and evaluate will help TONS.

For more help with closet organization and outfit planning, check out these posts:

• Reader Request: Morning Readiness
• My Trusty Outfit List
• Organize Your Wardrobe, Hone Your Style
• Sorting Your Wardrobe
• Cheap Ways to Keep Your Wardrobe in Order
• All Already Pretty posts on organization

Image via weheartit.