There’s a familiar feeling that seems to arrive with autumn. You open your wardrobe, look at the clothes hanging there and think:
“I have absolutely nothing to wear.”
Which is slightly confusing when your wardrobe is actually full of clothes!
The problem often isn’t that you don’t have enough. It’s that the pieces aren’t working together, you’ve forgotten what you own, or your wardrobe simply hasn’t caught up with the way your life looks now.
And before you rush out and buy a whole new autumn wardrobe, there are a few things worth doing first.
As UK Personal Stylists, this is something we see all the time. A client feels like she needs lots of new clothes, but once we start looking at what she already owns, there are often some really lovely pieces hiding in there.
The trick is knowing how to make them work.
Start with what you already own
Before buying anything new, spend a little time looking through your wardrobe. Not necessarily with the intention of doing a huge wardrobe clear-out. Instead, think about what you actually enjoyed wearing last autumn.
Which jeans did you reach for constantly? Which jumper made you feel good? Was there a jacket you wore with everything? Which outfits did you receive compliments on? These are clues. Your favourite clothes can tell you a lot about what works for your lifestyle, your colouring, your proportions and, perhaps most importantly, your personal style.
Bring your summer wardrobe into autumn
One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking that autumn means putting away everything they wore during the summer. But lots of your summer clothes can continue working beautifully.
A favourite dress can be worn with ankle boots and a jacket. A summer blouse can be layered underneath a cardigan or blazer. A skirt can work with tights, boots and a knit. Even some lighter trousers can continue to work when paired with a more substantial jacket and autumnal accessories.
You don’t necessarily need a completely different wardrobe for every season. You just need to understand how to transition your existing pieces.
Think in outfits, not individual items
This is one of our favourite pieces of advice. When you’re shopping, it’s very easy to see one beautiful jumper and think, “I love that.” But loving a jumper doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll wear it.
Instead, ask yourself:
“What will I wear this with?”
Can you immediately think of three outfits? If you have a pair of jeans, trousers or a skirt at home that would work with it, brilliant.
If you’re struggling to think of anything, it might not be the wardrobe solution you think it is.
The same applies when looking through your existing wardrobe. Rather than judging individual pieces, start creating outfits. You might discover combinations you’ve never thought of before.
Create a few autumn outfit formulas
If getting dressed feels difficult, outfit formulas can be incredibly helpful.
For example:
Jeans + knit + blazer + trainers
Wide-leg trousers + fitted knit + ankle boots
Dress + cardigan + boots
Jeans + shirt + jumper + loafers
Skirt + knit + boots + jacket
These aren’t rules, they’re starting points!
Once you’ve found combinations that work for you, you can change the colours, fabrics, shoes and accessories to suit your own personality. The benefit is that you don’t have to reinvent your outfit every morning.
And then look for the gaps
Only once you’ve looked at what you already own should you start thinking about shopping.
Maybe you realise you have lots of tops but nothing to layer over them. Perhaps you have plenty of jeans but no smarter trousers. Maybe you have great outfits but nothing suitable for wet school runs. Or perhaps your wardrobe is full of clothes for a previous version of your life. Those are useful gaps to identify.
Because there is a huge difference between shopping because you fancy something new and shopping because you’ve identified something your wardrobe genuinely needs.
Sometimes you don’t need more clothes. You need more clarity!
That’s something we come back to again and again as UK Personal Stylists.
A wardrobe can feel overwhelming when you don’t know what works. Personal styling isn’t always about buying more. Sometimes it’s about helping you see the potential in what you already own.
And when you understand your colours, proportions, style personality and lifestyle needs, choosing what to wear becomes much easier.
So if you’re standing in front of your wardrobe this autumn thinking “I have nothing to wear”, don’t immediately reach for your phone and start shopping.
Start with your wardrobe – you might be surprised by what you find. And if you need a little help making sense of it all, that’s exactly what we’re here for.
A great wardrobe isn’t necessarily a bigger wardrobe. It’s one that works for you!