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Honestly, this might be the most hypocritical title of a post in the whole series because I actually have a very full closet. I love clothes and fashion and finding great deals and I don’t purge my closet as often as I should.
But sometimes my full closet is more of a burden than a blessing. I struggle to keep my closet clean and sometimes it takes me forever to find what I want to wear.
The time and money spent trying to pack our closet full in the name of being fashionable is not necessarily time well spent. Like I mentioned with cooking yesterday, this is another way I misused Pinterest for so long. I was constantly pinning outfits that I had NONE of the pieces to put together, which only made me want to go shopping more when I had plenty of clothes to put together nice outfits already in my closet!
My first step toward realizing less is more in my closet came from reading The No Brainer Wardrobe by Hayley Morgan {aka The Tiny Twig}. Hayley is just the cutest mama out there and her philosophy on style and wardrobe helped me see the power in a well thought out closet with fewer items. Being able to mix-and-match with classic pieces will give you more outfits than you could imagine AND it won’t take as much brain power in those early morning hours as you rush to get yourself together before the kids wake up!
Hayley is running a No Brainer Wardrobe series again on her blog right now and I can’t recommend it highly enough. This post outlines the essentials for a smaller wardrobe and I agree with everyone of them. She’ll be adding to these basics with some “additions” and “finishers” in the coming weeks, but the essentials is the best place to start!
So tip #1 is read Hayley’s book and follow her series. Tip #2 is…
Start your “In My Closet” Pinterest board!
Most of us don’t have a lot of money to spend on clothes. And we probably have some great, usable pieces already in our closets that we’re not letting live up to their full potential. Instead of browsing through Pinterest fashion aimlessly and making a long list of all the things you DON’T have and need to buy, identify some pieces that fit you well and search for outfits that feature those pieces!
I have some red skinnies that I bought on clearance from Target last year, so I did a search of “red pants” and “red pants outfit” and found lots of new ideas of how to wear them like this and this! I did the same with the olive military jacket I picked up for 99 cents at Goodwill this summer and there were SO many outfits like this and this I could put together with the basics already in my closet!
A full closet does not make you fashionable and it does NOT lead to having it all. Instead, make sure you have some well-fitting basics and have fun mixing and matching with what is already in your wardrobe!
If you’re on Pinterest and have a board like my “In My Closet” board or decide to start one, I would love to follow it and see how you take on this challenge! Leave a link to your board in the comments for me!
I'm Erin, a wife, boy mom x 3, writer, and runner in Nebraska! I'm excited to share all my favorites relating to faith, family, fashion, and fitness in this space! Enjoy! 
It is frustrating for me as I feel like the past ten years have been so full of babies and changes that I haven’t been able to be purposeful about what I wear. So this post is very timely as my last baby is now 5 months old. Thank you!!!
I will start a pinterest board, because I love this idea.
The specific pinterest board for things you already have is a great idea. 🙂 I use pinterest more for ideas of how I can use what I have than specifics of each outfit. I’m kind of vague like that with most things… projects, recipes…
Great post and encouragement!!
Ah! Absolutely BRILLIANT having an “In My Closet” board! I often go to my “My Style” board to remind myself of outfit ideas, but I haven’t created one with what’s in my closet. Now to figure out where to find perfect red skinnines ;0)
I *think* I like clothing and fashion, but clothes shopping with four kiddos in tow is not much fun…but is good for the wallet…because I rarely go. So my wardrobe is pretty boring and limiting, but I don’t mind:). I tend to hold on to things a bit too long, but do find a few good finds at Plato’s Closet every once in a while.