Six Reasons Why You May Feel You Have Nothing To Wear

I’ve said in the infamous words “I have nothing to wear” too many times to remember. I’ve probably said it a dozen times in the past few months and I’ve barely gone anywhere that needed more than jeans and a T-shirt. And that’s despite buying clothes pretty regularly.

It may appear that your wardrobe is empty, or full of things that aren’t quite right, but chances are it’s the opposite. There’s too much to choose from. Buying clothing is one of my weaknesses, and my wardrobes and cupboards just get fuller and fuller. Is this ringing a bell for you too?!

There’s more to feeling like you have nothing to wear than how many (or few) items you own.

Your wardrobe is just too cluttered

When your wardrobes and drawers are too cluttered you’re not able to see what you actually own. Generally, the things you’ll see instantly will be that handful of items that you wear day-in-day-out. So all you see when you open a drawer or cupboard are the same items, and it feels like you have nothing new or exciting. But hidden away in the back you’ll probably find things that you don’t even remember buying. I have a whole load of items that barely make it from the airer to the wardrobe before being worn again, so it feels like I wear the same clothes pretty often.

If this feels like you then it’s probably time for a clear-out, or a re-organize. If you don’t want to throw items away but your space feels cluttered put away seasonal items into storage spots/ old suitcases, that way you’ll only have visible things you can wear.

You have nothing to wear because you aren’t clear with your personal style

Your personal style is how you express yourself through fashion. And knowing this style will determine the kind of clothes you buy and want to wear. If you don’t think you have a personal style then think back to what you wore as a teenager and whether you’d wear those items now?! Probably not!

When you don’t know your style properly you’ll end up buying clothes you don’t like. Or clothes for one occasion that you’ll never wear again. For example, if you’re really not a girlie person and hate dresses, don’t feel like you have to buy a dress to attend a wedding. Buy a nice suit jacket or shirt. Something that you’ll put into your wardrobe and actually wear again.

Think about your personal style and then you’ll buy items that you’ll love and wear more often.

Your items aren’t cohesive

If colours and patterns are your things you can probably relate to this. You may have loads of individual items that you love, but they don’t match and fit into an outfit. So you end up not wearing them that often, or at all. For example that brightly floral patterned skirt might look beautiful but not go with any of the tops you have.

When you’re buying clothes it’s worth thinking about how they will fit into your wardrobe. This will help you avoid buying clothes you’ll never wear, and stop you from wasting money.

You have nothing to wear because you don’t own the staples

Following on from the one above, perhaps you just don’t own enough of the everyday staples that go with nice things. A plain good quality black top, a simple black dress, a good pair of jeans, etc.

Sometimes it can feel like you have nothing to wear as items don’t last as long thanks to fast fashion. Styles go in and out of fashion, or that £20 dress just doesn’t look as good after half a dozen wears. Having timeless staples that are good quality can really help you. And having good basics will help match with the more unusual things in your wardrobe.

Make a list of the staples that will go with most things, including shoes and bags, and see how many you actually own.

Your wardrobe lacks diversity

When I used to work somewhere with a smart casual dress code I found that 80% of my wardrobe was just workwear. Even though I spent a lot of time outside of work and wouldn’t wear smart clothing when I didn’t need to.

If this is you, or all your clothes feel like a uniform your wardrobe probably lacks diversity. And this is why it feels like you have nothing to wear as you have too many similar items.

Find items that can have multiple uses such as a dress you can wear with boots and tights for work, but then add a belt and chunky chains and you can wear it for a night out. And look at different colours, styles, and fabrics.

You feel like you have nothing to wear because your clothes don’t fit properly

I relate so hard to this. I do have boxes of clothes out of my wardrobes of items that don’t fit me, but I hope will one day. Who am I kidding?! But even in the items that do physically fit there are some items that just don’t fit as well as others. If you have loads of ill-fitting products you won’t reach for them and will feel like there’s nothing for you to wear.

When you buy or order items really think about the fit of the item before keeping them. Don’t just keep something pretty if it doesn’t quite fit properly. Or find a local seamstress who can adjust your item so you can keep the clothes for longer.

Stop telling yourself “I have nothing to wear!”

It can be so easy to look in your wardrobe and think you have nothing to wear. But instead of wearing the same items again and again or spending money on more clothes think about what you already have.

Not only will you have a better grasp on your wardrobe, and help you save money on clothing.

Pin It