There are enough stressful and difficult situations we have to navigate on a daily basis and your clothing shouldn't be one of them! #mindyourstyle

With an overwhelming amount of style options and weekly trends changing it can make your head spin. Getting dressed can be a frustrating but obviously an essential activity everyday. When we are frustrated by our clothing it results in dull looks or uncomfortable outfits that don't make us feel good.

When we have so much over load, it makes it hard for us to clearly see what we are actually in love with or what we actually want. Having an over load of options in theory seems like a positive, but in reality it is actually a negative. It is not about having nothing or limiting yourself, it is about having what you reallyyy need and love AND what benefits you.

Having the right combos, basics, statement pieces, correct under garments, shoes, jackets and even small details like extra attention given to your socks, underwear and accessories can make your dressing process not only smoother but more thoughtful so you can feel polished in whatever you wear.

Curating a wardrobe that is sustainable and makes your life easier is ideal. Being more mindful of your closet is not about depriving yourself of anything, it is more about serving yourself better and building a wardrobe that makes you feel confident. I truly believe that our clothes have a lot of power over our feelings and the way we walk through a room. If we feel so good in our clothes that we do not even think about them that is what makes a great wardrobe and style. Well fitting clothing that is comfortable, soft and fits our lifestyles subconsciously helps our energy towards the world and how others react to us.

Our clothes can help create our narrative. So make sure your clothes are telling the story you want them to be telling yourself and the world!

We have way too many complicated things we have to deal with everyday, and our clothes shouldn't be one of them.

Use these 6 steps towards a better closet which will result in you loving to get dressed each morning and create a better you which will result in a better life and in the long run a better more sustainable world!

ONE: Declutter!

Yes, Marie Kondo that $h*t and get rid of all of the junk that doesn’t fit, doesn’t feel good, and doesn’t fit in your lifestyle! Make sure you are just as mindful with getting rid of your clothes as you are with consuming your clothes. Find a new home, sell, donate or repurpose your clothing so they do not end up in a landfill. Clothing shouldn't be looked at as a disposable entity so try to be intentional about where it goes after its life with you and avoid shopping items you will not wear over and over again. It is better for the world and being very intentional feels good and will help your mindset in the future.

Our minds have so many important things running through them on a daily basis, we simply do not have time to go through 100% of our closet each morning, so we only wear about 20% of it. 20% is just about all we can handle visually consuming each morning or what is clearly visible to us so we have an urge to constantly buy more since we do not really understand what we already have or need.

Do not hold on to items just because you think you should. Whatever you do not feel good in, don't love or doesn't fit any longer needs a new purpose! If you have not worn something in a year it might be time to find a new purpose for it!

TWO: Rearrange your clothing!

This will happen naturally after you declutter your closet. This is the perfect time to really give some attention to your style and wardrobe. Don’t underestimate the power of a well organized space.

Try not to overthink it either! Just do it! It will feel better after! I promise!

Arrange your closet by type (purpose), color and season. Get drawer dividers and baskets or dividers for your closet and get all matching hangers (the velvet ones are room savers and avoid wasteful chunky plastic ones that take up tons of space!)

Now do not forget about your shoes! The shoes have a lot of significance when it comes to outfits. You can be wearing the simplest of outfits or the most show stopping of outfits but if the shoes aren’t right the whole look is thrown off. So make sure your shoes are organized in a visible location. Shoes tend to end up in piles all over the house so put shoe shelves where you tend to toss shoes. Try not to stack/pile shoes on top of each other, since this deforms and distresses them faster. Only have the current season/weather shoes out in the open and for the off season shoes find an under the bed rolling bin or put another shoe rack in the coat closet so you don’t have your snow boots or Uggs sitting next to your gladiator sandals and flip flops in the middle of July. It’s just clutter at that point and it all becomes visual noise!

Be so overly organized that it makes it easy to put things away and easy to search through for easier mornings and nights out!

Be considerate of prime real estate and arrange your clothing accordingly. Make sure the most accessible shelves aren't filled up with old college tees/sweatshirts or pj's. That wont help you get dressed smoother in the morning, but only make more visual noise to navigate. Tuck at home lounge-y clothes in a drawer, trunk or basket in the closet. Do not waste prime real estate on items like that. Save those spots for your favorite sweaters, jeans, leggings and anything you love that shouldn't be on a hanger.

Three: Find your style

So, yes this is harder said than done sometimes, but it really makes a difference for you!

Now, everyone has a personal style, even if they think they are exempt. I like to say that each person has a sort of uniform. Don’t think of it as a school uniform per se, but more like a go-to combo of items for yourself. Knowing your combination can make getting dressed easier, smoother and make you feel more confident throughout your day. It also gives you freedom to be creative on top of that "uniform".

When you look in your closet take into consideration what you love, what makes you feel good and even why you are drawn to those things. Also, try pieces on and figure out what makes you feel confident and comfortable. Then start to notice the patterns of what you like and what makes you feel good and aim for that more.

An example is: If you love and feel amazing in wrap dresses with ankle booties or high-rise jeans and cropped jackets then look at those as your staple silhouettes to wear more often. This will bring you a sense of freedom because you are able to throw on your "uniform" effortlessly but also that comfort gives you the room to try new things!

Keep it simple and spruce outfits up with great shoes, quality bags, and thoughtful accessories. Accessories are magical outfit accents that can level up the simplest out looks.

Four: Care for your clothing Properly

Something that I see as a wardrobe stylist all the time is that people do not care for their clothing properly or even know how. The first step to caring for clothing properly is to only buy what you will actually take care of correctly.

If you know you won’t ever dry clean or hand wash silk, then please do not buy it! OR change your habit/mind set and make a real effort to care for it how it needs. Our clothes should feel like an investment and as an investment you want to be considerate of it.

Caring for clothing isn’t that hard, it just takes some extra attention and a few extra steps that will eventually feel like second nature.

Get yourself a drying rack and be aware that 90% of your clothing should be hung (or lay flat) to dry. This will create less over turn in your wardrobe by making items look and feel newer for longer. The dryer is really harsh on clothing and can make clothing look dingy so easily.

Avoiding the dryer can also be a great way to keep those trendy/cheaper items around longer. Trendy clothing from fast fashion stores are literally meant to fall apart so the consumer has to buy more. So beat this, by being gentle on even the cheapest of clothing.

Make sure you are not washing your clothes with your boyfriend's, husband's, dad's, brother's, girl friend's, roommate's or whoever's! Get two laundry bins if you need! Stay in control of how your clothing is being treated by avoiding someone else doing it. Please don't let men wash you clothes, not allllll of course, but in my experience I have seen men have a tendency to not care for their clothing in the proper way...at all. Don't let them ruin your style by unknowingly washing something incorrectly.

Make sure you alwaysssss always always separate your clothing before washing and unless you are bleaching whites ALWAYS wash on cool or cold. Wash darks with darks, delicates with delicates and lights with lights. Also be thoughtful of the textures you wash together. Don't wash delicate tank tops with jeans or heavy cotton sweaters and PLEASE never wash your clothes with your towels, bath mats or bedding.. ever!

Don’t be scared of bleach or bleach alternatives. If you love wearing a good white tee, make sure you bleach it when it is needed. Bleach can ruin things quickly so be careful. Whites should be washed separately and be bleached when needed. Nothing makes someone look unintentional and unstylish than a dingy white tee.

(If you are for any reason against using bleach, there are other alternatives as well!)

Extra care tips: Use bra bags and lingerie bags for delicates / Turn clothing inside out when washing / Use Woolite for darks and Woolite delicates for delicates / Wear jeans and other items as many times as possible before washing / Don't put anything with stretch in the dryer ever

Five: Plan Ahead

Plan your outfits out the night before! If you are going away or have something special planned, plan your outfits out ahead of time! Never wait until the last minute. This creates that terrible feeling of rush, frustration and can leave you with being stuck wearing something you don't feel like a million bucks in. So avoid that!

Don’t get yourself stuck in that viscous cycle of throwing clothes over your head, hating it and ripping it off over and over making your room and closet look like a tornado came through. Save the hassle and effort of all of that and plan ahead. When you plan ahead you have the time and clear mindset to pick what makes you feel good and it gives you the flexibility to get creative with your choices.

I love to pick out two different outfits so when it comes time to getting dressed, I can pick whichever fits my mood/weather better. I also love to stick to simple combos and use accessories to make it feel unique and special. Unless you know something fits you well, try out the outfits you have plannedb and add or subtract during the planning process so you aren't doing that last minute in the morning.

Six: Shop Slower & More Thoughtfully

Shopping is not only fun but it makes you feel good. I get that, and I have a deep love for it myself, but the habit of impulse buying is a huge issue in the world. It not only creates a disposable view of clothing that hurts our world, but it also sucks for ourselves on a daily basis. We consume for emotional reasons or to fill a need we are having in our closet. BUT the issue is that we don’t always find the perfect/right things and because we want to fill that need and desire as quickly as possible we buy the first thing we find that even kinda sorta fills that void. Which ends up doing us NO good.

To be honest, I have a struggle with this still and I work on it all the time and I am aware it can be extremely difficult to tell yourself in the moment to not buy something that feels good to buy.

So always stop and check yourself.

Ask yourself if it really is what you love and if it is checking off all the boxes. Also, don't shop it just cus the price tag is super low. Just cus it is lower doesn’t mean that will matter two months from now. Your brain wont care if you got the best deal of your life if it is uncomfortable, ill fitting and doesn’t fit your needs and then months later you are right where you started.

So just slowwww downnnn a littleeee bit.

Shop with a little bit of a plan and only buy what you really love or that will benefit your wardrobe.

It is helpful to avoid trends as well! If you a trend chaser you will never feel satisfied with your clothes and you will have so much clogging up your closet that you wont be able to really see what you love or even own because your closet will be so over packed. Shop items that you can wear for years and that work well with the rest of your wardrobe. Versatility is so important and can make getting dressed sooo much better!

Make sure when you are shopping that you attempt to shop natural fibers that feel great on your skin and don't already look like they are about to fall apart.

Shop second hand at local thrift stores, consignment stores on secondhand apps like Poshmark. For unique, quality made jewelry, accessories and clothing seek out locally made or small designers as well. This gives you a true understanding of where your clothing is coming from and is more unique than buying the same dress from Target everyone else has (that won't last you a summer).

If you are a trend seeker or just love to shop on a weekly basis and don't see yourself kicking this habit any time soon then try renting apps like Le Tote or Rent the Runway. This gives you the ability to shop shop shop and have something new all the time without the chance of it becoming unused or thrown away.

Thanks for reading! Hope this was helpful!

P.S.

As you may know I do offer wardrobe styling services that can help you defeat all shopping obstacles you may find yourself running into. Please never hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need a wardrobe development service!

XOXO Georgia Caroline // RUBA RUBA