Spring is here and I have nothing to wear!

This is part one in a series. Part two is here.

It happens to me every year, with every turn of the season. The temperature changes and suddenly, anxiety creeps in. I stop wanting to go places. I hide out in my workout clothes or wear the same couple of outfits over and over. 

It's time to retire my winter uniform of leggings and boots—which I'd wear every single day if I could and practically did.

Now, spring is here, and I have nothing to wear. 

It feels silly to write that, and, really that's not even true. It just feels that way because style is an area in which I do not excel. 

Thank goodness for my fashionista husband. He keeps me limping along, and if there’s something cute in my closet, he probably bought it or told me to buy it. He’s the one who told me to stop wearing skorts (remember those?) and that it was time to donate my suit jackets (back in the early days of my TV news career) because they were too big.

But I got a good deal at Dress Barn!!

Still too big, he insisted. Let them go.

My husband’s wardrobe is minimal, stylish, and complete. So what’s my problem? The fact that I feel a bit clueless about style is part of the issue, but here’s the other thing—I also feel a little bit guilty about shopping for clothes. Is this a mom thing? It’s expensive and time consuming.

So what I end up doing is running into Shoe Carnival on the morning we’re about to leave for spring break to get a pair of sneakers because I own not one single pair of comfortable walking shoes. (Yes, that just happened). Shawn told me to get white Converse All-Stars. Pinterest confirmed it, so that’s what I did. 

Sometimes, in a fit of frustration, I run to the mall late in the season and grab what I can. It’s all on sale, but mostly picked over. When I do shop, it feels hurried and draining. 

Recently, I decided to do something about it. I don't want to spend a bunch of time thinking about clothes. But I also want to shed this mental block that's taking up unnecessary space and energy in my life.  (I've noticed that with a lot of things I avoid. I pretend it's not there and don't deal with it, and it gets bigger.)

I keep hearing about capsule wardrobes and that sounds appealing to me. The bottom line is I want to be more intentional about building a minimal, but complete wardrobe. Simple, but put together. I want items that work with my body type, mix and match well, and fit my busy lifestyle. 

So I emailed my friend and style coach Megan Brandle and wrote something like, “Hey. Help!”

Megan Brandle. Isn't she lovely? Photo credit: Libby Williams

Here's a snippet from our email exchange:

Angie: What should we be doing right now? Editing our closets? Or is it time to buy? When's the best time to buy? When's the worst time to buy?

Megan: Right now I am editing my clients wardrobes (or already edited) and then shopping. The best time to shop is now until mid May for Spring/Summer. And then late August to mid October is prime shopping time for Fall/Winter. We are pushing the Fall/Winter items to the back of the closet or storing in tubs or in drawers and bringing the Spring/Summer front and forward. This makes a HUGE difference when getting ready and packing for trips. 

Any tips for creating a minimal, but complete wardrobe? No fuss, but put together. 

The biggest tip for this is being ready to let go of a ton and make sure each item in your wardrobe is multi-use and fits your checklist 100%. (fit, color, style, practicality). I like to suggest anyone wanting to try a minimalistic approach to read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. You have to be ready mentally first. Then you can start building your “capsules” and figuring out what works for you. There isn’t a certain number of clothes or number of capsules that works for everyone. It’s a process to learn the lifestyle and really figure out what works for you and your life. I am actually developing a year long package to help clients achieve a minimalistic wardrobe. Hoping to launch it soon! 

Why is it so hard to shop for ourselves?? Jeans, omg.

Seriously!! We are just too close to it and we can’t be objective. There are too many feelings about our likes/dislikes, body, things people have told us we look good in, things our husbands/moms hate for us to wear...It is way too much to sift through.

Plus most people don’t give themselves enough time to shop or time that is free from distraction or time that their brain power and spirit is up. It is hard, it is a process and it isn’t a talent that comes naturally to everyone. It’s not like we all take a class and learn the science behind dressing our body growing up. I wish everyone did though!! :) 

Also, there are so many options and the options keep multiplying daily. There is no way the average person can stay informed on all the brands and spend time trying them to see what works and what doesn’t. I get to experience many brands myself and through all my clients, friends and family and I still don’t know everything! We are set up for overwhelm!

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So what next? Personally, I'm going to follow Megan's suggestion to start editing my closet, take an inventory of what I have and what I need for spring and summer, and separate those pieces from my fall/winter clothes so I have a better sense of what I'm working with. 

Part two of this series is here.