Starting again with my wardrobe

[Jemster]

My wardrobe needs sorting. I have hardly any decent clothes now as most have gone since having children & no longer fit right.
What I do have is not very nice and some of it pretty tired looking (just like me ha ha!!)
I hardly have any spare money for clothes but I work in a smartish office so want to look nice.

What would you do? Chuck out all the depressing tat and be left with nearly nothing or keep hold of it until I can replace?

Also I may have £100 coming my way soon so I should hit Primark and get as many outfits as I can or just buy a couple of nice things from somewhere else?

I used to have lovely clothes but suddenly there is hardly anything and it all looks awful. Thanks

I've been working on replacing my wardrobe for about a year. The one thing I'm still trying to learn is that a wardrobe doesn't come together instantly. I spent ages looking for just the right xyz but rarely found it so I started with the basics to get me through.

Things like plain smart trousers and or skirts, plain tees long and shirt sleeves, cardigans and smart shoes. That's where I am right now tbh. My next goals are the icing on the cake sort of things, a lovely jacket, good jeans and a handbag.

I threw out everything that I didn't love and started from scratch. My bottoms are all navy, grey or black so everything works together.

I would pull absolutely everything out of the wardrobe and have a good look at what is there, fingers crossed you find some forgotten pieces that give your outfits some new life.

After that I would probably hit H&M for some basics and then get a couple of other pieces from somewhere else, Zara maybe. I'm always a bit unsure of Primark for anything other than cheap t-shirts and jeans, although I have on occasion found a cute dress or skirt.

Good Luck!

Get rid of the stuff that definitely doesn't fit/you don't like/will never wear.

See what you're left with and build up from there.

A few decent quality items that really fit and suit you make a huge difference.

I'd start as you mean to go on and just get a few decent thugs with your cash. Every time you get some more money, buy another piece or save it towards buying quality in the sales!

Some things can be done on the cheap - vests for wearing under cardigans, jeans, maybe even the odd pair of work trousers.
But I'd buy quality knitwear, winter coat and shoes. This will make you look together.
Even some Kendra heels from clarks would work for an office.

Things not thugs!

You can get a few nice bits and pieces from primark but the strategy of going in to get as many outfits as you can for £100 is unlikely to achieve the upgrade you're looking for. Only buy things you really like and build your wardrobe up gradually.

I used to want to get loads of things for my money but that's how I got a wardrobe I couldn't make sense of and why I had to start from scratch. False economy in the long run.

I would start by getting rid of anything really ill fitting, tatty etc and take it from there.

I wouldn't have a big shopping spree though. I would focus on getting a couple of really nice, well fitting items and slowly build from there. Find things that you like, that you will west and suits you. This will tske time. I've made loads if mistakes myself.

Depending on how many clothes you have, I'd be inclined to get rid of the worst, say, 25% (50% if you have shitloads of clothes) and use the £100 to buy one or two nice bits, then save and aim to replace maybe one item every couple of months if you can put by a few quid a month towards new clothes.

I'm not an expert but I think I'd put the £100 towards one really good outfit that goes together, and makes you feel great. So if you have an important thing at work, you can just think "I'll put my decent outfit on". Like dress, shoes and cardigan or jacket. If the parts can mix and match with other things, fine.

Last winter I was in John Lewis and saw an outfit on a display that looked perfect, I bought all three things there and then and it's become a winter staple for me.

If it's your thing, it's worth finding time to trawl ebay or charity shops in a well off area. Office type clothes wear much better than t shirts and jumpers, if you are choosy on labels you could pick up some bits and pieces as a stop gap, even dry cleaning is cheaper than buying new.