'My wardrobe is full to bursting but I've nothing to wear'. Has anyone successfully overcome this problem?

[Dunnesbest]

I've recently decided to buy less, buy better quality. It's not working. Im buying better quality but still the same amount! Im broke but still have nothing to wear. I look at the capsule wardrobe videos. They aren't really that realistic are they? Im a sahm ( mostly, part time uniformed job). I want to look stylish but what's the point when all im doing is housework, groceries etc. Leisure wear is just sloppy looking on me.
So how to make this work? Ideas please!

Great jackets can really dress up otherwise quite casual looks - they give more structure to your silhouette.

There are lots of nice casual shoes too that are a bit dressy and can really lift an outfit.

Do you have photos of a couple of garments in your wardrobe you do like so we can get a sense of what you like?

Yes. I had a virtual session with a personal stylist where we effectively pulled everything out of my wardrobes and she helped me put together outfits from what I already had. (I was using 10-20% of it in rotation). She said her clients usually get a list of items they need to add but I could literally attend any event with what I already had. 🫣

I like tailored classic clothes, which don't really fit my lifestyle. I wear wide leg trousers with light tops and trainers, then a jacket makes it look formal and a cardigan makes it look frumpy. Im only 5 foot so that's a problem too.

@AmIHumanOrAmIAYeti that sounds right up my street! Could you provide details please?

Do you buy clothes for activities that are not actually part of your daily life?
Do you buy the right clothes for your lifestyle but you can’t choose the right cut/colour for you and they don’t work?
Do you buy the right clothes but you end up wearing the same ones for some reason?

Where is the mismatch coming from?

Borrow a clothes rail and put it in your bedroom. Pick out the outfits that you do like, and put them on the rail. Include shoes, bags, everything that completes the outfits. You’ll end up with quite a few outfits on the rail. Pick out things that go with the outfits, for example, you might have three different tops that match with the same trousers/shoes/bags etc.
You will be left with things you don’t like in your wardrobe, and things that you can’t make a whole outfit with. You can get rid of them, or pack them away and store them somewhere for six months in case you miss anything. You’ll find that you don’t actually need half the clothes you needed. Once you get clear about how to build whole outfits with what you have, then you’ve sorted it, really.

I have a capsule wardrobe 😊

Being 5 foot isn't a problem. It's a pity that women are made to feel that way, and that only tall women can look good. I'm that height, and I dress to suit my size.
I think you're not buying clothes to suit your lifestyle. Lay out what you wear in a typical week.
Then get all the clothes you've bought and rarely worn and compare them.
What's not working?

It’s a really common problem.

My solution is to sort your wardrobe into right now clothes and everything else. Put the pressure to declutter or donate right out of your head because that interferes with the process.

But you do need to figure out somewhere to store the everything else section so that isn’t in your way. That could just be to the right hand side, or boxes on the top of the wardrobe.

Take each item and if it fits, it’s flattering, it’s seasonal and it suits the realities of your current lifestyle, it’s a right now item. But it cannot go back in the wardrobe unless you can find a whole outfit to wear with it.

This is usually where the problem is. The shoes with the perfect heel for those trousers wore out, and now they don’t quite work. Or you need a better bra for this top, or a racer back, or a wee vest. Make a list because this is what you need to spend your clothes budget on, not more clothes!

An other problem is that we buy an item, that looks amazing but it doesn’t quite go with anything. And fashion is crafty - this year’s green will be similar to last year’s but they will look wrong together. So you think something will work but it ends up being a singleton. This is something to be very vigilant about when you’re shopping. If it won’t function in an outfit, or you can’t afford the accessories, just put it back.

Once you have pared back to the clothes you could actually put on in the morning, you’re three quarters way to a functional and personalised capsule. And it is incredibly helpful to take the other clothes out of your visual field.

If I have clothes that need mending, altering or are missing a vital support piece (like the right bra) I turn the hanger backwards.

Try The Curated Closet by Anuschka Rees. It really made me think about what I needed rather than what I wanted.

And I agree with the PP, try everything on, make outfits, put non seasonal away (I just put it to the far end of the wardrobe), and sell what you really, really don't want to wear.

I am not great at this now at all! But like the others have said are you buying to suit your lifestyle?

I work part time (from home) and have 2 toddlers. I often see beautiful clothes in the shops but have to stop myself from buying them because I know I won't wear them.

What I do have is leggings that fit well and a variety of t-shirts. Then 2 pairs of jeans I think look nice, plus some nicer casual tops (stripe/ small pattern). A few summer dresses which I must say make getting dressed and looking put together so easy! But still comfy and able to play with kids - I wear 'dignity shorts' under.

If I bought to fit my lifestyle it would be pyjamas and tracksuits. I buy the nice clothes and then feel silly wearing them, but then I look at people dressed nicely and think why not me and the cycle continues. Plus I just love the dopamine hit of buying something, thinking this is the item that's going to tie everything together. It never does. I buy the plain white tee that's £50 that's going to go with everything then realise its just a plain tee and its boring and nothing looks nice with it. You get my drift, its like this advice doesn't work for me!

Wear the nice things. When I cleared out my mum’s clothes after she died she had so many beautiful unworn things. Just look great every day.

I feel the same, after years of retail work, and having a work uniform provided, quite a smart shop, so when I took early retirement at 55, I started to wear clothing for my life, so went from smart to casual, dog walks, lunch at garden centres, gardening, etc, but I really don't like very casual clothes, i had never owned a pair of trainers before, now I own 4 pairs but really only wear one pair, same with hoodies, I do need to be comfortable, it's hard to know what to wear sometimes.

That's exactly what happened with me. My Mum had so many items of unworn clothing, beautiful shoes, quality handbags. Saved "for best". I decided after that to wear all my clothes and use all my nice things!