If you’ve been dressing the same way for many years, or even a few too many months, you may feel like you’re trapped in an unbreakable fashion rut. Fortunately, this is not a death sentence; there are many ways to break out of your old fashion rut and embrace an entirely new personal style.
How do you do this?
Experiment With Something New
First, consider experimenting with something totally new. Purchase or borrow something you wouldn’t ordinarily wear and make a point to wear it. This is a great way to expose yourself to new avenues of fashion exploration while challenging yourself to resist the temptation of old, familiar dressing patterns. It also gives you an opportunity to see how these novel items work for you; inevitably, some of them aren’t going to feel right or aren’t going to complement your figure, while others are a perfect match.
· Materials. Start by experimenting with clothing items that are made from different materials, as material can play a big role in how a piece of clothing looks and feels. For example, if you don’t usually wear leather, you could invest in a new pair of leather loafers from this website and see how they work with your existing wardrobe. You can do the same with materials like hemp, silk, denim, or synthetic fiber.
· Colors. You can also experiment with different colors. If you’re the type of person who usually dresses in bold, sharply contrasting colors, consider trying a more muted, minimalistic look. Conversely, if most of your clothes are black, gray, or white, consider dressing flashier for a few days to see how it feels.
· Fit. Another way to experiment is with the general fit of your clothing. In business and professional environments, the fit of your clothes is extremely important, but in casual environments, you have much more flexibility. Tinkering with tighter or looser clothing could be exactly what you need to find a new look.
· Accessories. Finally, consider adding in some new accessories. There are hundreds of different accessories that you can experiment with, and they have the potential to transform your entire look without even forcing you to change clothes. If you find one or more accessories that you really love, you may even consider building outfits around them.
Clean Out Your Closet
Next, give yourself a closet purge. Breaking out of your old-fashioned rut is about getting rid of old things as much as it is experimenting with new things.
These should be some of your top priorities:
· Duplicates. Is half your closet full of the same article of clothing in different colors? Get rid of these duplicates. While they may have been familiar and practical for a time, they’re currently contributing to your sense of tedious repetition.
· Virgin clothes. Similarly, you should get rid of any clothes you’ve never worn. Obviously, these clothes aren’t contributing to your fashion rut, but if you genuinely don’t like them, why are you keeping them?
· Out-of-fashion clothes. Even if you’re not one to keep up with the latest fashion trends, you can probably identify at least a few pieces of clothing and accessories that are no longer “in” with current styles. Get rid of these.
· Overly familiar or comfortable clothes. Finally, closely scrutinize your clothes for familiarity and comfort. There’s nothing wrong with hanging onto a few clothing items that make you nostalgic or provide you significant comfort, but if your closet is full of familiar, comfortable clothes, you’ll never try anything new.
Sell or donate the clothes you no longer want or need, says Oxfam, rather than throwing them away, as long as they’re still practically useful.
Expose Yourself to More Ideas
The last part of the process is exposing yourself to more unique and inventive ideas, so you can get inspiration to experiment with new looks on a regular basis.
· Friends. What do your friends like to wear? Are they involved in the fashion scene? Are there certain aspects of their look that appeal to you?
· Coworkers. What about your coworkers? Are there ideas you can borrow or lift from them?
· Pop culture. Pop culture and fashion have an interesting collaborative relationship. Pop culture influences fashion and fashion influences pop culture. Accordingly, you can turn to pop culture for novel ideas.
· New places and cultures. Branch out by visiting new places and learning about new cultures; you might be surprised at how much inspiration you can find there.
You can break out of your fashion rut immediately by dressing in a way that you wouldn’t have considered before. But if you want to make this change more impactful and long lasting, it’s important to change your mentality about fashion. Purging your closet of things you no longer want or need and embracing new ideas are the first steps on that journey forward.
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