Many fashion experts will tell you that the first step in creating a wardrobe that you love is to take stock of your closet, but while I believe that a closet clean out is a critical step, it shouldn’t be the first. I believe that the first step in creating a wardrobe that you love is to take the time to ask yourself a few questions about your current lifestyle and sense of style because in order to create a wardrobe that you love, your wardrobe must align with your lifestyle and personal style. Yet due to our busy lives, we often don’t take the time to determine whether or not our wardrobes meet these criteria. The way we live and our personal style changes and evolves over time, so before you do anything else, it’s important to take the time to figure out what type of wardrobe works best for you in this season of life.

My own personal experience has been that my lifestyle has changed quite a bit over the last few years. Before the pandemic, I worked for a bank and was expected to be in the office every day. I started a new job during the pandemic working from home 100% of the time. During the pandemic, I stopped wearing most of my business casual clothing and my wardrobe became super casual, primarily consisting of leggings and comfy tops or matching sets of athleisure wear. Now, even though I still work full-time from home, I travel more regularly and I've had to adapt my wardrobe yet again. 

In order to determine the type of wardrobe that best fits your lifestyle and personal style, I’ve put together this free printable that you can download (COMING SOON) to help you take that first step toward a wardrobe that you love.

It’s not necessary to take the self-assessment more than once a year unless you find yourself with a significant life change that warrants taking another look at your wardrobe, such a job or career change or move to a city, state, or country with a different type of climate than the one in which you currently live.

It’s okay if you can’t define your personal style in words. If you can’t easily define your sense of style, I suggest taking 30 minutes to create a Pinterest board with pictures of items that best represent your “ideal style”. Another way to approach defining your personal style is to ask yourself who your “style role models” are. Note that your style role models don’t have to be famous. If they are friends or family, that makes the process even easier because you can use them as a first-hand resource as you begin to create your dream wardrobe.

Taking the time to complete this self-assessment before you take the next steps will provide you with a road map in building your perfect wardrobe that will help you save time and money at each stage of the process. And with respect to the second step in the process – the closet cleanout – it is meant to provide clarity as you “shop your closet” and decide what is worth keeping.