How to Make Cute Outfits with What you Already Have

Whether you are on a budget or just trying to cut back on your clothes shopping, you’ve probably wondered how to make cute outfits with what you already have.

It is possible to take your current wardrobe and get more outfits from it. In addition, you’ll learn how to make your outfits look cute!

How to make cute outfits with what you already have

In this article, I’ll show you how to create new outfits from your closet just by using the clothes you already own.

#1. Organize Your Closet

Did you know that just by rearranging how you view the clothes in your closet, you can dramatically increase the number of outfits you have?

It’s true!

Many people buy an outfit just as it was displayed in a store, whether it was on a mannequin, a specialist helped them pull the outfit together, or shown on a rack together.

Then they get home and hang the outfit in their closet with the pieces together.

Let’s change that by changing how we organize the closet.

How to Organize Your Closet

Take EVERYTHING out of your closet.
When you put the items back in your closet, separate them by classification. For example, you’ll group everything that is the same, t-shirts, dresses, shirts, sweaters, pants, jeans, skirts, shorts, leggings, etc.
Now, within each category arrange the items by color - from light to dark.

By making this simple change to your wardrobe, you’ll be able to view each item by classification rather than by outfits. This setup allows you to have a MIX + MATCH wardrobe rather than a closet full of outfits.

#2. Weed Out Clothes You Don’t Wear

Have you ever heard of Pareto’s Principle? It’s also known as the 80/20 rule.

It suggests that you wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time.

That means that 80% of the clothes in your closet are just taking up space. Maybe they don’t deserve to be there.

While you are going through your closet and organizing it by classification and category, take a moment to consider each garment.

Ask yourself:

When is the last time I wore this? If it’s been longer than a year, get rid of it.
Does it fit me? Ok. Confession time. We have all had closets full of clothes for when we lose/gain weight. We also have clothes we purchased and loved in the fitting room but then when we got home, noticed it’s tight in the waist or too long…guess what…get rid of it.
Does it need to be repaired? It could be a skirt with a broken zipper, a shirt that’s missing a button, a t-shirt with stains, or a pair of jeans that has a hole…if you haven’t fixed it and it’s just taking up space - get rid of it.
Do I like how I look in it? A garment may have sentimental value, be a gift from someone, or a purchase you made while shopping with your friend - but, if you don’t love how you look when you put it on, it doesn’t deserve a place in your closet. Get rid of it.
Does it fit with my current lifestyle? You may have been a career woman who worked in an office but now you get to work from home. Get rid of all the clothes that don’t fit what your life is today.
Does it work with other items in my closet? If you can’t wear this garment with at least 3 other items in your closet, get rid of it.

Be sure to go through these steps with shoes, coats, and accessories, too!

#2. Mix + Match Wardrobe

Let’s play a little game. See how many different outfits you can put together with the clothes you already have.

Start by grabbing a shirt. Now take a look at all of the bottoms and see how many you can wear with the shirt. Now add a sweater, or a denim jacket, or a blazer…WOW..we’ve just come up with 4 different outfit ideas!

Repeat with another shirt.

As you are putting together outfits - take pictures! If you use an instant camera, you can even hang the photos in your closet for easy reference.

I use my iPhone and then print the photos using an HP Sprocket portable printer.

While you are putting together outfits, don’t forget to take a look at shoes and accessories.

How much will your outfit change if you wear sneakers, ballet flats, or heels? What if you add a scarf or change the jewelry?

Accessories are the quickest and easiest way to change up an outfit. You can see examples of this on How to Be More Fashionable.

#3. Take Notes

As you are putting together cute outfits with clothes you already have, you may realize you have gaps in your wardrobe.

For example, you’re mixing and matching pieces and you think..if I just had a white tee, a pair of black heels, a blazer, or a designer belt.

This is when you can really think through what your wardrobe needs to be complete. If you noticed, all of the pieces I mentioned are items that would work with LOTS of other garments in your closet.

These missing pieces will increase your outfits ten-fold! Why? Because they are all basic key pieces that will help you build a wardrobe you love for the long term.

So, when you realize what is missing from your wardrobe write it down. Then the next time you go shopping you won’t look for outfits, you’ll look for those key items that will help you build a better wardrobe.