If you’re new to this blog, you’ll find I spend a lot of time talking about how to weed out your closet, clear out the clutter and the overwhelm, and lighten your wardrobe so that it is filled with only clothes you love to wear.

You’d think we’d be happy at this point, right?

That’s not always the case for this reason.

Getting rid of all those clothes seems to lead to another set of problems.

Jeannie Staller, a viewer on my YouTube channel summed it up perfectly,

“I’m good at weeding out my closet, not so good at finding replacements.”

Followed by another viewer, Judy Lin Young, with the same issue.

“I’m in the same boat. I can weed out but have no clue what to buy and end up weeding those new clothes out in a year too.”

Today, in just 3 SIMPLE STEPS, I’m going to show you how to fill in the gaps in your wardrobe so that you no longer buy clothes you don’t need or don’t wear.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure policy here for more information.

You can keep reading or watch the video below.

First, Clean Out the Clutter

But before we get started, if you haven’t done so already, you’re going to want to clean out and organize your closet. Having a wardrobe that is devoid of visual clutter will allow you to see only clothes you like and actually wear.

This is a vital step you need to take before adding new pieces into your wardrobe because it will allow you to identify your style, see where there are gaps in your wardrobe, and take the appropriate steps to fill it with clothes that work together instead of buying one-off pieces.

Here are some helpful articles to get you started on cleaning out your closet:

Once you have cleaned out your closet, here are a few ways to donate or sell your old clothes so they get repurposed instead of being hauled off to a landfill.

Now that you’re closet is cleaned out, you’re up to speed and we are ready to get into the issue at hand.

What to buy now that you’ve cleaned out your closet.

Step 1: What do your clothes say about you?

Before you run off to the store and start buying new clothes, let’s spend some time looking at your clothes because they are going to be a roadmap to help you make smart buying decisions.

Open your closet and give it a good hard look.

Answer each of these questions:

What do your clothes say about you?

Without saying a word, our clothes speak volumes about us.

What is the message you want to convey to others through your clothes? Are your clothes warm and inviting, do you like to look polished and pulled together, or maybe you want to portray and artistic vibe.

What is your current lifestyle?

Do your clothes fit the lifestyle you have today or are you holding onto clothes from a previous era of your life. For example, if you are retired or a stay-at-home mom, do you still have all your career clothes? Perhaps you just graduated from college and now you are working in an office.

What colors do you wear regularly?

We all have favorite colors that make us look good, warm our complexions, and always receive lots of compliments when worn.

What are those colors for you? When you give a quick look at your closet, what colors do you see the most? Are they colors you love to wear? Why do you gravitate to those colors?

Do you have favorite silhouettes?

Do you find you like wearing a-line skirts, skinny jeans, puffy-sleeved tops, or form fitting dresses.

Make note of your favorite silhouettes and why you like them. It will help you build your clothing profile.

What is your best Physical asset?

We all have a favorite feature.

It could be your hair, your smile, your legs, or bust. Play up your favorite features with the clothes you wear.

What are your favorite items that you wear every day?

Every week, when I do laundry, there are several outfits I can’t wait to wear. They are my favorite outfits! I have some for work and some to relax in. What are your favorite items and why?

Do have any go-to outfits?

Take a moment to think about your day or week.

What are the activities you do?

What are the clothes you wear when working out, running errands, meeting friends, or lounging at home.

Do you have the right clothes in your closet to fit your everyday activities?

What are your clothing preferences?

I help outfit a lot of women. Often times, when I ask their clothing preferences, they tell me they don’t have any.

Then a minute later when I show them a top, they’ll tell me, “Oh, I don’t wear sleeveless.” or “I can only wear scoop-neck tops.” or “I don’t wear wool.”

These are your clothing preferences!

Make note of all of these things including favorite necklines, jean cut, pant style, skirt length, as well as fibers and materials.

Answering these questions will help you build a clothing profile that is unique to you.

Step 2: What is your Style?

You might be thinking, I don’t know my style. Or, I like a lot of different styles.

However, if we take a look a the the clothes you like to wear on a daily basis, I bet we could come up with a few style words to describe those clothes.

Are your clothes casual, sporty, and modern? Or are they polished, chic, and artsy?

By choosing a few keywords to describe your style, it will help you FOCUS when shopping for clothes.

Rather than pigeonholing yourself into one particular style, choosing several style words speaks more to the essence of you and what you want to project to the world.

I’ve created a free printable that you can download with more than one hundred style words on it to make this step fun and easy!

In addition, I created a video to help you choose your style words and see the style words of some popular celebrities.

Once you’ve chosen your style words, write them down and keep them with you when you go shopping.

Step 3: Filling the Wardrobe Gaps

Just because you’ve cleaned out your closet, doesn’t mean you need race out and fill it up again.

The idea is to have a closet full of clothes that work together to fit your current lifestyle. If after cleaning out your closet, you feel like you have everything your need and love what you’re wearing, then you’re done.

However, most of the time when we can actually see the clothes we love and like to wear, we also notice there are gaps in our wardrobe.

Perhaps you have a blazer you love but never know what to wear under it. Or maybe you think, if only I had a striped tee-shirt or blouse to wear with this blazer, I’d get so much more use out of it.

Or let’s say you love to wear jeans every day but you only have one pair.

Or you love wearing jeans in the fall but don’t have the right boots to wear with them.

These are really important ah-ha moments and actually the best way to figure out what you need in your closet.

You may think that you’re going to remember all of these things the next time you go shopping…but there are so many distractions when you head to the mall, that it’s easy to get sidetracked and forget it all.

Write Down your Clothing needs

Anytime you are getting dressed or looking at your closet and you have a thought like that, write it down! Either in a notebook or on your phone.

Keep it near or even your closet so you can add to that list as needed.

By creating a list, you can take it with you when you go shopping.

Just like you have a list for the grocery store so you can remember all the ingredients you need for recipes and pantry replenishment, a shopping list for your closet is going to work the same way.

You won’t get distracted and come home with clothes you don’t need.

Instead, you’ll be shopping with intention and able to FOCUS on the purchasing items that will help you build a closet full of clothes that work together.

This technique also works extremely well with online shopping.

Rather than surfing through clothing websites not knowing what you want, now you’ll be able to pull up your list, notice you need a particular item and search for it.

A quick search on your favorite websites will help you find that “navy striped tee” or “Chelsea boots” you’ve been needing in your closet.

Look at You Closet with Fresh Eyes

Now that you’ve organized your closet and filled in some of the gaps, take a look at your wardrobe with fresh eyes. Maybe even invite a friend or family member to help you with this!

What you’re going to do is put together different outfit ideas.

Many of us wear the same outfit the same way every single time.

Instead, see how many different outfits you can put together using the clothes you already have.

Photograph Your Favorites

Don’t just stop at putting the outfits together.

Try them on and take photos!

Just like having a cookbook filled with your favorite recipes so you can pick what’s for dinner tonight, you can use the catalog of outfits the same way.

You won’t have to think about what to put together, you can scroll through your photos, choose an outfit you like, and wear that. Heck, you could even plan your outfits for the next week following the same technique.

Time to go Shopping!

We’ve organized our closets, figured out our style, come up with our style words, and made a list of clothes we need.

Now it’s time to head out shopping.

Instead of going to stores just because they offer sales or because they are stores you’ve always visited, try finding stores that align with your style words.

You might be saying, “but Nancy, I like a bargain!”

But is it a bargain if you keep buying clothes again and again that you don’t like and you’ll be throwing out because you never wore them?

Instead, choose stores that fit your style and invest in quality pieces that will fill in the gaps in your wardrobe.

And stick to your clothing shopping list!

By doing this, you won’t end up buying clothes on impulse or just because they are on sale.

Give these 3-steps a try and let me know how they work for you!