The Great No Shopping Experiment: But I have nothing to wear!

How many times have we said that? How many times have we considered just throwing on yoga pants and calling it a day because there is literally nothing in my closet that I can wear?? We’re wrong, by the way. There has never been a scenario where I have to leave my house naked, except in that recurring nightmare where I can ONLY leave my house naked.

Maybe it’s a product of being spoiled, or a product of the current state of fashion blogging, but a lot of times I look at my closet and I don’t see anything “worthy” of the trip from my door, to my car, to my office. I look at my favorite Instagrammers and I’m bummed that I don’t have what they have. But the truth is, they don’t really have it either. If you follow that particular sect of social media you can’t escape the inevitable “expose” of “How Much Do These Bloggers REALLY Make?” The bloggers with the most followers don’t pay for the fabulous clothing they wear. The clothes are donated by the designer to get the piece out there to millions. So don’t feel bad when you don’t have the Chloe bag or the Saint Laurant boots you see on your phone – those girls can’t exactly afford them either.

Part of the reason I did this challenge in the first place was to foster some outfit creativity. If I can’t go out and buy something new, I’ll have to make it myself. Living in Winterfel (aka New England) I am not averse to Han Solo Season.

Layering is the best trick anyone can have in their bag. It can take summer dresses and make them winter ready. I paired a white button down with a hot pink shift dress and grey tights to be able to wear it all year round. I put a blue button down under a black dress that I normally reserve for funerals, and it was instantly work-appropriate and way less sad. Another way I “got creative” was to wear my knit bomber jacket in lieu of a blazer. Same effect (keeping my bare arms warm in a cold room) but whole new look.

The next time you’re in your closet, think about your slimmest dress and your favorite skirt. Can you fit the skirt over the dress without giving the secret away? And don’t be afraid to be a little weird. My purple velvet skater dress paired with a black-and-white flannel looked very “90s Cool Girl”.

Layering is your friend and saves you from the “I have nothing to wear” bitchfest. Because until you lose all your clothes and you’re forced to leave the house naked, that just isn’t the case