Have you ever looked in your closet, full of clothes, and still was able to say that you have nothing to wear? 

This is because you haven’t mastered your closet. Everyday fashion follows the rule of quantity over quality. It’s not about the quality of clothes you have, but rather the number of clothes. You can have a department store for a closet, but without these helpful tips, styling an outfit won’t come easy. 

1. Stop buying trends

Getting right into tip number one, stop buying trends. Trends are the fast fashion fads that roll around each season, such as the preppy, Y2K, and VSCO trends. It’s important to not commit yourself to a trend as it is inevitably not going to stick around for very long. Don’t get me wrong, trends are a great way to immerse yourself in a new style and try new things, but once that style leaves, you’re going to be stuck with a closet full of out-of-style clothes. A good rule of thumb is to keep 20% of your clothes trends and the rest your own personal style. 

2. Keep it basic

Rolling into tip number two, keep it basic. Basics are your typical white and black tops that can be paired with any kind of bottoms. Whether you’re running late, lacking creativity, or just don’t have the motivation to try and still want to look presentable, basics are the way to go. You can never have enough basics. These are the items that you’re going to be able to build an outfit from. 

3. Follow the color wheel

Tip number three isn’t as simple, follow the color wheel. The color wheel is a circle with different colored sectors used to show the relationship between colors. Examples of complementary color combinations are blue and orange, red and green, and yellow and purple. Following this guide will allow you to easily pair outfits and not have to worry about if the items go together. 

4. Don’t forget to layer

Tip number four allows for a little more creativity, and layering. The power of layering is going to give you more ways to style the same outfit. Growing up in California, layering wasn’t something I was able to incorporate all the time. Coming to Pennsylvania I am able to experiment more with this and put long sleeves under my t-shirts, t-shirts over my sweatshirts, etc.. You can layer with pretty much any kind of top whether that’s a vest, long sleeve, turtleneck, t-shirt, cardigan, or sweater. Just simply put a top over another top, it’s that easy. Styling an outfit like this is going to give you more ways to bring a new outfit to life, in turn preventing you from saying you have nothing to wear. 

All these little steps are great and are going to get you well on your way to mastering your own closet. This last and final tip is what’s going to bring all the little steps together, find your own style. Being confident and walking out the door feeling like you are representing your personality and who you are as a person is going to inspire you to create new outfits. It’s easier to express whom you are rather than trying to express who someone else is. You can’t expect to stand in front of someone and mimic their every move, but you can stand in front of a mirror and mimic your own moves. 

Finding your own sense of style will allow you to use the color wheel, layering, and incorporate basics and trends. Following these tips will allow you to master your own closet.