Wardrobe emergency in the morning?
Here’s some expert advice from someone who’s seen it all when it comes to outfit meltdowns ...
Back in the fall, I kicked off winter with good intentions and plenty of motivation. I made Pinterest mood boards, started a photo album with outfit inspo by season on my phone, and honestly, I barely had a single crisis in front of my closet in the mornings. But now, sadly, the time has come. I’m over winter, my three pairs of boots, my two perfectly fitting jeans, and my Heattech (which I literally can’t survive without).
I’ve worn the outfits I still love so many times that I’m sick of them. I feel so boring when I think about wearing my indigo denim jacket and matching pants from COS for yet another day. And the worst part of this crisis? I feel like it’s just me – everyone around me is looking SO fabulous and never wears the same thing twice. Why is that?!
Is this a bit of a ranty newsletter? Yeah, kind of. But that’s exactly the point of this newsletter: It’s meant to be authentic and real. It’s not just about pretty wishlists and the latest trends, it’s also about those 30 minutes I stand, frustrated, in front of my closet wondering: Who am I even? How do I want to dress? And why do I have so many clothes and still feel like I have nothing to wear?
The trigger for this crisis might be that I’m just not feeling great in my body right now: After stopping breastfeeding, my pants have unfortunately gotten a little tighter, my boobs are smaller, I overdid it with skincare and broke out from too many products, and I came back from Paris with one hell of a cold. When I’m in a bad mood, I notice it right away when I look in the mirror: I just don’t like anything. No outfit, no makeup, no hairstyle, no photos of me. And that’s also the reason why, as a content creator focused on style, I didn’t capture a single outfit in January. I feel really bad about it when I think about my job, but back in December, I shot content every single day, and maybe I just needed a little break from the camera now.
So, the reality was that I pretty much always wore jeans with knit sweaters – and on the few days I felt like stepping it up, it was fabric pants or denim shirts. Wow. I’m bored of myself just writing this.
When I have a style crisis, I usually do one thing: SHOP. But since I’m saving for our world trip, I’ve tried to hold back as much as possible, and aside from a trip to the Berlin department store KaDeWe with my mom, I stayed away from sales altogether. It worked well, saved some money, but didn’t really help with my style crisis.
That’s why we’re now turning to budget-friendly alternatives for when your wardrobe feels uninspiring, you can’t be bothered to dress up, and all you’re doing is lusting after looks and things from others.
No Procrastinating or Avoiding!
I know myself: The more frustrated I get with my wardrobe and outfits, the more I start avoiding my bedroom (aka the closet zone) and default to the same outfits over and over again (hello, January). But the only thing that truly helps me through a full-blown style crisis is facing it head-on. Why am I feeling this way? What would make my morning dressing routine easier? (For me, it's more time and peace – without a toddler emptying every drawer.) I also dive deeper into my mood boards and analyze: What do I actually love? What outfit combos could I try?
Plan Your Outfits in Advance
Pick a quiet day — ideally one with daycare for all the parents out there – where you have no plans, no stress, and can put yourself and your style before your work to-do list. Take your time, go through your closet, and put together outfits you actually like. They don’t have to be groundbreaking or wildly exciting, but you have to take photos. That way, on busy mornings, you can just scroll through your phone instead of using precious brainpower to figure out what to wear.
Pro tip: If you use the Indyx app or any other digital wardrobe tool, you can easily pull up past outfits you loved and just rewear them.
I actually did this exercise with my boyfriend recently, and ever since, he’s been wearing his entire wardrobe, enjoying fashion more – and, best of all, finally has a clear idea of what he owns (and what’s still missing).
Don’t Purge Your Closet (Yet!)
When you’re in a style crisis and suddenly hate everything in your wardrobe, it’s so tempting to start decluttering to make space for something new. Trust me, I’ve been there – many times. But a style crisis is the worst time to do it.
More often than not, the problem isn’t your clothes – it’s stress, a rough mental phase, body changes, or just boredom. And that’s when we make the worst decisions, getting rid of pieces for all the wrong reasons … only to regret it later.
Instead, hold off on decluttering until the end of the season. That way, you can reflect on what you actually wore (or didn’t) and make more intentional choices. Or do it when you’ve spent time defining your style and feel confident about what truly belongs in your wardrobe.
Talk It Out with Like-Minded People
Somehow, style and fashion are things we rarely discuss or ask for advice on – unlike career decisions or parenting challenges. Maybe we all want to be seen as fashion experts, or we assume our style crisis is trivial and uninteresting to others. But in reality, sharing these struggles can be just as valuable and eye-opening as any other life advice! Too often, we sit alone with our self-doubt, overthinking everything until we feel completely stuck. For me, style is always tied to confidence and self-acceptance – and when I’m feeling off in my outfits, the last thing I want to do is talk about it. But honestly? That’s exactly what does help.
Reach out to your friends! A fresh perspective can change everything. Ask them: How would you describe my style? How would you mix and match my pieces? We’re usually way too critical of ourselves, and a well-placed compliment from a friend whose style we admire can be a total game-changer.
Read some other substacks and get inspired
It’s no coincidence that I’m mentioning Allison Bornstein here. She’s a stylist and basically the ER doctor for fashion emergencies. So how perfect is it that, in her latest newsletter, she’s tackling the all-too-relatable crisis of having a closet full of clothes but still nothing to wear?
Throughout January, The Wardrobe Edit was all about buying as little as possible and instead "shopping" your own closet – styling looks with pieces you already own. Very commendable and perfect for my budget-friendly approach! To top it off, Anna even created a PDF to help us navigate our next style crisis. Highly recommend!
Anika from No Wardrobe has also put together an incredibly detailed guide on how to balance the expectations of social media with your own wardrobe – so you can stay stylish, sane, and happy with your looks.
Looks like we’re all having an outfit crisis at the same time! Lucky for us, Leandra Medine Cohen has plenty of outfit ideas that don’t require a full-on fashion meltdown but still make it seem like we put in some effort. Just what I needed!
Now I’m curious: what do you do when you're in a style crisis? And how are you feeling about your wardrobe right now? Are you happy with it, or just as bored as I am after this never-ending winter?
Love our (fashion) chats and brainstorming outfits <3 <3 <3
Thank you so, so much for featuring my article, Marie! If it does any good, I feel the same about winter right now. I love winter fashion but the crisis and boredom will happen every year. I try to exchange my wool coats for shearling coats and I repeat outfits and formulas but change one thing in it for the next day. I think we also have the same leopard print bag - it saved my fashion boredom in January!