Wardrobe
A wardrobe audit before you buy
An overflowing wardrobe can still leave you with nothing to wear. Audit the situations your clothes serve before treating the problem as a shortage of pieces.
01
Start with a real week
Write down what you wore over seven days and where you went. Separate work, errands, exercise and social occasions. If you work from home most days, a wardrobe dominated by formal outfits may be mismatched to your routine rather than too small.
02
Sort by what stops you wearing it
Create four groups: wear now, repair or alter, try styling, and let go. Give each uncertain piece a specific reason: tight waist, missing layer, uncomfortable fabric or no suitable occasion. A vague “maybe” pile rarely leads to a useful decision.
03
Test the gap
Build three outfits for your most frequent situation using only what you own. Photograph them. If each outfit fails because you lack the same layer, that is a stronger buying signal than feeling bored with your wardrobe. Check whether an alteration solves the gap first.
04
Make a bounded shopping brief
Describe the job, colour range, fit needs, care limits and maximum budget of the missing item. Keep this brief for your next purchase. Revisit the audit when your routine changes; you do not need to replace your wardrobe every season.