Stylebook is designed to help you get the most out of your closet. Here are 10 ways to use the app’s tools to maximize the number of wears you get out of your wardrobe. According to HuffPost: “On average each American throws away roughly 70 pounds of clothing and other textiles per year, equivalent in weight to more than 200 men’s T-shirts.” If you’re interested in having a more conscious closet, I recommend that you start by getting the full use out of your current wardrobe before buying anything else.
To do this successfully, you need a realistic picture of which clothes you actually use and which pieces are being neglected. Even clothes you love could be worn infrequently. For example, you may have forgotten a beautiful dress that’s stuffed in the back of the closet - out of sight, out of mind. Stylebook has a number of tools that can help you see which clothes could be worn more, as well as creative ways to make that happen!
1. Create Outfit Recipes
After using Stylebook’s calendar for a few weeks, open the Most Worn Outfits feature and take a look at what you’re wearing frequently. Then, see if you can create a few outfit recipes from a popular outfit. For example, I’ve worn an outfit with this combination a few times: tank + vest + trousers + sneakers. I used that recipe to create a few additional outfits using different pieces from my wardrobe, but adding up to the same basic look. This gave me more outfits and brought more clothes into my regular rotation. The best part is that I already know this outfit recipe works for me. Outfit Shuffle is perfect for this! Enter your recipe categories and see what the app comes up with!
2. Be an Outfit Repeater and Rewear Good Outfits
Just saving your good outfit ideas can make a huge difference. If you have an outfit that you felt amazing in, save it in Stylebook and rewear it later! It sounds obvious, but a lot of people treat outfits like a one-time deal or they simply forget what they wore! Instead of pressuring yourself to style something new every day, try incorporating some of your favorite outfits into a regular rotation. You may be surprised by how infrequently your looks are repeated - even when you’re trying to be an outfit repeater!
3. Spread Out Repeats Using the Calendar
Don’t worry about repeating your outfits too often because Stylebook automatically tracks the last time time you wore something. First of all, the Stylebook calendar is visual, so it’s easy to see at a glance if you’re repeating outfits too often. If you want to get more specific, each clothing and outfit entry has a list of the dates it was worn, with the most recent date listed first (this feature is available for outfits and individual clothes on the notes page). You can also save searchable calendar notes describing where you wore something - and who you wore it with! I find that I personally overestimate how often I repeat my clothes, and Stylebook usually points this out!
4. Remix Your Closet
Remix your closet using Outfit Shuffle, a feature that will give you 10 outfit choices based on a group of categories you select. This is a fantastic way to see your current wardrobe in a new light. Just because you repeat individual clothing items, doesn’t mean you have to repeat outfits! Even a handful of clothes can be remixed into a surprising number of looks, and Outfit Shuffle can help you discover them. You can even start from a single item, which will be included in every outfit suggestion.
5. Pay Attention to Cost-Per-Wear
Cost-per-wear is an item's price divided by the number of wears, and it's a great insight into the value of a garment. So many times, I’ve justified a sale purchase because it was a good deal, but if it’s not a piece that pairs well with my existing wardrobe, it’s not worth it. For example, I bought a designer handbag at half price for $179, but I only carried it twice. Even though it was a good price, the bag is too big and formal for my wardrobe. The CPW breakdown will help me avoid such purchases in the future. Stylebook will automatically calculate the CPW for every piece in your closet as you log outfits. Look in the Style Stats for the items with the worst CPW and work on getting the number as low as possible by wearing those items more.
6. Shop Your Closet
Spot underutilized items in your closet with Stylebook’s Top 50 Least Worn items (in the Style Stats screen) and try to incorporate those pieces into new outfits. It’s a really easy way to shop your closet! Before I adjusted my habits, I noticed many of my least worn pieces were “special clothes” that I was saving for a better occasion. If you do that too - stop it! If you love an item of clothing, embrace it and wear it whenever you want. Don’t feel self-conscious if an item feels dressy. You can never be too dressed up - you’re just going somewhere better later!
7. Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
Stylebook makes it easy to make outfits anywhere, without making a mess in your real closet. Whenever you have a free moment, experiment with creating new outfits in the app. I especially want to encourage you to try new ways to layer. Once you find combinations you like, save them in the app so you can use them in the future. Here are some layering ideas (you can see more on our Layering Tips board on Pinterest!
- Skirt over a dress
- Dress over pants
- Tank over t-shirt
- Vest over a jacket
- Wear a button-up blouse like a cardigan
- A long coat over a short jacket
- Hoodie under a jacket or blazer
- Cardigan as shirt
8. Don’t Box Yourself In
When you buy a clothing item for work or a special occasion, don’t limit your use of those things to that particular purpose. There are tons of ways you can style pieces to make items wearable for many different occasions. Wear your work clothes on the weekend and your “going out” clothes during the day! Try adding unexpected pieces to some of your basic outfits inside the app and save your favorites. For example, I recently wore a formal beaded belt, which I purchased for my wedding rehearsal, with jeans.
9. Only Buy Clothes that Complement What Your Wear Regularly
It’s not realistic to say you’ll never shop again, but when you do - make it count! A foolproof way to make a good selection is to buy items that pair well with the clothes you wear frequently. Before you go out to the store, take a look at your Most Worn clothing list in Style Stats. Then, make a goal to find new pieces that go well with certain items. This will ensure you’ll wear your favorites AND your new purchases more!
10. Save Your Outfit Ideas
I have 542 different outfits saved in Stylebook using the clothes I currently own. Since there are only 365 days in a year, this proves that you don’t need to constantly shop to wear something different every day for over a year. I got to this huge number by saving my outfit ideas in Stylebook whenever I felt inspired, which is easy because I always have my phone. As soon as I purchase an item, I save as many ideas as I can, so I’ll remember it’s potential even after the shopping high has worn off.
Gather inspiration images while you're browsing blogs, Pinterest and Instagram. You can quickly load photos right into Stylebook using the “Import from Web” feature. Save everything that catches your eye and then try to recreate some of the looks from your existing wardrobe. You don’t need to have the exact pieces but look for similar colors, textures, materials or silhouettes. For example, I saw Meghan Markle wearing a green cargo jacket, striped top, black jeans and booties. I recreated the look with a tan cargo vest, striped button-up, black jeans and loafers.
Conclusion
Your closet is full of potential, and there are more outfits in there than you can even imagine, just waiting for you! Stylebook will help you take full advantage of what you have, even if you crave variety. You don’t need to buy something for every outfit, you just need to get creative with your styling and keep track of how you use it!
Bonus Ways to Get More Wears
Mend your clothes - Visible mending with patches and creative stitching adds tons of character to your clothes. If you have a sweater with a little hole, add a monogram patch! If your distressed jeans are turning into destroyed jeans, patch them up. There are tons on excellent books on simple techniques anyone can try - yes, even you!
Dye your clothes - I love dying clothes because I can save faded or stained items that are otherwise perfectly fine! My favorite things to dye are faded black clothes, items with small stains and yellowed white t-shirts that won’t bleach brighter.
Get a steamer - Ironing your clothes can make a huge difference in how you feel about them! If you hate ironing like me, or somehow always wind up melting part of your clothes, get a steamer. They are faster and easier to use!
Find a good tailor - I’m petite, so sleeves and legs are almost always too long for me. Pieces that look sloppy go unworn, so I try to have clothes hemmed whenever I can.
NOTE: Posts in the Style Guides series include affiliate links to some of the products discussed. Stylebook receives compensation for purchases made through links to affiliates.
