Does this sound like a typical morning experience for you?
From the moment you put your feet on the floor you’re pulled in a million directions. Getting children or pets settled, making sure everyone is ready for their day, getting breakfast ready and perhaps even mediating any sibling squabbles for starters.
Phew! It feels like a full day has passed by 8 am!
After all that, you need to think about getting dressed, but you’re probably out of time so you race to grab the nearest thing and get on with your day!
Now what?
You’re dressed and can go about your day, but do you feel great (inside and out) in what you’re wearing? Or have you given up and are just happy you are dressed at all!
I’m sure you’d agree that you have pressing things to deal with in your day and the last thing you want is even a tiny thought niggling at the back of your mind questioning what you’re wearing. When you feel good in your clothes, it becomes a non-issue and you can put your entire focus on all the things that are more important.
If you’re nodding your head, yes, but you realize you have no idea how to get dressed quickly and love the result, then let’s look at how we can speed things up for you with a more satisfying outcome.
1. Wear Mostly Solid Colors
While prints are fun, they don’t have the ease and versatility that solid colors do. It’s so much easier to combine two solid colors than it is to mix and match with prints. That said, you also want to be sure you don’t overdo it with your color options. Having too many colors or ones that don’t play well together will make you crazy when you try to put together an outfit. Stick to solid colors you love and feel great wearing.
That goes for your neutral colors, too. You don’t need every neutral under the sun in your closet. Having two or three will make it really easy whether it’s black and white or navy and cream or brown and camel and any combination mixed with denim. It eliminates decision fatigue and makes putting together wearable outfits so much easier!
2. Build on the Classics
Seasonal trends are great and there’s no reason you can’t have some in your wardrobe, but classics are more likely to do two things to make getting dressed easier:
a. Stand the test of time.
b. Mix well with other items in your wardrobe.
Perhaps your go-to is jeans and a top or maybe dresses feel easy. You might feel confident throwing a denim jacket over almost anything or you rock jeans with a blazer or cardigan. Your preference might be for a cute t-shirt with joggers. You get to choose, but be sure to keep tip #1 in mind so you don’t feel overwhelmed by too many (or unflattering) color choices. The bottom line is that classic styles in colors that look amazing on you and with good fit can take you almost anywhere!
In Diane’s before and after above, don’t look at style here, just color. Black and gray feels dreary on Diane. But when she wears a beautiful shade of pink, she lights up (even without the jewelry)!
3. Get Rid of Clothes You Don’t Love
One of the biggest impediments to being able to get dressed with grace and ease is clutter! Too many clothes, especially when there’s a good percentage that you do not wear, amount to clutter. It’s very easy to accumulate clothing over time and, while not the most glamorous pastime, it’s important to periodically clear out things that you no longer wear. Otherwise, your closet becomes a refuge for every item you’ve every purchased whether you’ve worn it once or hundreds of times and it invokes a feeling of overwhelm every time you open your closet.
If even the thought of tackling your packed closet is overwhelming, do it in chunks:
- Take all the things you haven’t worn in a while and either push them to the back of your closet, move them to another closet, or pack them into boxes or tubs and put them away to see if you miss them.
- If you come across clothes you no longer like, are worn out or perhaps they no longer make sense in your lifestyle, donate them. Note: If you live in Massachusetts you can no longer toss worn out clothes in the trash. They need to be donated so they can be recycled (even if they are stained or have holes).
When you eliminate those things you don’t wear, you’ll have a clearer sense of what you have and want to wear and your experience of getting dressed will have more ease. It will also help show you where you have holes in your wardrobe so you know what to shop for.
4. Adopt an Easy Hairstyle
I know this isn’t about clothing, but, for some of us, managing our hair can feel cumbersome. If you’re short on time, work with your hairstylist to create a haircut that you can easily handle at home on your own. Whether it’s being able to pull it back in a pretty ponytail or keep your hair short so maintenance is at a minimum or something else, addressing your hair maintenance needs will simplify your morning ritual.
Of course, I know from personal experience that not everyone can have a wash and wear style. Let me rephrase that…everyone can wash their hair and let it dry, but then the question is…are you happy with the way it looks that way. I wish my hair were ‘wash and go,’ but even with all the fancy products available these days, without a little intervention, my hair just turns to frizz. I’ve made peace (mostly!) with having to do some maintenance to have my hair look the way I want it to.
5. Have a Signature Accessory Style
When you get dressed do you lose momentum when it comes to adding accessories like jewelry or a scarf? I know that accessories are often easy to skip when you’re in a rush, but accessories are also the easiest way to add a little personality and spark to an otherwise simple/classic outfit.
I’m not talking about anything over the top or fussy. I’m referring to adding a fun pair of earrings or a lovely scarf tied simply around your neck. But if just the thought of this makes your eyes glaze over or you think about having to look through an endless collection of boxes of jewelry to find what you need, it’s understandable that this step is overlooked.
The key is finding a ‘signature’ accessory style—this is something that will go with a lot of outfits so you don’t always have to wear a different accessory. Maybe it’s a simple silver pendant or a pair of slightly dangly gold earrings that sparkle when the light hits them. When you wear simple but beautiful accessories it will add uniqueness and interest to an outfit while also making it easy to get dressed.
If you love scarves but struggle with how to tie them, check out several scarf ties I share on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEEgvrS136Pu1qSQ93ONC3UBESkVFBn4h If you want more details about which scarf ties work best with which scarf fabric, size and shape, I have a special on demand class for that where I walk you slowly through a variety of ways to tie your scarves so you can practice while you’re watching: https://totalimageconsultants.com/scarves-simplified/
Chances are good that you are already doing some of the steps above. But if you aren’t, choose one place to start. With each step you add, you’ll get closer to your goal of dressing quickly with the added benefit of feeling great in what you’re wearing!
If you need extra support in feeling confident and comfortable to personalize these steps, please let me know. The fashion world wants us to believe that understanding how to put together a wardrobe for ourselves is intuitive and easy, but it isn’t. I struggled for years when I was younger to figure it out and needed support from someone who had the answers I was looking for. I love sharing this information with other women to help empower them. And, of course, as we get older, it can feel even more challenging. You do not have to struggle on your own. Enjoy exploring the steps above and if you need help, let’s talk: https://totalimageconsultants.com/booking/
