Why It’s Important to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone with your Wardrobe and How to Do it

For the longest time I’ve considered myself a wise spender.  When it comes to purchasing pieces to my wardrobe, I would make the most frugal decision.   If I saw several different colored pairs of flats at Target I would consider which color would be most beneficial to my wardrobe for the $20 I would spend.   When faced with choices such as Black, Brown, and Leopard print, I would choose the “safe” option and go with black.  I always justified decisions like this by assuming that I’d get the most wear out of that color since it goes with most anything.
 

But when I got my first pair of leopard print boots in the Fall, that changed everything.  You see, the leopard print boots don’t just go with 2 outfits as the statement piece, instead they go with at least 5-6 different outfits that I already own, as well as mixing with other statement pieces such as camo pants.

It turns out that I look more stylish  feel much better when I wear the leopard boots with an outfit that I normally would only wear black boots with.   Now they make every outfit stand out more and have been a huge hit on my social media pages.   
 

The key to stepping out of your comfort zone with your wardrobe is realizing that out-of-the-ordinary pieces can actually be versatile.  If you don’t believe me just google image things like “Leopard boots” “camo pants” “polka dot shirt”.

 

So how can you step out of your comfort zone when you shop for your own wardrobe? Here’s a few ways…


1.    Take Inventory to justify your purchase.I’ve blogged before about taking inventory when you organize and set up your wardrobe, but it’s super imperative when you need to justify buying the hot pink shoes instead of the brown ones.

 Say that you see a cute short sleeved shirt and you love the style and fit.  It comes in pink, polka dots, black, white, and light blue.  If you have some sort of inventory (I keep mine in my Filofax in my handbag at all times) that shows what colors and kinds of clothing you have, you may see that you already have a white short sleeve shirt, and a black one, so you should either go with pink ( a wise choice) or even a polka dot shirt that can be used as a neutral piece).
 

2.    Take note of what you go wild over in outfit photos.I never would have thought to add so much flannel and plaid print pieces to my wardrobe had it not been for the fact that 80% of the photos I favorite on social media are bloggers dressed in layered looks with plaid and flannel.  It’s not just a comfort piece, but now it’s a key to layering a good look. 
 
3.    Figure out what colors look good on you.Whenever you wear pale yellow, does anyone ever say the color looks great on you? Then consider that next time you have to choose between a color, print, or pattern.   Don’t worry about what you have in your wardrobe to go with it, because most of the time any bright color or pattern can be matched with any neutral outfit containing standard black, white, and brown pieces. 
 
So what colors, patterns, or styles have you noticed you are drawn towards? Next time trust that instinct!