Why You Feel Like You Have Loads of Clothes but NO Outfits You Love!
Okay, so picture this: You're standing in front of your wardrobe, towel turban still half-on, coffee going cold, and the clock doing that rude thing where it keeps ticking.
You're surrounded by clothes. Hangers are jammed. Drawers are bulging. Except somehow you are struggling to find something to wear (again).
Sound familiar?
I used to be in that club. Back in the day, my wardrobe and I would meet daily like old friends who'd grown apart and didn't really know what to say to each other—which led to frustration, stress, and lots of uncomfortable feelings!
And I'm not even kidding, there were days I genuinely wondered if I'd have to leave the house naked because I was frozen with indecision and questioning every single purchase I'd ever made because NOTHING seemed to make outfits I liked, never mind loved!
Was it that I had no style or taste, or was I just really bad at shopping? But that can't be, because yesterday I LOVED my outfit!
Then one day, I was doing my most hated task, brushing my teeth, and a little voice popped up and said:
Hang on a sec.
What if this getting-dressed and feeling-good drama isn't about you lacking style, confidence, or taste?
What if your outfits aren't failing because you are, but because you're missing a very important (and in hindsight) very obvious piece of the puzzle?
Something no one had ever taught me or mentioned: Outfits that work aren't random. They work for a reason and probably have things in common. And if getting dressed feels like a guessing game, it's probably because no one showed you how to read the clues.
So I started paying attention. Like really paying attention (some might call it obsessive!). Not to what Instagram said I should wear, or what looked good on other people. But to my outfits that actually worked and made me feel like me.
Why Everything Feels Hit-and-Miss
Most people think a "good outfit" is something that either magically appears or doesn't. Like it fell from the sky and landed on a Tuesday when Mercury wasn't in retrograde and all the style stars aligned by mystical miracle
But actually, the difference between an outfit that lands and one that leaves you feeling a bit "meh" often comes down to a few repeatable elements, things like:
Contrast
Colour
Shape
Proportion
Combinations that make sense to you
Buttttt here's the kicker; unless you've been taught to see and understand those things, it's easy to think your hits are lucky and your misses are just personal failures.
And listen: your misses are not a failure, they're data.
Data about what doesn't feel right for you. What not to repeat.
It's misalignment. And misalignment is so fixable.
Why You Might Feel Like You're Starting From Scratch Every Morning
You know that Groundhog Day feeling of getting dressed every morning like it's the first time ever? That "ugh, I have nothing to wear" loop despite having loads of clothes?
That's what happens when your wardrobe is full, but you:
Haven't learned to spot the common threads in what works for you
Haven't mined that data to extract your personal style filters (what I call your F*ck Yeah markers) to help you have a repeatable "get dressed" recipe for each part of your lifestyle
Every outfit feels like a brand new problem to solve.
So no wonder you're tired and continue to reach for the same "boring but fine" jeans-and-jumper combo. No wonder the fun and joy's been sucked out of getting dressed!
It's not because you're someone who can't be stylish and have F*ck Yeah Style you love.
It's because you haven't yet been shown how to read the signs of a good outfit for you or taught how to turn that into something you can repeat.
What This Isn't About
This isn't about memorising fashion rules or becoming a styling expert. You don't need to know that your body is an inverted triangle or that you're a "soft autumn."
This is about recognising what already works for YOU, and learning to do it on purpose!
Your Style Mission Nest Week: Start With One Good Outfit
Think back to a recent outfit that you felt good in! One that put a pep in your step, didn't have you adjusting or pulling at it all day or praying you didn't run into your ex! And if you can't think of one, go for one that scored higher than average.
Now investigate it by asking yourself:
What was proprtions and shapes were in play?
Was there contrast? Colour? Texture?
Did it feel balanced? Surprising? You?
Was it a mega polished or more easy breezy?
Just start noticing the specifics of what made up the outfit, because awareness is the first step.
For me, in those initial staged I noticed the outfits I felt best in (the ones I actually wanted to repeat) always had an unexpected element.
There was a pattern: a bit of juxtaposition, a mix of styles that shouldn’t work on paper but did on me!
And one small shift that really lit something up for me? Baseball caps.
I started adding one to almost every outfit, casual or dressy, to see what would happen, and something clicked, which helped me unlock a style direction that felt so much more “me.”
And the best bit was that once I noticed that pattern, I could start recreating it in loads of different ways.
Want to see this in action? Let me show you.
From the Styling Chair: This Week's Outfit Autopsy
The breakdown
Let’s break down why this outfit feels like a full-body F*ck Yeah for me:
Contrast: The colours create visual interest without being faffy or overcomplicated.
Shape/Proportion: My F*ck Yeah silhouettes vary, but I always lean towards flow, layering, and a relaxed base.
A plain sweatshirt and track pants alone can feel a bit too blocky or stiff on me, so I added the shirt as a kind of waist belt to break it up. It creates asymmetry, adds a bit of drape and movement, and gives that effortless, undone vibe I’m always chasing. It’s a small tweak that changes the whole outfit.
The Unexpected: This is a big one for me. Every accessory in this outfit is doing something a bit unexpected, which is one of my core style markers. If there’s no tension or surprise in the mix, it just doesn’t feel like me. (And as a maximalist, I usually go for more than one unexpected twist. You might only need one!)
Pairing “wrong” accessories — like pointy silver boots, a beret, or layered jewels — with something super casual underneath is one of my go-to moves. That high-low clash? Feeds my F*ck Yeah style soul!
Repeatability: Once you spot the pattern, relaxed proportions + high contrast + unexpected elements, you can remix it in loads of ways. Change up the pieces to change how it looks aesthetically, but keep the formula.
If this all feels a bit like solving algebra when you've never been taught the formulas, don't worry.
That's exactly the kind of detective work I help with in a Style Power Hour.
It's a one-off, focused session where we dig into why things feel off, spot the patterns that already work for you, and build your personal get-dressed recipe. No more guessing. No more Groundhog Day mornings.
You don't need more clothes. You need your through-line.
And I'd love to help you find it.
[See details and book a Style Power Hour →]
Sarah x
