FASHION - Are you in a style rut? Get out of it with these 8 tried & tested tricks!

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Summary - 

The one thing I’ve learnt about being in a style rut, is that most women won’t even know they are in one, until they are out of it. Others though, will notice it! To save this from happening to you, I’m sharing some of the most common symptoms associated with a style rut and plenty of tips to get you feeling on top of the world again with the way you dress. 

Things I Mention - 

  • What is a style rut as defined by the English dictionary

  • 5x symptoms to help you self-diagnose if you're in the thick of a style rut

  • The one thing most women do during a style rut which you should avoid at all costs

  • 8x tried & tested ways to feel re-inspired & excited about your wardrobe

  • How to use your time spent scrolling more wisely

PLUS, what you should know to be able to take a simple t-shirt worn lounging on the couch to the same simple t-shirt worn sipping cocktails at a lavish party. 

Links & Helpful Resources - 

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on any of my practical tips & tricks and if you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a rating and a review? Thanks!

When I was putting together this episode, I wrote down a few things that I’ve helped my clients implement to help them out of a style rut and to have them feeling both re-inspired and excited about their wardrobes again but then it dawned on me that almost all of my clients didn’t even realise that they were in a style rut until I brought it to their attention. They didn’t recognise that there was a reason or a diagnosis if you like, behind why they were feeling so blah every time they got dressed - they just put it down to them not being completely happy with their body which a lot of the time isn’t always the reason at all. 

So let’s start by getting crystal clear first on what a style rut is and then I’ll discuss a few of the most common symptoms that I’ve worked with to eliminate the need for Google Dr. here. 

A rut as defined by the English Dictionary is - 

“A habit or pattern of behaviour that has become dull and unproductive, but is hard to change”

Therefore it makes sense that to ourselves, a style rut will most likely go completely unnoticed. Meaning you won’t even know you’re in a style rut until you’re out of it. Others though, will notice it! 

As with most things, I’ve learnt that those in the thick of a style rut typically display a few similar symptoms so I want to give you a run down on those because you might find that you actually relate to some of these but not to worry, I’ll be giving you plenty of tips soon to get you feeling on top of the world with the way you dress & create outfits - 

Symptom #1 - When you do finally go shopping, you come away with nothing!

Symptom #2 - You’ve taken the idea of having a ‘uniform’ to the next level and wear the same thing day in and day out because it's easy (aka buying groceries in my activewear) 

Symptom #3 - You always wear the same pieces together so you’ll wear that same black t shirt with the same pair of blue jeans

Symptom #4 - You’re incredibly loyal to one brand, so much so that the sales assistants know your name

Symptom #5 - You can’t remember the last time you changed your handbag … or sunglasses .. or hairstyle

If you ticked off more than one of those, chances are you’ve been struck down with a case of style rut. There’s good news though because pulling yourself up and out of a style rut, doesn’t require countless days in bed, it’s actually a whole lot of fun. 

The easiest way to tackle this would be to duck out to the shops or browse ASOS and purchase something new & exciting for yourself, HOWEVER this is a temporary solution and will only fuel the problem long term. This is no different to stocking up on skinny tea when you’re trying to lose weight - it’s works wonders for a few days but you’re not addressing the underlying problem. My advice is to get creative with your existing wardrobe first. 9 times out of 10, there is a stack of unworn and unknown outfits lurking in there - you just haven't discovered them yet. 

Here’s what has helped my clients when they’ve felt a bit unmotivated by their style - 

Remove Black From Your Wardrobe For One Week 

When feeling uninspired, the first thing we tend to do is throw on an all black outfit and be done with it - almost as if we're hiding behind our dark clothes. Don't get me wrong, I love and often wear head to toe black but there’s always some thought behind it. A great little challenge is to remove every item of black clothing from your wardrobe for just 1 week. By doing so, you'll be forced to rummage that little deeper into your wardrobe and perhaps wear something you haven't worn for a really long time.

Style One Item Differently

This is for those who are serious about wanting more bang for their buck. Play around, experiment and try to wear one item of clothing every day for a week, styling it a little bit different each time you wear it. To make things easier and a lot less obvious, I'd suggest choosing a wardrobe staple such as a t-shirt, shirt or pair of jeans for this.

Roll It, Tie It, Cuff It 

Quite often, it’s the small styling details like rolling sleeves, tying shirts and cuffing a pair of pants that make the biggest difference to your overall outfit. It's usually the difference between an outfit looking quite awkward & uncomfortable instead of it looking stylish & effortless. More importantly, you'll usually find that by doing this, it will make something look a lot more flattering on your individual body shape. Experiment with rolling, tying & cuffing to see what you can come up with.

Get Inventive

Think outside the box and ask yourself, can this item be worn any other way, other than its original purpose? Do you have a swimsuit that could double as a bodysuit or a bikini top that could be worn as a crop top? How about a pair of jeans that could be layered under a dress? Could your favourite skirt be worn as a strapless dress by adding a belt at the waist? Doing a quick Google or Pinterest search (eg. different ways to wear a skirt) can provide a lot of creative styling ideas.

Trawl Pinterest/ Instagram

When you see someone else wearing an outfit that you like, you'll feel more confident to give it a go yourself. Suddenly, you can visualise the end result and you know it works! Spend some time collecting outfit inspiration on Pinterest or alternatively use your time scrolling time wisely, by saving outfits you like & see on Instagram and re-creating these outfits yourself using clothes you already own. It doesn't matter if the final outfit isn't exactly the same, just try your best and aim for one or two outfits that are a sit a little out of your comfort zone. I’ve read that 83% of Pinterest users are women - that’s a whole lot of women sharing outfit inspiration in one easy to find place! Come to think of it, I’m one of those women and have a stack of outfit inspiration on my account. I’ll leave a link to my Pinterest account in the show notes but you’ll find me under @ecstylist. 

Add A Bold Lip/ Nails 

A very simple tip is to add a bold lip or bright set of nails to your finished outfit. This has actually been proven to boost confidence which may be all you need to get those creative juices flowing.

Ask A Friend 

Giving complete control to someone else can be really empowering and often results in a big break-through. Having another set of eyes look through your wardrobe will force you to wear something that perhaps you wouldn’t usually and this can be really powerful. I spent 6 years doing this exact thing for my clients so I know how effective this is. The more open you are to this experience, the better the outcome will be, so hand the reigns over and see what new outfits emerge. You can do this multiple times with different people too - your partner, your Mum or ask me to style you - someone who is very experienced with this. That’s the biggest benefit of signing up to my 1:1 Coaching. 

Use Colour Schemes

In my personal opinion, the one thing that gives your clothes more mileage is colour and the way you wear colour in an outfit. It is the simplest and most cost-effective way to increase the versatility of your wardrobe which truly sky-rockets the amount of outfits you have on hand. Having fun with different colour schemes can honestly take one item of clothing and make it suited to lots of different occasions in a matter of minutes (think lounging on the couch in your favourite blue tshirt, then all of a sudden your sipping cocktails at a lavish party in the same blue tshirt - that’s right, it’s possible and easy to do when you play around with colour).

I go into a lot of detail about colour and colour schemes in my eBook - The A to Z of Confidence. Colour is my jam. I’ve spent many years studying colours & colour psychology back in my Interior Design days & when I studied Fashion so definitely read that if after this episode, you’ve come to terms with the fact that you may very well be in a style rut yourself. You’ll learn so much! Link will be in the show notes. 

Ok beautiful people, I hope this episode has re-ignited that fire in your belly to get out there and start having fun with your personal style. None of us are immune to a style rut - it happens to the best of us but be honest with yourself, acknowledge what’s going on and use some of these tried & tested ways to dig yourself out of it. 

Happy Styling!

Elisha CasagrandeWomens Confidence, FEEL BE LOOK, Confidence, Adam Galinsky, Brisbane Personal Stylist, Online Personal Stylist, Styling Tips, Outfit Styling, Clothes Pyschology, Fashion Psychology, Style Rut, Fashion Tips, Styling Advice