Redefining your wardrobe and moving passed the stress of getting dressed.

By Kara Savage

I have clothes spilling out of my closet, but the overwhelming challenge of getting dressed often results in a near panic attack. Getting dressed feels like the biggest weight on my shoulders when there are a million other things on my mind.

It certainly did the first day of senior year when I was going back to school in person for the first time since COVID-19 started. As I sat on the edge of my bed staring at my ripped-apart closet, I could feel the anxious butterflies flutter across my body. had gone to school with many of these people since I was 5 years old, but I still cared how I looked on this day back at school. 

I decided to wear my favorite pair of black jeans, but all of my tops felt boring or overworn. Although I have too many sweaters than anyone needs, I finally settled on borrowing my best friend’s sweater to wear with the black jeans and my platform pumas. 

When it comes to first impressions or seeing people for the first time in a while, I find myself overthinking the impression that a certain piece of clothing gives. A pink knit sweater makes me appear too preppy. I can’t wear black on black because that doesn’t represent who I am. A white shirt with my favorite blue jeans is too basic. 

Every time a slightly important event comes around–the first day of school, a concert, holidays, weddings–even my favorite clothes appear dull. 

Stress and pressure make every decision dire. The feeling we get when we can’t decide what to wear may have to do with our psychology than our wardrobe

I often want to be everyone and no one at once, I want my outfit to stand out but not to the point where I draw too much attention. When I overthink what I wear, I get anxious and I become extremely aware of how I am dressed for the rest of the day.

Whenever I find myself hating all of my clothes, I go into my roommates’ closets and I always feel like no matter what I buy, I like my roommates’ clothes more. It’s like when you go to a friend’s house and their snack collection glows like something dreamy in a movie. 

My problem is that I want my clothes to do too much for me. I often want to be everyone and no one at the same time. I want my outfit to stand out, but not to the point where I draw too much attention. I overthink it. And when I do, I get anxious.

More options, more clothes, and a bigger closet may seem like the solution, but with more clothes comes more stress and the feeling of being overwhelmed by your own items. 

Redefining how we see our closet isn’t a simple task. For me, I’ve changed the way I look at getting dressed. When I’m under a lot of stress or anxiety, I try to think of getting dressed as the one thing in my control. 

Finding a way to control what you wear can take away this anxious feeling. The first question I ask myself in the morning is if I want to wear something comfy like a hoodie or if I want to wear an outfit outfit, meaning jeans and a blouse or a skirt and sweater kind of outfit. 

When my friends and I do things together we have four phrases we go by to coordinate what we wear. They are “casual”, “casual cute”, “cute”, “flirty cute”, and “flirty”. This makes it easier for us to decide what type of outfit we wear and eliminate any confusion. 

Casual, in our opinion, means borderline what you roll out of bed wearing. Most often it’s sweatpants and a sweatshirt, sometimes yoga pants. This is the “movie night’ attire or making a trip to the Mcdonald’s drive-in outfit. 

Casual cute is the type of outfit most people wear to class, a sweatshirt and jeans or yoga pants and a sweater. The number one day for “casual cute” is Sunday, the Sunday uniform we wear grocery shopping or hanging around the house. 

Cute is the one that is a bit debatable. In my opinion, when someone says the attire for going out with friends is “cute” it means a sweater or a basic white tank top and jeans. This is your going to brunch or going shopping with ‘the girls’ outfit. 

Flirty cute, which is my favorite attire, calls for a baby tee and a skirt or a crop top and baggy pants. This is a first-date outfit, it’s flirty but still passes the “girlfriend material” test. 

Lastly, flirty is our attire for when we are going out, not to a sports bar, but to a party or club. It’s a mini skirt and a flattering top. If someone says the attire is “flirty” for the evening in the group chat, this is no joke.

These simple categories make the not-so-simple task of getting dressed less of a mind game for my friends and me. Establishing these different vibes eradicates the awkward scenario when someone shows up in sweats and someone else in a miniskirt. 

Starting with one theme or one piece of clothing and building from there can make the psychological stress of getting dressed a hundred times easier. The worry of being too overdressed or too underdressed can be eliminated by a simple act of communication.