How to Create Hundreds of New Outfit Ideas, All From Your Closet
How many times have you worn the exact outfit you are wearing right now?
Let me guess: you’ve been meaning to go shopping to get out of that rut? Millions of shopping tabs open right now? You can go ahead and close ‘em. You don’t need to be stuck in an endless cycle of non-stop shopping for new outfit ideas, you just need a fresh pair of eyes on your clothes.
I’ve run my blog and IG account (@craftandcouture) for over 10 years, so I completely understand the pressure of creating new outfits regularly. I also grew up in the era when outfit repeating was a fashion faux pas (RIP to the “going out tops” we would buy and discard after a single night out), so I’ve experienced my fair share of “buy, buy, buy” then “cry, cry, cry” in regret when the instant high of shopping wears off.
I’m in my 40’s now and I’ve learned that more stuff doesn’t necessarily mean better style. There is so much more joy and satisfaction in building a wardrobe filled with pieces I love and will wear over and over again. It may *sound* fun at first, but in practice I find a constant carousel of new stuff only does two things:
It degrades the quality of the pieces you can afford to bring in. It’s just simple math…and, the entire premise of the fast fashion industry!
It degrades the quality of your styling. You never really get the chance to land your personal style, and it means you have to constantly be figuring out how to style new pieces from scratch. It’s exhausting!
And so, I’ve always been passionate about curating my closet and my home with fewer, more considered pieces. Does that mean I’m a minimalist who wears the same thing every day? No! I’m always finding new inspiration to wear what I have in new ways.
Every item you own has the potential to be styled and restyled to create many, many completely new looks. Of course, the real trick is finding the right inspiration to do so. I’ve found a digital wardrobe on Indyx to be an incredible tool to find that inspiration - and, to do all the outfit experimentation from the convenience of my phone!
If you’re struggling to come up with new outfit ideas or find yourself waffling every morning over what to wear, I’ll share the five ways I use Indyx to come up with great new outfits.
How To Come Up With New Outfit Ideas
Outfit Idea Generator #1: Start With an Inspo Image
Let’s take this minimalist chic look by current ‘it-girl’ Sofia Richie Grainge as an example. I have a similar streamlined style myself, so this outfit is right up my alley. But, I’m sure you have 10-years worth of your own style inspo already saved to Pinterest. It’s finally time to put it to work!
Things I will not do right now include: search where these exact pieces are from or look for ‘dupes’.
What I will do is scan through my digital wardrobe looking for items I already own that resemble the ones she has on. I’ll re-create the inspo outfit with my similar oversized black blazer, black slip dress, black structured bag (even though it’s not a Kelly). Finish it off with some white sunglasses and I’m done. It’s that easy!
It doesn’t matter that my dress is black when Sofia’s is navy, or that her bag is a Kelly and mine isn’t. Using an inspo image isn’t about copying it exactly - it’s about drawing inspiration from the overall vibe, but using items that are uniquely ‘you’.
Outfit Idea Generator #2: Iterate on an Outfit You Already Love
Another go-to method of mine is simply to create slightly different versions of an outfit I already love. I’ll take this outfit we just created inspired by Sofia - a new favorite! - and duplicate it in the app. Now I play with switching out jackets, bags, sunglasses, etc. to make entirely new outfits while starting from the same base “canvas”.
For example I can make it dressier for a date night with a leather blazer, some dark sunglasses, silver bag and animal print heels. Or I could dress it down to run some errands with a beige poncho, a straw bag, and some sandals.
If you find yourself wondering how to create new outfit, the key is experimentation. Give yourself the freedom to try new things - and remember, there really are no rules. And, this outfit experimentation is as fun on Indyx as it was when we played with Barbies because you can style the same dress ten times over without having to pull a single item from your closet. Not every outfit you try will be a hit, but others will be new favorites. You’ll never know until you start trying!
Outfit Idea Generator #3: Start With A Statement Piece
Do you have an item that you just love? But, maybe you don’t end up wearing it super often. Let’s try starting with that item and styling around it. My favorite statement piece is these snakeskin boots, so let’s start there.
Add the statement item to your outfit board first, and then add other items around it, again playing with different combinations.
A monochromatic look is always a safe bet, so I started with some similarly colored (and super comfy!) beige pants and a coordinating beige zip-front sweater. I also tried playing down the boots with a black and brown midi skirts, which make them a little less in-your-face and more wearable for everyday.
Outfit Idea Generator #4: Start With A High Cost-Per-Wear Item
Your higher cost-per-wear items are also a great place to start when building new outfits. We all love watching that number tick down!
Choose any of the items at the top of your CPW list, for example, I’m picking my denim Prada button down - an “investment piece” of mine that I definitely need to work on wearing more!
As before, I simply experimented with it on the outfit board, styling it differently as a jacket, a dress and a top. I styled it down for the beach with some colorful and casual accessories, and dressed it up with an all black ensemble with some silver accents that screams “front row”.
You can switch through the items so fast, it will be easy to filter out what doesn’t work and what you can’t wait to wear.
Read more about how cost-per-wear can change how you view your wardrobe - and, how to get started tracking it with Indyx
Outfit Idea Generator #5: Subscribe to The Feed
My last tip is the one I use the most nowadays. And of all my subscriptions, it is by far the best $15 I spend per month.
The Feed is a stylist-approved shortcut to generating new outfit ideas week-after-week. Each week, I can’t wait to check my feed for my two new outfits created just for me by my personal stylist. It’s like Christmas!
Not only do I get new outfit ideas but I’m also able to play around with those stylist-created outfits to generate even more outfits (see: tip #2!). I truly have more outfits saved and ready to go then I have days in the week to wear them!
There is huge pressure to look like we just walked out of the new arrivals section of Moda Operandi every single day. But it isn’t necessary when you understand that true style comes from repetition, mixed with a healthy dash of trial and error. Trust that with time, you’ll develop your own eye. And with Indyx, that time will come quicker than you think because you can sort through hundreds of outfits faster than you can try on that strappy dress that takes you 45 minutes to put on.
Now put your Pinterest saves and statement pieces to good use, and start styling!
Therese is a designer, stylist, content creator (@craftandcouture) - and most importantly, the Creative Director at Indyx. She is a savvy treasure hunter, DIY girlie and wellness advocate who loves traveling with her family and watching murder mystery shows.
