today i’m sharing something of a bolt-on to my closet makeover series. i started using this outfit planning hack about a year ago, when i realized my biggest hangup in choosing an outfit is that i’m usually confused about what goes with what in my closet when i’m looking at it as a whole.

I tend to be the type of person who likes pattern and print, so a lot of my favorite items in my closet could be classified as “statement pieces.” statement pieces are great and all, but they don’t go with other statement pieces. so it can get confusing when you want to put together an outfit that’s well balanced in a pinch.

i think this trick works no matter what kind of wardrobe you have - classic, minimalist, boho, glam, etc. i love it because it allows me to see at a glance exactly which pieces i own will work with a particular item all in one place. it call it making a wardrobe web. here’s how it works:

whenever you bring something new into your closet, make a wardrobe web for that new item. you can do this physically in ‘real life’ or digitally with an app like Canva or GlamOutfit.
to start making a wardrobe web, put the new item in the middle of a clear area like the floor or your bed (or put a photo of the item in the center of a blank document if doing digital)
then, think of a category of clothing you’ll most likely wear with this new piece. for example, if the new piece is a skirt, you’ll probably wear a top with it (unless it’s mardi gras in New Orleans..?). think of all of the tops you own that would go with this new skirt to make an outfit you’d love to wear. lay those tops in a ‘web’ surrounding the skirt, or paste photos of those tops in a web around the center photo of your new skirt.
if you want to give yourself a bigger visual picture of the outfit possibilities your new skirt could create, try adding a few pairs of shoes to the web too. or, if it’s a colder weather outfit, maybe add a couple of sweaters or jackets to the web that would work with each top.
take a photo of your physical wardrobe web, or save your digital wardrobe web as a photo on your phone and put it into a photo folder with outfit ideas. Voilà!

here’s an example of a physical wardrobe web I did for my summer in Paris with this Soeur skirt.

i made this wardrobe web for my Alice & Olivia crop top digitally on my phone with the GlamOutift app

it’s a pretty simple thing to create, but it helps me SO much when i get something new that i’m excited about but don’t know exactly how to incorporate it into my existing collection of clothes.

it also works really well with seasonal small capsule wardrobes, if that’s your thing. for example, when i moved to Paris this spring, i couldn’t bring a lot with me because our apartment was tiny. before we left, i made wardrobe webs for most of my major pieces so i could have a visual big picture of exactly what i had in my closet that would work with that particular item. total gamechanger for me.

below is another example of a wardrobe web i made for one of my favorite staple tops that i brought to Paris. i included both jackets and jeans so i could see the big picture of all the combo possibilites:

I think this is something I’m going to start doing more and more when i travel too, so i can understand just how all the stuff i’m bringing on my trip will work together.

it simplifies the process so much and keeps me from reverting back to wearing the same 3 outfits over and over again, which i’m definitely guilty of falling into in the past.

the great news is, these wardrobe webs do NOT have to be fancy or gram-worthy - they’re just a utility that you can use to make your life a ton easier when you’re getting dressed and a great tool to really get the most out of the new things you bring into your closet.

i’m also a big fan of taking photos of individual outfits that i love and want to wear again on my phone. doing that coupled with making wardrobe webs for those pieces that are a little trickier to pair makes for significantly improved #ootd vibes.

do you have any no-fail outfit planning hacks??

My Favorite No-Fail Outfit Planning Hack