We’ve all been there. The “I have nothing to wear” dramatics of not being able to put together a bombass outfit from our closet. I still have those moments but now a little less. I shared this tip with a friend last week who was having trouble figuring out what to wear, so I figured I’d share it here too in case it helped anyone else.

For starters, it’s easier when a majority of my closet is dresses. It makes getting dressed a lot easier because I don’t have to pick out a top and bottom to mix and match. Just pick a dress, coordinating tights and shoes, accessorize and go. But every now and then, I do like to put together a cute outfit of top and skirt or top and shorts or whatever. What I also like to do when I put together a bomb ass outfit, or when I’m trying to brainstorm outfits for a certain shoot or a certain event, is take selfies of it. I realized that these selfies that were cluttering up my phone had a purpose after all (besides vanity). When I started cleaning up my phone last year because my photo storage is just ridiculous to the point where my phone freezes up sometimes trying to go through all my photos, I realized I still love a lot of these outfits I put together. Instead of deleting them, I started putting them into a FAVORITES folder. And then after I cleaned everything up, I realized this FAVORITES folder should become a LOOKBOOK folder. And this is how I put together looks when I feel like I have nothing to wear. I look through a virtual lookbook on my phone of past outfits and makeup looks and either recreate them or recycle them with slightly different tweaks. Maybe I’ll do my makeup and hair a little differently. But I’ve found this to be really helpful since I can’t catalogue a photographic memory in my head of every look I’ve ever done. Trust me, I would if I could but my memory isn’t that good. This photographic folder of old looks helps me remember almost everything I own in my closet and helps me to continue to rewear old things I forgot about, especially now when I’m trying to cut down on my spending and wasteless shopping.

As I get older, I’m trying to make a conscious effort to buy less trendy items and more classic, timeless, versatile items that can be used for a variety of outfits and occasions. I’m also trying to rotate what I own more so I’m actually wearing it all and not buying things just to let it sit there for months on end with the tags still on. I’m also trying to do this thing where if I come across something I haven’t worn it in a year or so, I try to wear it once in the next few weeks and make the decision to keep it or ditch it after that wear if I’m still not feeling it.

I’ve also found that establishing good habits help for keeping a tidier closet. I still end up with a pigsty every now and then, but less often and not as heavy of a project to clean up anymore. When I get home, I try to either rehang the outfit right away or make the decision to throw it in the hamper immediately so it’s not lying around on the floor or on a chair somewhere. I put my shoes right back on the shelves, and the accessories right back where I found them. The problem is when I pack a huge bag of articles for a shoot. When I get home, I’m too lazy to unpack and the bag goes on the floor, forever forgotten until the next shoot or when I need the bag next. Oh well, I tried.

Anyways, I know you guys have a bunch of selfies sitting on your phone of your favorite bomb ass outfits. Start putting them to work for you and let me know if this trick helps you get dressed sooner/easier/more organized/whatever.