How to Choose What to Wear Every Morning

School has started or is about to start which means that all the gears are coming to life once again and soon we will all be going full throttle till Christmas! So, I thought I would share how I choose what to wear each day including the “2 Minute Tip” that has saved many a morning for me!

4 Questions to Ask to Choose What to Wear

I greatly admire people who are able to plan in advance what they’re going to wear – people like my friend Adina who is basically THE BOSS when it comes to outfit planning. I, however, am not that person. I just don’t have the bandwidth available. Instead, I ask myself a few questions each morning, usually while I’m in the shower and while I’m brushing my teeth to help me choose what to wear:

1. What is the weather? This was more important when I lived in Canada. Here in Houston, my answer is usually “hot” and maybe “with a side of warm rain.” Nontheless, the weather will affect what you choose to wear so if you don’t know, look it up on your weather app while you’re brushing your teeth.
2. What do I have to do today? If you’re doing a big presentation, that will determine your outfit. If you’re going to the park, you’re prob going to leave your pencil skirt in the closet.  My days as a trophy wife/blogger have a pretty relaxed dress code (!)  but I don’t necessarily want to wear uber casual every day which leads to my next question…
3. What is my vibe today? Adina has blogged about her “style avatars” and this is how that notion plays out in my life. I am not always in the same mood. I don’t always have the same vibe. Some days I’m feeling retro, some days I’m feeling classic, some days I’m feeling colourful and ecclectic.  You can certainly spend time nailing down your most common style vibes and develop descriptors or avatars. I think that’s worthwhile but I just take it day by day. As long as you’re aware, it will help you choose what to wear.
4. What do I want to portray to the world today? There has been tons of discussion around whether or not it’s vain or superfluous to spend time on your image, clothing, and style, and it can be a hot topic for moms who are just trying to make it through the day. But, as I have said before, each day, you impress a little bit of YOU on the world around you, even if it’s just within your home. I think we honour ourselves and our contribution to our homes and our communities if we take a moment to think about what we want that impression to be. I’m not talking about being inauthentic or presenting yourself as your something that you’re not! However, there is some truth to “fake it till you make it” or “dress for the job you want” or “clothes affect your mood.” You might not be feeling like you’ve got it all together, but taking a few minutes to pull an outfit together might nudge you in that direction.

The 2 Minute Tip to Help You Choose What to Wear

After you have asked yourself those four questions, here’s my tip to help you really nail down your choice: put on the foundations of your outfit – the bottom and top or the dress or whatever it’s going to be that day – and leave them on for 2 minutes while you’re getting ready. DO NOT wait and do this step at the very end of your morning routine. By then, it’s too late; you likely haven’t got two minutes at that point before you need to get on with your day. Instead, put those pieces on, continue getting ready – whether that’s getting you ready or getting your family ready – and pay attention to how you’re feeling. Do those clothes feel “right” and “good”? The Konmari approach would ask, “does this outfit spark joy?”

I cannot tell you how many times I have put on an outfit – having answered the four questions, having worn it before, having loved it before – and it just doesn’t work that day. Most of the time, I have no idea why it doesn’t feel right. I just know that it doesn’t. So, I take it off and put on something else and give it another two minutes. Usually, I only have to change once though there is the odd time it takes me a few tries. The trick is starting early enough in your routine to leave at least 2 minutes to verify what you choose to wear. When I don’t use the 2 Minute Tip, more often than not I end up standing naked in my closet while my kids are standing by the door with their backpacks, getting more and more frustrated as the seconds tick by. I hope this tip saves us all from that ruination of a good morning!

Some Examples of When I Got it Right…

This information on how to choose what to wear goes well with my previous posts on building an outfit! It’s not one post or the other. Usually, I choose what to wear first then finish building my outfit. Here are some of my recent faves…

I should reiterate that there was nothing wrong with the first outfits I put on. They looked fine but they didn’t feel fine and that’s how, in the past, I ended up wasting my morning trying to figure out what to wear. I hope these 4 questions and the 2 Minute Tip help you choose what to wear every morning and master your routine this Fall!

xoxo Nicole

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