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THE RULE OF 5 BACK STORY
In 2013 I lost everything, my job, my relationship, my business wasn’t doing well either. The day I moved in with my boyfriend at the time, he ended the relationship so not only did I lose everything I was homeless too. Technically, he expected and wanted me to continue living together but even at my lowest time I don’t play that shit. Four days after the technical break-up I packed my car and went home to Charleston where I stayed for the next few months while I tried to find the strength to pick myself up and move forward. I lost myself through all of this, including 20lbs.
With the need to start fresh and the fact that I couldn’t fit into anything in my closet I purged a solid 85% of my closet. I literally had less than 50 pieces total hanging in my closet and half of it barely fit. I needed an entirely new wardrobe and had $100-$150/month I could spend on clothes. Mind you, my favorite denim retails for $150 so I knew building a new wardrobe on such a small budget was going to be a challenge.
To give you an idea of my background, I’ve worked in Fashion 15+ years and earned my B.A. in Fashion Marketing. I love fashion, styling and shopping just as much if not more than the next girl! I am a firm believer in quality over quantity, I preach Cost per Wear when determining how much an item is actually worth, I 100% believe you should splurge on good denim that is going to make you feel amazing and lift your booty just right. No matter how tight your budget is with strategic shopping and budgeting you can have a wardrobe of well curated quality pieces.
Between my budget, my need for a new wardrobe and my desire for quality pieces I had to get creative. This is how, when and why The Rule of 5 was born.
WHY 5?
I chose the number 5 because 3 wasn’t challenging enough, I needed to maximize my looks as much as possible and 3 looks just wasn’t going to cut it. There are 5 days in the work week, 5 was an actual challenge but not too challenging that I couldn’t accomplish it, so 5 it was.
Going forward, every new piece I bought I had to create 5 looks featuring the new piece I wanted to purchase with items I already owned. If I couldn’t do that I didn’t buy the item.
Because I was down to nothing instead of using the Rule of 5 on random pieces I found while out shopping I reverse engineered it. Prior to shopping, I brainstormed the most basic staple pieces I could easily style 10 plus ways and I shopped for those. There was ZERO impulse shopping.
I will never forget what I bought the first month. I bought 3 items.
- Denim. I desperately needed denim and bottoms, I was swimming in all the bottoms I owned so I invested in a good pair of jeans. I paid $70 for them (50% off), they were my #1 go-to jeans for the next year as I needed so many other pieces. That’s how much time passed before I could invest in another pair of jeans. FYI: I still have both pairs of jeans.
- Blazer. The second item was a classic black blazer with gold hardware. I believe it was around $50. I still have this item too. Through the purge the only pieces that still fit were tops and shoes. I could create 10-15 looks with the denim and blazer alone just by switching out the top and shoes.
- Joggers. Y’all know I LOVE joggers and I found a twill black pair at Target for $20 ish. Like I said before I still had tops, shoes and accessories that I could wear and fit so a pair of pants that are versatile was a great buy for my first round. I still own these as well, in fact I wore them today.
Not only did I start my wardrobe rebuilding with classic pieces I stuck with a neutral color palette. The color pallete was crucial to being able to maximize my wardrobe. If I bought prints and random colors I wouldn’t have been able to pair everything together. By sticking to a black, white and denim color palette in classic silhouettes EVERYTHING was interchangeable. For the next year everything I purchased was black, white or denim. I didn’t even buy grey. The pops of pink came a year later
Since 2013 I’ve fully rebuilt my wardrobe and my clothing budget has increased but I still use The Rule of 5. The Rule of 5 is beneficial in so many ways. Not only does it help you maximize your wardrobe, it stops you from making impulse purchases aka throwing money away on items never worn or only worn once. In addition, you’ll only bring new items in that you absolutely love.
The Rule of 5 encourages you to shop your closet. Once your mind is conditioned to shop your closet you’ll start thinking about what’s in your closet to wear to XYZ event instead of instantly going out and spending $100 on a dress for one occasion.
You’re reasoning and need to use The Rule of 5 may not be as drastic as mine was when I created it ( I really hope it’s not) but it’s beneficial to us all for many reasons.
WHY YOU SHOULD IMPLEMENT THE RULE OF 5
- You’ll stop making wasteful one hit wonder purchases.
- You will save money because see #1
- You will develop a curated wardrobe making it easier to purge and get rid of the pieces you don’t wear or love and feel amazing in.
- You’ll actually start wearing every piece you own!
- YOU WILL SAVE MONEY!!! Yes, this is here twice
- It’s great for the environment
HOW TO IMPLEMENT THE RULE OF 5
When you’re out shopping ask yourself right there in the middle of Nordstrom, Target etc “what do I currently own that I can wear this item with?” Specifically, create 5 outfits head to toe with this one piece you want to buy with pieces already in your closet. Personally, I do 85% of my shopping online which makes this super easy to implement. Take your laptop/phone with your shopping cart browsers open in your closet and put together 5 different looks with items you already own featuring each piece you want to buy.
If you’re someone who impulse shops on your phone while out and about this is going to make you pause on checking out until you’re able to get home and in your closet. The waiting period alone is going to cut down on wasteful impulse purchases.
Because you’ve styled outfits featuring your “new buy” with items you already own you’re going to be able to wear your new item(s) as soon as you receive it. No more putting a new top in your closet until you buy the pants to go with it then forgetting you ever bought the top.
By implementing The Rule of 5 you will only bring new clothes into your wardrobe you will actually wear. You can’t wear a new top if you have nothing at home to wear it with, Duh! You’ll also have stronger knowledge of your personal style and what pieces fit in to it.
If you’re on a “shopping spree” and are buying a head to toe look on one trip (I rarely do this but know a lot of people do). Look at each piece as an individual and ask yourself in addition to the piece you’re purchasing, Can I create 4 more outfits from pieces already in my closet with this item?” If the answer is no, PUT IT BACK!
NO, you can not say this top will look great with x,y,z already in my closet IF I buy this pair of shoes. NO, NO, NO! You have just added another item you potentially won’t wear and you just threw MORE money away. There is nothing worse than cleaning out your closet and finding item after item that has never been worn with the tags still attached.
Even if you are questioning a dress or jumpsuit ask yourself, “How can I give this dress 5 different vibes with items I already own”. Layer with a jacket or vest, switch up your shoes, handbags, hairstyles. Your accessories MAKE an outfit. Maximize, Maximize, Maximize! Remember, we are enhancing what we already own with new pieces.
There are going to be times we don’t follow the rule to a T. Occasionally we’ll have a special event or want to get into full theme for a vacation. We let these slide because YOLO!
EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE …
Vacations: You should be able to wear most things again but I’m DYING for a crop top maxi skirt set that I prob wouldn’t wear on my weekly Target run. It’s understandable to want to indulge in the full vibe while on vacation that wouldn’t necessarily fit in your day to day life. So, #TreatYoSelf that’s what vacation is all about.
Prom: I doubt anyone reading this is going to prom but just in case.
Weddings: This ONLY applies if you are the actual bride or are in the wedding party. If you are a guest, you better wear that dress to every wedding you’re invited to the whole Summer. If anyone judges you, jokes on them because they threw their money away worrying about what someone else thinks and your money is sitting right in the bank or went towards a new handbag. Other peoples opinions of you should never be a priority or reason behind spending money.
Special Occasions in General: Personally, I will NOT buy anything unless I can get multiple wears out of it but you do you.
Holiday: I totally give myself a pass for Ugly Christmas Sweaters and what not. This past season I bought a Gingerbread sweatsuit and have worn it twice in public but it’s a cute set so I added it to my home lounge wear.
Now that you have a better understanding of The Rule of 5 and how to implement it into your shopping habits it’s time to actually use it!
To help you I created a downloadable Rule of 5 Shopping Checklist to save on your phone. You can reference this when you are stumped or need to be reminded you’re about to make a poor shopping decision
Don’t forget you can always check out the Rule of 5 and Maximize Your Wardrobe tabs in the menu bar for visual inspiration.
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