I was standing in my brand new closet, puzzling over the clothing rack in front of me. In just a few days I’d be getting married and moving in, so I’d just unloaded a carload of trash bags containing my entire wardrobe. I’d been so excited. I was ready to start up my new life, and moving my essentials made the transition feel more real. But once I got it all hung up, my clothes just… didn’t look right in my new closet.

As I sifted through the clothes, it finally dawned on me: almost all of the clothes I owned were the same clothes I’d been wearing since high school. Clothes that were bought for me or given to me by other people. I was a grown woman, and I was still wearing the sweater from my first date with my high school crush to church. And on weekends, I still wore t-shirts from my high school marching band.

It felt weird, like I was wearing someone else’s clothes. And in a way, I was. I had changed so much in the past several years, but my closet didn’t reflect that. My old clothes were good enough, and that meant I kept all of the clothes that made me feel like I was still a teenager.

I wanted a closet that reflected who I was as an adult. But I also wanted to be financially and environmentally responsible. After all, what a first world problem this is. I had an overabundance of clothes. Who am I to sit here and complain about how it wasn’t “my style” anymore? Having clean, undamaged clothes is an immense privilege, and I recognize this. So as I went through this process, I made it a priority to really steward my closet well.

I decided I would declutter, simplify, and revamp my wardrobe to really serve who I am today. I couldn’t have done it without the three apps I’m about to talk about. (None of these companies are paying me to say nice things about them… I just genuinely love using them!)

Stylebook

Stylebook is an awesome tool for assessing your closet. It allows you to import every item in your closet to create outfit plans, track your wearing habits, and so much more.

When I first put all of my clothes into Stylebook, I discovered that I had enough clothes to wear a unique outfit every day for two years. Seeing that made me realize I could get rid of a lot of clothing and still have more than enough to wear.

Having outfits planned out in the app really has helped me wear combos that I would never think of when I get dressed in the morning. (My early-morning self is far more likely to throw on a t-shirt and sweats and call it good.) Because of that, I’m able to use everything in my closet to the fullest because I can use a single item in several different outfits. The process also showed me which pieces totally don’t match anything else I own, making them very unlikely choices when I’m getting dressed.

Tracking my outfits in Stylebook also helped me figure out what clothing items I wear the most and what sits in the back of my closet. When I identified my most unused clothing items, I decided which ones to declutter and which ones to wear with more intention.

A lot of times, I also run stuff through Stylebook before buying it to see just how much it can be used with my current wardrobe. It keeps me from spending money on stuff I totally don’t need!

Stylebook costs $4 to download, but it’s so worth the investment. I use it every single day, and have never regretted the cost.

Depop

When I started decluttering my closet, I had to figure out what to do with all that extra clothing. I wanted to make sure they would still be used and wouldn’t just end up in a landfill.

So, I downloaded Depop and started selling a lot of my unwanted clothing. I was a bit intimidated at first, but I soon found that it was super simple. I just listed my items with their estimated shipping weights, grabbed some manila envelopes on my next trip to the grocery store, and popped the packages in my mailbox whenever I sold something. I donated things that didn’t sell to a local charity that I knew could benefit from gently used clothing.

When my stuff started selling and I started making some money, I reinvested that cash into a few high-quality, timeless pieces that I knew would serve me well for a long time. I love that Depop helped me shop affordably, sustainably, and ethically.

I have the most experience with Depop, but I’ve also heard good things about ThredUp, Poshmark, Mercari, and even Facebook Marketplace for buying and selling clothing!

Pinterest

I’ve been a Pinterest fanatic for about a decade now, so it’s really no surprise I used it as a tool for simplifying and revamping my closet.

As I tried to pinpoint what I wanted my wardrobe to look like, I searched for outfits that included things I already had. For example, I had a pair of olive green shorts that I was completely obsessed with. So I typed “olive green shorts outfit” into the Pinterest search bar, then dug through the results to find ideas for styling them. The results helped me combine items I already had and decide what other versatile items might be worth investing in. A lot of times, I was able to completely recreate a Pinterest outfit with pieces I already had!

If you’re looking for simple, cozy outfit ideas on Pinterest, my style board is a great place to start!

I dearly hope that these apps help you curate your closet just as much as they helped me. There’s so much freedom in getting rid of stuff you don’t use and only buying things you know you’ll treasure. And it doesn’t have to be hard! Just take it one step at a time, and continually reassess while you get into the practice of intentional stewardship.