New year, same wardrobe. We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but with all the will and lucky girl manifesting in the world, nothing can magically overhaul the clothes you have in favour of those you wish you had. But there is one insider trick in particular that can help you to reimagine your wardrobe, which may well be the ‘new year, new wardrobe’ hack you’ve been craving.

When celebrity stylists are curating and organising ensembles for A-listers, they either a) take photographs of the stars wearing said outfits or b) take photographs of the outfits styled against a blank surface. You’ll have seen these photographs from fittings featured on the KarJenners’ social media feeds. They’re a chance for the stylist, talent and often the brands themselves to understand how an outfit looks and feels in person. The stylist will then keep the photographs of the outfit as a reference for other occasions or appearances they may be styling. 

OK, you may not be employing an A-list stylist anytime soon, but the lesson here is paramount: taking photographs to serve as a visual reference for looks you like takes the sting out of getting dressed, but it also means you can make your clothes work harder for you. If you can’t get somebody to take a photograph of you in an outfit, lay it out on the floor and take a picture that way. Of course, for those who don’t have a camera or don’t want to invest in a camera, consider making a folder on your phone of all of the outfits you love for different occasions. For the digitally savvy, there’s also the app Whering, which is essentially a digitised Clueless wardrobe that will catalogue and style your clothes for you.

One rainy Saturday, I took photographs of some of my favourite outfits using my phone. This is meant to be a chance to reconnect with your clothes, so carve time out to properly dedicate yourself to the challenge. For me, using my phone and then having them printed out at a later date was the best way to catalogue outfits. I started with casual weekend looks, graduated on to work outfits and I finished with smart going out-out looks.

One helpful way to utilise this trick is to Blu-tack the photographs onto the back of my wardrobe door and categorise them by occasion. There’s a row of work-inspired outfits, casual weekend-inspired outfits and, of course, the going out-out outfits. As somebody who is admittedly time-poor, having a reference of what I have in my wardrobe that works together has changed the way I get dressed. I’ve shared this advice with friends too, who have also moaned about feeling like they have nothing to wear, and they too have also extolled its virtues. No matter how many clothes you have or what field of work you’re in, this is a time and money-saving hack that just works. Make your clothes work harder for you and I promise you’ll be feeling as though you have a brand-new wardrobe in no time at all. Happy snapping.

Images: Getty