Especially if you hate to shop, it’s easy to think your wardrobe is adequately stocked with the essentials for work and play. Kind of like buying a sofa – once you’ve done it, you think you can check that box and move on to other pieces of furniture. Eventually, though, you notice the soda stains, threadbare arms and places where the cat used it as a scratching post. Oops! Time to re-evaluate!

First, do the obvious. Assuming your daily wear fits well, check basics for signs of wear, such as:

• Fraying hems and cuffs
• Missing buttons
• Shiny spots (have you checked out your seat lately?)
• Worn areas, like under the arms and inside the collar
• Stains and spots
• Don’t forget your shoes – are the heels worn?

Then, more challenging but just as important, look at your clothing (especially office and dress-up wear) with a critical eye. Is it still fashionable or does it scream that you’re just not interested? The sad truth is, clothing will get old and out of style even if it’s been hanging in the closet with price tags still attached!

The hard part here is, if you’re not interested in fashion – and there’s no crime in that – how can you tell what’s still OK and what makes you look like Rip van Winkle? Take a look at someone in your office whom you know has good fashion sense; the VP of sales, for example. Some things to look for:

• How many buttons on jackets these days?
• Single- or double-breasted?
• How wide are ties?
• Long collar points or short?
• Pants – pleated or flat-front? Cuffed or plain?
• Belts – narrow or wide?
• What colors look fresh and appealing?

Finally, make sure you’ve got all the bases covered. You need current items in the day-to-day, business casual, special occasion, business travel and customer-facing categories. You probably won’t use all of them all the time, but you never know when you’ll be faced with a last-minute event and you want to make sure you’ve got what it takes to handle any situation.

Schedule a closet purge every so often, and don’t be afraid to ask for a little help. Keeping your wardrobe up to date is a pretty easy way to make sure your first impression is as positive as it can be! OutfitEZ's subscription services are designed to do just that, incrementally replenish your wardrobe. Whether you need to build up your options or just need to replace a few items, check out the subscriptions page for how you can take advantage of our seasonal updates.