Closet Lessons From the Upcoming Book: "I Have Nothing to Wear!: A Painless 12-Step Program to Declutter Your Life So You Never Have to Say This Again!"

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From the co-authors of Fashion for Dummies comes a new book all about self discovery and wardrobe purification: I Have Nothing to Wear!: A Painless 12-Step Program to Declutter Your Life so You Never Have to Say This Again! If the two exclamation points in the title don't get you excited, the endless motivational sayings and illustrations stylized like late 1970's soft-focus glamour photography will. As soon as we read the promise of "your whole wardrobe reflect[ing] the fabulous you of today" mere pages in, we were hooked. We've all had an experience where we feel as though we have nothing to wear, even though, realistically, we have way too much clothing in general and in this book Jill Martin and Dana Ravich outline a course of action for recovery in somewhat of a 12-step program format.

Here's our breakdown of their process:

1. Admitting You Have a Problem: Yes, realizing you have a problem and admitting you are powerless over clothing is always the first step. And the authors give many examples of problems in this section from mood shopping to hoarding and even just being too trendy.

2. Figuring Out Who You Are: This step is, as promised, all about self-discovery and your personal character. From realizing the needs of your career and age to understanding your body type, this section is straight forward about literally figuring out who you are. Dana even gives a personal anecdote of how she knows exactly who she is, because she doesn't wear the color red.

3. Being True to Yourself: Here, Jill and Dana narrow down personal style into a mere six style categories: classic girl, bohemian girl, preppy girl, fashionista, surfer chick and soccer mom. Can you see your personal style fitting in to one of these half-dozen profiles?

4. Finding a Sponsor: Yes, just like in AA, sponsorship is crucial for the non-experienced closet-cleaner. In a section prefaced by "We really want you to stick to the program. You will be so glad you did!" Our inspirational authors encourage us to seek help from peers and find that one brutal friend that will help us turn our life/closet around.

5. Achieving Catharsis: This step is all about recognizing what you don't need. Our authors suggest we ask ourselves one question: Is it a 10? Some examples of "not 10s" in the book are college sweatshirts, bateau neck knit shirts and what appears to be a brightly airbrushed tribal poncho and dirty glitter silver ripped denim combo. Some examples of "10s" in the book are Longchamp bags, metallic heels and what appears to be a bateau neck woven shirt. Take into account condition, style and fit, above all else.

6. Giving Back: This category seems self-explanatory, but actually includes an entire section about getting money for the clothes you get rid of prior to donating what remains.

7. Getting Sane: Our favorite step title, "Getting Sane's" tagline, "from ugh to ahhhh," get's us pumped to seek sanity and this section offers some helpful organization tips for your newly slimmed-down closet.

8. Letting Go of Old Ideals: Here, Jill and Dana give you free reign to go rogue on the fashion community and do something crazy like wear white after Labor Day. Now that you have less options, you better make said options—like bi-seasonal longevity—count.

9. Shopping Smart: Shopping slowly and smartly, we can now wean ourselves back onto purchasing new clothes. But remember, is it a 10? This is all about taking what you've learned thus far and putting it towards your future as a healthy shopper.

10—12. Working it, Playing it and Loving it: Where most 12-step programs would take a turn for meditation and awakening, our authors instead re-teach us how to dress ourselves for occasions from dates to girls' days to the beach and company Christmas parties.

All in all, this self-help style book is extremely motivational. With its endless personal stories, real-life examples, style and organization tips, if it doesn't convince you to do a major overhaul of your closet, it will at least sufficiently haunt your future shopping trips with the lingering echo of is it a 10? "I Have Nothing to Wear!: A Painless 12-Step Program to Declutter Your Life so You Never Have to Say This Again!" will be available in stores nationwide on August 16th, but you can pre-order your copy today on Amazon—Payton Wang
·I Have Nothing to Wear! [Rodale]