My shopping habit for clothes has been well-documented. It is one of the many reasons why I can test so many clothes decluttering tricks, after all. However, for 2026, I've decided to make a real change to stop accumulating clothes clutter for good.
The solution is the Influencer Lookbook decluttering method. It may sound superficial, but I can assure you it is one of the most ruthless and in-depth closet decluttering tricks I have ever tried.
The premise is simple, even if the execution is time-consuming, you create styled outfits with every piece of clothing you own to create an influencer-style lookbook. Here's how it works to help you cut clutter and stop it from building in the future.
What is The Influencer Closet Decluttering Method?
This ruthless decluttering method was inspired by the online influencer trend of creating lookbooks – the practice of curating complete outfits and taking pictures of them to inspire others and showcase their styling skills. You will find them every time you search for outfit inspiration online.
I was tired of opening my closet, facing the cluttered mess of a rail, and feeling like I had nothing to wear, only to resort to wearing the same, safe outfit. Half of my clothes were going unused, and I was constantly shopping for new items, thinking it might fix the problem.
Spoiler alert: It was only making it worse, making my closet even harder to navigate, giving me more choices, and leaving me with decision fatigue.
So, desperate to make better use of the items I already owned to save money at home and stop creating unnecessary trash, I pulled all my garments from my clothes storage and fashioned myself as an influencer would for the day.
In a similar vein to the chaos decluttering method, pulling every piece out of storage meant that I was forced to pick up each piece individually and make a decision about it before putting it back into my storage.
With the Influencer Lookbook method, however, you try on every single item and try to make as many outfits as possible with it. My process involved working one top at a time (as I have more tops than skirts or trousers), and trying on every bottom I have in order.
When I found a combination that worked, I would then try on shoes and bags, styling the outfit as if I were about to leave the house to find new combinations I might not have considered before. I then took a picture of the result and moved on to the next.
Admittedly, it took hours. It is a far cry from the Lunch Break method, or the quick and easy Threshold Test, where you can declutter clothes fast. However, it is a great trick to streamline more ruthlessly and really think about how you can use and combine the items you keep.
What the Experts Think
For professional organizers, there are both pros and cons to this method.
Isabella Flores, cleaning expert and organizer at Sparkly Maid San Diego, begins, 'The Influencer Look Book Method is successful for many reasons; most importantly, it forces individuals to interact with their clothing rather than simply possess it. Quickly, you will find items that are merely space hogs and items that consistently perform their duties as essential items in your closet.'
However, she warns that if you are not in the right frame of mind or try to do too much too quickly, it can quickly lead to feeling overwhelmed when decluttering.
To counter this, you can break down the task of outfit creation. Isabella advises, 'Pull out around 20 of your favorite clothing and accessory items, and spend one hour creating five to 10 different outfit combinations.
'Take photographs or save the combinations to a Pinterest board, and use these combinations to evaluate the remainder of your clothing collection. Any items that are unable to be incorporated into at least one of the previously created combinations become eligible for donation.'
Alternatively, Nikki Venus, business style coach and owner of Nikki Venus & Company, suggests breaking the task down into categories, 'The issue is when you're building a lookbook around outfits that don't reflect your real life. If the majority of those looks don't support how you actually spend your day, you've created more visual clutter, not clarity.'
Letting go of the items your fantasy self holds on to is a mindset shift for sure, but it is a game-changer. Meeting your wardrobe where your life is at is the best way to make sure every item that remains really gets used.
Nikka adds, 'Once you identify your top three to four lifestyle activities, such as work, social events, travel, casual daily wear, fitness, etc., then you go to the closet and assess whether your wardrobe supports those areas. Those categories become the priority. Everything else becomes secondary.'
You can then donate, sell, recycle, or discard the rest.
I Tried the Influencer Lookbook Decluttering Method
All in all, the influencer method is a more intense streamlining process, but it is, by far, one of the most effective methods I have ever tried.
By trying on every single item of clothing in context, I was able to accurately identify the pieces that no longer fit me, looked unflattering, or didn't work with anything else I owned.
The method is also a great way to stop clutter before it starts, as trying on outfits allowed me to spot costly duplicates and identify gaps to guide what I should shop for.
For example, I realised that I didn't own a staple pair of brown shoes that would tie several outfits together. That will be my focus next time I am shopping for shoes, rather than a pair I like but ultimately don't need.
Similarly, I use jeans for a lot of my outfits, but I only own one pair, so a second pair will be a wise investment. This allows me to continue my shopping hobby, but in a way that is more conducive to preventing clutter and waste.
VERDICT: It is not a method I will be doing often, but with my bank of images saved in my phone, it has a lasting effect on the clutter coming into my home, regardless. For that reason, it is an instant 10/10 method for me.
What to Shop
Vacuum seal bags are ideal for keeping your out-of-season clothing out of the way, especially in a small space, so you don't have to constantly fight to retrieve items from a packed closet.
I love using hangers that can hold both tops and bottoms to save space and keep my rail looking uniform. These slimline hangers have a felt fiber to stop items slipping off, and secure clips for keeping outfits stored together.
Deep bins are ideal for organizing dresser drawers, keeping clothes neatly folded and stacked to avoid a mess. This will help you see what you have more clearly to avoid duplication, as well as help you find what you need quickly.
Make better use of closet shelving by using dividers to secure stacks of clothes from falling over, or create visual dividers so that things are easier to locate and put away. Having simple organizing systems will prevent clutter from building.
These drop front boxes are ideal for folded garments such as natural fiber sweaters, so that they do not stretch on hangers. This physical barrier will also prevent closet moths, which can make holes in clothing.
If you can never find what you need in your closet, consider organizing by clothing type and using rail dividers to quickly find the section you need during the morning rush. Color-coding your clothing is another storage option.
Meet the Experts
If this trick seems a bit daunting, consider slow decluttering rather than diving straight in at the deep end to avoid decluttering resentment.
You can also instantly get rid of items by using the Didn't Know method to wick away the difficulty of decision-making.
