If there is one thing that I love about this time of year, it’s the chance to wear all of my favorite cozy sweaters. There is just something about putting on a cozy sweater that makes me feel like I’m being wrapped up in a big hug - maybe it’s the warmth or the softness of the fabrics, but I certainly turn into a cozy enthusiast in the fall and winter months!

One tool that I have used to help curb my shopping itch for new cozy sweaters this year is the Cladwell app. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Cladwell is a free personal styling app that tracks how often you wear the clothes you already own. When you download the app, you enter in all of the items in your wardrobe creating your virtual closet. You can either use the thousands of pre-loaded items that Cladwell offers for you to choose from, or you can upload photos of your exact clothing items if you have something maybe a little bit more unique that isn’t similar to what’s already in the app. Once you’ve input your clothes, the app will offer daily outfit ideas, which really helps you to see all of the possible combinations of things that you already have hanging in your closet!

I have been using Cladwell for the last few months and have noticed a difference in how I think about getting dressed each day. I have never had a lot of self-confidence when it comes to how I look, and my natural instinct has always been to dress to hide myself. Honestly, it’s probably how my love for cozy sweaters began - the bigger and cozier the sweater, the less visible my body is to the world.

But using Cladwell has helped me begin to have more fun and feel more confident with what I’m putting on each day! I find myself not always relying on the same clothing items over and over again, and it’s helped me identify the gaps that exist in my wardrobe as well. And with limited closet space, it’s a helpful tool to use to make sure I’m not duplicating what I already own when I do shop for new things.

Here are a few of my favorite features:

Your style profile. This is where you can see some basic statistics about your wardrobe - how many items you currently have in your closet, how many outfit combinations exist using the clothes you already own, what percentage of your wardrobe you wear, the colors that you own and wear the most, and your most and least worn items. I love checking this data every month to see how I’m using what I already own. It’s really helped me to make sure I’m wearing everything in my closet instead of only my favorite items! And it’s a great way to narrow down the things in my wardrobe that maybe I don’t need to keep any longer because I just am not wearing them at all.
Building an outfit around a specific item. There are some days this time of year when I wake up and know there is one particular cozy sweater I want to wear, but I’m not entirely sure what to pair with it and I don’t want to rely on those old standard combinations I already love. In the Cladwell app, you can sort outfit ideas by a specific item! I just choose that cozy sweater and Cladwell gives me all of the possible outfit combinations I can make with it. Then I can choose the one I like best from that list!
Putting items into storage. In addition to your main closet, the Cladwell app also allows you to “store” things in a separate storage area. This feature has been really helpful for me considering that Pennsylvania truly has four distinct seasons. By storing items that are out of season in Cladwell the same way that I store them in my own home, I’m able to focus on building outfits out of clothing that is appropriate for this time of year.
Capsule closets. Similarly to the storage area, Cladwell also lets you build capsule closets. I use these most when I’m traveling - as I write out my packing list, I move over the clothing items on my list into a new capsule. This functions in the same way that the regular closet does, so I’m able to see the multiple outfit combinations I’m giving myself based on the limited clothing items I’m packing. It helps me select specific items that might be missing, and helps me still feel creative each day when I’m getting dressed out of a suitcase!
Their capsule guides. I have talked here before about capsule wardrobes as something I’ve wanted to try. The resources, checklists and guides for how and where to shop when thinking about starting a capsule wardrobe have been so helpful as I consider what will work for me!

You didn’t think I was going to talk about cozy sweaters and not share with you a few of my favorites, did you? Here are five of the sweaters that have been in regular rotation in my Cladwell closet so far during this season!

Want to try the Cladwell app and are an iPhone user? You can download it for free here.

Also, this post is not sponsored in any part by Cladwell. I’m sharing their app as a tool that I use regularly and love. I hope you find it to be helpful in making the most out of your wardrobe too - share in the comments what works for you!