When did repeating your outfit become so stigmatised? A quick google of the phrase comes up with countless responses to tackle the the task of repeating your outfit without anyone noticing – my question is, should you really care? At a time where the conversation around fashion is shifting towards more sustainable view points and buying clothing that is high quality and built to last, there’s more reason than ever to repeat your favourite looks.
Wearing Portmans linen dress (similar here), Jane Debster sandals (luxe version here), Celine trotteur bag (affordable option here), Mejuri ring, Madewell earrings (also here), Chain bracelet
I only have to flash back to style memories a decade ago to recall my mindset of always having something new to wear. And I’m sure I’m not alone here. I’d spend my weekends planning my outfits for the week, agonising over how I could wear an item in a fresh way. And if I wasn’t trying to re-work what I owned, I was hitting the shops in search of a new purchase so that I could avoid repeating an outfit.
Given I started sharing my outfits online at 18 – almost thirteen years ago now – I found even then, that there was an unspoken pressure for every outfit to look different. For someone who was just beginning university, I had a pretty healthy disposable income even then thanks to my years working in hospitality. I was exploring my personal style, and more than happy to spend every penny I earned at the shops – much to the detriment of my savings, and my wardrobe which was basically bursting at the seams. The one thing I really took away from those years of always wearing something new? People noticed that I was always shopping… not exactly the kind of attention that I was looking for.
Two years of capsule wardrobes, and more than a year of mindful shopping was enough to teach me that most people rarely notice what you’re wearing, and our wardrobes are more versatile than you think. As I’ve shifted my attitude towards fashion and the elements of it that bring me joy, I’ve also become more comfortable with wearing the same look head to toe twice (or more!) in the same week. I think if you like an outfit, you should rock it and not worry about what anyone thinks – the reality is, they probably haven’t even noticed that you wore the same combination recently.
Practising what I preach, I wanted to give a little more air time to this gorgeous linen dress from Portmans, which I added to my wardrobe late last year. I love how effortless throwing on a dress is – especially during the summer months – and this one has been on high rotation, and for good reason. It’s flattering, comfortable to wear when it’s hot, plus it’s fresh and playful looking so it feels quite different to the rest of my wardrobe. Last time I shared this outfit on Mademoiselle, I paired it with a crochet netted bag, and some t-bar sandals. This time, I switched up those accessories for some comfy slide sandals in a rich cognac hue, and my trusty Celine trotteur bag.
While I think it’s silly to be concerned with whether you repeat your outfit or not, I wanted to share some quick tongue-in-chic (pun intended) tips to make repeating your outfits seem a little less daunting.
Get mileage out of your outfit
If you’ve stumbled across a winning combination, don’t just wear it once; get the mileage out of the outfit and wear it again. And a quick tip if you feel a little self-conscious about repeating your outfit? Aim to maximise the number of times you reach for that outfit by wearing it around different people. It’s still ‘fresh’ to them, and you get a little more joy out of an outfit that you feel amazing in. Understated looks built around classic styles in solid colours are a lot easier to cycle back into your weekly or fortnightly style repertoire. You’ll still look chic, but the individual items will ‘stand out’ less than a bold printed piece.
Re-Wear & Re-Style
The true key to repeating a look is to make minor tweaks; like changing the top out for a similar style, wearing your hair differently, or even mixing up the accessories. This is really where you get to have fun with your wardrobe and honestly, it’s what I love most about fashion. It’s how I like to maximise wear out of my favourite pieces, and its even better when you have a set style uniform. You still get the same look and feel, but it’s a completely new outfit.
Just because it’s ‘Instagram history’, doesn’t mean you can’t wear it again
There’s a statistic out there than 1 in 10 shoppers buys something online, just to wear it once for Instagram. Because once it’s on social media, you can’t wear it again, right? Wrong. If this is something that you’re conscious of, then try spacing out how frequently that particular outfit shows up on your feed, or take photos from different angles in different locations. No one will know. I promise!
You do you
Wearing the same outfit more than once isn’t something that we should feel ashamed of. The biggest sartorial rule in my book is to wear what you love. It’s wasteful to diminish the versatility and use of a single piece of clothing based on how often someone will see you wearing it. For me, cost-per-wear is everything – if I’m investing in an item, I want to be sure I’m wearing. As much as is humanly possible.
Moral of the story? If you like an outfit, repeat it! I know I will be.
I always think its funny how people think you can’t wear the same thing again. I do it all the time. If it works, keep wearing it! How do people expect to buy something like your beautiful black dress and always wear it differently? Sure there’s not much you can do but change the shoes and bag but that’s okay because the dress is so perfect.
I remember when I used to wear crazy combinations just so it would “look different for the blog” but now I don’t care and I’ll wear the same exact thing again, ha ha.
Whoa – that statistic about people shopping just for Instagram is jarring. I’d be curious to read more about that study!
It’s a very beautiful dress! It deserves to be on repeat :). It’s very egocentric of us to think that anybody cares what we are wearing because they don’t.
Past me can definitely relate to always shopping for new clothes and having a closet that was bursting at the seams. But I am very glad to be beyond that phase of my life!! Nowadays, I think it’s much more important for people to see the same outfits on repeat so they don’t feel the pressure to shop incessantly, as the present ways that we consume clothing as a society is unsustainable.
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Thank you! I’m a little obsessed myself 🙂 I totally agree with that sentiment and it was when I did my first 30×30 challenge that I came to finally realise that no one really paid much attention to what I wore and that I should be dressing more for myself, than for others. On the sustainability issue, that’s a BIG reason why I wanted to talk about outfit repeating. I hate to think how social media has influenced younger girls into thinking they need to wear a different outfit all the time. It’s just not realistic, encourages disposable/throwaway fashion, and it’s not sustainable at all! Thanks so much for your comment Gillian x