Outfit repeating is not a crime
Repeating means you have strong personal style, and — as an added benefit — you save money and are more efficient in the morning.
I don’t think I’ll ever go a week without outfit repeating. What I wear day-to-day drastically depends on how I feel; though, there’s always a good chance I’ll reach for something I wore a few days ago.
The repetition doesn’t bother me. Outfit repeating doesn’t equate a lack of fashion sense or personal style unless it’s without purpose. Repeating means you have strong personal style, and — as an added benefit — you save money and are more efficient in the morning. As long as you’re putting thought into the clothes you choose, who cares if you’re an outfit repeater?
I don’t have a 12-piece capsule wardrobe or a walk-in closet. My system is organic: a few items are always splayed around my room because they’re in my current rotation, while my closet is full of items I haven’t touched for months but could rediscover tomorrow.
When I’m in a rush, I stick to what I know: what I’ve worn before, what looks good and what feels comfortable. I’m guilty of wearing sweats to the library during exam season. I reach for an oversized hoodie on my period and run in my ugliest sweater and oldest Lululemon pants. I power clash — wearing contrasting patterns and colours — to the max at home, and I’ll outfit repeat two days in a row if I’m in different classes. But I also love thinking of new outfit combinations or rediscovering an item that’s fallen out of rotation. I love stripes, occasional surprises and feeling put-together.
Personal style is important because it’s always there; it’s the only physical layer of protection between you and the world. When you leave your room, it’s on display for everyone to see. Something initially assembled in a safe personal space is suddenly up for mass interpretation, and the items you choose powerfully define who you are to the rest of the world. You wear the name of your summer camp on your sweater, you love hiking in your Gore-Tex raincoat, you create masterpieces in your paint splashed pants, you probably run because of your Hokas, you skate if you’re wearing JNCO jeans.
Our lifestyles inform our style, and what we wear is a reflection and projection of who we are. By outfit repeating, you’re presenting a consistent image to the world and continuously affirming your identity to yourself.
You might get compliments on your shirt or overall “fit,” but it’s unlikely someone will ask you to walk them through your process of getting dressed that morning. Why did you wear that sweater? How many times did you change your pants?
But, there is the assumption that you chose that shirt for a reason. Regardless of whether you wore it yesterday or the day before, you purposely chose to wear it today.
