You may often feel like you have nothing to wear when standing in front of your wardrobe because you associate everything with a particular party, wedding, or dinner.
I used to always buy new outfits for special events. Even the not so special ones. I remember having to have a new outfit, or at least a new top, to wear for school mufti days. Then came studying fashion full-time at university. This bought with it a whole new set of unique pressures. I felt like I couldn’t wear the same outfit, item even, in the same week.
The thing is, we love, and expect newness. This constant thirst for novelty isn't even anything new (just ask our dopamine systems). But the (fast)fashion model capitalises on this mentality, fuelling over-consuming behaviour by selling us this idea that new is our only option.
“The essence of fashion is that it keeps reinventing itself…This appeals to consumers because the brain doesn’t pay attention to what’s familiar; it focuses on unfamiliar stimuli.” - Carolyn Mair, 2018.
So why not challenge this mindset and get on board with outfit repeating?
Why we should wear our outfits over and over again
Because, guess what? No one actually cares. Think about it. Consider how much attention you pay to what your friends, family, or even strangers wear. Would you notice if they were to repeat an outfit, or item, a day, week or month later? Even if you did notice, would you care? Now what about those times you maybe repeated around the same people. Did anyone ever pull you up on it? No, didn’t think so.
Because we should be able to enjoy our clothing, and the memories attached to them, repeatedly. Imagine if you purchased a dress for a wedding and you had a blast in it. Now every time you looked at it hanging in your wardrobe it evoked all these amazing memories. Wouldn’t it be so much better being able to wear those memories?
Because what we see online is not always reality. Influencers, and the like, may not own or have even paid for everything they are photographed wearing. Instagram is not real life, and it is impossible to replicate and keep up with. Why not try following #30wears or #OOOTD (“old outfit of the day”) for something more inspiring and realistic.
Because the pendulum is shifting more and more in the ethical and sustainable direction, and we are investing in more high quality brands. Shouldn’t this be motivation enough to actaully wear our much loved pieces?
Because we cant' get through anything at the moment without mentioning the pandemic. Maybe over the last few months we have learnt to look at our own wardrobes differently. While before we may have dressed for others, maybe now with no one, or no where, to really dress for, we may have found ourselves re-wearing the same thing anyway.
Because maybe being thankful for what is in our wardrobes is enough to persuade us to consume less.
Please get in touch or leave me a comment, and let me know if you are on board with outfit repeating. Maybe you have a favourite outfit to repeat?
Thanks for reading.
Emma xx
This is a personal blog. Any views or opinions contained on this site are my own. I am not affiliated with any brands, products, or organisations mentioned, and do not receive any sponsorship, payment, or other compensation for any of the content on this site.
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