In the fashion We so often focus on what is to come. Even before I started working in the industry, I spent time, energy and money constantly adapting my wardrobe so that it reflected the rapidly changing trend cycle and what was considered ‘current’ by those around me.
Over the years my habit has only gotten worse. Every day I click the “New” tab on a handful of websites that I have saved as favorites. If a morning or evening goes by where I don’t check TheRealReal for new stock, chances are I’m terribly sick.
Repeating outfits is perfectly okay
During fashion month I get absorbed by the latest collections and make mental notes about what I would like in the future. And now, on SubstackI subscribe to a bunch of shopping newsletters that further fuel my shopping addiction. To me, the women who write them are the new influencers, in that every week and sometimes biweekly I see them wearing something that I want to add to my own shopping cart.
But none of this is good for my bank balance, my conscience – or maybe even my sense of style. Just take a look at the Prada SS25 show if you also need to be convinced outfit rehearsal to take more seriously. In addition to new styles, co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons sent reissues of archival pieces down the runway, including shoes from 1996, 2008, 2011 and 2012. They also appeared to reference a 2003 leopard print coat and a 1999 skirt. in a month dedicated to – and almost obsessed with – novelty, it felt radical and, ironically, decent progressive.
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‘New’ is old news
“It seems like algorithms are driving us, so everything we like and everything we know is because other people teach it to us,” Ms. Prada told reporters backstage. “What we wanted to do is see if we could make a show where you try to make each individual an individual, almost like their own superhero,” Simons added. In other words, to truly be yourself, you have to shop your own closet. Of course you can combine it with something current, but there is only one person with the exact same wardrobe – and that is you.
Emily Schumanwhich is the newsletter Fwd: from a friend writes, thinks the same way. In a post titled “Why I’m (Sort of) Outfit Repeating This Fall,” she writes, “Most of the things I’m looking forward to wearing aren’t new at all. They’re just different versions of things I already have, quietly waiting for their moment.’
She was inspired by a friend who shopped her own wardrobe for a wedding “like a well-stocked pantry.” Sissy Chaconthe stylist behind the newsletter The Sortcalled ‘Recession core‘ as one of the reasons why she decided to start repeating outfits. Her financial reality – and the fact that luxury prices are exorbitant right now – forced her to create new looks with the items she already had. ‘What am I making room for by not collecting more stuff?’ she asked, feeling enlightened (and lighter) by the exercise.
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The celebs are also participating
Celebrities from Cate Blanchett to the Kate Middleton are also curious about repeats. Meghan Markle made a red Carolina Herrera dress stand out for a second time by removing the train and changing the style for a recent gala in Los Angeles; she had worn it for the first time three years earlier. Actress Claudia Jessie left no doubt: during the press tour for the third season of Bridgerton this spring she wore the same Stella McCartney suit twice in a few days. ‘I think it’s important to be like this durable possible, so you’ll see me in this suit quite often,” Jessie told reporters on the red carpet. “I hope you like it, because you’re going to see it again.”
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What I have discovered is that, in addition to the financial and sustainable benefits, my sense of style has improved. You’ll get to know yourself and your tastes better when you spend more time with what you naturally gravitate toward. For me, wearing the same things has reinforced something that I don’t think I fully accepted until I was approaching my thirties, which is this: I like what I like – and that’s okay!
In fact, it’s great. It may not always be the newest or coolest thing, but it’s “me.” When I go shopping, this idea helps me cut through the noise. I ask myself, ‘Is that really me?’ and buy (or not) more successfully. To borrow Schuman’s well-stocked pantry metaphor, you probably already have all the ingredients—it’s the spices you add that keep things feeling fresh.
