Outfit Repeating Made Simple

Plus, a thought for when we are late-night Pinterest scrolling

As I worked through outfit ideas for my recent post, I came across this video by ChrisWhly that I really loved as a tool when we are feeling like we don’t know what to wear.

@chriswhlyHow to outfit repeat in 2024 🤝 #fashion

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The gist is that you start by building an outfit that you love. If you track your outfits consistently you could scroll through your past photos and find the outfit that feels most YOU. And I’ll interject here that in order for this exercise to work best, your outfit should have a minimum of 3 pieces. If that feels hard as we think about warm hot temperatures, let me remind you of some great 3rd pieces to add to a dress/sandals outfit.

hair scrunchies, belts, statement necklaces, colorful socks, ARM JEWELRY (why have we forgotten this?), bandanas, hats, the list goes on…

Ok so you have a favorite outfit and now you are going to switch JUST ONE PIECE. And a reminder; NO ONE WILL NOTICE that some of your outfit remained the same. I know, I know, we all like to think that we are the main character but even my kids don’t notice if I wear the same shirt/pants/etc. two days in a row.

So, we are going to start with this outfit¹:

And using the “change one thing” formula our progression can look like this;

tank tops + belt + long shorts + flats /// hat + tank top + skirt + flats /// bandana + oversize tee + skirt + flat

And before you know it, we have landed here²;

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Ok so I changed one item of the outfit plus accessories but this example could have supported a dress by keeping accessories between the switches.

This type of dressing also underscores the value of having a handful of really great pieces in your closet. You don’t need twenty pairs of jeans³ to create an entire weeks’ worth of great outfits. Now, you do you and own as many pairs of pants as you want BUT if you are foregoing the investment pair in favor of buying 2 pairs of less expensive pants, may this exercise be a reminder to get the investment pair if for no other reason than the way they can withstand repeating.

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Some of my favorite things to share are ways that I am working on enjoying fashion without feeling like I have to buy everything. Maybe this problem is unique to me, but I NEED a good dose of DE-influencing sometimes (see tips here and here).

Recently, I was late night scrolling Pinterest⁴ and saw this image and immediately loved the look.

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And this is where I beg us all to stop for a moment. When you see an image that you really love, ask yourself;

Do I love the vibe of this look or do I love the specific pieces in this look?

I love the pop of green on the shirt, love the cut of her jeans, but what I really love are the sandals and sunglasses.

I found myself Google image searching for the shoes (they are Celine) but I found a decent adjacent option in these UGG. But… BUT… I stopped myself here and thought; if I need to buy a new piece to accomplish this look, then it’s not for me.

I think I could recreate this pretty well with a chunky fisherman sandal I own so I kept the image on my inspo board.

Similarly, I saw this collage on Substack by

Rajbinder Grewal

recently and was immediately drawn to the look in the lower left.

I tracked down the image to CPFW 2020;

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Again, I realized that I liked the top but I don’t have anything that gives a similar vibe AND I don’t actually want to go buy a shirt like this. So I can admire it and then politely “pass” in my mind. Not every cute look needs to be for you.

When we surround ourselves with images that require us to shop then we will never be happy with our own wardrobes. To that end, I have to be really strategic about the things in fashion I’m surrounding myself with in general. It’s not helpful to me to surround myself with people who are always posting about a brand I can’t afford, it’s unhelpful for me follow content that is regularly creating “must buy” lists, it’s not helpful to only see clothes on a single body type (this is the hardest thing to diversify). But I sure do love engaging with content about styling, I LOVE reading newsletters about low-buys, and I really enjoy the thoughtful engagement around shopping/fashion/trends that crops up here on Substack. Sending all my love out to you guys for that!

Have a great week!

1. I love everything about this look

2. Oh wait, I also love this look so much

3. oops- guilty!

4. I’ll never change…