The Art Of Outfit Repeating
In fashion, we focus so often on what’s next. Even before I started working in the industry, I whittled away time, energy and money, constantly evolving my wardrobe so that it reflected the fast-moving trend cycle and what was deemed ‘current’ by those around me. Over the years, my habit has only grown worse. Every day, I click the ‘What’s New’ tab on a handful of bookmarked websites. If a morning or evening goes by where I don’t check TheRealReal for new stock, it’s likely I’m terribly ill.
During fashion month, I’m absorbed by the latest collections and take mental notes on what I might want in the future. And now, on Substack, I subscribe to a hoard of shopping newsletters that fuel my buying addiction even further. To me, the women who write them are the new influencers, in the sense that, on a weekly and sometimes bi-weekly basis, I see them wearing something that I want to add to my own cart.
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But none of this is good for my bank balance, my conscience – and possibly doesn’t even benefit my sense of style. Just have a look at the Prada SS25 show if you also need convincing to take outfit repeating more seriously. In addition to new styles, the co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons sent re-editions of archival pieces down the catwalk, including shoes from 1996, 2008, 2011 and 2012. They also seemed to reference a leopard-print coat from 2003 and a skirt from 1999. In the middle of a month dedicated to – and borderline obsessed with – novelty, it felt radical and, ironically, quite forward-thinking.
‘It seems that algorithms direct us, so anything we like and anything we know is because other people are instilling it into us,’ Mrs Prada told reporters backstage. ‘What we wanted to do is see if we could do a show where you try to make every individual their own individual, almost like their own superhero,’ added Simons. In other words, to really be your true self, you have to shop your own closet. Sure, you can mix it with something current, but there’s only one person with your exact wardrobe – and it’s you.
Emily Schuman, who writes the newsletter Fwd: from a friend, feels the same. In a post titled ‘Why I’m outfit repeating this fall (kinda)’, she writes: ‘Most of the things I’m excited to wear aren’t new at all. They’re just different versions of things I already own, quietly waiting for their moment again.’ She was inspired by a friend who shopped their own wardrobe for a wedding ‘like a well-stocked pantry’. Sissy Chacon, the stylist behind The Sort newsletter, cited ‘Recessioncore’ as one of the reasons she decided to start repeating outfits. Her financial reality – and the fact that luxury prices are out of control right now – forced her to create fresh looks from the pieces she already had. ‘What new energy am I making space for by not amassing more stuff?’ she asked, feeling enlightened (and lighter) from the exercise.
Celebrities from Cate Blanchett to the Princess of Wales are also repeat-curious. The Duchess of Sussex made a red Carolina Herrera dress pop the second time around by removing the train and switching up the styling for a recent gala in Los Angeles; she had first worn it three years earlier. Actor Claudia Jessie left no such gap: on the press tour for the third season of Bridgerton this spring, she wore the same Stella McCartney suit twice in the space of a few days. ‘I care a lot about being as sustainable as you can, so you will see me in this suit a fair amount,’ Jessie told reporters on the red carpet. ‘I hope you like it, because you’re going to see it again.’
What I’ve found is that, beyond the financial and sustainable benefits, my sense of style has improved. You get to know yourself and your taste better when you spend more time with what you naturally gravitate towards. For me, wearing the same things has reinforced something that I don’t think I fully accepted until I entered my thirties, which is this: I like what I like – and that’s fine! In fact, it’s great. It might not always be the newest or coolest thing, but it is ‘me’. When I do 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’ve probably got all the ingredients already – it’s the seasoning you add that makes things feel fresh.
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