Just recently, I was thinking of why I have a problem repeating certain outfits and no problem with some others... It looks like I can wear neutral things over and over again ( neutral / darker colors, tailored fit - neither too loose nor too tight) but I do feel reluctant to repeat "statement" pieces (for me, any bright color is in that category). I'm not sure why because I can feel good wearing some of the brighter ones... Maybe it's because they stand out more, while the neutral outfits are not really recognizable; they are more like "second skin", so I can repeat them and it's not as obvious...

I repeat a lot at work, but not generally fir social occasions.

Rabbit, it sounds like our wardrobe approaches are similar!

What a timely post. My thoughts on this radically changed the last 3 weeks. That is the time that I spent in the Azores and i got back 2 days ago. People repeated clothes regularly. Sometimes days in a row. It just wasn't a big deal. And i don't mean just the Portuguese : the Italians, the Germans, the Swedes, the French. We ran into the same people over and over and they were wearing the same things over and over ( we went to a couple of very small islands with with small village centers). And they always looked FANTASTIC. The clothes fit and were neat and interesting. I enjoyed seeing people in the same outfits because they looked so inspirational and pleasing. It made me happy.

This really hit home on one of our day trips to one of the natural swimming pools. My daughter and I were always loaded with "stuff". She is 13. She brought an outfit to the pool, then changed into a swimsuit, then a coverup when not swimming then a shower and another outfit to grab something to eat. When changing into her final outfit, she over heard to local teenage girls say, " she is definitely American...look at all the clothes that she has with her. " My daughter is fluent and understood. It hurt her. Though it was a lesson for me.

My cousins often rinse their clothes at night if they have been perspiring
or they got a little dusty from being out. They would hand then up for the night and hopefully it would be dry the next day. One of my cousins works for the autonomous government and they had a big conference while I was there. He wore the same suit every day for three days. Just changed up the tie. And he looked great !

I went into to culture shock doing laundry and putting it away when I got home. I just don't need so much stuff. I am not sure that I would wear the same thing to work 3 days in a row because we are culturally different. But I would wear the same black skirt with a different top. No problem.

: )

Oh and there was almost a stampede when I pulled out my Tide pen ! I will be shipping it by the boatload to my cousins. It was hysterical.

I'm so matchy matchy that I tend to repeat outfits a lot because I have a whole set of matching accessories that go with my outfit. Like lemon sweater and lemon tote and lemon earrings (and I just bought a lemon necklace). I don't think I could wear the outfit any other way, LOL.

I do have to force myself to mix things up once in a while. I tend to get into my idea of the perfect version of an outfit and not want to experiment. I have so many clothes that I can go a while without repeating outfits.

I do wear the same outfit a couple days in a row if I'm seeing different people. But I don't think I could keep track of what I wore to see a group of people the last time I saw them, so I wouldn't worry about that.

I probably would have changed, too. I repeat my clothes a lot. When I went to work five days a week I frequently repeated items in the same week, but not the same outfit. It's hard to believe, but I have more clothes now than when I worked. Back then my husband and I shared a six foot closet, and now we each have our own six foot closet.

Rachylou - dog walking seems to have it's own special requirements. I only have cats. They seem to wear the same thing every day LOL.

Staysfit - you have large capsules for your most frequent activities and small ones for the rarer ones which makes total sense. I also repeat special occasion wear or casual entertaining wear (I don't formally track either).

Sterling - exactly!! Wearing what you love often.

Diane - thanks:)

Ivy - I don't track formally (I have on paper for the odd month). I tend to rely on memory for evenings out. In this case we were going to a fairly upmarket restaurant so I saw it as a chance to put on some "glad rags". And I consider my wardrobe fairly small/tight. The black dress I love, I think I have worn four-five times this winter (it is appropriate for work/dining out and could even be worn casually). It is funny how little you can wear some pieces even if they are your favourites!! I imagine I cn wear this dress until October so it will get plenty more wear but I doubt I will get to 20 wears.

Suz thanks

Runcarla - I know! I can have Sunday casual favourites that I thrash and thrash too. And I have plenty of active/sports gear but I do have my favourites that get worn the most often. I will wear the same thing to the gym two sessions in a row often because I am just about to put it back in the drawer as I am setting up my gear for the next morning 5.45am start.

Jenn- I think I mix and match more in winter and less so in summer. My dresses get worn frequently so there is a lot of repeating. In winter everything goes with jeans and black pants doesn't it?

Aziraphale - haha, I do that too. You will have to hunt out a photo to check out what you actually wore.

Barbara Diane - memorable dresses are my absolute favourite, but you have to adore them!! Then you will seize any chance to rewear them.

Fathenry - that is a good idea, a small capsule and wear wear wear. I sort of do this - when I have a new piece that I really like I do wear it as often as I can.

Rabbit - yes, with your work clothes being a uniform/protective cover I imagine you also seize your chances to have fun with the pieces that you love.

Olen - I know what you mean about jeans or black/white/navy items being easier to remix. I am probably similar. I do have some bold pieces that I don't wear as often but I keep for several years so they get a lot of wear but over 5-6 years whereas the neutrals often get worn out after 2-3 years.
BC- thanks:)

Isabel - what an interesting tale. Some of the smartest dressed women have very small wardrobes and simple tastes. I think it is moving beyond fashion into being stylish. Just looking great rather than worrying if it is current - just wearing pieces for all occasions. I want to be more like this.

Goldenpig - yes I know what you mean. Sometimes you just want to wear the best version that you have rather than remix, and with your closet that makes sense.

Thanks all for your comments

Jaileen - thanks we cross posted.

When I worked in an office five days a week I had about 8 days worth of outfits to wear. That may mean a pair of pants would be worn twice with two different tops - there was some remixing. And I had two-three pairs of shoes.

At the time I was either travelling, saving for a home, at the early stages of a mortgage, or juggling small children. I wonder if I would have the same approach now?

I tend to have a couple of fall back outfits I wear if I am running late. I just throw them on and run out the door. It is nice to not have to think about it when life interferes. I also have way more tops than I do bottoms. I have no problem wearing the same black pants to work twice in the same week. I also keep a list of outfits written down in a notebook. So for instance: black pants, black pumps, ivory/camel/black print shell,camel jacket buttoned up, black/camel hair calf belt around waist of jacket. Or black pants, ivory peplum top, blue stone necklace, black pointed toe flats. I spend a couple of hours a month trying on outfits and if I find something good I write it down. Yes, kind of nerdy but that way I know it looks good together and I can sleep until I absolutely have to get up. That extra 6 minutes is important you know! And I agree with what others have mentioned, going out clothes aren't repeated very often and brighter more memorable clothing isn't worn as often. I have an emerald green dress I love but only wear about every 5 weeks.

I have had the problem of " forcing" combinations that are not ax fab as the favorites. I still want to experiment, but get better at just wearing thd things that look best.

I also have s sense of pride, I admit, when I can wear things repeatedly in very slight variation. Same outfit with different shoes or handbag, or same, even notable , shoes with different
pants . Repeating but with sameness. A goal and evokes the "French" approach, though not necessarily neutral.

Thanks Anna - I know. I like to have a couple of FFBO too. I developed two that I loved for summer and have two for winter too.

Unfrumped - I like that too. It is great to really get your money's worth huh!

I try to make every day outfits a no-brainer. Very much a uniform. Purchase multiples of things that work -- with lots of repetition. Working from home or at coffee shops. But one of my style goals is to focus on nights out, day trips/vacations, and important meetings. And to make 4-6 stellar outfits for each of these "special occasions." Interesting topic.

I'm pretty similar to you I think.

And I think that, though not as small wardrobed as the Europeans Isobel described, Australians tend to have smaller wardrobes than Europeans - at least for work.

I have 3 days of office wear a week, and don't repeat within that week. I have one work day that is casual and try not to wear the same thing 2 weeks running. I tend not to repeat the same thing at the same occasion - but might on a subsequent one.

I love my cocktail/ fancy wedding dress and wear it at every occasion I can (not many)

I wear the same clothes lounge in every night, unless they get dirty.

I wear the same workout clothes for days, specially in winter. They don't seem to smell! My workout wardrobe is extremely small, specially since I recently left my gym bag on a bus.

I'll happily wear the same clothes 2 days in a row if they are still clean and have different surroundings eg Thurs - day off and doing MOTG stuff / Fri casual Fri at work.

I'm ridiculous about this -- it used to be that I would not want to repeat outfits with less than a 3 week rotation. Now that I'm using large capsules, I find that changing. And I will often wear an outfit to church on Sunday, change in the afternoon, and then wear it again for teaching on Monday.

I will repeat bottoms gladly, but like to have lots of tops in the rotation. I have a need for variety, for sure, but I'm dressing in more formulas and capsules, which improves my outfit creation and wardrobe utilization. I really could benefit from a smaller, higher quality, wardrobe.

Thanks AM, Anne and Beth Ann.

AM - yes I wear a uniform of sort for working at home, especially in winter (skinny pants, long sweater or cardigan, often a scarf gets thrown on as I walk out the door and usually sneaker boots or leather boots. I am trying to keep this at a higher level of polish though, and failing a little right now.

Anne - yes I do agree Aus/NZ wardrobes are mostly smaller. I manage most aspects pretty tightly except for shoes (I have excess here) and I do have a wee bit of exercise gear. I find it lasts a long time if I buy wisely (either international brands on sale, or KMart/The Warehouse brands.

Beth Ann - I also repeat bottoms a lot more than tops, I find them harder to fit and like....

I have to repeat a lot because I have a small wardrobe but this does not bother me at all. The ideal would be if all my outfits would make me feel happy but this is a goal I have not reached yet. Some outfits I like, some others are "so-so". But anyway having a ton of clothes and options would make me feel overwhelmed and would only add to my chronic indecisiveness! Thus making me unhappy.

Ditto Beth Ann on strategic repeating to save time AND increase outfit happiness.
Two main ways are either church then tweak for Monday workday, or Saturday night smart casual or dressy and tweak for church. This also helps me evaluate item versatility, such as outfit silhouette that works with sneaks, oxfords and dressier " 4- hour" shoes.
Sometimes I feel I miss opportunities to wear completey different outfits if u do that , so I might intentionally do that, but also realize the calm and time- saving benefit of having the outfit laid out ready to go and using the extra bit of time for something else.

I'm with you, Beth Ann. I repeat bottoms all the time, but this year decided I needed more tops so I'd be able to rotate. I do tend to stick to formulas that work, though, so it's pretty much uniform dressing for me.

Interesting topic. Isabel, fascinating what you observed being abroad. I'm going to think a lot more about this. My daughter (6) reaches for the same things all the time. I'm always asking her why she likes certain items so we can shop effectively and not end up with orphans. She has too many clothes (I love shopping for her!). Every season I say we're going to buy less because she doesn't need it but never stick to it. Maybe I'll try again this fall.

I enjoyed reading about everyone's threshold for repeating. I'm absolutely sure I don't notice anyone's repeats so i don't think anyone notices mine. The only reason I would hesitate to repeat 'too soon' is a self judgment about being too lazy or not wearing enough of my wardrobe. I think I don't wear enough of my wardrobe. Food for thought.

I do repeat a lot during the holiday season. It's the time of the year we have the most special occasions. I usually buy something to refresh this capsule and then wear the same (might change shoes depending on occasion) thing over and over again.

I wish to add that I don't notice repeats, and doubt anyone else does. At least, not in my circles, lol. I still like to shake things up a bit, though. I could never be a capsule wardrobe type of gal.

I'm smiling reading Isabel's response.

I had the pleasure of living with a European family for a year when I was younger. They always, always, always looked wonderful, especially the mom. She really knew what worked for her. And her closet had exactly 6 outfits in it for the work week per season, hung up with several inches of space between each. I remember each outfit vividly and with fondness.

It sometimes bother me actually it depends upon the people you are with. If the people are your good friends the dress will never bother you.

Interesting thread. I tend to stick to a set of outfits for a period of time then switch based on the intersection of weather and mood. I might vary things or not depending on the same factors. As mentioned above, I don't actually think anyone pays that much attention.

What a fun topic. I enjoy repeating my favorite outfits and don't mind wearing the same dressy / formal wear regularly, although I rotate among my small selection to ensure that I have an opportunity to enjoy each dress as often as possible. And on a weekend, I don't hesitate to wear the same dress two days in a row before cleaning it unless I'm seeing the same people. About the same approach for work as others have mentioned - generally, I wear five different dresses a week to ensure that I am wearing all my items, although I don the same black and navy blazers and cardigans (especially those that live in the office) very frequently.

This is a great topic. Repeating outfits means different things at different stages in life, at least with me it did. My younger self--doctor's wife, social clubs, etc.--went to great pains not to repeat outfits, though at home and with my own friends, not my husband's professional circuit, I wore repeats quite a lot. No one was going to talk about what I wore to the kids' soccer games or for lunches with my Mom.

Later, in the work force, I needed a professional wardrobe and of course people would see me in the same outfit at times; in fact, I had a couple of signature jackets and suits. No one thought twice about seeing those outfits again and again. Yes, I varied the tops and the shoes for variety, but my look was quite consistent. I tracked what I wore for TV because I didn't want viewers to think I had only one jacket. LOL

As a work-out-of-the-home writer, I repeat with glee. Outfits I love I wear often and without a shred of self-consciousness. Finally, I have no one to answer to but myself...and my loving husband, who likes how I dress. My pants are jeans or unremarkable neutrals. I love tops and my modest collection ranges from gorgeous winter knits to plain summer tees. My most memorable items are some of the knits and my jackets. To this day I love a good jacket (I'm now moving toward more cardigans). And shoes. With jackets and shoes being the most eye-catching items, varying those provides great distraction from the other garments being noticed as repeats. Not that I think about it too much, but it works well enough when I do.

So, generally, no, I don't mind repeating outfits at all. If something looks good on you, it looks good on you every time, so why not?

I'm a repeater and it suits me just fine. I can't imagine that others are focused on what I'm wearing........rather than an overall impression of me at that moment.

Like some others, if I was seeing the same group of people frequently I'd mix things up a bit more.

I'd rather buy better quality and repeat more. If I had to wear something different every day, I'd have to spend less per item and sacrifice quality and comfort.

I remembered this story about a male tv presenter/host who wore the same suit for a year:

https://www.theguardian.com/li.....ues-judged

Just a quick add. I don't go "out" very often, and even when I do, I live in a very casual area. Still, I try to make up new going-out outfits each time, and if something really works well I will repeat with no hesitation. That said, I adore and covet your black bell-sleeve dress, and if I owned it Sally, I would probably wear it a lot.

Since I use clothing as my artistic expression , I don't repeat often, without tweaking it a bit. I also may wear something where few people see me and then I copy away exactly.. I think it would be ridiculous to not wear a combo that I liked a lot over again, then dressing would become too complicated and we have enough complications without creating this one, lol.