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When is wearing the same outfit twice in a row intimidating?

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

I find this concept very interesting and mystifying. Reading clearlyclaire's interesting post on the 10 item wardrobe and the subsequent comments from several YLFers got me thinking.

I know I probably wouldn't wear exactly the same twice in a row if I were to meet exactly the same people. But I'd wear it in a heartbeat if I had different plans on the two occasions, or would meet a slightly different crowd, i.e. two different classes, but the same coworkers.

My administrator was interviewed on television not long ago, and has used the clip on several occasions in presentations later. She purposely wears the same outfit as in the tv interview, and makes a point about it which makes everyone laugh. I find this amusing, too. She is a stylish, modern classic lady by the way.

Being European, I think we put less emphasis on looking new, or different each day, than Americans. I have noticed that even though we wear similar clothes, we will wear them at different times. Europeans dress more casual for work than for parties, but Americans are the other way around, I think. This is of course broad generalizations.

When will it feel wrong, or intimidating, to you to be seen in the same clothes whiten a very short time frame, and why? I'm all ears!

General

52 replies

Latest reply was from Firecracker (Sharan)

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I might be coming at this from a unique perspective of having a uniform for my job. I seem to always be wearing the same thing, or a slight derivative of it, most days a week. So that tends to make me want to wear all the rest of my fabulous clothes that I love as much as possible on my off time. I crave variety in general. I even don't like to eat the leftovers from a previous night's meal the next night if I can help it.

Zibbets

Veteran

You make an interesting point about the level of dressiness for work v. parties. You're so right.

I would avoid wearing the same outfit twice in a row to see people I don't see all the time. For example, next time I see volunteers from the group I worked with today, I would avoid wearing the same black and white floral pants I have on. Church is another example of this. I don't wear the same thing 2 Sundays in a row, even though that probably makes me vain and perhaps focused a little bit on the wrong thing. I yam what I yam!

Holidays are another time I try to mix it up. I don't want my brown paisley silk dress to become my "Thanksgiving dress."

Thistle

Veteran

I would never wear the same outfit twice in a row where I would be seeing any of the same people. If I was with friends one day and family the next, maybe. Probably the American in me But I just know someone would notice.

If I was going to two completely different events where no one would be the same AND I had managed to keep the outfit nice and clean, then I would consider it.

I know part of the reason I feel this way is my family was poor growing up, and kids would comment that I wore the same clothes week after week - I had enough clothes to get through a week then we would do laundry. They were always clean, but that didn't matter. I guess that taunting really stuck with me.

Sal

Veteran

For work I will happily repeat outfits- since I mostly work from home I have limited "smart" work clothes so when I do go to the office or meetings I repeat a lot.
Also with activities such as children's athletics, rugby sideline support etc... I tend to repeat - jeans, gumboots (waterproof boots) and a raincoat or parka.
I also repeat gym "gear".

When it comes to parties or social activities with friends I mix it up more - I will happily repeat but normally with a gap in between with a couple of different outfits.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

As a Canadian, maybe I can split the difference?

Or maybe not! I would not hesitate to wear the same outfit twice in a row where I was seeing different people. I wouldn't even hesitate to wear the same outfit twice in a row if I were seeing the SAME people -- assuming it was a great outfit, perfect for the occasion, and it was clean and pristine and I felt terrific in it.

Having said that, if I had the option to alter it a bit (even with a different scarf or shoes) I would probably do that, particularly if I were meeting the same people two days in a row. I would easily repeat it exactly within the same week, however.

The only time I'd feel "wrong" wearing the same outfit would be if it didn't really fit the occasion all that well, or it wasn't really comfortable or fab on me.

I also confess that like Zibbets, for dressy occasions where I would be seeing the same people (her example of a family holiday) I would enjoy having a few options. It's not that I would be embarrassed. It's more that it feels more festive. People like to comment on one another's outfits as such occasions and it is nice to add to the overall air of celebration. Having said that, my special occasion capsule is minuscule and in reality I'd be more likely to wear the same outfit or something extremely similar.

Anonymous

This is a big thing in America Ingunn. Thank you for starting this discussion. As I said before, I'm trying to have more of a European mindset and get over my irrational fears about repeating an outfit too soon. For my DD's set, I've heard that posting pictures on social media has made them feel like they can't repeat that outfit again for a long time.....if ever (like a formal dress worn to a dance or something). In high school, I remember someone telling me that they didn't think they'd ever seen me wear the same thing twice, and I took that as the highest compliment. I had two much older sisters and a mother who liked to thrift, lol!

Somewhere along the line, I guess we began to associate quantity alone with abundance, as in, being "rich". Now that there is such a glut of clothing due to fast fashion and overstuffed thrift stores, one could be quite poor in America and still have many, many clothes. There are "dollar days" at the thrift stores and you can even buy very cheaply made clothing at the 99 Cents Only stores, not to mention the quarter bins at garage sales.

I was watching some of the bonus features on the dvd for the TV series The Good Wife (it's about a law firm in Chicago--I love their gorgeous modern classic clothes). The costume designer explained how he was trying to tell a story with the characters' outfits. The main character is doing very well in her career so she constantly has new, beautiful clothes. Only when the firm was facing bankruptcy did he stop constantly introducing new outfits into the mix, because it would have looked bad to their creditors.

I think in some high-powered business circles here there is a certain expectation that you have enough clothes to repeat a lot less often than in Europe. Maybe once a month instead of once a week? Maybe someone here can speak to that.

cciele

Veteran

If I'm at home, I'll happily wear the same thing every day until it needs to be cleaned.

If I go to the office, I try to wear different things because I feel guilty having so many work clothes that need to be worn

When I'm with the same group of people I hang out with regularly, I avoid wearing the same outfit twice in a row. I'll repeat outfits, though, maybe the next month.

In general, I like to play around with my clothes and come up with different outfits. Like Mo, all those fabulous clothes are there! Then again, there are times when trusty FFBOs are useful -- but again, I wouldn't want to wear them within a short time frame when with the same people. It's like, did she go home last night? She's wearing the same thing she wore yesterday! Different groups of people, no problem.

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

Mo, that I find very understandable. I see you as a creative person, and uniform dressing is thus not for you at all. Tweaking and changing outfits often is probably how you keep fashion interesting to you. I'm a bit like that myself. I hardly ever wear exactly the same again. Your reasons are mostly about how you feel personally, and not concerned with how people perceive you. Am I right?

Zibbets, that is very reasonable. I think I would be more concerned with not showing up in the same outfit in meetings that happen a few times a year than I would worry about wearing the same clothes for my regular work days. I would also avoid wearing exactly the same dress on holidays like Christmas (our big one).

Thistle, I'm sure that must have been hard. Children can be very cruel. I think the same thing very easily could happen here, these days. But when I grew up, no kids had that many clothes, so we were quite equal in that respect, and nobody commented about clothes that were clean. If they were not, that was another matter.

Why do you think the dress code for parties often is more casual than for work in the US? Does it have to do with having to dress quite formally for work a lot of the time? I'm guessing there is a need for a more relaxed style, too.

Diana

Veteran

I pretty much never wear the same outfit more than one day in a row. For dressy events, I definitely repeat things, but try to switch up the accessories or something a bit. The thing is that most of my clothes are quite memorable so I think it's more obvious when I repeat. I don't mind doing something like wearing the same pair of blue jeans again.

An additional issue is that for dressy events, especially ones where my or J's family are involved, I know there will be approximately 8 million photos with all of the same people, so I try to look at least a little different each time.

Also, ha ha, I still remember back in college when wearing the same clothes as the day before meant that you were doing the "walk of shame" in the morning. Although now that I am an Old Married Woman, it doesn't really apply any more.

pastrygirl

(website)

Veteran

I started my very first "diary" in 7th grade so that I could track what I had worn, so that I would not repeat outfits. I don't know where I picked that concept up, but I was very strict (and anxious?) about it!

My husband has exactly one brand/style of jeans that he buys. He wears the same pair of jeans two days in a row, then starts a new (identical) pair the 3rd day. It took me YEARS to get to the point where I could do it myself. My jeans are all different, so it feels very "obvious" to me to repeat the same pair two days in a row, and I still don't do it often.

All the women around me seem to wear yoga clothes all the time every day, so I'm starting to care less about not repeating an outfit. I go into the office once a week and make sure I don't wear the same thing as last week, but it might be something that I wore at home the day before.

I am ready to cut down my wardrobe, so I'm going to have to get over this concept of unique outfits every day.

I do wonder if some of this is from an experience similar to Thistle's. My parents only let us have three outfits (hand-me-downs) growing up until we could buy our own clothes. I was teased badly in grade school and some of it was due to my (lack of a cool) wardrobe. I grew up in a very affluent neighborhood so I definitely stuck out like a sore thumb!

unfrumped

Veteran

For work, definitely not 2 days in a row. I usually don't repeat items in the same week but the next week is fair game, though usually I am doing some mix-and-match so not the exact outfit. This year has been an eye-opener because I found I had over-duped in some areas and needn't have done so; I actually wanted to repeat more, not less.
For accidental outfit-sightings--out on errands on Sat and see someone from church, and I'd planned to wear the same outfit the next day for efficiency--we are very casual and friendly, not outfit-counters, and so I would not change my plans just for that.
For dressy events, the more I like the outfit, the less I worry about seeing some of the same people if it's just overlap and not the exact occasion.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I wouldn't wear the same thing to see the same people within the same week, or if it's the kind of thing where I see a group every week or every month, I'd try to let a couple meetings go between repetitions of any outfit, especially if it's quite distinctive (conversation print, bright, etc.).

For things Iike jeans that I wear more than once, I tend to let them air out for a day in-between so I'm not wearing them two days in a row, and I rarely wear them with the same top, shoes etc.

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

Kiwigal, that sounds very Scandinavian! I know lots of people who do that all the time, and they look great.

Suz, we are definitely on the same page here. I would probably make a few tweaks, too - different topper, shoes or scarf etc. But I wouldn't worry if it were basically the same two days in a row if it was well suited for the occasion. Festive holiday outfits are a different animal, though, and I would definitely avoid wearing the same. That is part of the reason I rarely buy very dressy dresses. They are too hard to dress down for daily wear.

Claire, as usual I think you have a very clear understanding of the underlying reasons for this phenomenon. It makes perfect sense that one wants to project a successful life through clothing. We do that, too, of course. But here, people differ between "old school" and modern ways of dressing for success. My father in law is a great example. He is quite wealthy, owns several cottages and houses, and drives a very expensive car. But he also takes great pride in never throwing away food, never buying expensive clothes, and never spend on "luxury". I find his values contradicting because after all, he spends quite a lot on his house and cottages, and he is not cheap. Younger people are much more prone to show off in expensive clothes. And if they can't afford expensive clothes, they can afford the high street versions here, too.

cciele, that is part of being creative with fashion, don't you think? I suppose a lot of us here are inclined to do that more than the average non-fashion interested person. I find it very easy to understand a desire to make a few tweaks, or to look somewhat new when meeting the same people over and over again.

Niki Lea

Veteran

On weekends I will often wear the same outfit on Saturdays and Sundays, if they've survived a couple of days in the trenches with my kids. I think people are probably too busy with their own lives to notice I've worn a t-shirt two days in a row. If I'm going out at night, I will change though.
At work I typically mix things up and don't tend to wear the same thing more than one day in a row. But I'll repeat an exact outfit the following week.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

It's hot here and I live a pretty active life so I feel I have to wash everything before I can wear it again. That said, I often buy 3 pair of the exact jeans, shorts or tops because I *want* to wear the exact same style often. In a work environment I tend not to wear the same thing twice in the same week, but since many of my clothes are solids, I'm not sure they are all that memorable.

Whoever mentioned a holiday dress like "the Thanksgiving dress" made me laugh out loud as I can remember many of my older family members doing that many years back. Men do it with suits all the time and no one says a thing. I wouldn't say I would have a particular holiday dress but I have worn the same deep emerald green silk top to several slightly dressy events over the years because I really love it.

And black is such a formal event color I think we've all seen most of our family and friends wearing black outfits - would we remember which ones they wore again?

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

Good question, I'm glad you asked it. I don't have much time for the forum lately, but I do read (and think about what I read), so here is a brief contribution to this subject: I never thought of wearing the same thing twice (or more) in a row being an issue until YLF. I found it puzzling and still do.

I don't know if I can speak for Team Europe either, although a citizen of Europe, because things differ a lot - from England to Germany, from Italy to France, from Hungary to Ireland, and then within the same country too. I'm not even bringing Eastern Europe in the story - with its complex history, socio-political background and ongoing transition issues perfectly reflected in the shopping habits of the younger generation especially.

What I can is speak for my own practice and experience. If I feel good in something, I wear it over and over again. As simple as that. Although I used, and still do, my style journey as a fun way to get more insight into myself AND what I wear is important to me and after all - the musings and descriptions behind what I post are as long as they are - AND although I do use my outfits to communicate or express something, it is still just clothes that serve my purposes. Not the other way round. If someone thinks me dull, boring, unimaginative, or godforbid un-rich because I was seen in the same stuff - well, their loss.

Off to bed now, but I am posting my duplicated outfit asap tomorrow.

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

I'm very happy to read all the interesting answers to my question. They pop up at a pace faster that I can keep up with, too!

Diana, memorable clothes and eager photographers are good reasons to switch things up indeed.

pastrygirl, I'm sure being the girl with three outfits was hard. No wonder you established the diary in 7th grade, to finally be in control and never having to be teased again. I think such experiences shape us more than we think. For me, being in control of our family finances is a big issue. When I grew up, my father went bankrupt and we had to sell our home. My parents then got divorced and my mother struggled finically for 15+ years to recover. It was a huge blow, and I will never let that happen to us. It has made me very careful and quite the security addict.

unfrumped, is your wish for more variety of the same kind as Mo's, i.e. for creative purposes? That is quite different from mixing thing because otherwise people will notice.

Laura and Niki Lea, I think your practice is very similar to many in the forum. Clearly there's nothing wrong with that approach at all. But do you feel that you need to, or is it just a want?

Tex, climate is definitely a part of our choices. I agree, a low key style is less memorable than an artsy/eclectic one. You have an european or at least minimalistic flair to your style, I think, and I could easily imagine you with a very small, distinct wardrobe, something like Claire's but with fewer dresses and skirts. You should have no worries in regards of repeats. I love your point about men's suits and formal black dressing. You are so right.

Ornella, how nice to see you again! I hope the move isn't to stressful. Once again you've made valid points about how different Europe is, and I concur. It is almost impossible to say something meaningful about "European dressing and dress codes". But in general, compared to an American dressing culture, I think there are a few significant differences, and the worry - or ignorance - of duplicating is one of them. Dressing more up for work in the US is another. Dull and unimaginative are definitely not adjectives that make me thick of you! I like to repeat the things I really love, too, and I do it without hesitation. Most people probably don't notice anyway, I think. And if they do, it really doesn't bother me, because I'm not expected to dress differently every day. If I was, I think I would have put more emphasis on it. At least I would when I was younger!

Laurinda

Veteran

Nope, nada, no, never... not unless there were a terrible natural disaster or my luggage was lost ;-).

I'm with Thistle. I remember one year in high school in the '70s when I had five blouses (one for each weekday) and alternated pants between a pair of brown cords and a pair of bluejeans. In the summer those two pairs of pants got cut off into shorts. Even with 10 separate outfits the kids noticed and yes, they commented. Now that I think of it this is why I have zero interest in daily minimal wardrobe 333 or one dress for all year: it can be done and I was miserable.

Jump ahead 25 years to living in Europe, and I was surprised to see my colleagues wearing the same sweater or shirt two or even three days in a row.

It is difficult to compare 'parties' to 'work': since there are various levels of formality, different regions, etc. In general dressing is getting more and more informal. For parties, It depends on whether you are hanging out with close friends vs. meeting new people, is it an evening playing board games or a New Year's Eve soirée? My rural family is fine with wearing men wearing bluejeans (clean) to a church wedding or funeral. At least they showed up.

Anonymous

Ornella's post made me smile.

Ingunn, it sounds like you're talking about the difference between Old Money and New Money, lol. Old Money is not flashy and spends money on things that potentially yield a return (real estate). New Money tries to impress others and spends heavily on items that depreciate (cars, etc..).

Makrame

Veteran

I guess it depends on what "twice in a row" really means. For work, I would not wear the same exact outfit (or the same top, even) for two days in a row. But I might rotate the same five outfits week after week, if I feel like it. For the weekend, I usually wear gear or gardening clothes, and those have to washed in the end of the day but I may very well be wearing the same things on Saturday and Sunday of every week.

I only feel some internal pressure to wear different things for "special events" or "presenting". For example, I would prefer not to wear the same exact dress to a party with the same people over the course of a couple of months (although I might wear it a year later), or two weddings with the same group of attendees, or when presenting for the same group within a relatively short time period. When teaching, I try to rotate at least 6-7 outfits, so I might repeat every couple of weeks. I just feel like if you standing in front of a group for hours, they might memorize your clothes, so maybe some variety is not a bad idea.

Laurinda

Veteran

@ClearlyClaire: The Millionaire Next Door

ironkurtin

Veteran

I shower every day and it feels weird to pull on the same things that I took off. Travelling is a situation where I will re-use clothing, but after a few wears it gets that slick non-clean feeling and I don't love that so much. And when I'm sick, I'll wear the same snuggy sick clothes for a while, but it always feels so good to get into clean ones after. So for me it's less that other people might notice and all about the fabric feel.

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

Haha, Claire, it definitely has an element of Old money v. New money. My example has a bit of both in him, so I guess he is a little modern after all

Laurinda, of course there are various levels of dressiness on both sides of the Atlantic, depending on the walk of life one belongs to etc, and that makes generalizations like the ones I've made here almost meaningless. However, I think wearing jeans to a wedding would be seen as "wrong" in most parts of my society. Wearing flip flops and bermuda shorts for work (in an office, or at a school for example), on the other hand.... There you are.

Makrame, your standards are different than mine in some ways, but in general we seem to feel the same way about this. I would never wear only one top for many days, but I wouldn't mind wearing it for two days in a row. I would not hesitate repeating it within a week, either. But I would not like to have only five outfits to choose between, so I would change them up more. That has only to do with me and my need for variety. But I will happily admit that I don't want to become "the teacher in the green sweater", either.

IK, I agree, it feels better to wear clean clothes indeed. I definitely feel the same way, but I've come to realize that my clothes benefit from lesser washing, so I try to wash less frequently to make them last longer. I would never stretch that into wearing something I consider dirty, of course. But that goes without saying I suppose.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I don't repeat outfits with the same clients (work). It's my luxury as a fashion stylish not to. Plus, I love to wear the ample variety that is in my closet. Small, but meaningful.

When I was a fashion buyer and worked in an office each day - I would repeat head to toe outfits from time to time. Absolutely. Perhaps a few weeks or a month apart.

I do repeat outfits with friends, family, and definitely at home. I seldom wear the same item the second day, but hang it back up if its clean, which it often is.

On holiday, I repeat outfits a lot.

DonnaF

Veteran

I don't wear the same clothes for two days in a row because I like them to air out between wearings. But I think Americans' aversion to repeating outfits twice in a row can be traced back to teasing in school. . . .

When we make our annual/semi-annual trips to visit DH's family and friends in San Diego, I take clothes that mostly coordinate with each other, travel well, layer to some extent, and don't show dirt/grime (so no white). This means that I tend to take the same items over and over. And over again. The same people see the same small fraction of my wardrobe every year! I hadn't much noticed, but DH pointed out that I had my *Christmas shirt*, lol. Oops!

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

That makes perfect sense, Angie. As a stylist I would expect you to wear different outfits. You are after all marketing your own business through your style. I definitely agree that hanging clean clothes back into the closet makes them feel just as fresh next time I wear them . Leaving them on a chair in the bedroom is a no-no for me. I have managed to make a habit of tidying up everything very night, and it really has helped.

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

Haha, DonnaF, a Christmas shirt! I'm sure it's a nice one. You have a great point about traveling. I left most of my white clothes at home when I went on vacation last summer for the very same reasons. I missed them, though. This practice makes it even harder to justify having a large summer wardrobe for me. I repeat a lot more when dressing casually in summer than I do the rest of the year. This is mainly for practical reasons, and not for aesthetic or physiological reasons.

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

I don't know if it's intimidating, but if I wear the same thing two days in a row people assume that I haven't gone home at night (and have been out doing "bad" things!)

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

High five, Ingunn. I can't handle anything lying around - least of all wardrobe items. Everything is tidied up daily. Also, I need to show my clients variety - they range in dress code (my audience), and I MUST practice what I preach.

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