How often do you wear items? - YouLookFab Forum

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Dressing

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Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

How often do you wear items?

trekkiegirl

Veteran

In my attempt to refine my wardrobe and hone my personal style into something more cohesive and less manic, I'm starting to realize I'll probably end up repeating things more often than I might have been comfortable with before. The fact that they will be in different outfits with other pieces doesn't seem to fully allay my anxiety about it, so I'd really like to know what is typical for others. Certain things like a black pencil skirt, black trousers, or a button down in any color are naturally less conspicuous and not likely to be noticed. But other items like a leather Moto or red skinny pants seem like they would stand out if I wore them too often. But how often is too often? What are your thoughts on this?

Dressing

38 replies

Latest reply was from trekkiegirl

deb

Veteran

It seems that my favorites at the time get worn a lot then I am on to the next favorite. Eventually the old favorite becomes a favorite again. This cycle continues until I realize I am not wearing an item then it is passed on.

trekkiegirl

Veteran

Also, I have 12 dresses and 12 blazers/jackets and am debating how often to wear them. The dresses I might actually assign each one to a month, because I'm a nerd like that and love scheduling things in advance. But the jackets I'm not sure of... Most of them are heavier and won't be worn in the summer at all. I'm hoping to get a few more light weight blazers for summer, but then I'll do have to decide how often to wear them, if I have say only 5 or 6 for that season.

Meredith

Veteran

I bet the responses will be all over the map! Personally, I'm not a great example for you because I repeat weekly. Sometimes the same outfit, sometimes the same pieces remixed. But I wouldn't say that variety or creativity are super high priorities or style goals for me when it comes to dressing. I like to pick interesting pieces from the start, so I think my personality and individuality shows in how I dress even though there's s lot of repetition.

trekkiegirl

Veteran

Deb when you say"a lot" what frequency is that? Twice a week? Once a month?

trekkiegirl

Veteran

Meredith that is actually really interesting to me. I can't imagine wearing the same outfit twice in a week. Unless it was once at work and once on the weekend, and the only person who would see is my husband who doesn't care lol

Lisa

Veteran

For harder to notice items, especially bottoms, I've been known to sport the same bottom up to 4 days in the same week. For really noticeable items, such as a pair of cobalt jeans, I'd sport them twice a week, once for work and once on the weekends since I am not seeing the same people.

Liz

Veteran

I'm a big repeater -- I like to wear everything in my current season's working capsule over the course of two weeks. Sometimes I wear the same outfits each week, sometimes I mix them up. But I'm totally comfortable wearing the same pieces next week that I did this week.

I honestly don't remember from one week to the next what my coworkers wore -- so I figure they don't remember what I wore either. And even if they do wear a statement item a lot, I don't get tired of it or think anything negative about them because of it. I just think, 'Oh, there's _____'s pretty red jacket again. I like that jacket." It becomes part of ______'s signature look for me.

Helena

Veteran

Hey there, this is a great question. For my main items that are in season (i.e. not special occasion things), I would say I wear most tops once every week or two, and I wear the same pair of skinnies almost every day (I'll mix in my bootcuts when the weather improves, but that's only 2 extra pairs of jeans). So my wear frequency is quite high. I actually purge my closet probably 2 or 3 times a year based on what's NOT in the laundry after two weeks ... if it didn't get worn, for the most part it's bye bye! (again excluding special occasion and off-season items).

When I worked in the corporate world, I had one black suit, one cream suit (suits were only needed on occasion), 3 pairs of dress pants (black, gray, tan), a black pin-striped skirt, and about 7 or 8 tops, mostly button-ups in different colors (black, white, pink, burgundy, blue) with a few tailored knits thrown in. That was plenty for me!

BUT, I don't have a huge need for variety in my personal style or personality, so that's very different from folks who are more expressive and creative with their clothes.

AM

Veteran

Ditto on what torontogirl said. I keep my wardrobe small, with neutrals -- and as you've mentioned I feel like IF I had bolder items I might not wear them as frequently. Mix and match is king in my world. I would say that I hope to expand my long topper collection to have a bit more statement (but keeping with my minimal preference). I probably wear my items every other week but I am actively looking to take rarely worn pieces and make outfits with them. I sometimes think that they stay in the closet because I haven't created an outfit for them.

Emily

Veteran

I wear my favourite basic pieces (cardigans, trousers, jeans) once or twice a week. Items that stand out a little more, like coloured pants, printed blouses, more colourful or embellished sweaters, I wear once every week or two. I wouldn't repeat something standout twice in the same week to work, but like Lisa I would wear something standout to work during the week and then out with friends on the weekend.

Meredith

Veteran

Coming back to say that if I do wear the same outfit in the same week it would only be when seeing different groups of people. Right now my grey cashmere sweater is getting a lot of wear week to week also because it's my warmest sweater. I am still working on a long term wardrobe strategy, but I think I prefer to wear many items frequently and replace with fresh pieces more often as opposed to accumulating a lot of things with multiple year lifespans. Sure, I have plenty of classics that will last, but right now I'm in an experimentation phase as I'm really determining my style preferences and it's kind of nice to make commitments that don't feel so long-term. Takes some of the pressure off.

Tania

Veteran

I repeat items often, but I only recently started to build a workable wardrobe. I was mostly in functional/gear clothing before. I live in New England, spend a lot of time outdoors, and it has been very cold this year, so warmth takes precendence.

I'm trying a seasonal capsule approach, but I stay-at-home with the kids and don't need much variety beyond my gear. For winter, I have two jeans that I rotate over the course of a week, six main tops, a topper, a pair of tall boots, 3 pairs of booties, and a couple of scarves. Depending on whether it is warmer or the roads are clear, I toss in a couple of lighter weight tops and a set of white jeans. I picked my tops to potentially layer each other too, so that a little variety.

I would like more, but I am taking my time in figuring out what I will use. It has been a useful exercise for me as I realize the limitations and possibilities of what I have, as well as what speaks to me and what I wear just because I don't have another option.

Author Linda

Veteran

Definitely a repeater! If I love something, I wear it. Lots. The exceptions are dresses, which I tend to wear only in summer and for special occasions, and some footwear or toppers meant for special occasions.

When I worked in public relations, I repeated my skirts and slacks a lot because I favored (and still favor) classic neutrals for those. I added interest through tops and jackets. I had more jackets then. Now that I'm retired and appear in public for other reasons, my casual wardrobe lends itself to wearing the same nice sweater every week but changing things up with a fun scarf or different footwear. It's mostly for myself anyway--my husband thinks I look fine in sweatpants.

The only times I care about making sure I don't repeat outfits often are for meetings with certain people who I want to let know I own more than one outfit. Reasons. LOL

Aziraphale

Veteran

I might wear the same jacket and/or shoes four or five times a week (not always, but it has happened). As for everything else, once a week is probably the max -- not because I have a problem with wearing the same things twice, but because I have enough jeans, tops, skirts etc that I don't need to repeat.

deb

Veteran

When I say 'a lot' I mean after every wash. I only wear a top once before washing and bottoms can go sometimes two wears. So if a piece is clean, I will wear it two or three times in a week. Skirts can be worn many more times than pants because they do not bag out.

Anonymous

I'm a big repeater, too. I try not to wear the exact same outfit more than twice a month, though.

K.M.

Veteran

I'm a happy repeater. I will wear the same piece (a sweater or pants) twice or even three times in the same week, but mixed and matched with something different. I will also repeat outfits in the same week if I know that my days will be casual and the outfit is especially practical (it's been very cold and I have a warm/comfy combo of big sweater/cords that I wear often--I'm wearing it today).

Twice or thrice a week I have more formal activities for my job. For those I don't like to repeat outfits, so I will plan and only wear a particular outfit once a month or even less for those occasions. I.e. the people who will be seeing me in the outfit will not see a repeat. I might still repeat it on a different day/setting that doesn't involve the same people.

shiny

Veteran

I'm not going to be much help because I'm either working from home, on a business trip, or out and about seeing different people at various leisure time activities.

The only time I worry about repeating is when I travel, and in that case, deliberate repeating via remix is the very goal, since I want to pack light. So I might bring one jacket, one cardigan, one or two pairs of pants, one dress, a couple of blouses, two pairs of shoes -- then remix.

I will say that after returning from a trip, I've grown sick of the items I packed, and need a break from them for awhile. So I do need variety but I also dislike keeping to a rigid schedule or plan.

When I was all into dresses awhile back, I did rotate, this is Monday dress, this is Tuesday dress, etc. A black or navy dress could be worn more than once, with change up of cardigan, shoes and accessories.

Okay actually I also worry about repeating for special occasions. I do frequently go back through FB & WiW photos to see what I wore the year before to an event, and try to wear something different, so I don't look the same in photos. I don't think anyone at these events would ever remember what I wore the year before, it's more for the photos.

I repeat a lot on Sunday's -- my most casual day of the week -- because casual is not really my style. That said I am repeating less lately as I'm easing into casual more and more.

I also repeat quite heavily in the summer months, because summer is quite short here, and I find my summer capsule clothes don't last all that long because you sweat through them, they pill, they fade, they get sunscreen all over, etc. I deliberately don't invest as much $ in summer clothes. I just refreshed my summer capsule via ON - a couple of maxi dresses, a shift dress, some tees, a maxi skirt and that's all I really need.

I guess I am a repeater more than not, as when I find an outfit combo I love I do wear it over and over again -- which is why you don't see me posts WiW's every day. Due to necessity of tall boots to navigate snow piles around here, I've currently got maybe 4-5 "go-to" outfits I am rotating. I've got no problem with that, and usually find I get bored right around the time the weather shifts, opening up my options.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I work at home most of the time so I tend to wear a uniform of sorts - skinny jeans and v-neck or button down of some type. I have multiples of my favorite jeans/shorts so I do repeat the same thing more than once in a week quite often. Other people might perceive that it's the exact same item but I don't really care. I don't duplicate my tops so much so I probably only wear them once every week or two for the most part. A few current favorites I may reach for within the same week if I did laundry half way in. Toppers are changed a lot in F/W - because our weather changes drastically from 80 one day to 50 the next.

I don't wear them now, but I think if I did wear dresses I'd probably wear each one once a week at most and try to change it up with a different vest, cardigan or jacket and different shoes/jewelry combos. And if the pattern is really bold, I'd likely wear them slightly less frequently.

I have no problem repeating items but prefer not to wear the same thing without washing it, so I rarely wear something twice in a row.

milehighstyle (Linda)

Veteran

I have a huge wardrobe, including shoes. Other than coats and commuting boots/shoes, I probably don't wear anything more often than every 3 to four weeks. Do whatever works best for your lifestyle and happiness level.

Sara L.

Veteran

I only wear most items 2 or 3 times a month. I wear bottoms more frequently than tops since I have less bottoms than tops. Some of those might get worn once a week or so (black trousers, skinny jeans, etc.). I get bored of my clothes really fast so I rarely repeat outfits either. I try to come up with new combinations to alleviate that boredom. It works for me and I don't shop as much as I used to.

Summer

Veteran

tr3kkie, I'm fascinated with all these replies. All I can say is that I must be boring people to death! Admittedly, I'm no longer in the work-place, but my clothes get repeated over and over, in all parts of my lifestyle. I have a casualised, mix and match wardrobe, so my outfits do change, but I'm more concerned that everything is clean and pressed than whether I've worn the same thing more than once a week. I'm amazed!

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Weather can fluctuate so much around here that it's tricky to calculate. Right now I've got the 'actually cold' stuff in my wardrobe as well as the 'cool spring/fall' stuff. Jeans happen to work for both those sets, and I probably repeat all my current jeans around once a week. Tops depend on the weather more, as do shoes - boots and sweaters if it's colder, tees and flats if it's warmer.

The dressier stuff, since I don't need to wear it for work every day, gets worn a couple times a week when I feel like gussying myself up. That probably translates to an embarrassingly low wearings per year for each item, since I have several; maybe once a month or less.

Summer

Veteran

Sorry, that should be CAPsualised, not casualised.

Susie

Veteran

I would say on average that I wear a piece once or twice a month, or once every three weeks. It might look though that I wear things more frequently because I probably wear black pants twice a week and it's likely that only I notice that they aren't the same pair each time!

trekkiegirl

Veteran

This is so helpful... It seems that people repeat things far more often than I realized!

rachylou

Veteran

If I'm not gonna see the same people three days in a row, I'll wear something three days in a row. Otherwise, no more than once a week. And certain things, like a leather skirt - once a month for the same crowd.

Louise

Veteran

Thinking about my winter work wardrobe I have 4 dresses, 2 pairs of shorts (worn with tights in winter) and a tunic dress so I'm repeating items after a week and half. I mix it up with coloured tights, shoes, cardigans, jackets and my favourite, scarves x

crutcher

Veteran

OK...how is this for a really grown up response...If the piece absolutely makes my heart sing, I mean walk out of the store into the arms of the one who dropped me years ago sing, then, I wear it so much that those who know me whisper behind their hands, "Does she have anything else?"...
Now, if it is a piece that I am replacing for youreallyshouldhave.....in yourwardrobe...then I will probably wear it just when the function calls for you to wear it...
What I am attempting to do in my current shopping philosophy overhaul is to only buy those things that make my heart sing and make me rush out of the store wearing the piece...
Does this answer your question?...Maybe not but I had fun responding...
smile...

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