The more killer pieces I've found, the less I need change. The Theory blazer goes with everything, and I find myself wearing it at least once a week, maybe twice. And certain silhouettes definitely are a formula for me. I try to change up color and patern, or mix up silhouettes from day to day.

Do people notice? I don't think so. And the less of a memorable statement an item is, the more likely no one will remember exactly what it was. If I changed up a version of a black suit each week, people would just think I was wearing boring lawyer clothes.

My paralegal wears the same few shirts every week, and he looks completely presentable. They are not statement clothing, so I don't even remember what he wore yesterdtay, for example.

I don't think anyone notices. But I still get tired of wearing the same outfit over and over again. Wearing the same shirt with a different cardigan or even different shoes doesn't make the outfit feel different to me. It's a puzzle I'm still working on - how to put together a variety of comfortable outfits without having an exploding wardrobe.

I'd like to think people notice, as I do regularly get compliments on what I wear. I don't think it matters to others nearly as much as it matters to me, though. I just like to look and feel good, and I feel that dressing well is important. I don't think I have to wear a different outfit each day of the year to accomplish that, though, and I don't mind repeatedly wearing my favorite outfits.

I know I would be comfortable with a smaller closet, but.... I LOVE to shop!

One thing I noticed about my fall wardrobe from last year when I pulled it out was that I had multiples in the exact same style. For instance, I had two identical cardigans: one red, one purple. I also had three pair of bootcut dress trousers: one medium gray, one black, one charcoal pinstripes. I remember feeling like I was always wearing the same thing every day, even though I wasn't. So now, I am trying to switch up silhouettes so that maybe I'll have three cardigans, but one will have a crew collar, one zips instead of buttons, and one is a v-neck and oversized. And for pants, I replaced the pinstripe bootcuts with a pair of black/white tapered ankle-length pants. That makes the combinations much fresher while keeping my wardrobe small.

Chiming in again to add that I had a breakthrough moment last year at Thanksgiving when I packed for Boston and realized that 3 tops and 2 bottoms netted me 6 outfits. Or 3 tops and 3 bottoms = 9 outfits. That math helps me to pack and to realize how much variety you get per item. So a 5 tops/5 bottoms work wardrobe should net you 25 outfits, plenty to get through a month of work.

Now I just have to be organized enough to do something like what Ingunn did with the BR capsule wardrobe!

Una, I had a similar experience when deciding what to bring on the plane here to FL and what to pack in the truck that was being shipped weeks later. I found I could make almost 21 outfits with only a backpack full of clothing.

I tend not to repeat outfits exactly because I don't have to; I have a lot of clothes. I like the challenge of creating new outfits as well. However, I do think about how I may look the same because I repeat silhouettes quite often. Also, I wear jeans every.single.day. I like Zap's reply where she mixes things up with different styles -- skinny, bootcut, wide leg, boyfriend. While I was in SF I purchased 2 new pair of pants -- not jeans; this will make for a different look on me I think.

I did repeat an outfit almost exactly a few days ago -- I wore the same outfit to the theater as I did to the opera. Same as Anna -- it's not practical to have that much variety within my theater/opera capsule.

I'm hopping on here to respond to Thistle's comment from wayyyyyy earlier in the day.

In junior high there was a French teacher (I mean American woman who taught French). I didn't have her. But some kids were discussing how every week she had her exact Monday outfit, Tuesday outfit, Wednesday outfit, etc. So adolescents notice (and made fun of her for it, in that case).

Great question and great discussion! I don't desire a small wardrobe (mine is medium sized), and I do desire variety since I use fashion as a big creative outlet these days. For me, I don't much enjoy shopping but very much enjoy remixing. Variety in my wardrobe comes in quite a few ways: color, silhouette, texture, and straight up non-repetition. I'm still doing the no-repeats thing (2+ years now?), mostly because I can, though I've certainly relaxed on it and have worn a few almost-repeat outfits. No one around me would notice if I repeated (I see very few people daily); as others have said, most people just notice the style as a whole. I see it more as a way to stretch my style muscles, so to speak. Happily I am getting close to a point in my wardrobe that I don't feel like I need to not repeat for the sake of not repeating AND can come up with good outfits that are new mixes each day. But it's sure taken a while to get to that point

EDIT: And I wanted to add that the biggest way I can keep myself from feeling like rutting is simply changing the silhouette. So, I try not to wear skinnies+boots every day in the fall; I change it up with a skirt one day, winter shorts one day, trousers one day, etc. It makes a huuuuuge difference to the way I feel, far more than any other type of variety. Color comes in second.

Aida, I agree with you on the importance of changing the silhouette. I tend to have a uniform of pencil skirt, top, blazer, pumps, and if I don't switch it up with something different at least a time or two a week, I can feel pretty rutlike indeed.

i love shopping. i don't enjoy getting dress as much. or rather, i don't like spending extended periods of time in "real" clothes. i think i really like being in yoga pants or a tshirt dress. i guess i don't mind repitition?!?

I rarely repeat a complete outfit -- even if it's a repeated top and jeans combo, I'll switch around the shoes, accessories, jacket or vest, etc. I have a full wardrobe so I do this to make sure I'm using everything as much as I can rather than fall into a rut.

I do change up the silhouette from day to day, too. After a couple of days in skinny jeans this week, I decided to wear a dress the next day, and then a skirt outfit the day after that. And today, straight leg jeans. I also alternate heels with flats from day to day.

Maybe casual observers don't notice, and that's ok. My husband does, which is nice. I really dress mainly for me -- I crave variety and don't have a desire for a small wardrobe, so mixing things up makes me happy, even if it means I have some items in my wardrobe that don't get much wear. As long as I'm happy when I do wear them!

I work from home, and we have a diverse social group. I could easily wear the same outfit for a week straight, or longer, and nobody but immediate family would know. I have never done this but I have repeated same outfit 2X's in a week. What happens in reality is that I need the creative challenge of coming up with something new, so I rarely wear the exact same outfit twice in a season (though I do wear similar silhouettes/formulas all the time, or nearly same outfit with one or two minor tweaks, like different scarf or shoes or purse or coat).

When I worked in an office, ironically, I much preferred having a schedule.. a menu of sorts.. one week or two weeks worth of "tried and true" outfits I could cycle through. Outfits I didn't have to think too hard about, early in the morning when I'm brain dead. Because I am SOOO not a morning person. I just wanted to pull something on last minute and be done with it.

Ultimately I am also on the fence: there's a place for variety. There's a place for repetition. It all depends on my mood for the day -- I'm a mood dresser. Today was a day when I craved "uniform" ... so I went Viviene Files style, and pulled out a simple LBD, paired with tall chocolate brown boots. Then for variety I added a patterned scarf, and snake skin MK purse. And a white pleather jacket. And I was done. It didn't take all that much thought.