Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Repeating Outfits -- The New Trend?!

Recently I encountered two separate articles with the same theme: repeating outfits.

The first, from the Telegraph.co.uk is titled Vogue Editor Anna Wintour Wears Same Dress Three Times by Anita Singh. From the article: "It is unthinkable that she would make a fashion faux pas. So when Vogue editor Anna Wintour made her third appearance wearing the same dress in the space of a fortnight, observers could only conclude she was making a style statement."

But the fun doesn't end there. More recently, Derek Blasberg posted at Style.com a little gem titled Hallelujah: It's OK to Wear Things Twice. This fun little piece mentions that Emanuelle Alt, the Paris Vogue stylist was caught wearing the same pair of pants in one week. Quelle Horreur! And then she was seen wearing not only the same pair of shoes in one week, but the exact same pair of shoes that Carine Roitfeld was wearing at the same time! Non!

The somewhat tongue-in-cheek message behind both these articles is that if the big names in fashion are now recycling their outfits, it must mean that it's now trendy to do so. Repeating your outfit has now been officially sanctioned from on high. Yay!

When I read articles like these, my first reaction is to be ever so thankful that I'm not in the spotlight so much as to have every detail of my daily wardrobe documented and criticized. Jiminy Crickets! It's enough to make me want to become a hermit and live on a desert island.

But then I also muse on the sheer ridiculousness of the whole idea of never repeating an outfit. Since when is it not ok to wear an outfit more than once? I get it that these women in question are in the public eye constantly, in a way that few people ever have to deal with, and in an industry that absolutely requires a near-perfect designer wardrobe. Perhaps they are an exception. But even so, what gives us the right to criticize them for opening showing affection for an outfit by wearing it a few times? And why must we conform to their industry standard by editing what we wear in the same way?

And just for a moment, think about men. Are men looked down on as fashion imbeciles for daring to wear a suit more than once? I think not.

The clothing that you wear defines you and helps create your personal brand. While you wouldn't want to wear the same thing day in and day out, I can't think of any reason why wearing clothing that you love and looks great on you over and over again is anything akin to a crime. In fact, I would say that it is a real fashion coup to have built for yourself a wardrobe that you can wear repeatedly and still look amazing every day. This is the ideal... Not wasting time and money and effort worrying about whether or not it's ok to be seen in the same sweater more than once.

Just remember -- no one thinks about you as much or as often as as you think about yourself. And if they do, they are the one with the problem, not you!

Just my 2 cents.

See you next time...same blog time...same blog channel....

(For more information on wardrobe planning, or to sign up for my e-zine, you can visit my website, www.JenniferSkinnerOnline.com)

5 comments:

sabrenafaire said...

Whew! So you mean the people who see me out dancing don't realize I've worn the same outfit like 50 times???

Excellent!

Midlife Dating Expert, Singles Workshop Conference Speaker said...

It used to be that it was a reflection upon the man who was the lady's provider/protector - her husband, father, or guardian.

It also depends on where you are within the social hierarchy within our country.

Intriguingly enough those in certain social orders just get to choose themselves. And the very rich are very frugal in certain things.

All the best,

April Braswell
Romance Coaching, Online Singles Coach, Online Dating Coach, Romantic Relationship Coaching

Nancy Winningham said...

Some of the best-dressed women I know in real life have outfits that are my favorites. In other words, I think they look great on the person, and I enjoy seeing them in the outfit. Why wouldn't you want to wear something that makes you look great more often??

constance clothes whore said...

HELP!!! I have all the books on clothes organization but I still don't get how best to hang, by outfit, color, WHAT!?

ccw

Anonymous said...

Never repeat an outfit again with MyClothingCalendar (www.myclothingcalendar.com), a FREE online clothing journal that records what you wore with friends, family, colleagues and clients at social events, business meetings or any occasion.