Repeat After Me, Twice As Nice

“Okay, I may be an outfit repeater, but you're an outfit rememberer, which is just as pathetic!” - The Lizzie McGuire Movie.

This quote has been engraved in my brain since Lizzie McGuire’s film debut in 2003 and sparked the idea many of us style lovers chose to stand by – outfit repeating is a fashion faux pas.

The Lizzie McGuire graduation scene is just one of the many movies known for instilling in our young teenage minds this unattainable reality that we could build a wardrobe that never required us to repeat an outfit. However, this isn’t real and shouldn’t be a goal you try to achieve.

Refinery 29 highlighted, “The notion that a steady stream of new clothing equates status and attractiveness is both unattainable and unrelenting. Amplified by the ways we use social media, we’re being told to make way for newness 365 days of the year.”

Take some time now to think about how you view your clothing. Are you someone who gets tired of their wardrobe quickly, or do you place value in the items you own and take the actions necessary to keep them for a long time?

These questions can help you understand why and how you chose to get rid of your clothing and what you need to change about your habits to not feed into this societal norm of overconsumption.

Alongside Refinery 29, we found it essential to call out those people in a place of privilege with fashion who have the money for an abundance of new clothing. But even people like Michelle Obama, Kate Middleton, and Winona Ryder, famously known for being outfitter repeaters amongst their status, are still shamed by the public for choosing not to indulge in buying new all the time. What can we do as a fashion community to allow outfitting repeating to go from being a fashion faux pas to the new fashion forward?

Fashion psychologist Shakaila Forbes-Bell says clothing falls into three categories.
1. Continuing Identity: Clothes that reflect our current identity and personality
2. Transitional Identity: Clothes that connect who you are and who you wish to be
3. Discontinued Identity: The clothes that you don’t feel connected to anymore

Trend cycles and social media significantly affect how fast our mind moves through these three categories. This is why it is even more prevalent in today’s fashion world to re-normalize the act of re-wearing and even look to celebrate and applaud those getting good use out of the wardrobe they have built for themselves.

Outfit repeating is also a significant step in the sustainable fashion movement. It helps to lower your consumption and stop you from throwing out clothing that most likely will end up in a landfill. Conscious consumers should be proud outfit repeaters and work to create one fashion identity that recognizes our impact on the environment.

Tulerette’s, take this as a challenge to repeat at least five outfits this month. Whether you wear a borrow more than once in your rental period or style your favorite pair of pants five different ways, you are working to re-normalize outfitting repeating. Repeated outfits are the ones worth remembering.

-As always, elevate your wardrobe with respected fashion and embrace the shift in style