Is Fear of Outfit Repeat Real?

Is it ok to wear the same outfit more than once if it’s posted on Instagram?

The Fear of Outfit Repeating - is a REAL thing in society today. According to Well Made Clothes - it’s a learned phenomenon. 

I am not sure what the right answer is, but my answer is yes. I used to apply this question to the classroom - not social media. 

I mean, I wore my hot pink skirt that is so memorable simply once per school year - how can I possibly wear it again twice in one school year? 

Before Instagram, I could wear it multiple times in a year - cause our lives weren’t being documented on social media and when it started happening, I was (and still am) self conscious about my “Shape”. 

I still have my statement pieces that I try not to wear too often and save for my special occasions - but I like to showcase my ability to style my wardrobe items in numerous ways. 

I was so stuck with the old thinking of “ I bought these pants to go with this top- ONLY” 

Hence, why I ended up with 26 pairs of black pants in my closet last week and 9 pair of Miss Me Jeans that I was never going to get back into. Did I really need 9 pairs of those? Yikes! 

Over the past two years - with the rise of social media, there is an unspoken pressure that some people feel unacceptable or crummy if they are seen wearing the same outfit more than once on their instagram feed. Not everyone feels that way. 

I ebb and flow with these feelings. On one hand, I wanna be Vanna White. She’s worn over 6,500 dresses over the past 35 years on the game show ‘The Wheel Of Fortune” - not one dress was ever worn twice. We all can’t be her. If you can - I am so so jealous! 

On the other hand, my wallet says “Hooah Mule - hold up!” I have more restraint of eating carbs that I do shopping. It doesn’t help that my husband likes to shop too. I can’t afford to just buy clothes like they are disposable makeup remover cloths! 

I really like to eat, have electricity, running water, a car and internet - so I can’t just spend all my money on clothes. As much as I would like to - the responsible portion of my brain says differently. 

So, I have decided that I am just going to be me. Let’s be honest - I only have a handful of jeans left that fit. I can mix and match tops all day with those jeans I have. 

I actually learned how to change up my outfits with less items since my husband and I like to travel and it’s easier to have smaller luggage. I like being able to utilize all the pieces in my closet and step out of my comfort zone and wear different pieces together to create something new. 

I do not spend a lot of money on new “trends” - I like to have things that I can wear and assimilate into different situations. A majority of the “trendy” items do not fit my shape or are not flattering on me - therefore I will not wear them - I don’t care how popular they are. It is a waste of money for me and I would rather save it for my splurge purse fund. 

I can’t wait to get creative this fall and maybe create a capsule wardrobe! 

So tell me - have you fallen victim to this fear? 

~N