This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
I saw an interesting statistic recently that 41% of women ages 18-25 felt pressure to wear a different outfit every time they went out. We haven't talked about repeating outfits at work in a long time — and that statistic honestly blew me away. So let's discuss!
- Do you feel pressure to wear a different outfit every time you go somewhere?
- If you DO feel pressure, where do you source your clothes? (And what do you do with the clothes once you've worn them?)
- If you're up for repeating outfits, do you have rules, e.g., if you buy the top in three colors, that counts as three different tops even if worn with the same pants… Or if you wear a dress then you try to change your layers and shoes?
- On the flip side, if you love repeating outfits, how many outfits are in your rotation?
- In general, do you buy clothing items with particular outfits in mind?
Do You Feel Pressure To Only Wear New Outfits?
The statistic comes form a 2021 article in The Atlantic on fast fashion, which apparently didn't even slow down during the pandemic…
Young people, and young women in particular, came to feel an unspoken obligation not to repeat an #outfitoftheday; according to a 2017 poll, 41 percent of women ages 18 to 25 felt pressure to wear a different outfit every time they went out.
I can understand this for the people who are trying to get a following on TikTok or Instagram (although the dirty not-so-secret is that many of those folks do a single photo shoot for like 12 different outfits, then spread the content out). I also suspect that half of those #fitoftheday pictures, taken in front of their closet mirror, are clothes that still have the tags attached.
But for people in real life… I'd love to hear if this is you!
Repeating Outfits at Work / The Work Uniform
The flip side of this — and the advice that many of us got growing up — is that if you like the way something fits, you should consider buying it in multiple colors. Corporate work uniforms have been encouraged, for men especially, because they save time and energy. (Even Zuck in the gray hoodie!)
(Another fun side of this: Compared to influencers, celebrities sometimes dress in uniforms so as to discourage the paparazzi. Jennifer Anniston is the name that comes to mind, but I can't find a better source than this.)
This can go too far, of course — I once had a boss who wore the same 10 suits on repeat. Not basic suits, mind you, but like a red skirt suit from a mall brand like Kasper. She did look put together, but (and I say this as someone who adored her) some of the clothes kind of smelled. (After all, sometimes dry cleaning just can't get the smell out!)
Another way the work uniform can look: sticking within a very small color scheme, such as all gray/black or beige/cream. (This is super minimalist! You can also do a business capsule wardrobe, with a broader color scheme but intentionally few pieces.)
Readers, what are your thoughts? Do you repeat outfits at work, or do you strive to have a new outfit every time? What counts as an “outfit” to you — does varying small things like shoe or jewelry change the outfit?
Stock photo via Deposit Photos / grinvalds.
Cat
I stopped posting on social media and my need to bring enough outfits on a trip that I didn’t repeat disappeared with it.
For daily life, I probably have like 4 months’ worth of outfits I could in theory wear before repeating one, but I tend to go for the same 3 weeks’ worth or so in rotation. I could probably donate a bunch but between different sizes and seasons, stuff does come back into favor after hiatus!
Anne-on
About 6 years ago I took a new role and was going to be onsite for 5 business days in another country and needed a full work week of business formal clothes. I had donated a lot of blazers and my dress pants were horribly out of style (prior firm was ok with jeans and MUCH less casual than new firm – think going from Meta to Morgan Stanley). Thank GOD for Brooks Brothers having a bricks and mortar location – I dropped close to $1k on 2 jackets/skirt/2 blouses and a dress. After that I vowed to never to let my closet get that bare of business clothes ever again and try to make sure I have at least 1 full suit and 1 suiting dress at all times. Worst case scenario they turn into funeral clothes which (sadly) recently happened as a family member passed unexpectedly and I was one of the few people not scrambling to try to find a few days of dark clothing.
Anonymous
What is wrong with having the same 10 suits on repeat, as long as you keep them clean? That’s two full weeks’ worth.
anon
agree. when i used to wear suits i probably owned about 10 but somewhere clearly summer and some were clearly winter, i think my rotation was probably 6 or 7, i was clean, my shirts and underthings were changed daily, and i dry cleaned my suits regularly…. how many is a person supposed to have!?
Anonymous
+1, I had 6 for summer and 6 for Fall, but they weren’t polyester and were regularly dry cleaned.
Ellen
When I was younger, I had to have at least 10 different suits for summer and 10 for winter which I rotated. It was not an issue b/c the manageing partner gave me a clotheing allowance, and when he wanted me to wear something new and my clotheing allowance was spent for the month, he just said to charge it to the firm, so I just did. But once I was 40, I had a bunch of clotheing that I hardly wore, and we were causual b/c of the pandemic and all of a sudden, I was happy just being healthy and working as other peeople got sick and a few people I knew even died of COVID-19. I told the manageing partner that I did not need as big of a clotheing allowance any more, and he said OK, but he continues to tell me what to wear for court, and he has Margie go out and buy it for me if it is different. Lynn thinks he is living vicarously through me even tho I am 1/2 of his age, but I think if him as a father figure, even tho he is nothing like my Dad.
So all I am saying is that as you get older, clotheing is not as important, but still important if you are a litieagator like me, who needs to make a good impression in court to the court as well as a jury from time to time, as no one wants to look like a schmendrick in court.
Anon
When I was pregnant, I had eight outfits in total. They were all clean, flattering and fitted (as can be when in the third trimester), and appropriate for the occasion. So what?
anon
I honestly don’t think I’d even notice if someone had 10 suits on repeat. Most suits are just not that memorable! I am more likely to remember a certain top or even jewelry.
Trish
I had four suits and a pair of black slacks when I was a PD. People care if one suit has a red skirt???
Anon
10 suits sounds fine to me. I have a few Kasper suits…not sure what the problem is. There aren’t many plus size suit lines. I get the jackets tailored in the arms, and they look great. You can have 10 suits or 100, and they will smell if you don’t launder them.
Anon
Haha no. This is what Shein and similar fast fashion has done to us.
I have enough pants to get through the week, and more top layers than pants so I mix and match. I currently have two pairs of dress pants that I like, and one blazer that works for the current season. I wear some version of this combo to every business meeting I attend, and no one says a thing. Business clothing is pretty much unnoticeable.
For occasions, I have a handful of dresses I rotate through. I maybe go to 2-3 events I would need one for per year, and I certainly don’t feel like I need a new dress for every occasion.
Anonymous
I definitely prefer to have a uniform — while WFM I wear a black fitted t-shirt and blue jeans.
anon
basic, solid bottoms I rewear weekly. Basic but colored sweaters or tops probably once every two or three weeks, things that are printed or more distinctive, maybe every three weeks. The thought of not repeating for a month or more is beyond me. How much money are people spending on wardrobes and how much space do people have in their closets!?
Anon
I work in the office 3 days a week and I like to wear a different outfit each day. Although I tend to buy multiple colours of the same pants, tops, etc.
anon
It is kind of insane to never repeat outfits. If you’ve put in the legwork to find the clothes that actually fit and flatter, WEAR THEM. I have purposefully picked things that mix and match, so I always feel like I’m getting a different look even if I’m working with the same basic pieces. I have tried the straight-up uniform approach, and although I like the idea in theory, it’s not for me.
MBAMags
I have 3-5 dresses, 4-ish cardigans, and 3 pairs of jeans that are worn almost weekly- office is super casual, so weekday and weekend wear is the same. I have somewhere between 6-10 tops that I wear maybe once or twice a month. While I don’t have a uniform, I do have a formula- dress, cardigan, pointed flats in warm weather and jeans, top, cardigan with boots or pointed toe flats in cold weather.
I buy probably 1-3 items of clothing new a season to update or replace things that are worn or horribly out of style.
My dressier wardrobe is much smaller and more of a capsule.
Anon
I have a few great outfits each season (for work and the weekends) and then the rest is basics. Everything gets reworn.
I have one go to funeral dress and a go-to bridal / baby shower dress. Eventually I’ll need a second shower dress but right now it’s different groups of friends getting married so I haven’t repeated in the same crowd. It’s so easy – when I have a shower or a funeral I just pull out my dress for that occasion, no thought required. The funeral dress doubles as a work dress and the shower dress doubles as a nicer brunch / dinner out dress too.
I have a few pairs of jeans I really like and wear a lot (1 pair is 4 years old, 1 pair is 2 years old, the other 2 pairs are 6ish months old). I mi them with different tops depending on the occasion and the season.
I have 4 pairs of work pants, all of which can be worn year round, I just mix up the tops.
I’m a huge dress fan, so wear lots of dresses to work and on weekends I’m usually in a black tank top dress. I have two of the same black tank dresses and I wear it at least weekly in the summer.
On wfh days or weekends when I’m just home, I’m in athletic clothes. I have a full weeks worth of leggings, running shorts and workout tops, but I also workout 5-9 times a week and I only do laundry weekly.
Anon
Oh, and I have 4 dresses I can wear to cocktail attire or semi formal weddings and 3 dresses I can wear to black tie / BTO weddings and I just rotate through. I am late 20s and have 3-4 weddings a year and so far haven’t needed to buy more wedding attire.
anon
I finally broke down last year and bought a dress that I could wear for almost any wedding or summer dressy occasion. I picked something in a solid color (a beautiful summer plum) that I love and that I can dress up or down depending on the location. And it has made my life so much easier, rather than trying to figure out what I’m wearing every time. I’m wearing my wedding dress. Don’t care if it’s formal or in someone’s backyard. I must be doing something right because I’ve gotten tons of compliments.
Anonymous
I repeat outfits, and don’t feel pressure to do otherwise, because I don’t have an infinite clothing budget and I don’t buy disposable clothing.
Anon
I used to know an accountant at one of the Big 4 in London who had two (count ’em –2) outfits. Two suits, two blouses. She steamed each blouse at the end of the day and alternated them. She looked at me as if I was crazy when I expressed surprise that she only had two outfits…
Anonymous
Two blouses is kind of gross. Those need to be cleaned or washed with each wearing.
Anonymous
“she steamed each blouse at the end of the day…”
sounds like they were cleaned after wearing…?
Art Lawyer
The issue isn’t work clothes for the office. Most folks do not care or notice that you mix/match or repeat. Where it gets tricky is changing up the look for conferences, events, and meetings where you’ll be photographed. Trying to not wear the same suit to the same conference becomes challenging. This is where I tend to spend money and shop mor to have options in suits/jackets/shoes/tops because I don’t want to be photographed in the same thing every time.
Anonymous
I have been to dozens upon dozens of conferences and exactly two of them had photographers.
Art Lawyer
Really!!? Most of the conferences I attend have a photographer and folks taking pictures.
Anonymous
I think I was ruined in high school, when many of us kept a calendar of what we wore every day, trying not to repeat for the month. Although I don’t need to–I work in a very casual government office–I have dozens of dresses and cardigans. A few suits, which I never wear, and maybe a dozen each skirts and trousers with several dozen tops. I’m not proud of this. Some of them collected when my clothes were in storage for a while when I relocated and lost weight. Then menopause came, and the menopot, so those skirts should probably all go. Which means the tops wouldn’t be needed either.
A capsule wardrobe in limited colors is appealing, although that’s difficult when I wear mostly dresses.
Anonymous
At work I try to not repeat an outfit within two (or more) weeks; however, I also use Rent the Runway (RTR) for both work and event clothes. Growing up I always wanted a new dress for each big event (holidays, weddings, graduations, etc), but that isn’t really sustainable. Hence RTR! I’ve been a member since 2016 and it’s been wonderful for changing up outfits without fast fashion or waste. They have things for weddings, work, vacation, going out, and I’ve found it’s a great way to switch things up without the commitment of a purchase. It’s also great for maneuvering outfits during weight fluctuations (so I didn’t have to buy a *whole* new wardrobe after Covid weight gain & loss).
Anonymous
The age range in the survey was also oretty young. I bet those women wear the same jeans/yoga pants and tops on repeat for normal days. They are looking for a brand new outfit for going out, or just for their social media accounts. When I started working professionally, I also started acquiring good quality suits and basics in neutral colors that I planned to rewear for years. At one point I travelled every few weeks for work and created a capsule wardrobe for travel. I was going to the same location every time, but I didn’t care if folks saw me in the same clothes! I didn’t want to worry about packing or missing items on the other end (when you pack 4 pairs of slacks, but only 2 tops). I recently wore the same pants, different tops, to on site meetings two days apart with the same people. Then wore one of those outfits again the next week to a meeting at a different location. All good, nobody noticed or cared.