Am I an Outfit Repeater, or Are You an Outfit Rememberer?
Disney Channel sitcom character Lizzie McGuire showing off her new outfit to friends in 2001 episode. Photo by Giffoni_Experience via Flickr.
It’s a Saturday night. The first of March. I press play on the next episode of “Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain” and begin searching for an outfit in my limited dorm closet. I think of all the fun I’d have the next day in the city, I just needed an outfit to match my excitement.
But when I finally stumble across my tried-and-true, thrifted Calvin Klein sherpa-lined jacket, I find myself in a bit of a fashion dilemma: I love this jacket, but I just posted it on Instagram!
And so, I ask myself the trivial question: should I wear something I like slightly less, or risk others recognizing my jacket?
In 2003, “The Lizzie McGuire Movie” bluntly said what we are all secretly thinking.
In response to someone calling her an “outfit repeater,” Lizzie iconically states, “Maybe I’m an outfit repeater, but you’re an outfit rememberer, which is just as pathetic.”
Thirteen-year-old Lizzie was right on the money. Both sides are pathetic. But maybe it's not our fault. Maybe it’s those additive light-up screens we carry in our pockets.
Thirty years ago, previous generations of women would’ve felt totally comfortable wearing the same dress to a different event. If none of the same people are there, you’re in the clear!
To attest to this, I got my mom’s take on the matter. She explained, "I may wear the same outfit twice a week if it’s a completely different group of people,” and that, “I don’t usually notice when people repeat outfits because people my age don’t post their outfits like younger women do.”
However, societal standards in the year 2025 leave less room for repetition, especially with stylish college students like Hale Reyes ‘28.
When asked why she tends to steer away from rewearing clothes, Reyes, a fashion merchandising student, reveals how social media has a hold on her fashion choices, “If I’m going to a big event and take Instagram photos, I can't rewear something that I could possibly take more photos in if it has already been posted on my page.”
The hard truth is, in today’s digital age, all of us are outfit remembers. Not because we keep a tally of the times we’ve seen you in those light wash jeans, but because you are guilty of posting all your favorite outfits; the ones you would love to wear again, but that post on your feed keeps them hidden in the back of your closet.
In addition to the toxic matter, in which social media promotes a culture of disposable fashion and newness through monitoring our stylish endeavors, the content on these platforms does nothing but enforce it.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve watched many clothing hauls and shopping vlogs throughout the past ten years. What do you think those are teaching us?
I observed from a young age that the more clothes you own, the better style you seem to have.
Fortunately, fashion lovers like us have observant trendsetters like Emma Chamberlain to challenge this narrative.
In her recent podcast episode of “Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain,” entitled “Fashion Trend Predictions for 2025,” Chamberlain opened my eyes to the problem of overconsumption and its devastating effect on personal style.
Chamberlain begins by stating, “I’ve seen a lot of discourse around personal style and how personal style is sort of dead because of the internet,” and explains how, in the recent years, “Having as many options as possible so that you can constantly be wearing a new outfit was sort of trendy.”
Based on her hypothesis that “people are craving a sense of personal style,” Chamberlain gives us hope for the future, possibly within the next year. She thinks that the trendiness of new outfits is out of style and that “Having signature pieces that are super personalized that you wear over and over again and style a multitude of ways” is in.
Sure, you could order mounds of Shein clothes you don’t even like and thrift tons of vintage garments that you convince yourself you’ll wear someday. Or you could save your time and money by switching your mindset about style and consumption to one like Chamberlain’s.
We all have those pieces we never reach for in our closets that we only keep to achieve a full wardrobe. So why not just wear our favorites and stop buying excess options?
Even Reyes will admit, “Once you find a good outfit that compliments you well, it's easier to just go back to that when you need a quick outfit.”
Later in the episode, Chamberlain predicts that, “This idea of personalization is going to give people the feeling of personal style,” and celebrates the phenomenon of other recognizing your style by stating, “If somebody were to see your signature pair of jeans on a mannequin in a store, they’d be like, ‘those are Emma’s jeans.’”
Fashion is an expression of self. A form of art that should be treated as such. But if no change is made in the age of overconsumption, it may just lose its meaning. As Chamberlain states, “It’s impossible to have any sort of attachment or appreciation for the pieces that you have when you have more than you could ever wear.”
And so, we must remove this stigma of outfit repetition once and for all. It may be difficult, but it’s necessary to create a healthier and sustainable life for ourselves and the planet.
If you’re still searching for something new and fresh, there are many ways to bring variety to your closet without buying new things. You can easily make all your clothes look fresh, even if they aren’t new, by simply adding accessories, upcycling or even wearing the same top with different pants!
Chamberlain’s insights have truly inspired me to be more authentic when it comes to picking out an outfit. I want to wear whatever I want, whether I wore it the week before or just yesterday, so that is exactly what I will do. I might just wear my signature jacket tomorrow.
Who knows, maybe the hot new trend is being yourself! Are you on board?