Normalize Wearing The Same Thing

Multiple times in a row...

When I first brought my newsletter over to Substack I did what I always do. I immediately started to box myself in. I thought through how I could categorize my writing, my topics, the ways I could present me.

For the last 10 years I’ve been most well known for my style content. I started out as a fashion blogger, and even though I moved into lifestyle content, fashion was the main driver of it all, my brand partnerships, my finances, my followers.

Naturally, as I started to think about how I could bring my content to a new platform I thought about how I could “sell” myself. A style column was a non-negotiable. If there’s no style, no one will care. If there’s no style, who even am I really?

Here’s the thing, style is (for me right now) a small piece of this one wild and precious life. I prioritize practical and comfortable over pretty much anything else. As I now live in Vermont, that takes on a whole new meaning.

Why do I have 7 pairs of ankle booties in my closet? I can’t remember the last time I wore any of them. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with them, but they don’t make any sense for my life right now. I live in snow boots, Blundstones, hiking boots, sneakers, and Crocs. And as I’ve pulled away from social media and how I’ve framed my identity through that lens, I’ve realized I also wear the same thing, A LOT.

I probably wear this sweater (and these jeans) at least half the week.

But isn’t that what most people do? I’m genuinely asking. I see what my friends here wear. Vermonters are practical and resourceful. I’m generalizing obviously, but I definitely see most people wearing the same thing pretty often. And I don’t think “oh they’re wearing that again.” I don’t really think anything of it at all, expect maybe, yeah that makes sense.

Aside from the living in Vermont thing, I also have a toddler, and as I described in a recent podcast interview about what my “day-to-day” looks like, it’s a shit show. And I don’t mean it in a negative way, just that you never really know what you’re gonna get. There’s school closures, late starts, sicknesses, dentist appointments, and a million other things that come into play. A lot of the time, what I’m wearing is not of the utmost concern, which is why it makes so much sense to just wear the same thing (or close to it).

I acknowledge the privilege to what I’m saying because I work from home, and aside from school drop-off and pick-up, the occasional meeting or other obligation, what I wear can go mostly unnoticed. Which is also why I feel it’s even more important to point out that I, person who works from home, does not need to wear something new and different every day.

And I’m sure some of this is the reaction to my burnout from feeling a duty to constantly share new and different outfits all the time. It’s not that I don’t care about style or want to feel good in what I wear. It’s more that I can feel good wearing the same thing multiple times in a row.

Without the pressure of keeping brands happy, an algorithm to please, and the need for validation from an audience that is expecting something very specific of me, I am ok with showing up wearing the same thing I did very recently, maybe even yesterday.

Also, a topic for another day, but I can’t remember the last time I wore makeup. Thanks

Jessica DeFino

for that one.

---

This article contains some affiliate links. If you make a purchase through those links I may make a small commission. While I navigate my business off of social media and without paid partnerships this is a small way to continue to support my work.