What I wore all week

MY FINDING: A week in repeats = heaven

(Longer intro than usual this week; feel free to skip to the ‘fits. I won’t be offended.) It’s funny, I notice now more than ever so many of us saying “I am not an outfit planner!” And I totally get that.

I am not an outfit planner either. That’s why I plan my outfits.

The joke in my fam is that my dad would call and ask me when some law school exam was, and I’d say “I don’t know exactly dad, but I know I’ll be there.” I buck against all things planning — I am a CREATIVE. Hello, all caps intentional. (Also: a Leo.)

But I am someone who derives joy from looking how she wants to look. And also — parameters have always made me feel MORE, not less creative. Like in 4th grade the teacher wanted us to build houses out of found objects. I built an underground house, gluing moss to the roof, things like that.

A weekly theme helps me narrow down all the (too many) offerings in my closet … and focus. It gives me a core to push around creatively. And the calm of knowing I will “feel right” in my clothes helps me feel more creative in my daily pursuits. (And when achieving it is hard, alerts me that my DNA is changing.)

I’m not planning outfits like “Monday is X, Tuesday is Y.” Just 5 looks, ready to go, on whatever day. Try it. Or, since reverse psychology works better on some of us: Don’t you dare try this. I mean it. It’s like smoking a Parliament.

The theme for last week worried me, honestly, about feeling creatively stifled. But I did it with a lot of purpose. It was “repeats.” I’ve had this growing (and growing, and growing) feeling that I need to repeat outfits more. I came to it on my own, finally, which is why I wanted to make myself get after it. This is not the result of all the “shoulds” out there re. sustainability (though I do think about that!). It was just this growing sense that I make an outfit that I feel amazing in and then NEVER repeat it! Like, why? In the words of James Taylor “If it feels nice, don’t think twice” — or in this case — literally, think twice.

It worries me, honestly, the idea that I buy something new, can’t wait to wear it, wear it, and then somehow that’s … it. A cycle that leaves me feeling overwhelmed, with a closet full of confusion. More things I “need to” wear.

So last week’s challenge: 5 outfits of repeats. I wondered how it would feel. Transparently, I wasn’t looking forward to it.

Onto the outfits … (and the next couple outfit planning themes at the end of this newsletter. But I am going to be repeating this repeat theme, rest assured.)

Monday

What I wore: Older 2019? Ceclie Bahnsen dress. Alaia flats. Trusty Fendi crossbody. Mixed metal bangles.

Why: Immediate benefit of repeats - planning was so quick! I just glanced in the closet, spotted something I liked and hadn’t worn enough, and put it on the rack. This dress always gives me joy — I have previously worn it to big (creative) meetings or special occasions. I had meetings, it was hot, and I was meeting

Liz McKay

later and wanted to look fun for her!

Outcome: I felt phenomenal in this. I didn’t remember EXACTLY how I last wore it. So it felt creative enough to pick shoes and a bag. BTW, I generally don’t care about mixing metals, but somehow the gold logo on the bag and the silver blingy flats were bugging me, so I added more bracelets to help it feel intentional.

Tuesday