Wilfred blazer (similar)
H&M sweater
Zara jeans (similar)
Gucci loafers
Celine handbag
Celine sunglasses
Linjer ring (c/o) (similar)
Modu Atelier earrings (c/o) (similar)
Location: Palazzo Bennicelli – Rome, Italy
I remember, towards the end of high school, I owned five pairs of jeans – one for ever day of the school week. In the nascent days of fast fashion, owning so many pairs of jeans seemed unfathomable. And, frankly, made getting dressed every morning a bit overwhelming. Which pair to choose? I loved them all equally!
It’s striking to think how much the world, and our consumption of clothing, has changed since then. I shudder at the idea of counting how many pairs of jeans I own now. Without bothering to actually do it, I can say unequivocally that the answer is, “More than any one person could possibly need.” I love versatility in my wardrobe, now. I love options. In a fantasy world, I would wear a different outfit everyday, without causing any negative impact to the planet or relying on anyone being paid a slave wage to manufacture my garments in inhuman conditions. But in the reality we inhabit, wearing a different outfit every day would mean exactly that.
Moral considerations aside, even in the fast fashion era, it would be prohibitively expensive. The truth is, much as I fantasize, I actually like rewearing my clothes. Pieces that I can go back to time and again make me feel comfortable, almost safe. (I felt this way from a pretty young age. At thirteen, my parents could barely tear my favourite hoodie away from me to wash it once a month. Gross, I know, but true. I simply couldn’t bear to be parted from it, even temporarily.) When those pieces offer the kind of versatility that means I can wear them again and again without appearing to be repeating outfits, I’m even happier. It’s not inherently bad to be an outfit repeater, despite what The Baby-Sitters Club taught us, but I do like to be creative.
Creativity comes in many forms. Styling outfits is among my favourite ways to express my own creativity. I love to feel like I’m wearing something new when I’m actually not, partly because of that fantasy about wearing new clothes every day and partly because it means I’ve been truly creative. And this outfit, to me, illustrates what that can look like perfectly. My sweater, an H&M piece picked up in Florence in 2018, languished in my sweater drawer from early 2020 onward. It was a good basic, but not one that I found myself reaching for often. Still, I held onto it, knowing that how I felt about it might change…
…and it did, just this spring. I wanted a simple, elegant beige sweater and was pleasantly surprised to remember I already owned one. I quickly incorporated it into my outfit plans for Rome, where it made an appearance at the Trevi Fountain early on, and then joined me on an afternoon walk (which may have involved some vintage shopping) later in the trip. Its age doesn’t matter a bit when I have it on – it’s versatility that counts, and even after almost five years, I’m still not running out of ways to wear it.
I feel much the same about these jeans, which have been in my closet, and on high rotation in my daily life, since 2019. (The most sustainable garment is one you wear regularly, even if it’s from Zara.) I picked up the blazer in early 2020, thinking I needed a more classically cut piece for work trips – only to have work trips cut off indefinitely immediately afterward. It hasn’t languished in my closet, though, because it’s a classic piece that can be worn a thousand different ways… and that is exactly how many different ways I intend to wear it over time.
I could go on, describing where and when I bought everything I’m wearing in these photos. (That’s actually sort of the point of a traditional fashion blog, I think? It’s just that I don’t write one.) Instead, I’ll summarise by reiterating that no matter how much I love new and beautiful things, I appreciate older ones. Versatility in a wardrobe is as important as variety, as far as I’m concerned, which means a healthy mix of special pieces you treasure and classic basics to wear on repeat is essential.
We’ll probably never truly return to a time when we felt overwhelmed by owning (almost) enough jeans to get through a single week. (And honestly, I can’t help but laugh at my indecisive teenaged self. She agonized over her outfits every morning because she failed to plan. I’ve learned from that, luckily.) But the constant stream of new clothes entering the marketplace will, I hope, slow down a bit someday. Even if it doesn’t, I’ll happily continue to try to find a balance between adding to my wardrobe and appreciating what’s already in it.
