On repeat
Why investing in the same pieces again and again is never banal.
There exists a tired aphorism: repeating the same thing and expecting a different dénouement is the definition of madness. In fashion, resurrecting thet same wardrobe piece has in the past been considered a sartorial misstep that shows a lack of imagination, originality or worse, style. Things have changed.
Blame the economic crunch, but the wardrobe “crutch” has turned classic; repeat buying pieces we love is now sensible. Buyer and founder of MyChameleon.com.au, Giselle Farhat knows this. She sees smart women buying over and over labels with a focus on quality. “Our customers continually buy pieces that are classic in cut and made from beautiful materials,” she says, citing the luxury factor as the reason Organic by John Patrick’s simple camis and slips in lush silk sell out.
It’s an end that justifies a buying style that has crescendo-ed of late: shopping less, but with bigger one-off financial outlays into a variation on the staples – coats, sharp suiting, clean silhouettes that are foolproof fashion bedrock.
Though it’s not the only model. Women are discovering that being compulsively trend-blind allows a finessing of personal expression. For Aje designer Edwina Robinson her core piece, a leather jacket, taps a personal duality. “I’m petite and quite feminine and there is something about the weight and toughness of leather that adds a sense of strength,” says Robinson who owns eight. “I am stronger on the inside than I look on the outside.”
“It’s a comfort blanket. Knowing something will work,” says model and actress Dree Hemingway of her fearlessly faithful style. She revisits grey cashmere knits and vintage jeans ad infinitum. “You miss out on the exploration of a different style but I never regret it.”
For those afraid of uniformity, contributing British Vogue editor Laura Bailey, also a steadfast denim die-hard, finds expression within the confines of her beloved staples. “Everevolving styles – like Levi’s embroidered and cropped updated 501s – feed my desire for the new,” she explains. “The pull of denim for me is also attached to the allure of icons like Lauren Hutton and Debbie Harry, plus a romanticism of America, cowboys and road trips.”
Recurrent pieces allow eclectic dresser Pandora Sykes to colour within the lines without getting stuck in a cycle of safe same-ness. “I like consistency. I wear a lot of different looking pieces, but they have common themes. It’s like suede jackets. They’re all different; one has shearling and another is candy pink with square shoulders, but they all represent a common thread within my wardrobe.”
The best part? Pieces we stick to, stick with us; our memories weaving themselves into the fade of dry denim, the muted patina of a biker, boot scuffs suffered wending through a packed dance floor, trudging to work, kicking a co-conspirator under the dinner table. For Bailey her go-tos house “comfort, nostalgia, memories and associations … the thrill of falling in love again. A favourite old Preen button-down denim skirt is a piece I take on every trip and thus exudes adventure.”
So celebrate buying into a silhouette, having persistent predilections for flats, a chronic case of LBD. By practicing hard along the way we’re wearing in a chic wardrobe rut of our own, nothing tired about that.