You are currently viewing There’s nothing wrong with rewearing the same clothes!

Hey friends! I’ve got a little something to get off my chest…there is absolutely nothing wrong with rewearing the same clothes, even if you wore it the day before. Aka, somebody might have seen you in it! Yup, I said it. And…you didn’t wash it in between wears. Yup, said that too. And you know what, there’s nothing wrong with that either.

I recently participated in a challenge on Instagram using the hashtag, #iworeitagain. The creator, Jade from @notbuyingnew, thought of the challenge as a way to normalize rewearing the same clothes and washing less.

I think it’ll be a good, visual example of how we should be rewearing, washing less and of course, nothing will be new. We see too many ‘wear it once’ outfits on Instagram and, although I already re-wear, I quite like the idea of seeing those items all in a row.

Jade @notbuyingnew

I thought this was such a great idea and as I routinely do both (rewearing the same clothes and washing them less), it felt like the perfect challenge for me to participate in. So for an entire week, I rewore an item of clothing from the day before and styled it in a different way. I was also hoping to show how versatile items in our closet could be to encourage people to think about the clothes they already own instead of shopping for new ones.

Benefits of Not Washing Clothes after Every Wear

You don’t need to wash your clothing after every wear. In fact, there are benefits in not doing so.

If you are wearing clothing to perform normal everyday functions, with the exception of dirty physical work or exercising, there is really no need to wash your clothes after ever wear. Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way suggesting that you be unhygienic, but I think that if you’re somebody who washes clothing after every wear, deep down you know that the dress you wore for work today wasn’t really dirty, right? 😉

The following infographic illustrates the frequency at which we should be washing out clothes:

Source: @charliefeist

And by only washing clothing as needed, there are a few benefits that we can reap as well:

◐ Longevity: Rewearing your clothes between washes means that your clothing will last much longer. Fewer washes means that clothing is not being worn down so quickly and will not wear out as quickly.

◐ Reduced plastic pollution: Fewer microplastics are being released into waterways when you’re rewearing your clothes more between washings. Clothing made from synthetic fabrics, such as acrylic, nylon and polyester, shed tiny plastic fibers with every wash. These tiny fibers are then washed out into waterways, eventually finding their way to the ocean, where plastic pollution is already an alarming problem. For more info, click here.

◐ Reduced carbon footprint: Reduced energy consumption costs are a by-product of rewearing your clothing more between washings. With fewer, or reduced, loads of laundry, the demand for water to wash the clothes and the energy required (smaller loads can be washed for shorter amounts of time) is less, thereby reducing your carbon footprint. There is a opportunity for saving money as well.

The Challenge

Rewearing the Same Clothes – Day 1

A woman standing against a light grey wall is wearing a navy floral dress with small tan flowers and a cream cardigan. You can see part of a brown belt where the cardigan opens and she is wearing brown Oxford shoes and a brown handbag hangs from her left shoulder. Her brown hair is pinned back.

I actually wore this dress the day before the challenge had been announced so it seemed like a perfectly good jumping off point. I styled a vintage floral dress with a chunky knit cardigan. I defined my waist with an old brown leather belt and added oxford shoes and a crossbody bag. I kept the jewelry simple with my everyday watch and earrings.

Style tip: anchoring outfits with similarly hued accessories leads to a more cohesive look.

Rewearing the Same Clothes – Day 2

White woman standing against a light grey wall wearing an oatmeal colored sweater tucked into a tan belt and a navy blue dress with tan flowers. You can only see the dress from the waist down so it looks like a skirt. She is holding a white handbag with her right hand and wearing tan sandals.

This was the official start of the challenge for me. In addition to rewearing my clothing, I was also hoping to show the different ways in which clothing can be worn to give a piece of clothing an entirely different feel.

By simply adding a sweater to yesterday’s dress, a beautiful skirt was revealed. I added a tan belt in order to be able to French tuck the sweater into the belt.

I added some matching tan sandals and a white bucket bag. I wanted the accessories to be more casual as I felt the sweater and skirt look had a cozy and casual vibe.

Style tip: fold the front hem of the sweater and tuck it into the belt. To see how I did this via video, see this IG post.

Rewearing the Same Clothes – Day 3

A white woman standing against a light grey wall is wearing a black v neck jumpsuit over an oatmeal colored sweater with white converse sneakers. She is holding a black leather backpack in her right hand and her left hand is in her hair. She is looking down.

For day 3, I brought over the light sweater from the previous day. I decided to wear it under a black silk jumpsuit for a casual vibe, which is a vibe that I commonly go for! I kept the rest of the outfit simple with an old backpack and a pair of converse sneakers, as well as my everyday watch.

Style tip: If a sweater or top keeps coming up when you layer it under a jumpsuit or dress, tuck it into the waistband of your undies.

Rewearing the Same Clothes – Day 4

A white woman is standing against a light grey wall. She is wearing a black tunic top over a black wide leg jumpsuit so the jumpsuit looks like pants. She is wearing black sneakers with a white platform and holding a white handbag with her left hand. Her right hand is in her tunic pocket.

Same jumpsuit, different day. In keeping with my goal to make items look entirely different, I layered an oversized tunic on top of the jumpsuit. I have been enjoying looser silhouettes on top and bottom more lately, and I was pleasantly surprised with how the proportions worked out.

I added some casual platform sneakers and a white bucket bag, which I thought added some visual interest to an otherwise dark outfit!

Style tip: when wearing a monochromatic dark or light outfit, choose an accessory as the focal point.

Rewearing the Same Clothes – Day 5

A white woman is standing against a light grey wall. She is wearing a black shirt sleeve tunic over a light pink dress. She is wearing leopard print mules and holding a black handbag in the right hand. Her left hand is on her left hip.

For day 5, I took the tunic from the day before and layered it over a blush pink slip dress, again mimicking a skirt that is in fact a dress. I like for my clothing to feel comfortable and this outfit definitely fit the bill.

I anchored the oversized silhouette with a pair of streamlined leopard print mules and a structured vintage bag.

Style tip: to keep an outfit from looking too casual, add some dressier elements with shoes and accessories.

Rewearing the Same Clothes – Day 6

A woman standing against a light grey wall is looking to the right. She is wearing a light pink slip dress over a leopard print three quarter sleeve dress with black combat boots and a black handbag that is hanging from her left shoulder.

Two dresses felt like a perfect challenge within a challenge. I wore a silk knee length dress under this blush pink tercel one and I love how it turned out! The materials slid over each other nicely and I did not feel hot at all.

I added some black combat boots and an old handbag with chain detailing to match the vibe of the boots and the leopard print.

I kept the accessories minimal, as usual, but especially because the leopard print makes a pretty big statement.

Style tip: Mix different styles, such as the romance of a blush pink slip dress with the edginess of leopard print and combat boots, for a unique look.

Rewearing the Same Clothes – Day 7

A woman is standing in front of a light grey wall. She is wearing a leopard print dress tucked into a white pleated skirt. She is holding a black handbag with both hands and she is wearing black clog shoes.

Making the leopard print dress from yesterday feel more demure with a sweet vintage white pleated wool skirt, a pair of black mules, and my structured black vintage Coach bag. I added my everyday watch and gold hoops to complete the outfit.

I am always amazed how an outfit can feel so different by simply changing the things that are worn with it.

Style tip: use accessories to completely transform a look. I could have ended up with a completely different vibe by simply adding my combat boots and leather backpack!

Clothing Care Tips

As an advocate for rewearing the same clothes and only washing clothing as needed, I wanted to leave you with a few clothing care tips to get you a few more wears between washes:

◐ hang your clothing after each wear so that they can air out. Don’t throw them into a pile on your closet floor. You also get the added bonus of having a cleaner closet!

◐ steam any clothing that needs a refresh. This will make your clothes feel fresh and has the added bonus of killing any germs.

◐ protect clothing when doing activities where they can easily get dirty, such as cooking.

◐ change out of your day clothes when you get home at the end of each day. This will give them more time to air out and reduce the chance of getting something on them as you putter around the house.

◐ spot treat as necessary.

◐ when shopping, look for clothing made of natural fabrics as they breathe better, thereby allowing your body to regulate temperature better and reducing the amount your perspire. Read this post to learn how I’ve been building a sustainable closet with natural fiber clothing.

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I hope that you enjoyed this post. If you weren’t already rewearing the same clothes and washing clothes less, I really hope you’ll consider giving your clothing a break from the washing machine. It’s great for your clothes, the environment and your wallet. Even if you just extend to 2 washes between wears, that’s great!

Now it’s your turn…can you think of any other benefits to not washing your clothing after every wear? Do you have any other tips for taking care of clothing between washes?

And finally…what was your favorite look?

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