Hang with me here. I know what you’re thinking because I used to think it too. How can someone who writes about sustainable fashion be advocating regularly wearing the same outfit?
Well, here’s the thing. I wear basically the same outfit AT LEAST twice a week…and I’m not ashamed. Infact?
I’m proud. Proud that I found a combination of clothes that I feel good wearing, thatmixes easily with other things I own, and that everyone else seems to love too.
Because for most of my twenties I genuinely believed that wearing the same outfit too many times made me boring and incapable of putting together anything NEW to wear.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered that curating ONE perfect combination that you can wear with literally anything else is the most sustainable thing you can do with your wardrobe.
HOWEVER. The uniform that I’ve accidentally developed wasn’t planned.
Like most of my “build your wardrobe around these 3 staples” ideas, I threw it together in ten minutes flat because I was running late. It was three years ago now – preposterous, I know, coming from someone who prides themselves on always being early – and I was rushing out the door for a client meeting. I grabbed the first clean things I could find near my bed: a thrifted vintage men’s blazer I had purchased exactly one week prior, Target white t- shirt, my favourite secondhand Levi’s 501s, and my Doc Marten loafers because it was raining.
I felt frumpy and unfinished, like I had literally got dressed in the dark. Which, spoiler alert: I kind of had. My bedroom overhead light had been broken for two months and I’m apparently too cheap to call my landlord.
But do you know what happened? I got more compliments that day than I had received in the entire previous month. My client (who is usually strictly business) spent the first five minutes of our meeting asking me where I got my blazer.
The barista at my local coffee shop told me I looked “effortlessly cool” which hurt my feelings a little because effort had been the one thing I put into that outfit. By the time I got home that day, three strangers had stopped me on the street to ask me where I found different pieces of my outfit. What?
I’d spent years meticulously styling myself each morning, reading up on ethical brands, stressing over whether pieces worked together in my wardrobe. This Lazy Girl spring-album-core look got more praise than anything I had ever worn before. I was honestly insulted on behalf of all my previous outfit combinations.
Needless to say, I had to experiment. The following week I wore the exact same outfit again. You guessed it.
Same response. When I wore that outfit combination, people noticed me. They asked me questions about where I found pieces, they complemented me so much more than when I put in hours of effort into other outfit combinations.
I started wearing it any time I was running late or didn’t feel great about myself – which honestly is pretty much all the time – and it never failed to turn my day around. Eventually, after wearing it hundreds of times in the past three years, I discovered exactly WHY it works and why it gets me so many compliments. But more importantly, as a self proclaimed “capsule wardrobe evangelist”, why having ONE perfect outfit combination is actually the most sustainable thing you can do for both your closet and the planet.
If you break down the outfit itself, it’s pieces you probably already own, or at least ones you can find easily: – Oversized Men’s Blazer – White T-Shirt – Straight-Leg Jeans – Loafers or Ankle Boots Boom. There are no crazy keywords here. You can find versions of all of these pieces at basically any clothing store.
But that’s where most people go wrong when they try and replicate my magical outfit formula. Each piece has to be JUST right or else the whole combo falls flat. Let’s start at the top.
The Blazer is the KEY to making this whole combination work. It HAS to be truly vintage (or at LEAST vintage inspired) menswear. My blazer is a 1980s Armani that I picked up at Crossroads Trading for forty-five dollars.
To this day it was the best investment I’ve ever made in a clothing piece. It’s slightly oversized in the shoulders, hits my hips perfectly, and has that magical quality of amazing tailoring that still looks expensive even when it’s been tossed over my desk chair all day. The trick is finding one that’s oversized without *actually* looking like you put your dad’s shirt on backwards.
You want “borrowed from your cool boyfriend” vibes, not “I’m playing dress up with Daddy’s clothes.” I’ve found that most vintage mens blazers that fit women perfectly are either size 38 or 40. But honestly, you just have to get into your local vintage store and try them on. No two are ever cut the same.
The beauty of starting with a vintage blazer is that you’re instantly eliminating all fast fashion pieces AND you get a garment that has already stood the test of time. If it’s been hanging in someone’s closet for thirty+ years and it still looks bomb? Odds are it’s not going to autumn apart in yours.
Vintage menswear was also typically constructed MUCH better than most of what you’ll find today. And I’m not even talking expensive either – my blazer was $45, but I’ve found high quality construction in $12 shirts at thrift stores. Try paying THAT much for a shirt that lasts fifteen years at H&M.
Now onto the tee. The tee HAS to be white. And it also has to fit PERFECTLY.
I repeat, not expensive. My favourite white tee was $12 from Target. But the fit has to be just right.
Classic crew neck, not too tight or baggy, hits you right at your hips. I have lost count of how many “better quality” shirts I’ve tried this combination with that don’t look half as good as my Target tee. Go figure.
Sometimes basics really are better left basic. This brings me to my next point. Jeans are where most people fail at this outfit.
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They HAVE to be straight leg. Preferably vintage Levi’s 501s or another vintage inspired brand. No skinny jeans.
No wide leg. Nothing trendy. You want your jeans to have that stiffness of REAL denim to contrast with the flowiness of your blazer.
My jeans are actual vintage 501s from the early 90s that I found on eBay after visiting…and I kid you not…thirty DIFFERENT thrift stores trying to find vintage jeans that fit me correctly. Finding vintage clothing that fits is WAY like modern dating. You spend way too much money and go on way too many disappointing “fits” before you find one that’s just right.
Pro tip: if digging through thrift stores is not your thing, Levi’s recently reintroduced some of their original cuts, or cheque out Agolde Riley jeans. Just stay away from anything with the words “2024 trend” on it. Last but not least: the shoes.
THEY MAKE OR BREAK THIS WHOLE LOOK. I tend to rotate between chunky loafers and Ankle Boots with a small heel. My favourite shoes at the moment are my Doc Marten Adrian loafers.
They’re probably the most worn shoes in my rotation at this point. They add an edge, but aren’t screaming punk rocker. I switch to black Ankle Boots in the winter, usually with about a two inch block heel.
No heels higher than that – we are going for timeless chic, not Hollywood affair. What doesn’t work: trainers make the whole outfit too casual, high heels try WAY too hard, and anything too trendy takes away from the classic vibes. Your shoes need to feel substantial but not heavy, edgy but nottryhard.
Ok, now that we’ve established why this combination works let’s talk about how having ONE awesome outfit mix really is sustainable for both you and the planet. When you have ONE combination that you know you can throw together at the last minute and know will always look AMAZING, you stop making impulse purchases. I rarely buy random pieces of clothing anymore because I know what will fit into my wardrobe and what will stick to the shelves.
As I mentioned before, my blazer was $45 three years ago and I have worn it at least twice a week since. That’s less than fifty cents per wear people. FIFTY CENTS.
Another thing about having a uniform: it stops you from standing in your closet thinking “I have NOTHING to wear!” and impulsively buying something you don’t need online. I am POSITIVE I’ve wasted less money because I know I can just throw on my go-to combo and feel confident leaving the house. I also find that when I wear the same few things on rotation you become hyper aware of when they need replacing or repairing.
I had my jeans tailored TWICE to get the perfect fit and have had my blazer dry cleaned a handful of times to keep it looking fresh. Clothes that you know you’ll wear all the time suddenly become worth spending money on to keep THEM in good shape versus buying more stuff you won’t wear. The best part about this combination?
It’s versatile enough that with small tweaks, you can wear it for almost every occasion. Unless you’re dressing for a wedding or black tie event, there’s a version of this combination that will work. Client meetings?
Tuck in that t-shirt and button your blazer. Casual weekend look? Untuck everything and roll up your blazer sleeves.
Going out for dinner? Swap out your white tee for a black v-neck and add some jewellery. But the foundation of blazer + straight leg jeans + classic tee + loafers stays the same.
I have worn some version of this outfit to job interviews, first dates, family dinner, friend’s birthday brunch, and yes – that one time I mistakenly wandered into an art gallery opening in SoHo. It has honestly never once felt inappropriate for the occasion, and that right there is miraculous. Most combos only feel acceptable for SUCH a narrow margin of occasions but this one just works.
Everytime. Most days I love that when I throw this outfit on, people can immediately tell I know what I’m doing with clothes but am not trying too hard. It lets you speak this universal clothing language but with your own personal twist.
In a world where new trends are coming out daily and we are CONSTANTLY being bombarded with articles telling us what to wear we forget what it’s like to just wear timeless pieces. I think people love this combination so much because it’s familiar but still gives them a little brain twist. Everyone knows the items that go into it, but putting them together in just the right way makes you stand out – not because you’re trying hard, but because you know what works for you.
It also gives you unlimited confidence points. When I wear this outfit I never second guess if I look good or not, which I think translates into my actual demeanor when I leave the house.
There’s something to be said for having one tried and true outfit combination that makes you feel like yourself, but slightly better.
I was running late to meet up with some friends last month (haha yes I need to learn lesson number one of this combo) and threw on my favourite blazer,tees my favourite jeans and grabbed a pair of loafers.
As I waited for the bus, an older woman approached me and started asking me where I got my blazer. When I told her it was vintage, she actually looked disappointed. “I’ve been LOOKING for the perfect oversized blazer for ages,” she said. “Everyone wears them and I can never find one that fits right.” Between you and me?
At that moment, I officially considered myself boss. I spent the next fifteen minutes rattling off the names of my favourite vintage stores along with some trusted eBay sellers that I’ve had good experiences with. As she walked off I felt slightly guilty – maybe I was sabotaging my own self by teaching others how to find the perfect vintage blazer. ?
But you know what? The more I thought about it, the more I realised I didn’t care. We have enough people buying new clothes all of the time trying to keep up with trendy outfits.
What we need is more people finding their perfect combination and investing in really high quality versions of those pieces. If we can all figure out our personal uniform, purchase amazing versions of those outfits, WE WOULD BUY LESS THINGS OVERALL and love what we own even more. So next time you’re out and see an “Amazing wearing an oversized blazer, a white tee, and some vintage jeans” stop judging and go say hi.
I promise they’ve figured out something you should too.
