It's Not "Outdated"...
but it might be something else.
Buckle up friends. We are getting into it today!
Scrolling social media these days you are bound to see hooks like “5 things you have in your closet that are outdated”, “Ankle boots are out, what to wear instead”, “stop wearing XYZ and wear XYZ instead”…and anything of the like honestly drives me a little nuts.
Not only is this type of content fueling our over-stuffed closets and over-consumption mindsets, but it’s frankly a little lazy. Something not in the current “trend” circulation is automatically labeled as “outdated”. Instead of taking the time to figure out how to repurpose, restyle, or rewear these pieces in different ways we claim it’s “out” and move on.
While I COULD go down the road of “this also points to the problem of fast fashion and how we quickly become disenchanted with our clothes”, I’m going to come at this from a different perspective.
BUT if you are interested in reading more about fast fashion, how to find quality clothes, etc. Here are a few posts I’ve written in the past on those subjects:
Tips for Buying Quality Clothes
Another post I wrote on the topic of “Outdated” clothes…
Consider how easy/difficult something is to style and rewear
There have been elements within the fashion world over the years that can be difficult to style. When those elements or pieces become circulating less and less those items tend to be the first ones that get labeled “outdated”.
First example: lots going on or very niche/specific elements
Think about styles you’ve gravitated towards in the past 5 or so years and then quickly felt turned off by it. There’s usually something about those pieces that is drastic.
Oversized. Cold shoulder. Statement sleeves/shoulders/cuffs. Micro. Hi-low. Excessive rouching, Chunky. Bedazzled. Mesh. Studded. Neon. Exposed zippers. The list continues.
None of those elements are BAD. They just tend to ride trend cycles more than other elements that typically stand the test of time. Unfortunately many of these types of garments tend to be one-hit wonders, aka wear it once and cast it off. (We can talk more about that in a moment)
What does often stand the test of time?
Primary colors. Leather. Silk. Cotton. Button downs. Low profile. Lace. Denim. A well-placed ruffle. Simple but impactful details. Timeless prints like plaid, stripes, polka dots. Classic silhouettes. Tailored pieces. No cut-outs.
When you are working with clean cuts, classic silhouettes, and garments that don’t have “a lot going on”, they tend to stand the test of time and overall are easier to style. If a dress has cold shoulders and ruffles and a loud print and a high-low hemline…I almost guarantee you will feel bored or even overwhelmed with it quickly. These types of pieces are seldom versatile (hard to layer/carry through multiple seasons) and can be tricky to balance proportion within the look. Not to mention it is often made of PLASTIC.
Investment or One & Done?
Unfortunately a lot of clothes these days aren’t created to last. They aren’t investments like they used to be.
With a huge majority of clothing being made out of plastic, even the best care of your clothes still results in runs, tears, odors, puckering, broken zippers, lost buttons, and snags. Unfortunately many of these cheap, unsustainable fabrics and notions are irreparable. And even if you can attempt to fix it, how many of us would honestly spend our precious hours trying to fix a garment that cost $30, 20, 15 or less? It’s too tempting to just cast it aside and try again with something else.
But if you spend $40+ on something made from cotton, wool, silk, etc…I assume you would be more willing to spend some time trying to repair the garment. We don’t view our clothes as investments and the clothing filling the stores proves it.
Want to read more about buying quality clothing? You might like this post!
It’s not “outdated”…it’s something else
These types of hodge podge pieces are often guilty of the one and done. And why is that? As we discussed above they are difficult to style through the seasons, often are made of plastic and poorly constructed…but I would like to offer a third reason: because these types of clothes lack versatility, they are too memorable.
Consider a classic cotton, a-line floral dress. It can often be layered with turtlenecks, cardigans, boots, tights and such in the winter. It can be dressed up with pumps/wedges or dressed down with white tennis shoes. It washes well and because you can rewear it different ways it doesn’t feel memorable.
But now let’s compare that with a hot pink floral dress with ruffles, drop shoulders, rouching, hi-low hem, and blouson sleeves that is 100% polyester. Not only is this dress most likely poor quality, it will be quite difficult to style beyond exactly how I described it. The shoulders and sleeves make it difficult to layer. The hemline looks odd with various types of footwear. And the color might not suit all seasons or occasions. Not to mention all the rouching is created with elastic and we know how uncomfortable that can become after a few hours or even after a wash or two. It hits different if you know what I mean.
When you buy a garment that has low versatility and high probability of being remembered, most of us will talk ourselves out of rewearing it multiple times. “I wore this dress to the last wedding/baby shower/picnic/graduation/party…I can’t wear it again.” Sound familiar? Guilty. We feel bored and/or frustrated with it. I know for myself those types of garments are often ill-fitting. I find myself tugging, resituating, and pulling on the item. That alone will cause me to never want to wear it again.
So we have the trifecta: hard to style/rewear, uncomfortable, and memorable. To me this is a recipe for disaster…or at least will be guilty of wearing very few times.
Style is Subjective
I’m a strong believer in wearing what you love. If you truly love wearing a hi-low hem dress with cut-out shoulders then by all means rock it!
But if you find yourself purchasing a lot of one-and-done types of pieces, or you have a closet full of items like that and feeling frustrated, you might want to practice a buying freeze and consider what your personal style really is. A clothes buying freeze is a great way to set-up boundaries within your closet. My favorite one is I won’t let something stay in my closet if I can’t wear it at minimum 3 different ways/with 3 other pieces from my closet.
The “Trend Cycle”
Sometimes pieces feel “outdated” because they are simply not riding the current trend cycle. Which means: we aren’t seeing a lot of it so it feels not current. So repeat after me:
Just because it’s not CURRENT doesn’t mean it’s OUTDATED.
Two things that are far more important than somethings place on the trend cycle: FIT and QUALITY.
I have a pair of 100% leather ankle boots that fit well. They are not currently riding the cycle of trends (we are into. boots with a taller shaft at the moment). But I’m not ditching my ankle boots. I invested in them and I know I can still style them in spite of many influencers calling ankle boots “outdated”.
The same can be said for many things: blazers, jeans, skirts, etc. If it fits you well and the quality is standing the test of time I would venture to say you will not have trouble pulling it off.
Style Level Novice?
If you don’t consider one of your strengths to be style or putting together outfits, I would caution you to stay away from pieces that have a lot going on and are difficult to style various ways.
You may love that pair of wide leg pants with a loud print…but if you love them just because of how the store styled them on the mannequin or model online, I would urge you to think twice before adding to cart. If you can’t automatically picture yourself wearing them with at least 3 other items from your current closet I would say those pants might become a one and done item for you.
When you have pieces that are difficult for you personally to style you have two options: learn how to style it (rework it, spend time pairing it with various items in your closet, hire a stylist, etc) or pass it along. I would also take some notes (in a notebook, on your phone, etc) about specifically why you have a hard time styling that particular piece. Learn from your mistakes and move forward.
If you are struggling how to style something in your closet and aren’t ready to let it go try searching that particular item on Pinterest. For example “leopard print pants outfits”, or “midi dress styling ideas”. If that doesn’t help, I’d love to help you! Send me a direct message and let’s chat!
Styling is a Muscle
You can cultivate style skills or you can let them atrophy.
I’m going to say something that might sound a little harsh, but if you want to have an intentional closet that serves you well, sometimes I have to say unpopular things: Constantly buying clothes for events/vacations/parties or buying up one and done pieces on Amazon or while you’re browsing Target because it was on clearance or looked cute is actually hurting your style.
You aren’t pausing to picture how this fits in your closet for the long haul. You are picturing yourself at the resort. The party. At the wedding. What about when those moments are over? Then how will you wear it? What about when that print or silhouette isn’t trending anymore? Then how will you wear it?
If you don’t even want to consider those scenarios or questions, be honest with yourself. But when you are just buying something for one event/trip/because it’s cute, you’re not exercising any style muscle. You are riding the waves of trends and letting the mannequins, ads, and email blasts tell you what you should wear. Style is personal. Don’t let them tell you otherwise.
If you want some posts where I go over some style basics- check out any post with a “101” in the title…like this one!
I’m Cheering you On!
My next post I hope to dive into some of my personal history with style, especially how I used to buy one off, cheap pieces and thought I had good style 🙃 Remember I’m learning too. Our aim with an intentional closet is never perfection. We learn. We grow. We take small steps towards our personal style and intentional closet curation. I never want you to feel overwhelmed or judged. We are all navigating this overconsumption, overstimulation together and none of us will do it perfectly. Cheering you on friend. To intentional closets 🥂
Agreed! Personally, I feel that it's not specific pieces that are outdated. It's entire looks. Like ankle boots, skinny jeans, a waterfall cardigan, and a fedora feel very early 2010s. But wearing ankle boots with wide leg jeans and an oversized blazer feels more current. Regardless, you're right that fit, quality, and versatility are more important than trends anyway!
Sent my niece a dark green wool coat I purchased in the 80s. I wore it for work for years, was a store brand 100% wool. She loves it. Classic styles last forever. My grandmother wore ankle boots from the 1920s until she died.