Double YOUR Wardrobe!
On one fateful day last Spring, I woke up hungover at my boyfriend’s apartment while I had to be uptown for a work event in an hour. Instead of rushing to my apartment to change and then go uptown, I decided to practice self-care and made myself breakfast, which left me with no other option than to make do with what clothes I had. The final result, was an extra-large black crew neck sweatshirt, an extra-large pair of men’s green cargo joggers, and my black leather Marc Jacobs pointy-toed boots. When I arrived at the work event, still a little crusty, but less hungry, my boss told me she loved my outfit.
I finally am in the relationship I dreamed of - a relationship where the person I’m dating wears clothes that I want to steal. There is so much that can be done with someone else’s wardrobe even if what they wear is not your style. Sport coats become statement blazers, tube socks make your ballet flats, even more, ballerina chic, and their baseball caps might become the accessory you never knew you needed. We have so much to learn from other people’s closets and why not learn hands-on, by wearing their clothes as your own?
There's a reason we see celebrities begin to dress as their partners as soon as they start dating, and I think it has less to do with losing your sense of self, and more to do with gaining a new aspect of yourself. In fact, I loved when Kourtney Kardashian started dressing as a rocker once dating Travis Barker, because maybe she always wanted to dress that way, but never had the confidence. Where I live in the East Village, boyfriends, girlfriends, and partners, all seem to share a wardrobe. Clothes are becoming more androgynous, and style is becoming less gendered.
I've stolen hoodies, sweaters, pants, jackets, socks, and pretty much anything I can get my hands on. Automatically, I've doubled my wardrobe without meaning to. When I crave a street-style outfit, I take the F to Brooklyn and find a hoodie that matches the rest of my outfit. And it doesn't go one way. Half his accessories are odds and ends that I've stopped wearing in my own life, like a nameplate necklace or a handmade beaded bracelet. If anything, we're practicing sustainability.
This doesn't go just for romantic partners. There are so many ways to double your wardrobe, and most likely, you've done so since you were younger. Our moms and dad’s closets are like our very own malls. Not only does my mom have clothes from the last ten years, but she has clothes going back to the 80s. One of the most worn pieces in my closet is her 1988 J. Crew leather jacket she got for her 18th birthday. All winter long I've been wearing a tattered ski sweater taken out of my dad's storage. When I was home just a few weeks ago and was lacking shoe options, I scoured my mom's closet for her platform Doc Martens which proves that she's cooler than me. Looking back on my childhood, I realize that I was lucky enough to share a room with my sister, automatically giving me access to a style that is entirely unlike my own. Now, she lives ten minutes away from me in New York City and I still can steal something that she has that I know will complete my outfit.
With fast fashion and "Tiktok stores" we've become obsessed with multiplying our closets with the latest trends. We buy an outfit specifically for an occasion, only to never be worn again. Services like Rent the Runway became popular to fight these actions, but even that is overcomplicating things. We have so much product at our fingertips if only we walk five minutes down the street to our friend's apartments. Not only will this save us money, but it will also expand our style and force us to become more creative.
