I Prioritized Re-Wearing This Year — Here's How I Reinvented My Old Clothes

I love shopping just as much as the next person, but if there's anything that I learned this year, it's that there's a lot you can do with the pieces in your closet if you focus on re-wearing rather than immediately purchasing something new off impulse. I know, wearing your clothes more than once may seem like a simple task, but as someone who loves experimenting with new trends and styles, it can be tempting to quickly hit add to cart instead of looking at items already own.

I first cut down my purchases at the beginning of the year simply upon the realization that I wasn't going out as much, and when I sat down to take a deeper look at my closet, I found outfit options that I would never even have thought of before. The most surprising part of it all? The pieces I rewore the most weren't exactly the 'trendiest' of pieces, they were basics that elevated all of my looks. In a world of social media, it can be easy to always want what's new and Instagram-worthy, rather than investing in staple pieces to purchase that you'll wear for years to come, or basic items that are collecting dust in your closets.

It's my job to share my fashion revelations here at Who What Wear, so I took a dive through my Instagram and camera roll to find the pieces that I re-wore the most and shared them with you below, along with all the different ways I styled each. Keep scrolling to take a look, maybe you'll find surprisingly new outfit ideas from pieces you haven't worn in some time.

My #1 re-worn clothing item was a men's button-up that I borrowed from my dad years ago and just never ended up returning. I thought of the different ways I could make the shirt look different—you can wear it closed, like a cardigan, or tie it at the front. It's so versatile—can be worn casually over jeans or tied over dresses, the options are truly endless and I won't be stopping anytime soon.

I bought this slip dress in 2018 because I remember I couldn't get my hands on a black slip skirt. I'm actually pretty happy that happened because a dress turned out to be easier to wear. I can throw cropped tops over it and layer it as if it's a skirt, without having to worry about my stomach showing. Also, you can style as it is with any top underneath.

I own a lot of sweaters, but I decided to take this one out of storage and give it a little extra love during the cold months of 2020. I played around with the layering trick by throwing it over my shoulders as an accessory and even donned a chic sweatpant moment to work from home in.