Do you buy individual items of clothing or outfits?

[SnoopLabbyLab]

I always used to buy clothes individually, with maybe a bit of consideration about what it might go with. But did end up with quite a few things that were lovely but didn’t really work with anything. Dresses always worked because they are, sort of, a complete outfit.

However, spending time with my lovely and very stylish Spanish friend has convinced me of the wisdom of investing in whole outfits. She’s always done this, and says it’s the norm for stylish Spanish people. I’ve done it for a couple of years now and find some shopping websites helpful for putting together outfits. Now if I buy a skirt, I’ll get a top to go with it, maybe an accessory or tights too, and a layer to go over it. It’s not cheap, but I’m only buying a few outfits a year, so that saves time and at least I’ve not got items I barely wear as I know everything goes with at least something. I also have a pretty staple winter uniform of skinnies ( 2 pairs in rotation), a bright cashmere or sweatshirt and trinkets/ boots which makes up most of my casual days wear. Summer, it’s dresses.

Anyone else shop this way? Perhaps it’s quite normal but it was a revelation to me. I do airways try to avoid the ‘bought these special matchy things for my Buckingham Palace garden party moment’ look. I hope moderately successfully, but who knows?!

I buy individual items but I do think about what else I've got that would go with the item.

I tend to buy individual items but with a strong idea what the gap in my wardrobe is and what they'll go with.

I buy individual items mostly to go with the items I already own. I think it's a bit wasteful to buy a completely new outfit everytime you go shopping.

I make notes on my phone through the months then when I next go shopping for clothes I know what I need or want. I don’t ever really just buy randomly. I do it more like a shopping list.
That way most of my stuff actually does go together.

For example I’ve been lacking a pair of black lace up ankle boots to wear with dresses or cropped jeans etc.

i researched for a while and ended up with Asda (George) ones which are so comfy for £25!

@SnoopLabbyLab I would love to do this as I have too many ‘random’ clothes and always struggle to decide what to wear. I’d like to go through my wardrobe and start again but I feel so guilty getting rid of mistakes I’ve spent money on.

Could you tell me which website you use to help put an outfit together? Also where do you get your skinnies from and do they keep their shape? I’m still on the hunt for a pair that don’t go baggy around the knees/thighs by midday!

Apparently a colleague of mine does this. I'm friends with a friend of hers. She shops at White Stuff and will buy whole outfits, for example, as is displayed on a mannequin.

I’m Spanish and never heard of it as being the norm. I know plenty of very stylish Spanish / Italian / French people and items are bought individually. Quality fabrics, good design, etc, not subject to or inspired by any fashion trends. However, with plenty of other quality items in the wardrobe it is easy to make full outfits from a single new individual item.
In my opinion it is silly to spend £££ / €€€ in full ensembles. It is best to invest in quality, atemporal, pieces than you can combine forever and ever with other items and play with colour and style depending on the season.

I can see the sense but it sounds like a good marketing ploy!

I tend to buy things individually but have a set sort of uniform so it’s easy - so this time of year it’s normally skinnies/top/bag/coat, so I might buy a new top or new pair of boots every now and again, but I know they’re going to go with my existing good quality jeans and bags and boots in classic colours.

I prefer buying quality jeans/shoes/bags that last years, classics that suit my shape, and build around that which makes for a sustainable wardrobe.

dudsville that’s exactly what my Spanish friend does when she goes home to Mallorca. Right down to the handbag/ necklace etc. She very much doesn’t shop at White Stuff. She looks amazing, but doesn’t spend more on clothes than the rest of my friends ( we aren’t hard up, but hardly lording it down Bond St).

Littlemiss74 I buy most of my clothes from John Lewis, Hobbs and Hush so just use the ideas on their website. My skinnies are just Next mid rise skinnies, which I find soft and not super tight. I love the cosy lined ones as our house is old and chilly. I buy a couple of John Lewis bright cashmere sweaters to add to the collection each year, and love the Hush jersey tops, which I’ve bought to go with skirts/ dresses but also work with jeans, and wear with New Balance kids trainers or jodhpur boots. I’m really not that stylish or confident- hence the need for a little guidance re. What to wear with what.

Depends what it is. I always work out what something goes with, sometimes I buy a complete outfit, I wear dresses a lot as it makes life easier!

I'll buy a top to wear with jeans for instance but if I'm buying a skirt I will work out if I already have a blouse, cardigan etc that would work with it

I think buying the entire outfit from a mannequin is genius! Don’t know why I haven’t considered it before. I don’t do this, but I definitely see the merit in saving up and buying an entire outfit in one go. It’ll prevent impulse-buying things which don’t go with anything else.

An alternative strategy is sticking to a theme so everything you buy naturally goes with everything else. My wardrobe is mostly neutral (black, navy, white, beige). The brighter colours come out occasionally when I’m in the mood, and they’re easy to fit in as the rest of my clothes are neutral.

I wouldn’t do this as I don’t ever wear the exact same outfit more than once and haven’t done so for many years. Not so you’d notice necessarily as it’s all a ‘uniform’ of sorts but yes I never wear the exact same outfit twice, always experimenting and trying different combinations.

I buy separates that can be endlessly mixed and matched. I’d find wearing the exact same outfit over and over very boring and also feel it might date quicker than just introducing new pieces to pep everything else up, particularly when seasons change, eg recently I got a pair of looser black jeans which have created lots more options. But then I love clothes/style/fashion.

I tend to identify a gap and go hunting for that, eg a Christmas party top or some smart trousers. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a complete look I’ve wanted to buy on a mannequin or online. I’d invariably find it didn’t all fit anyway given my body shape.

I buy individual items,but I think about what else I have that it would go with. I don't really want a top that only goes with one other thing - I want it to with jeans and a skirt under a jacket or a jumper. I know which colours suit me, so things often go together in that sense, and some clothes last for years.

I don't think I've ever seen a mannequin wearing an outfit I liked everything of (or needed). I mean, if they're wearing jeans and a top you like... I already have jeans, and it takes bloody ages to find a pair that fit nicely. The likelihood of everything on a mannequin fitting and suiting me if fairly unlikely, even if I did like it all.

Possibly easier if you're very slim and can wear anything, I guess?

Adopting wholesale what a shop mannequin is wearing sounds plain odd to me, not to mention pretty joyless.
It may be "stylish" but it's not really her style, is it, if she hasn't even bothered to accessorise it herself. Of course she's chosen it, like we all choose things we like, so in that sense it's hers, but imo it lacks imagination and individuality.

I pretty much have a summer wardrobe and a winter wardrobe . Most of my clothes from each season go with other clothing I have - in fact they generally would look OK across the seasons too as I only buy in particular colours that suit me . I mean I do have clothing I wouldn't wear with other things eg sparkly top and scruffy joggers but mostly my clothing goes together as outfits . Some people probably find my approach a bit boring !

I buy outfits. Not from the mannequin I put them together myself. Otherwise I end up same as you with pieces that don't go with anything else. If I like an outfit I want to wear it over and over again. If one part of the outfit wears out faster than the other, then I'll shop for a new matching item. I find having a wardrobe full of outfits very helpful for cutting down on time in the morning when deciding what to wear and eliminates the risk of putting together an outfit that doesn't really work

Having your colours done is life changing. Even if you don't believe in the "makes your eyes pop" thing, once you know your pallete, everything in your wardrobe will work together.

I think this is why I like jumpsuits, the top always goes with the bottom.

I tend to buy individual items. I kind of have a capsule wardrobe and know what gaps I have in my wardrobe. So I tend to buy what I 'need'. If I see something I like, I think about what I already have that would go with it and also when I would realistically wear it. If it wouldn't go with something I already have, then I don't buy it.

It's easier since I started WFH because I need a lot less clothes. I'm mostly wearing jumpers and jeans with boots at the moment.

I do also love dresses. They're usually cheaper and easier to style.

I think the best outfits often come from stuff you've sort of randomly put together. So, I buy individual items, maybe think of x when I buy it. But then try it with y and z when I have it and find it really works as well. I can understand buying an outfit if you feel overwhelmed though. I get why people might do it but it sounds like you'd end up with a load of stuff that only goes with one thing - and what happens when that wears out?

No I rarely set out to buy an entire outfit, but a few years ago I decided on a colour palate for myself and I tend to stick to that. Mine is navy, “jeans” blue, white, cream/beige/mushroom, grey, burgundy, dark green, “blue” reds and black. I buy clothes in those colours unless it’s a complete thing like a dress or a jumpsuit. These colours are the only ones I’m prepared to spend a lot of money on.

I do have some cheaper things not in these colours - like pink jumpers - but only if they work with the base colours and I only buy something that’s not a complete outfit if I have 3 other half’s it will go with (so the pink jumper works with blue jeans, navy pleated skirt, black work trousers).

I avoid patterned things beyond dresses and socks.

it is a boring way to shop / dress, so not for everyone, but like you OP, I had a wardrobe of things that didn’t work with other things. I buy less and buy better quality as well now. Again, boring but means I don’t have that wardrobe full of clothes and no outfit to wear feeling.

This is a great idea and I’ve been meaning to do it for years but always forget to shop like this. An alternative is when you find an ensemble that works great together make a note of it and make it one of your go to outfits. Something you feel great in, every item is comfortable, and the colours look good together and make you look good

Slightly different but last winter I bought some coordinated sets (joggers and top) and they do look good together and it makes dressing effortless

if i did this id probably buy less but wear more of my wardrobe 😂