This article has been syndicated from Daily Cup of JOJO, an InfluenceHer Collective Member. Read the full post here.
Ever wonder if you were to wear the same shirt twice in a week if anyone would notice? I think we’ve all thought about it at least once. I see a lot of posts about how to wear different clothing pieces in different ways, so it has to be on a lot of our minds.
Last week, I did a bit of a social experiment in the office where I wore the same outfit for a week. I will admit, I switched up my shoes each day but the ensemble stayed the same.
The outfit was a flowy black Vera Wang top with a navy blue underlay and thrifted faded black work pants. Now, I know what you’re thinking: I know this outfit was all black which is very subtle and hard to notice when something is different. But, if I wore a yellow top every day, I would have been caught right away. It’s all about playing it smart.
So, how did my week go? Well, I’m here to share.
Monday
On Monday, I got dressed in my Vera Wang and thrifted work clothes, went to work, came home to binge-watch Friends (again), and then fell asleep. Pretty easy first day!
Tuesday
Tuesday morning came around and I realized I hadn’t done my laundry because Rachel was too busy telling Ross she loved him and distracted me (again). I saw my clothes from yesterday laying on my chair and thought, “What the hell?” I threw on the same outfit, switched up my shoes, and walked out the door.
I got to the office and so far so good. I was slightly on edge because I totally thought someone was going to point it. It’s just two days though, so at least I can weasel my way out of this if need be. I didn’t get caught, and from what I could tell, no one seemed to really notice. I even got a compliment on my shoes from my co-worker.
Wednesday
Wednesday morning came and I threw on the same outfit (newly cleaned) while still mixing up my shoes. I was definitely more on edge today. I thought I caught my boss eyeing my shirt for a little too long of a period. Like she was trying to figure out if she had seen that shirt before or not. She didn’t say anything, and neither did I.
Yes! Another successful day in the office.
Thursday
Thursday morning. Okay. I am definitely sick of this outfit, but I’m committed at this point. I head into the office super apprehensive because no way can I go one more day without anyone noticing. Either they have all noticed by now and haven’t said anything OR people really don’t pay attention to what others wear. I’m honestly good with either of those outcomes.
I’ll be honest — I was very bored with wearing this outfit. Like very, very bored. I spilled the beans at lunch on day four and literally NO ONE KNEW. The worst I got was my boss thought she had seen me wear that shirt already but she thought it was on her for thinking that, not me. So basically, by wearing the same outfit, you start to make others question their sanity before your own.
My cubicle co-worker said she noticed but didn’t say anything. She thought I just wasn’t going home at night (every night?) which she then realized didn’t make sense because I had different shoes on each day. My other coworker was baffled that she complimented my shoes almost every day and didn’t even notice the outfit.
But the jig is not up yet friends…
Friday
So, the whole office was made aware of my ensemble choices for the week and we all had a good laugh. Also, shout out to them for being for being my guinea pigs, unknowingly. They were real sports because they all knew this was going to end up on the internet eventually.
Friday morning, I definitely could have worn a different outfit but I felt like I owed it to myself, the Vera Wang top and some thrift shop in Los Angeles to stick it out for the week. So, I put on the same outfit I had worn the past four days and strutted into the office.
I was semi-curious if anyone would notice after I told them and BOY did they notice. No sooner had I walked in the door and a co-worker pointed out she had seen that outfit once, twice, maybe even three or four times before. Dead. Caught. NOW the jig is up.
I wore the same outfit to the office for a whole week and ONLY changed my shoes.
So what’s the lesson here? The shoes make the outfit. Put a little funkiness into your jewelry, shoes or accessories and I BET you could outfit repeat more times than you think before your co-workers pick up on your habits.
Read the full post here.