I'm an Outfit Repeater. This Is My Favorite Shirt.

New York Times

26-05-2025

In this edition of The Recommendation, we peek inside an outfit repeater's closet of staples. Plus: some very giftable style upgrades we love.
I confess: I am an outfit repeater.
With almost two closets' worth of clothes in my apartment, I still find myself wearing the same things again and again. Outfit repeating, to me, is a way of trimming the fat: I really only have to worry about choosing from a few prized favorites. It turns packing for a trip into a seamless affair. It lets you revisit certain outfits and combinations like old friends. Top billing on that list of old friends? My cherished chambray shirt.
For outfit repeaters, chambray is like a cheat code. Although it resembles denim, it's more akin to the flat fabric of cotton dress shirts. So it's a nice middle ground that works for countless occasions; I've found that you can wear it over and over without looking like you're wearing the same thing twice.
It's the perfect long weekend or vacation shirt — no other item of clothing can look as good with a tweed blazer as it does with a pair of swim trunks. No other item looks as natural when worn both as a layer and under a layer. And no other item has let me put together a whole week of different outfits for different occasions, helping me seamlessly navigate my way from completely dressed down to semi-formal.
Year after year, as I watched its rich blue slowly erode into a pale white, this chambray shirt has become one of my oldest and most beloved wardrobe staples. The once-thick fabric has broken in beautifully over the last decade, and now feels delicately soft against my skin, almost like a brushed flannel. I was so attached to it that when the elbows began to look sheer, I bought a replacement.
The new shirt's fabric is crisp and bright, like my original one was ten years ago. It has a few updated features, like a more generous fit, that make it even more versatile. And I love its newness, the deep and lively shade of blue that I will enjoy watching vanish over time. As for my old shirt? Don't worry, it still hangs in my closet beside its younger sibling, resting, but ready as always for any occasion.