This is the big essay that accompanies the latest podcast episode. The pod is a great expansion from our previous discussion on Outfit Repeating, as this one gets more into how Repeats make us feel, the templates/rigs that we tend to do often, and how we usually buy the “same” items over and over, rather than anything radically new (which leads us to repeat). Spencer and MJ bring up some great points that are not found in this essay!

Of course, I have my own experience and approach to Outfit Repeating, which you can read below the podcast link. I suggest you listen to the pod first before reading!

• End Cold Open – 13:30
• Going private – 20:34
• Outfit repeating revisited – 31:31

This is going to sound weird to admit, but one of my morning rituals is to jump on Facebook. No, I don’t mean scrolling through my feed of whatever business articles my mom tagged me to read or the latest hustle of a former college classmate whom I’m only FB-friends with for a group project. I’m talking about the “Memories” widget, which never fails to give me a swath of whatever silly posts I made on this day, just in the past. This includes dumb statuses about Star Wars and Call of Duty (as well as the occasional angst/sad boi cry for help), but for the purposes of this blog post, it also includes outfits. 

You guys know that I love posting photos of Old Ethan on Instagram and clowning on him. I’ve been on social media for a long time, and so the archive of cringy fits is quite extensive. Each day, I was treated to exceedingly slim suits, questionable color combinations, and awkward uses of headwear (specifically boaters and fedoras). I was an uninitiated and anxious teenager after all, which can certainly excuse the bad. But to be fair, it was also clear that I had the nuggets of taste hidden underneath the cringe; I just lacked the gumption to fully send it. If you read that hyperlinked blog post above, you’ll know that it took me a while to actually commit to my POV and execute on it.  

This isn’t news to any of you who are familiar with my lore. But that’s the kicker, isn’t it? “Lore” implies that Old Ethan is old news, a relic from a distant past (relatively speaking, I know that I’m not actually that old). Thanks to all my outfit documenting, I’ve been afforded an opportunity to track my positive development over the years, from getting Good Footwear to honing my desired proportions. The hope was that my Good Outfit era is now longer than the Old/Bad. I think I’ve succeeded with the evidence of Old becoming Good now found in my “Memories” or through simply scrolling through my extensive Flickr archive, which I started in 2014 (shortly before I started the blog).

However, I soon realized that this meant that my Old Photos of Cringe Outfits (or at least, un-honed) were now diluted by those Good Outfits that feature a confident dive into my desired POV— and now included moves like include berets, turtleneck base layers, white socks with loafers, and other canonized aspects of Ethan Style that you’re more than familiar with at this point. In other words, a look through “Memories” was proof that Good Ethan Outfits now heavily outnumber the Bad— and so Old Ethan no longer meant Bad Ethan. This makes sense. With the progression of Real Life, Old Ethan no longer really referred to teenage or college Ethan. “Old Ethan” is now inclusive of my twenties which means it’s made up of fits worn to work, go on dates, drink coffee alone, go to comic fests, and, most importantly, to Hang Out while Standing Out– all things that encouraged me to hone my POV and express who I am— or at least the facet I want to emphasize on that day.

But as I evaluated my old outfits, I began to notice something. A lot of what I wear today (and the past five-ish years), is quite similar to teenage Ethan: just consider my embrace of wide leg pants, a return to suspenders, and an overall re-emphasis of Apparel Arts-inspired styling. Perhaps the Good Old Ethan outfits didn’t just refer to Drake’s or Bryceland’s-esque stuff: there may be more Gold in the Old.

With that in mind, I started to see that my “Memories” were no longer a place of shame but one of Inspiration, just like the old photographs, illustrations, and fits from fellow enthusiasts that I obsessively compile. And do you know what happens when I see something Inspirational? I feel the need to act on it and wear it.

So I decided to embrace this fond, Nostalgic feeling. I was going to be Inspired by my Old Outfits, actually rewear the same or similar pieces, and reflect on this new experience. I’ve toyed around with this idea for a few years, and only actively did it around the beginning of 2024. It was initially going to be released at the end of last year, but with my break-up, my 30th birthday, and the blog turning 10, these Nostalgic (and introspective) feelings continued through 2025, which led me to add just a few more outfits to redux. And so here we are, at the end of 2025, with a lot more outfit fodder and a plethora of thoughts.

Right at the start of this masturbatory “project”, I knew that I had to reframe my mindset. As you guys know from my essay on Outfit Repeating, I quite abhor the strictness that comes with True Repeats, which means wearing the exact same pieces in the exact same way. It always feels too close to defaulting. I understand that this is a feature to leverage— so many people enjoy Outfit Repeating simply because it guarantees a stylish appearance without expending any creativity. I happen to like expending creativity, though at this point in my life, it doesn’t actually require too much effort (but maybe people don’t want any effort whatsoever).

So, instead of thinking of Old Outfits like a uniform or template, I decided to mentally put them in the same category as an old photo or illustration . Even though I wanted to challenge myself and do my best to make a True Repeat (at least as close as possible), it was more about honoring my old decisions by making an “Old Ethan-Inspired Outfit”. The temporal distance between the Old Outfit and the Present keeps this separation between template and Inspiration intact, though, as you’ll see in my examples, the exact time-distance varies in length. At the very least, I wasn’t about to rewear an outfit from two weeks ago— that isn’t exactly “old”. This whole project was about the choices made by Old Ethan…from at least a year ago, but preferably older.

To be clear, I did not plan to go through my nearly 15-year-old archive (I took fitpics before the blog, you know) and recreate any Old Outfit. That would turn this project into something dispassionate and make this Repeat feel more like a chore— the exact attitude I avoid at all costs when I get dressed. Outfit creation should always be exciting— even if it is inspired by what you’ve done before!

That’s when I realized that this whole thing would be a great way to introspect and evaluate my past decisions. To see what outfits and moves from the past still excite me— and what exactly has changed over my journey (thus far).

Obviously, this focus on “excitement” required curation when parsing through the archive. Which of my Old Outfits indeed call out to me? Which ones don’t (and why)? These softly-critical questions were all was all fascinating. This project was already proving to be a case study in evaluating expression and taste! I also didn’t want to just see what style-moves and garments have stuck with me, but I also wanted to see which ones remain in the firmly past and aren’t brought with me today, fated to be called “Old Ethan”— or perhaps the “Ethan of 2017” or so.

I say “2017” because I quickly noticed that a few of the outfits that no longer excited me (at least to Repeat) were indeed the ones from 2016-2019, the era which I (and much of menswear as a whole) tended to be a bit more “Drake’s” coded. This makes sense, considering that this was when I moved away from Period Clothing and explored the wider world of Contemporary Classic Menswear as well as Ivy (I’ve written about this before). With my discovery of Drake’s, The Armoury, and a few others, this was a formative time of development in my POV and one that is certainly specific and “dated”.

And while I do a bit of Drakes-esque outfits today, the ones I’m “negatively” referring to were the ones that mainly relied on selvedge jeans worn with sportcoats and ties— and a healthy helping of beanies. It’s not that these were bad; in fact, I still think that wearing one is a great way to dress down Menswear (or at least make it more interesting)! But it was clear that I accomplish that goal differently now. Instead of that semi-casual, ivy-ish look, my outfits with jeans, which are wide or flared, are decidedly casual outfits, leaning toward workwear or Going Out, respectively. Beanies and knit caps are still great, but are now relegated to purely practical wear when it’s cold, though I’ve really just “replaced” their invocation with berets, bucket hats, and fedoras. 

Taking note of this departure from using jeans and beanies with jackets and ties revealed forever more that my POV and love for menswear lies in firmly in tailoring. Full tailoring. In other words, beanies and jeans with ties now felt like a half measure, at least compared to what I want to look like. And if we look at my output from 2020 to now, it’s pretty clear that I’ve gone Full Send with tailoring, committing to trousers over jeans whenever I wear a jacket or tie. This naturally leads to a preference of  “dressier” headwear like berets and fedoras, which make more sense for the “character” I am. Full Send!

Is this because I’ve gotten more confident in my style?  Or perhaps berets and fedoras now make sense for a 29-year-old (that’s when I started this blog post; I’m now 30) rather than someone in their early 20s, where a beanie felt more appropriate? Or is it that COVID destroyed all dress codes, and when left to make my Occasions and Prompts, I naturally gravitate toward full suits? The answer is probably some combination of all of those things.

And so, it was not surprising that the Old Outfits that invoked the most excitment/Inspiration were indeed the outfits that incorporated jackets and ties. Again, these were always the combinations that felt the most interesting to me and pulled me even when I was first getting into menswear through vintage, no doubt due to all of the intricate pieces and patterns working together. After all, I was obsessed with Apparel Arts (and still am). Being cognizant of that connection really made this into a full circle moment. I was excited by the Young Ethan found across my fit pic archive.

The more I thought about it, the more it seemed that I had to do more than just wear the same ideas, if I were to properly honor these Old Outfits. It wasn’t about simply wearing striped shirts with patterned ties, but the specific shirt with that specific tie. Not because of Old Ethan was a template, but because striving to wear the same pieces would be a way to connect with Old Ethan— to show that, perhaps, I am still “that guy”. Maybe I wanted some self-validation that my POV and taste haven’t really changed part from not doing the jeans + jacket thing as much). Unfortunately, this pursuit of exactness made me face the reality that came with leveraging a 10+ year archive as a source of inspo: I simply no longer owned some of those pieces.

Lacking the exact pieces from the Old Outfits threw quite an interesting wrench in this challenge. After all, I think it’s quite a flex to wear something that you’ve owned for years. [I’ve had that damn brown double rider since 2016 and not only is it in good condition, but I still fit into it and wear it whenever LA weather allows]. But I wasn’t deterred. After all, this whole thing was more about “Getting Inspired from Myself” and not just about doing a True Repeat. Allowing myself to do approximations made for a fun challenge and added a new facet to the project: it provided an opportunity to reflect on the relationship I have with my wardrobe and introspect on why I had “moved on” from certain garments in the first place.  After all, I tend to be very picky with how I buy things!

Outside of a few truly questionable garments, the pieces I had given up weren’t actually inherently bad. They simply lacked the qualities to accurately achieve the honed expression that I was after. This is most apparent with my trouser journey, where moving to the best interpretation of a wide fit has always been an ongoing project. This means that I not only have given up not just the fast fashion stuff (a no brainer), but actually decent pants (like thrifted RL flannels) and suits (slim 60s sacks), all because they were still too tapered (relatively speaking) either through my tailor or their natural appearance (some tailors/brands/eras simply like tapered legs). As I honed my expression, those garments were too at odds with my desired POV, and once I saw that dissonance, it didn’t make sense to keep them. But just like with Old/Bad Ethan, that scenario has moved into the past, and after going custom (or simply not tapering my thrift finds), I haven’t had to give up trousers in a good while. Thank God!

In other situations, I gave up garments because I had physically outgrown them. Obviously, wearing items that are too small not only affects visual aesthetics but also one’s comfort when wearing them. Nothing is more annoying than forcing yourself to wear something that physically doesn’t feel right. This has been the case for various jackets, be they casual or tailored. My broader shoulders and chest have made it so I unfortunately had to give up certified Ethan Classics (as seen on great outfits), like tweeds from the 30s, my beloved corduroy suits, and even some leather jackets. 

Believe me when I say that I love all of my clothes and think of them as if they’re my friends. It truly becomes a tragic affair whenever I no longer fit into one of my pieces and have to give them up.  It’s not just because they were worn in great outfits but because I know that I’m no longer able to use them in all the potential outfits that fly around my brain (the Call of Inspiration is real). That connection is how I know that whatever pieces I’ve owned are still good garments. Fortunately, many of them have found new homes in the closets of my friends, all of whom wear their Ethan Garments in their own stylish way. 

The fact that my wardrobe has always been a mix of true vintage, contemporary RTW (in limited quantities), and a handful of custom makes obtaining the same (or similar) items quite challenging. I would’ve definitely preferred to simply update my wardrobe with the same garment, just in a bigger size or at least be able to adjust the cut, but that’s not how menswear works. That is, unless you have the budget and are incredibly lucky with fabric availability to simply order another one. But this is something I’ve always been aware of. And so, as you’ve likely noticed, I tend to buy the “same” pieces each time I have to give one up.

This exercise showed that most of my pickups have simply been updates or replacements for items I used to own but have given up. An example would be commissioning Fugue for a pinstripe suit in order to finally update the Indochino pinstripe linen DB I had in 2015, or acquiring a second-hand beige/orange houndstooth RJ sportcoat to abet the loss of a tan houndstooth tweed from the 30s. While there are obvious details between the original piece I owned and the replacement, the general theme of what the garment “expresses” remained present in my closet, where the new piece could be worn in same/similar ways to the old.

However, I already knew this about myself. I like what I like, and I want to keep what I like for as long as possible, whether that means physically keeping them or having similar substitutes take their place; I’m not about to never wear houndstooth again just because I outgrew my old jacket! So no, this wasn’t about buying and replacing. This was about how I wear clothes, and how these substitutes factor into Repeats.

In other words, I wanted to see if this consistency wasn’t just present in how I buy the garment (Taste) but in how I leverage them in creating outfits (Style). Whether it was with Substitutes or Originals, I was intrigued to see how a redux of these Old Outfits actually holds up. Even if I was excited about the Old and honored them with a Repeat, would the outfits feel wildly out of place, especially with my current/recent outfits? Or would those old style decisions, with the updated proportions and use of substitutes as needed, fit neatly into what I do today?

The answer was undoubtedly yes. After all, I wouldn’t be excited by those old fits if I didn’t feel some kind of affinity for them— and felt like they were still representative of the Ethan I am today, at least in Spirit.

Now, you will no doubt notice that each of the “Outfit Repeats” featured in this blog post varies in execution. Some of them are as close to True Repeats as possible, which obviously worked best with more recent outfits. It all makes for fun examples of interpretation and how one might process inspo! In any case, I always tried to use the same specific item or a very similar substitute, such as using green cotton twill trousers instead of the green flannels I no longer own. Believe me, if those green flannels weren’t tapered, I would have still kept and worn them today!

For older outfits that utilized items that were more markedly different than my current versions, I had to rely on  “approximations”.  But unlike the previous discussion on Repeating, I did try to be more “specific” in order to express the common theme and mindset of the old outfit. Again, this was not about seeing whether or not I’d wear any striped shirt with any checked jacket, but about honoring the old outfit by doing as close a look as possible and keeping the Spirit of the fit alive.

In the above examples, you can see that I wore a modern green gun check jacket instead of a 30s green plaid jacket. You could make the case that both the physical (silhouette and proportions) and semiotic differences are too great, but I’d argue that the general idea or spirit of the garment is still present. By specifically wearing a green patterned jacket with a similar geometric tie and plain trousers, I did succeed in making an outfit similar to the old one while still maintaining the Apparel Arts theme . To me, this showed that my wardrobe has not only remained “consistent” (made up of similar pieces over the years), but that my preference for certain references and styling cues were still present as well. 

Whatever the approach was, it was clear that each of the outfits was good, or at least I would consider them to be.  I really wanted to see that even after all this time, there exists a throughline in reference and technique between Past and Present Ethan. I wanted a good case study that taste and execution can age gracefully as it is honed. Cultural Patina, as it were! But it ended up being more than that. As I said to before, this whole thing wasn’t just about recreating old outfits with the same (or similar) pieces, but whether these reduxes would still be in line with what I wear today. And you know what, they are! 

I realize that the success of this self-imposed challenge (I can feel your eyes rolling) hinges on an abstract or pseudo-artful way of looking at outfits, repeating, and what we consider “same” to even mean. But I would say that this was entirely the point. Personal Style, for me at least, has always been about approaching a vision using the tools we have.

After all, the modern outfits in this blog post aren’t perfect recreations of my inspo sources. I don’t own full Golden Era suits. My wide-leg trousers aren’t exactly cut like ones from the 40s. My shirts aren’t all true spearpoints anymore. My ties don’t feature the exact same pattern as ones worn by Jimmy Stewart or by any of the Drake’s crowd. But that’s okay. I own things that have the ethos of the references and are reflective of what I was able to obtain at this moment in time. And so, if I can wear an outfit that gets at the Spirit of the source inspo and exude a POV, can’t the same be said of my Self-Repeats? 

You see, I have always intentionally made these concepts abstract and loose to separate Style from being tied to specific combinations or garments. While having favorite and foundational garments is quite important for Style, it really is about the Spirit of it all, the character and attitude you’re trying to express. That’s why I always say that you should find the root theme of your POV and be cognizant of the elements and moods you want to reference, and ultimately be aware of the hopefully consistent techniques you leverage to express it. Obviously, such techniques can be honed (such as adjusting proportions), and you can always upgrade the “tools” (garments) to more accurately express your POV, done as simply as trading skimpy, stiff collars for longer ones with a particular shape.  Again, what matters is the Spirit of your Personal Style and Taste. 

I truly believe that these Repeats are combinations that I would have certainly put together today. With an expanded and abstract approach to what constitutes an Outfit Repeats, the success of the redux simply means that the Old Outfits hold their own as a source of Inspiration. And if you consider my compulsion to act on inspo, this quality is not only a testament to the strength of the Old Outfit fit, but to my attraction to the same ideas. The original core inspo, be it the general trad styling found in vintage photographs and illustrations or from outfits from my contemporaries, is still ever-present in my approach to menswear. 

It’s clear that the general wardrobe of the “character” I dress like has largely been the same: checked jackets, DB suits, long collars with pins, geometric ties, and a helping of fedoras and berets. I also still style and combine things in similar ways while still being cognizant that I’ve gotten more accurate with my expression and have a better understanding of the mechanics (like proportion).  But even though I’m aware of just how far I’ve come, it’s also comforting to see just how much I’ve stayed consistent to my POV. After all, I am in pursuit of Cultural Patina. And with each honed technique and even the nuances I’ve added, I think it’s apparent that the Core Ethan has always been there. And that makes me happy! 

Overall, it was just a nice bit of fun to rewear some Banger fits I’ve worn in recent years. People are right– it is nice to bring things back every once in a while. It was cool to evaluate the old decisions Old Ethan made and update the approach with what I currently own. In that way, this exercise honors those Old Outfits by showing that the combination (or at least the approximate idea of it) still holds up today, not just in the current world but in my continual output of outfits.

But don’t think these are the “Top Ethan Outfits of All Time” just because I decided to redux them on this blog. If anything, their inclusion was random, being based on whatever came up on my FB Memories, looking at old blog posts, or randomly going through my Flickr archive; the only real “curation” was evaluating whether or not those fits still excited me.

If I’m being honest, I don’t think I have a truly GOAT-ed outfit. I certainly have my favored rigs: brown checked jackets with grey pants, navy suits with brocade ties, and leather jackets with sweater vests. Some specific combinations from those templates are quite fun to re-wear when the mood strikes (which seems to be every couple of years), but it’s not peak. Just because these Old Fits are “proven” to have staying power, they’re not inherently better than the other outfits I’ve worn before (when I’ve honed in my look)…or what I’ll wear in the future. They just happened to be my “favorite” combo at the moment of creation.

All that to say, that I didn’t get that big serotonin boost (if at all) that some people get from rewearing a proven Good Outfit. At times, it felt more like a novelty rather than a true challenge for me.  Maybe that’s because doing a repeat effectively pushes a new combination further into the Backlog, since I only wear one outfit a day; I don’t wear things just for the photo! I know it sounds silly, but I end up feeling bad for the Unworn, New-Outfits that have to be patient for one more day. Maybe the pseudo-creative in me simply prefers to take on what new challenge or prompt the day will bring and see if the latest combination will accomplish it. Executing that idea is what makes menswear/fashion fun! That’s why I only did an Old Ethan-inspired fit once or twice a week at most instead of having it completely take over my daily wear. But even so, I do think that this was an intriguing way to approach making outfits, giving me a more “forward” starting point than starting from a completely blank slate.

What I also learned from this challenge is that I do hate getting rid of things. Or to be more specific, I hate having to replace things. I just love my clothes that much. After all, I don’t commit to buying a garment unless I can see myself wearing it for as long as possible! It makes sense that when I have to give something up, I find a way to obtain that same essence to fill the gap Again, my purchases during the past few years haven’t really been anything radically new for my wardrobe’s history, outside of Safincore, the sport vest, and the big SFC gauchos, all of which have all been canonized into Ethan Style.

I really do wish that I did own the same pieces in the old outfits, provided that they were made in my current understanding of proportions. This issue is mainly applicable to the tapered trousers I’ve owned over the years. When it’s about shirts and jackets (or pants like jeans that can’t be let out), I just wish my body would still fit into them. In a perfect world, these would have been True Repeats! That’s at least the plan for all the clothes I currently own. I certainly hope that I fit into them a decade from now, provided that social media still exists, so I can do this challenge again in a more Exact way.

It goes without saying that this project had a lot to do with the fact that my blog turned 10 and that I’m 30. It’s hard not to feel introspective and Nostalgic. I honestly never thought I’d get this far, let alone enjoy what came before. And at this point, there’s not much more to say. By going back and lifting up my past, it’s clear that this may be the plateau. Yes, I still make new outfits with combinations I’ve never done before, but it’s all really the “same” thing, being predicated on subtle changes here and there. As was the case with my return to suspenders, I guess I just needed to know that I’m still the same guy I was before— and that I like that guy.

I can safely say that I’m proud of my Menswear Journey, both in where I’ve been and where it’s going. Everyone has their own approach to style and their own goal with dressing. For me, it’s really been about consistently expressing something personal— to get at the Spirit of your Taste and look (or dress), well, like you! My aim is for someone to be able to look at any era of my life (post-2019, if we’re being picky) and be able to see “Ethan Style” through and through, whether it’s through the same pieces, suspiciously similar substitutes, or the new items that I canonize (and become Foundational). I think that this challenge shows that I’m doing the right thing by my POV, that I’m keeping the Spirit alive.

Looking back, I couldn’t have thought of a better way to “end” this damn blog. Though with all that’s said and done, it’s quite apparent that this whole thing was a way for me to glaze myself and say, “Damn, I made some fire fits when I was younger”.

What could be more annoyingly-Ethan than that?

– end of blog post –

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Always a pleasure,

Ethan M. Wong (follow me on IG)

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