5 Years Later: Power Outfit
Last year, I started doing the 5 years later outfit challenge: I picked out an outfit I first wore and blogged back in 2016 and recreated it using the same (or very similar) items. I had so much fun that I decided to keep it going for 2022, so now I’m recreating outfits I wore back in 2017! (Wow, I can’t believe 2017 was 5 years ago already…that was the year I finished my PhD!)
My goals with this series are to put together updated versions of some of my favorite past outfits, see how much my style has changed over the years (if at all), highlight the items that are still in my closet five or more years later, determine if it’s time to pass on some of my older items, inspire you to evaluate the longevity in your own wardrobe, and most importantly, remind you (and myself) that it’s cool to rewear your favorite outfits/items!
Let’s break down the next 5 years later outfit of spring!
POWER OUTFIT — 2022 vs. 2017
My “power outfit” was one of my favorite outfits from grad school! There was something about tucking in a sweater into dark wash skinny jeans and throwing on a pair of heels that made me feel like I could take over the world. Do you have any outfit(s) like that? It was fun to recreate this outfit—it still made me feel like a boss all these years later. (Why yes, you CAN have a PhD and also care about fashion…they aren’t mutually exclusive!) In 2017, I wore a J.Crew Factory sweater, Madewell jeans, Madewell belt, Moorea Seal heels, and Longchamp tote. I still own two of the five items and included both in the new look for 2022!
Items from 2017 I’m still wearing in 2022
The Longchamp Le Pliage Neo tote was my very first “professional” bag purchase way back in winter 2015! I was active on the subreddit FemaleFashionAdvice at the time and everyone raved about this bag, so I saved some of my grad school income and got one for myself (also I always saw people in the airport with some sort of Longchamp bag!). I have loved it ever since; it’s usually my personal item when I travel, and it’s an especially great work travel bag because it doubles as a regular work tote. It’s huge and fits so much of my crap (almost too much because it can get quite heavy when it’s full!). I shared more about why it’s one of only two work bags I use regularly. (My exact bag was sadly discontinued.)
The only other item I’m wearing from the original 2017 outfit is the simple leather belt I purchased from Madewell. A great leather belt is a classic that you’ll have for years to come, as evidenced here! 😉 I love this one because it can easily be worn around my waist, and I also love the gold hardware.
What’s new in 2022
Three of the items in the 2022 version are new! (Plus, I’m wearing a pair of earrings as well as my signature sunglasses in the new look.) I opted to stick as close to the original outfit as I could and picked my most similar sweater and a comparable pair of skinny jeans for the new outfit. I also upgraded the shoes! 🤩
I ended up selling all of my J.Crew/Factory Tippi sweaters—one of the most ubiquitous J.Crew sweater styles—because I didn’t like how thin and tight they were. I much prefer slightly heftier (and softer) cashmere sweaters, so I replaced the original sweater I wore with an Everlane cashmere sweater. I also prefer the darker brown of the new sweater; the light camel of the original is really close to my skin tone and washes me out compared to the darker brown.
I no longer own the Madewell skinny jeans I wore in the original outfit because they were tight and uncomfortable to wear/sit in for long periods of time. For this outfit, I opted for my relatively new Madewell curvy skinny jeans in the Lanette wash, which is one of my current favorite washes (I wore them in my February 5 years later outfit). I’m sort of weird about how saturated a wash is, and these are not too saturated, though they look quite blue here. I’m not sure what happened but they look much bluer here in the photos than they do in real life.
Overall, my favorite update is the addition of my Ferragamo Vara pumps! I was super fortunate to have a Shopbop partnership a few years ago, and I used some credit to purchase these pumps during a sale. (They now cost just over 25% more than when I bought mine!!! My eyeballs about popped out of my head when I saw that.) I truly wouldn’t have been able to afford them on my grad school salary without that partnership, and it was still quite a chunk of change for me. I adore them so much and only bring them out for special occasions. You really can’t go wrong with a great pair of pumps—they go with EVERYTHING. They’re still a favorite all these years later!
In the original outfit, I had earrings on during the day but took them off when I got home and didn’t put them back on to shoot the outfit. I didn’t double check the original blog post before shooting these new photos and thought my Kate Spade studs were the earrings I wore…when it fact it was a different pair of (larger statement) earrings. Oops! I still think this outfit felt unfinished without some sort of piece of jewelry. The black and gold studs mimic the belt and pumps!
Even though I made only a few relatively subtle changes, are you more of a fan of the 2017 original or the new 2022 version? What swaps would you have made?
OUTFIT DETAILS
Everlane sweater / old; similar or similar by Quince (review here)
Madewell jeans / exact (also available from Zappos)
Madewell belt / old; similar options: 1 / 2 / 3
Salvatore Ferragamo flats c/o Shopbop / exact (also available from Neiman Marcus; last seen here)
Kate Spade earrings / old; similar
Longchamp tote / old; similar from Saks or Nordstrom (review here)
Le Specs sunglasses / exact from Revolve, Shopbop, or Nordstrom
Dior Lip Glow in rosewood / exact