On the most recent episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, a comment was made by Tristan Thompson, Khloe Kardashian’s current boyfriend, that had me shook.  

Khloe discussed how she spent time unpacking “17 to 20 boxes a day” that get shipped to the mega-mansion in Cleveland that she shares with her basketball beau. Khloe told her friends that the majority of the boxes of clothes were Tristan’s because he likes to shop. Tristan responded with a casual, “I don’t redo outfits."

Khloe’s friends, as well my female friend who I was watching with, were seemingly taken aback by his statement. My friend said to me, “Tristan says he doesn't redo outfits. That’s interesting." Little did she know, I felt a kinship. I responded with, "I don’t like to redo outfits either.” 

MEN COMPARED TO WOMEN

In my opinion, women hate being seen in the same outfit twice and it’s evident if you follow basically anyone on Instagram. I was dating this chick in Miami who felt the need to spend her whole spring and summer attending birthday brunches, baby showers and weddings. She was a member of a sorority and I personally felt that every week one of her line sisters held one of these events that she had to attend. For every event, it required a new dress or outfit. It almost felt ungodly for her to even consider repeating something she wore before.  When it came time for me to get dressed, I would say, “I don’t have anything to wear to the wedding.” Her suggestion to me would be to “wear the suit you wore to the last one” and she had the nerve to say it with an attitude because the statement to her was absurd. Why should I have to wear the same suit to all these events with the same people? Seems like a double standard. If I was single at the time and saw this same woman at three different events in the same suit, she would notice and I would remain single. Men take pride in their image just as much as women. 

THE DOUBLE STANDARD

Living in New York, as a guy, whether you want to admit it or not, we are always on the go. Some days I literally have to change clothing three to four times a day depending on where I'm going and, most importantly, who I'm going to meet. My female assistant would ask me, “Why do you need to go change for a meeting in a coffee shop?” My response would usually be, “Because I wore this to an event earlier and I think it's disrespectful to have a meeting not freshly presentable for the client.” Women may say a guy that does not like to repeat outfits is “wasteful” or, the classic response, “How many options really are there for guys out there?” In my opinion, for a great quality piece of women's clothing, it's more expensive. A nice dress shirt for us guys is half the price. So financially, we are in a better position to have multiple options. I'm sure there's a huge price difference when comparing Tristan’s closet to Khloe’s. Give him a break.

WHY IS THIS NOW A COMMON THING FOR MEN?

Let’s deal with celebrity. Tristan is now dating a member of one of the most photographed families in the world. So why hate on a man who wants to be on his A-game at all times like the women he's around. News flash, ladies, we men are judged on our threads and how we present ourselves just as much as women. Think of how many times you probably swiped left on us because of that profile picture with a hideous, dated shirt.

According to Lonnie, 34, “It’s the idea of wealth or at least looking like you’ve got it. I think celebrity culture influences it as well. Rihanna and Kim Kardashian never repeat looks. And it’s OK for them. So why can’t guys have the same style philosophy? You think Diddy rocking the same suit to every meeting is OK, even if it’s his favorite? A lot of people like to emulate celebrity culture.” Lonnie works in the fashion industry, so he has access to various designers and clothing, which gives him a reasonable excuse to never have to repeat an outfit. When I asked Lonnie if he believes in repeating looks, he responded, “I do believe in repeating outfits! I buy pieces because I love them and want to wear them. I rarely care about what people have to say about me repeating.”

Eric, 35, doesn't like to repeat looks at all. He says, “I think it goes back to middle and high school for some guys. That fear of being judged for ‘not really having it like that.’ Someone is going to catch you and say you wear the same s**t  all the time. Being fly to some equates to not repeating outfits.” I can agree with Eric and Lonnie. This idea of not repeating fits can simply be psychological and subjective. I remember guys used to bully other guys in high school for repeating 'fits. I grew up with a mother and four brothers. My mom would threaten to make us repeat an outfit the first day of school if we were out of line during the summer. One school year, my brother told her that he would rather drop out of school versus repeating an outfit he wore the year before on the first day of school. So it’s deeply rooted from evil parenting tactics.

To be fair, and make sure I get a well-rounded opinion, I text two younger guys I know who grew up in this social media world we now live in that truly dictates young millennial male styles. Orlando, 23, says, “I don’t like redoing outfits at all. Girls are petty. They stalk my IG. Bruh, if I am even wearing the same sneakers, they are on it buggin' with dumb DMs like, ‘You always wear those Yeezys.' For them, it means you broke and you can’t afford to take them out.”

James, 21, on the other hand, feels “repeating outfits for guys is only an offense when dealing with certain identifiable pieces. Like your Givenchy sweatshirt you wore on the 'gram. People liked it and now you can never ever wear that again bro. You may as well put it in ‘bro-rotation’ now [‘bro-rotation’ defined: anything that a guy doesn't want or need any longer, he shares with his boys. Girls, clothes, shoes, etc.]. The rule for guys is to never wear the same thing for the same audience. Keep it off the 'gram if you're trying to repeat that look.”

So there you have it. Social media, celebrity lifestyle, bullying and women are the blame for our induced anxiety when it comes to repeating looks. So Tristan and other guys reading this, it’s OK for us stylish guys not to like repeating looks. That goes for your snug-fitting jeans, too, Tristan! The common theme for not wanting to repeat comes from trying to impress the ladies more than any of my reasons given above, sadly. To be honest, what I really want to wear most of the time is the typical male uniform: gray sweats, a white tee and some Nike Prestos. But I wouldn’t be able to write this on the behalf of all my fellas everywhere if I did. Rock on, fly guys!