When is it a good idea to invest in multiple colours of an item?

When it comes to fashion advice, one thing I hear quite often is that when you find something that you love, to buy it multiple colours. After all, if something works and it looks great, why not guarantee you can wear it more often by embracing it in different hues? I’ve done it myself, and I have friends and work colleagues who are big fans of doing this simply because it ensures the wearability of one’s wardrobe.

So, is it really a good idea? Well, I for one am a big supporter. On most days I like the process of getting dressed to be somewhat on autopilot. I like to look in my wardrobe and see pieces that I know are guaranteed to work and can be worn in different ways. I’ve found that when an item a) suits me b) works back with my overall style aesthetic and c) fits seamlessly into my existing wardrobe, it’s actually smart to invest in more than one colour. Think about it—if you know it already works, isn’t it better to spend your hard earned fashion budget on an item that you know is already a no-brainer, but just refresh it in a different hue? For me, it’s a much more strategic approach and ensures a well curated closet.

The thing with this game plan is that you want to ensure that the item really works before you buy it in other colours. Often I won’t go back and purchase additional hues until I know I’ve well and truly given said item a workout—that is, I’ve been able to style it into several different outfits and have felt happy each time I’ve worn it. This way, I can ensure that I am definitely going to wear it again and again, and therefore an additional colour will not go to waste.

I tend to do this with basics in my wardrobe as opposed to statement pieces. For example as above, I bought the same top in a dark and light hue, because it’s a staple that can be re-styled multiple ways. I could also see myself doing this with a shirt or jeans or pants. This works as a wardrobe basic is chameleonic in nature, it can take on different iterations and work. I wouldn’t take the same approach with a dress for example, because I tend to like my dresses to be mini statement pieces on their own given I don’t have to pair them back with something else like I would with separates.

A multi-colour approach is definitely a smart move when you find something you love, that you know works. It opens up myriad outfit options, but also refreshes the existing outfit combinations you’ve already created with the piece in the original hue. It’s definitely one way to help ease the think work that goes into pulling together an outfit everyday, as you’ve already got something that’s guaranteed to work at your disposal.