Why I’ll Never Save an Outfit for “One Day”

One thing I will always preach, loudly, proudly, unapologetically, is this: stop saving the good stuff. I’m talking about the dress you “can’t” wear yet, the perfume you’re rationing for a special night, the lipstick you’re waiting to debut. Wear it. Use it. Enjoy it. Because “one day” isn’t on the calendar, and the perfect occasion might just be today, in whatever ordinary moment you’re already living.

Lately, I’ve been watching Girlfriends again, and one thing about Joan, Toni, Maya, and Lynn, they never saved the good stuff. No matter what was going on in their lives, breakups, career stress, messy drama, they looked amazing. Joan especially? Every outfit felt intentional. She wore her clothes like she meant it. The tailoring, the prints, the accessories, each look was an expression, not just something to cover her body. In never hoarding their most precious pieces for some distant “one day,” they made fashion feel like part of their language.

Because dressing up shouldn’t be for special occasions only.

Every time you reach for the same “safe” jeans or the hoodie that’s one wash away from retirement, you’re missing a chance to live a little louder. Clothes are meant to be worn, not worshipped from a hanger. You paid for them, get your cost per wear down. Make that blazer earn its keep. Let those shoes touch the pavement. Turn that silk slip into a brunch outfit.

Fashion is subjective, nobody gets to decide what’s “too much” except you. And if it is too much? Even better. I’m firmly in the camp that it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed. Life is too short to blend into the background.

And it doesn’t stop at clothes. Stop saving your best perfume for anniversaries. Wear it to the corner shop. Let strangers catch a trace of it and wonder about your story. Don’t leave your nice candles sealed away like treasures. Light them on a random Thursday night just because the room feels too quiet. Open the “fancy” chocolates without an audience. Swipe on the red lipstick even if you’re just answering emails.

Romanticise your life. Make your own cinematic moments. Imagine a version of you who shows up for you, not for an event, not for other people’s approval, just because it feels good.We keep thinking we’re preserving these things for the “right” time. But really, we’re just delaying joy. And joy doesn’t get better with age; it gets better with use. Every outfit worn, every spritz of perfume, every small indulgence isn’t a waste, it’s an investment in your daily happiness.

So tomorrow, wear the dress. Put on the shoes. Be the overdressed one at the supermarket. Let someone wonder where you’re going and smile knowing the answer is: nowhere special. Because you are the occasion!

Written by Vanessa Twerefou