Dressing Twins Alike
Dressing our boys alike is something I have had on my mind a lot lately. As they outgrew their most recent size, and as all the kids winter clothing goes on clearance, I have found myself trying to change their wardrobe. Not all their outfits are exactly the same, often we could find two different colors of a similar style. As they have gotten older, we have moved away from identical outfits and had a lot more complementary outfits. One shirt green, one shirt blue, similar look. It is easier to pick out one outfit and put it on them both than put together separate looks for each. Plus, I always feel like if one is wearing a sweater, the weather must call for it and won’t the one wearing a button-up shirt be cold? Or worse, is the sweater dressier and the other kid looks not as well put together? So much pressure.
When we found out we were having twins, I never thought I would dress them alike. I was very concerned about them not being seen as separate people. It even took me a long time to warm up to the idea of same-initial first names. But the dressing alike thing, it just sort of happened. As I found myself shopping for their tiny outfits, it was easier to buy two of the same. I didn’t want to have one feel left out. After they were born, we received a lot of clothes as gifts, some matching, some not. The truth is, I actually thought they were cute dressed alike.
Dressing them in matching outfits is easy. Except when it isn’t. It is easy because we can keep matched outfits together, pull two from the closet, and know exactly what they are wearing in a single decision. When shopping, I find something I like, I can buy two of it. Or one in each color. I know some people assign a particular color to each kid, but we’ve never done that. With the exception of their Superman and Batman outfits, we pretty much pick randomly which kid gets which outfit. However, the flip side of that is when one outfit gets soiled. Be it food or bodily function, I feel pressure to change them both. Or, when I only change one, I am generally taking an outfit out of another set, which means it will be out of rotation and need to be washed before they can both wear it. I feel an inordinate amount of pressure to keep the clothes together. It’s hard sometimes to find two of the same size, or the same style in different colors. I put way more thought into it than anyone should.
Recently they have grown into a few outfits that were hand-me-downs which don’t have matching pairs. I have been putting them into those outfits more and more, but I find myself reverting to my old habits. When one wears this outfit, the other should wear this… as though the two unmatched have now become a pair. It’s a hard habit to break.
Now, as I am trying to build a wardrobe for the next sizes, I am trying specifically not to buy matching things. I want them to be separate people, individuals. My strategy so far is to put together enough variety that they can both be well-dressed, warm (or cool) and not necessarily look the same. I have still purchased duplicate pants, seeing that they can mix and match them, and even though we have tons of pants, I feel like we are always short on pants. For the first time ever, though, I went to a store clearance sale and walked out with an odd number of items. 2 completely different sweaters and a long-sleeve polo shirt. I am enjoying the freedom of finding a shirt I like but not looking for a match for it. I have ordered some surprising boxes from ThredUp.com and I have picked up good deals in a lot of other ways. (A tale for a different day.)
My hope is to transition from matching outfits to individuals by their 2nd birthday. We have lots of clothes in the next couple sizes already, some summer stuff purchased last year on clearance which is complementary shirts or shorts. By the time they are two I suspect they will have opinions on what they wear, and they can decide later in life if they want to look alike. These boys are so different in look and personality, I don’t want them to look back and resent being dressed alike. While I am having fun picking out new things and stocking up in the next few sizes, I do miss my little munchkins in their matched sets. When I look at these photos, I see so much personality shining through, I don’t think they are too traumatized by growing up in a set.
