back to basics, part ii

In my last post, I wrote about giving my wardrobe a minor spring clean, clearing out items I could no longer wear or were no longer my style, and figuring out what my dressing conundrums were. And I identified three areas that I wanted to focus my shopping on:

I had noticed from my spring clean was that the most cherished items from my wardrobe were items that were versatile. Whether they were practical, everyday items, or things that had more personal flair, they often fell into the overlapping areas of my diagram. They worked for a myriad of occasions and I always felt like me in them.

Yet when I shopped, I was rarely specific about seeking out this elusive quality. I used to think versatility meant being able to picture multiple outfits with my existing wardrobe, but that wasn't enough. I needed to ask myself more specific questions about an item's role in my wardrobe: Was it something that added life to an outfit? Was it something that would layer well for warmth and dimension? Was it a foundation piece that I would rely on to ground every outfit? 

Shopping through this lens has brought me welcome restraint. In the past, I would have been mainly guided by what spoke to my personal taste, buying pieces I loved or needed, but didn't really make everyday dressing easier or more interesting. Being more mentally organised about the function of an item helped me resist temptation more decisively.

This was extremely useful when it came to shopping the end of season sales in January. I did a clean-up of my wishlists saved on retail sites (Matches, Ssense, Vestiaire, TRR, etc), keeping only stuff that made sense in the context of the gaps I identified. There were still fantasy splurges on the lists, but overall there was a lot more focus. 

And here's what I've ended up buying so far:

Shirt from Toteme (Layering layers, "Outfit makers," potential Basics for all seasons) 

I'd stopped wearing shirts after I left my last job, as I tend to feel "starchy" in shirts outside of a work setting, especially in the more classic styles. Here in Melbourne however, the sun is intense and even on a hot day, I found it nice to have a light layer to keep the sun off my shoulders and upper arms.

I found this Toteme shirt in the Matches sale, or rather, it found me - it was a surprisingly on point "Recommended for You" item that appeared while I was browsing the site. I was intrigued, so I added it to my wishlist.

The next day, I received an email alerting that the shirt had been further discounted. Maybe I was a little too influenced by the idea of a "sale score" when I hit buy, it's worked out well. It looks like a fancy pajama shirt (or lab coat), but has just enough tailoring to feel special, and looks good worn on its own or open over a tank top or a slip dress. 

A navy boiled wool shirt jacket from Tibi (layering layer) 

This was probably my most intentional sale buy. I saw it on Amy Smilovic's IG last year, and loved how casually elegant it was, but it was way out of my budget at full price. 

I was really excited when it went on sale for 50% off, but it sold out in my size while I was still thinking about it. I nearly revenge-shopped a few items in response, but sanity prevailed and I held back. I'm not sure why, but something made me go back and check the site after a week, and voila, the jacket was back (maybe someone returned it, maybe they restocked). 

I think the jacket is a little expensive for what it is (a wool viscose blend) but my first thought trying it on was, "It's perfect". It's a wonderful shade of navy, and is as soft as a blanket and light as a feather. The cut has that intentional ease and slouch that's made Tibi so popular, and I love the room it gives me to layer chunky sweaters beneath it (something I couldn't do with my existing winter jackets). 

A cotton twill shirt jacket from MHL (layering layer, basic for all seasons)

This isn't really a sale buy; I ordered this back 2022, but I suppose it counts as 2023 since I got only it this year.

The jacket had been on my wishlist for ages on Vestiaire - I love that it has a workwear feeling but it's also clean and refined in a way that Margaret Howell does so well. Seeing that it had been listed for many months with no takers, I decided to make an offer below the listed price and happily, the seller accepted. I'm enjoying both as a shirt and as a jacket and hopefully I continue to get lots of wear out of it.

WHAT I AM EYEING

Crew-neck merino long-sleeve tees from COS. I love these; I have one I bought in 2015, and it fits me very well and I lived in it all winter last year. I feel like I could use another one, but I would really prefer not to shop at COS so much. So I'm going to wait and see, and if I do need one, I can look for something that isn't fast fashion. 

Some kind of lightweight skirt. This is probably because I still have travel on my brain after spending six weeks away from home, but I've noticed that none of my skirts pack down very well, and a nice lightweight skirt would be so great for everyday wear and travel. 

Dries Van Noten Podium pants. I am loving all the wide-leg trousers that are all the rage now, but most pairs I have seen and tried in person are never quite as voluminous as I would like. I am extremely influenced by how Tiia VM wears her Dries pants so well, so now I have a pair on my wishlist. They are quite a splurge, so I am taking my time to become convinced that I really want them before I spend the money. 

A Emery Piper sandals. I've admired these for a long time but put it off as there was no real immediately need for them; I'm certain they'll mostly be sitting in my closet because my day-to-day life requires more  foot support than these sandals can provide.

Earlier this year, I decided I wanted to try and buy only five items this year (excluding things like socks and undergarments), which was, and still is a bit ambitious. I am convinced that I will bust this limit at some point, but regardless, it has really helped to fend off impulse shopping. I've managed to not buy new clothing since January, and I am determined that if I do break this streak, it has to be absolutely worth its place in my wardrobe.