Happy New Year!
I’m thrilled to see the back of 2020, as many of us are I’m sure. I can’t pretend that the past year hasn’t been an incredible uphill struggle, or that I even feel too hopeful about what is still yet to come, but I’m trying to stay positive.
And trying to distract myself as much as possible, starting off with tackling some trivial things – like having a closet clearout.
This is frankly an enjoyable process for me - I love the feeling of purging the unnecessary.
And there’s an awful lot of it to be purged, so I’ll be talking about some things I will be getting rid of.
But first, the infinitely more fun part… a few items I’ve recently added to my closet or are on my wishlist:
LK Bennett Charlee Jacket - This has been on my wishlist for what feels like an eternity, and I finally pulled the trigger. It’s more lightweight than I had imagined, which I initially felt disappointed about (I seem to illogically equate thickness with quality) but that’s nonsense, as it makes for better layering, easier movement, and I’m always warm anyway.
Margaux Demi ballet flats – I like Margaux because they make the common-on-the-continent ballet shoe of Spain/Portugal easily accessible for all, and seeing as I shan’t be travelling there anytime soon, I made the most of the Margaux Black Friday sale. This Saddle pair are a rich, toffee-like hue. I’ll likely go into more detail on my Margaux pieces at a later date.
Hermes Kelly belt – I’m not even sure how I came across this particular belt, but I just *love* it’s sleek look and the simplicity of the fastening. It’s adjustable too so no overhang (although I usually just make a feature of this with no qualms), and can we worn both on waist and hips. An almighty price though so I’ll keep this one on the long term wishlist and hope for a good second hand buy to crop up..
A trench coat in a different shade – I own too many in the classic trenchcoat hue, but I wouldn’t mind one in a darker brown, navy or black. I’ve heard good things about this one, and it’s pretty inexpensive.
Everlane’s Cheeky jean – Both the curvy cheeky and the 90’s straight I’ve seen reviewed plenty a time (eg here), and I’d be happy to try either. I’m specially after a jean in off-white or washed black, and handily these come in both.
The everlasting hunt for the perfect trainer – Still on it. I recently saw this taupe pair that could be a contender?
White and cream basics – I know we’re heading out of winter now (thank goodness), but I’d still like a white wrap coat. Part of me wishes to save up for a Max Mara, whilst the rest of me thinks that may well never happen! A white/off-white tie-neck blouse is definitely up there on my list too. It seems like a pretty elusive find – well, a perfect one anyway. I have a navy polka dot version from J.Crew which is sublime, but I think they no longer, if ever, make a white. A big shame.
The Chanel-esque cardigan – You know the one, with contrast trim details and either pearl or gold buttons. I’m slightly enamoured. I already own one with a white base and black trim, and recently found the reverse in a discontinued Zara piece – new-with-tags on Ebay yippee! Fortunately they’re everywhere at the moment, from Gerard Darel to H&M. I’ll link a couple, along with some other items for you:
Pieces I haven’t worn since 2018.
This would ordinarily be items I haven’t worn for a year, but as 2020 was mostly spent indoors, I’ll give a few things the benefit of the doubt.
Clothes in far too small a size.
I’ve been pretty much all sizes in my lifetime, from a gaunt and waif-like size UK 6, all the way up to a Ruben-esque 18. I’ve never really had a healthy cognition of weight and sizing and I’ve always thought I’d settle back to a ‘comfortable 10-12’ but realism has since showed me that’s not where my body is naturally supposed to be, and so the size 10 clothing I’ve held onto in some sort of false hope, really has to go.
Costume jewellery.
I have a post coming up talking about jewellery because I’ve finally found peace with it, and my once higgledy piggledy mass of mismatched pieces has become a lot more streamlined, and so my cheap, meaningless jewellery is on the out.
Poor quality loungewear.
I used to just wear any old thing at home, spending little thought and money on these pieces as ‘no one else is going to see them’. But aren’t these the items we should arguably spend most on, in a way, because we wear them so often? This past year has definitely taught me so, being home such a lot, and it’s a small luxury to clothe yourself in better quality loungewear. Goodbye threadbare joggers.
Uncomfortable shoes.
I am, I have found, a shoe hoarder. And also one of honeys and other bougie pantry ingredients but that’s positively tangential.. I have shoes from my teens and I turned 30 a couple of months ago. With the number of good quality, stylish and comfortable options now available, there’s no excuse for uncomfortable footwear. Bar the ‘sitting down only’ sort of shoe you’ll suffer for a meal out because they’re so beautiful and/or expensively precious, the rest are going.
Anything too frilly, pastel and twee.
It’s hard to describe exactly what I mean here because I still love ruffles and a level of fussy clothing detail, but compare the feel of my IG feed a couple of summers ago vs this summer. Whilst the former got far more likes and attention and all that, it’s really not me, or not anymore, and I like things a little more relaxed now. My personal style has just ‘calmed down’ – the older I get the more mellow I become, and as do my style preferences.
xx
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