I’m taking the new decade as an opportunity to celebrate fourteen fabulous wardrobe items that are ten or more years old. Note that I am not including my jewellery, which is in some cases several decades old.
All these items are IN ROTATION. I wear them with great pleasure all these years later, and it’s awfully satisfying. Some of the items are wardrobe workhorses, while others come out less frequently. Some are designer, and others mainstream. Price points were high and low. Both dressy and smart casual are represented.
Looking at the collection, a few things stand out:
- The quality of each item was, and still is, impeccable
- Items are beautifully made and the fabrics are first class
- Most of the items are a dark or light neutral
- The metallics and hardware are gold
- The two non-neutral items are signature colours
- Aside from the harem pants and red satchel, the silhouettes are Modern Classic
- Aside from the harem pants, all clothing items are tailored
- Each item holds its own when been remixed with trendy pieces
- The dark blue, denim, citron and red items are worn the most frequently
Here’s a little more detail on each of the individual items.
- Ink Blue Military Coat by Stefanel: This is the the most worn item of them all, and my most worn coat of all time. It’s a wardrobe essential and amazing workhorse. It’s an excellent versatile knee-length dressy topper that looks good over just about anything. I wear this dark blue tailored military coat so, so often that I’m going to get another version to share the wear.
- Cream Military Coat by Guess: I can hardly believe that the teeny bopper brand coat has made it so far. Guess used to make higher quality items, and I lucked out with this one. It has a gorgeous floral lining, a unique dropped waist, and yummy dark brown buttons. It comes out to play every so often, sometimes for evening functions. Clearly I have a thing for military-inspired toppers.
- Citron Trenchcoat by Karen Millen: I got this for my 40th and love it as much now as I did back then. It’s dressy, shiny, and has a unique double collar. The colour launches me into orbit. I wear it with anything from jeans and sneakers, to a cocktail dress, because it’s that versatile.
- Equestrian Blazer by Smythe: This was the first designer item that I bought at a Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. It has a flounced back and cognac elbow patches that make it quite special. I love horses and use to ride a lot so it’s very “me.” Unfortunately it’s charcoal grey, and I wish it was navy. As a result it doesn’t come out to play often, but still feels special when it does.
- White Leather Jacket by Danier: This jacket is twelve years old and is in great shape despite it being white leather. It’s short and fitted, so a slam dunk over trendy and ‘80s-inspired high-rise pleated pants that I wear a lot of these days.
- Denim Jacket by Paige: My favourite and most worn denim jacket of all time. It gets better with age too.
- Gold Belt by Ralph Lauren: I picked this up for $7 at Macy’s more than $10 years ago. It’s unique because it’s a distressed gold leather that improves with age. It’s my most worn belt, although I’m not wearing belts as often on this leg of my style journey. It perfectly matches a pair of gold boots, and comes out to play a few times a year.
- Cashmere Sequin Turtleneck by Pure Amici: Twelve years old and not a hint of pilling. This pullover deserves an award. It’s tailored, and works well with flared skirts and high-rise pants. I keep it around because it comes in very handy a few times a year. I would wear it more often it was dark blue.
- Harem Pants by Ted Baker: My most worn and fun pair of black bottoms of all time. I dress them up and down every Summer. An avant-garde piece that will not date.
- Mini Crossbody Bag by Chanel: I received this as a gift twenty six years ago. It does not come out often because it’s black. It’s also a little small to carry my gigantic iPhone. But it comes out every so often as a second bag, which is actually quite practical.
- Studded Western Belt by Cobbler: My favourite studded belt of all time. I wore it a LOT when I wore belts and had a pair of Prada boots that matched it. Now it comes out a few times a year with white jeans.
- Rose Satchel by Valentino: This irreplaceable wardrobe pet is one of my most prized possessions because it was a gift from the YLF community eleven years ago. It has travelled the world with me, and I couldn’t be prouder carrying it. It gets a gentle workout every year because I want to keep it looking perfect.
- Black Moto Jacket by L.A.M.B: This is a twelve year old black moto that was brilliant at the time because of the unique GOLD hardware. I don’t wear it much because it’s black, but a few times a year, it’s perfect in an outfit with a pile of white pearls.
- Scarf by Burberry: This used to be my most worn scarf, until my polka dot scarves gave it competition. Now it doesn’t come out quite as often, but it’s still a favourite.
I will keep these items for as long as I can because they shan’t date and I have a thing for fabulously versatile and sharp classics. Maybe some of them will make it to 2030, in which case I hope to celebrate them with you again.
