It’s been a busy year and I’ve been away from you fab people for a while! (Still reading, but rarely commenting.) I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s end-of-year summaries and it inspired me to look through my own purchases.
A few themes and MVPs stand out:
Denim: I live in jeans, and I had to replace almost all of mine this year. I went up a jeans size this year: some combination of turning 45 and taking six months off of dance because of injuries. (I just finished PT and I’m cleared to go back to my usual amount of exercise!) I bought five pairs of jeans and all were winners. Most were mid-rise, straight leg styles, some in a baggier 90s style and some a more classic cut. One surprise winner was the CoH horseshoe jeans, bought used. They’re a bit overwhelmingly large on my short legs, but they’re my weekend go-to.
Silk: Quince’s inexpensive washable silk became a huge staple for my work wardrobe. I got a few buttoned shirts (the two-pocket utility shirt is perfect), a tee, and a few other items. I also finally found Cuyana’s cropped silk tee on Poshmark at an affordable price. All get frequent use, and I’ve worn fewer cotton tees as a result.
COS: This store is definitely the 2023 MVP for me. I bought six items that were all complete winners. They’re interesting, versatile statement items. A boxy cotton lace shirt, a wool overshirt and mini skirt that look great together, a cropped overshirt, a striped sweater, and their popular crossbody bag that’s great for travel and daily use.
Shoes: I finally found ballet-esque flats that stay on my feet: Madewell’s Greta flat with an elastic mary jane strap! I also found a pair of Dr Martens on Poshmark, monochrome black 1460s that I wore nonstop. And, in another echo of my teen self, I shifted back to wearing Converse much of the time. The Lift platform style fit me perfectly, so now I have them in classic black and white, lilac, and silver leather. I still wore the more polished shoes I already owned, but the new additions were all about casual comfort.
Skirts and dresses: Despite a lifetime of wearing jeans, skirts have appealed to me a lot recently. I bought a silk maxi skirt from Quince that's a total HEWI and a silk tee dress that has turned out to be great for casual social things. Also found a nifty denim shirtdress at Madewell. And the new COS mini skirt has gotten a lot of use along with a few skirts I bought last year.
Assorted other winners: A fantastic classic wool peacoat from Zara, a jean jacket from Everlane (bought used, an identical replacement of one that was stolen out of my car). I found my HEWI scoop-neck tank tops at Madewell. Quince’s cotton boyfriend sweater is perfect; I’ve been wearing chunky pullovers more than fitted knit tops recently.
Not winners yet: I bought several pairs of nice wool work trousers over the past two years and some were too small before I even got to hem them and wear them! I’m holding onto some of them.
Travel fashion fun: I spent a week in France this summer for a work conference. I didn’t have time for any real shopping but I did stop into Arket and COS stores near my hotel. Arket isn’t sold in the US but it would be a favorite if it were. I came home with some wool trousers from COS that weren’t on the US site and an excellent oversized tee from Arket. I also went to New York several times, work conferences with a few extra days tacked on, and I had fun wandering Brooklyn and Soho. San Francisco has been pretty quiet the past few years as we come back to life slowly from the pandemic, so it was nice to have a change. I was very pleased with my wardrobe for all of these trips!
(I've highlighted the winners but alas, there were also some misses and some meh items that just take up space in my closet.)
