I've enjoyed all the summaries popping up about favourite purchases. I bought so much this year that it's hard to restrain myself to five top picks, but here's my attempt along with some reflections.

1. The Cole Haan knit oxford. These immediately took the place of the white sneakers that decidedly did not work out. (sigh) And a more comfortable flat I have never owned. Lucky for me, they wash up beautifully in the washing machine (!) and are still in great shape after a summer's worth of heavy wear. They look great with almost everything. They are lightweight for travel, they work on my bike. They don't have the flatform/ platform I actually wanted so I could wear my full length wide legs with them, but that's ok; I have other footwear for that purpose. I love them so much that I duplicated at a sale price so I have a pair in reserve.

2. The Zara asymmetrical knit skirt. Easy to wear, adds a bit of interest to what is, for me, an essential.

3. Dries van Noten plaid trousers. Bought on consignment. They may come from a collection that's a decade old, but for me, they are new and fun! They were an instant summer workhorse, could be dressed up or down, did not show wrinkles. I always get compliments when I wear them.

4. Bernardo coat. A HEWI for me, and I got it at a steal price.

5. Paige wide leg A line jeans. Full length on me and I love the drama.

Adding another item -- the Furla satchel -- an extremely generous gift. I gave up on my quest to find bags with silver hardware. It just became impossible. But beginning with this beauty, I seem to be adapting to the gold hardware as long as it is restrained.

Of course, all of these except the shoes are blue! And the picks are "bottoms" dominant. That makes sense in light of Angie's pronouncement about my style being "trendy on the bottom." I was way overdue for a significant reset in this area and it has paid off in wardrobe satisfaction, big time. More on that in another post.