5 piece French wardrobe SS15 update

Even though we’re only half way through summer, I wanted to do an update on my recent acquisitions for SS15. Truthfully, I didn’t put much effort into the 5 piece French wardrobe this season. Summer has never been my favourite season, wardrobe-wise and in the past my outfits tended to consist of jeans, a t-shirt and shoes I would wear throughout the year. So I was excited to finally find some summery pieces I actually liked. Okay, so the coat doesn’t count, as it obviously isn’t meant for summer. But more on that later.

First off, I bought three pairs of shoes. Two pairs of sandals and a pair of loafers. The first pair by H&M turned out to be a good ‘investment’. I’ve worn them countless times already and they’re super comfortable. The last time I wore sandals must have been 7-8 years ago as my feet are terrible at adjusting to flat unsupportive shoes. But these are great, albeit not very work appropriate. So in comes the second pair of sandals by Mango. I got them on sale and they’re fully made out of leather. Not bad for €28. However, the last pair of shoes got me most excited. It has been so difficult to find the perfect pair of loafers but these are just what I have been looking for. I’m surprised about the way they instantly elevate an outfit and I’m pretty sure my colleagues are just as excited as me because I’m no longer wearing those worn out Stan Smith sneakers to work.

Next up, the pair of grey trousers. I still love them but I didn’t wear them as much as I expected. They’re a little out of my comfort zone and so I mostly wear them in and around the house. A shame really, as I suspect no one give a sh*t about what I’m wearing outside when it 25-30 degrees celsius. And yet I feel too self conscious, ugh. The blouse however was definitely one of my best purchases of the season. I love how it’s so comfortable and airy and yet still very chic. I suspect I will still be wearing it during fall and winter with a blazer or underneath a sweater.

Finally, the best purchase of them all. Last winter I fell head over heels in love with this gorgeous Filippa K coat. But I couldn’t justify it’s price tag. At €450 it was definitely beyond my budget at the time. But most importantly, when looking at it from a cost-per-wear perspective it just wouldn’t be reasonable since I own too many coats already (such a weakness of mine). But then, last week I wanted to check out the brands new coats for the upcoming season and I landed on a website with this coat, in my size, with a 70% discount. Obviously this was a total no-brainer and so I ran for my credit card (literally). It’s as gorgeous as I imagined it to be and I was sweating like a pig trying to take an Instagram worthy picture of myself wearing it in 26 degrees celsius weather #instagramstruggles.

So there you have it. I once again fell for fast fashion and I exceeded my 5 purchases a season limit. I still believe in investing in quality pieces and will continue with the 5 piece French wardrobe for now. It just didn’t feel right to spend a lot of money on items such as sandals because knowing the weather here in the Netherlands, you’re lucky if you get to wear them for longer than a month. Did I need two pairs of sandals? No. The H&M ones were a rather impulsive buy, just like the blouse. If I had run into the Mango sandals earlier, I most likely wouldn’t have bought the other pair. But I’ll try to compensate next season. At the moment I don’t think I need anything for fall/winter so maybe I’ll stick to one or two (more expensive) purchases if I come across anything that will be a nice addition to my current wardrobe.