Category / Wardrobe

etoile-isabel-marant-trenchcoat
By On In Wardrobe415 Comments

Six years ago I bought an Isabel Marant trench coat on sale in a little shop I had never heard of. At that time it was rather difficult to find anything Isabel Marant in stores and when I tried it on I was sold immediately. I loved the fabric, the colour and the length. Each spring I became more hesitant about wearing my beloved coat because I didn’t want to ruin it. Now, the colour has faded a bit and I can see some damage at the edges of the sleeves but clothes are meant to be worn so I already took it out for another spin. And guess what? I usually don’t buy backup clothing but two weeks ago I came across the exact same coat on Vestiaire Collective. I knew I had to have it. Thankfully, it exceeded all of my expectations as it arrived to today and looks brand new. This is a purchase I won’t regret.

What’s the one thing you would definitely buy again just to have a backup?

benefits-of-a-wishlist
By On In Wardrobe666 Comments

According to Italian semiotician, literary critic and philosopher Umberto Eco the list is the origin of culture. In his book The Infinity of Lists Eco describes how culture strives to make infinity comprehensible and how it wants to create order. So how do we face infinity and attempt to grasp the incomprehensible? By creating lists. It could be the collection of a museum, a dictionary but also something as simple as a grocery list, a menu in a restaurant or when we’re talking about fashion blogs, the wishlist.

For me, the wishlist is the perfect way to keep my purchases to a minimum and to keep things in perspective. Although it might sound a bit tedious, I love to arrange images of things I’m interested in, creating collages as the one above and thinking about the ways I would wear them. Next, I always take my time to evaluate and reconsider every possible purchase before I finally settle for an item. Do I really need it? Will I still like it in 6 months? Is there anything else on my list that would be a better investment? It took me years to decide on my Balenciaga bag as I wanted to be sure it wasn’t just a temporary obsession.

Clearly, this way of shopping isn’t for everyone but even the simplest of lists can help you decide what it is that you really need and/or want. By placing items next to each other, it’s easier to compare them. Would you rather spend your money on 10 cheaper H&M items you just laid your eyes on or that gorgeous leather bag that costs just as much as those things combined and has been on your list for weeks, maybe even months? Trust me, you will be thrilled with every carefully considered purchase and it will become so much easier to refrain from impulse shopping.

If you were to compile a wishlist, what would take the #1 spot?

looking back on last year's purchases
By On In Wardrobe836 Comments

To be honest, I wish I could show you guys more colorful purchases than the ones above but I’m afraid this will have to do. I think you’ve seen all of them already except for the black Everlane turtleneck on the left. Overall, 2015 was the year I started to incorporate more black into my outfits and managed to have a small wardrobe crisis halfway through despite a closet filled with clothes. Summer has never been and never will be my favourite season wardrobe-wise. So it won’t come as a surprise that most of my favourite pieces of last year are fall and winter items.

last-year's-purchases

Now onto the purchases. Apart from the Weekday trousers, these acquisitions have gotten a lot of wear. The Uniqlo trousers, cashmere turtleneck and coat are on heavy rotation at the moment. I’m also still very happy with both of the bags. The A.P.C. bag is my current go-to bag when I don’t need to carry a lot. The Mansur Gavriel bucket bag however needs to be worn more often (too afraid to scratch it). Finally the blouses are just okay for what they are. The striped blouse doesn’t look so great anymore after I wore it several times a week last summer, but what did I expect for €20? The silk blouse is lovely, but I regret not buying a silk blouse with pockets.

5 piece purchases
A.P.C. half moon bag
Mansur Gavriel bucket bag
Uniqlo x Lemaire cashmere trousers
& Other Stories silk blouse
Everlane cashmere turtleneck
Filippa K Dean coat
Weekday cotton trousers
H&M striped blouse
Mango leather sandals

style-resolutions5

The heels were a gift and bought for special occasions. Even though I don’t plan on wearing them on a regular basis, I did add them to my basics as I do feel that everyone could use a basic pair of black heels. I opted for a suede shoe with a sturdy, not too thin heel for comfort. Speaking from experience, Isabel Marant’s t-shirts are of excellent quality, so I decided to purchase an extra t-shirt on sale.

Basics
H&M sandals
Pier One loafers
& Other Stories black heels (gift)
Isabel Marant Wenji t-shirt

The items below all needed to be replaced. I no longer fit my old blue jeans and they’re a welcome change from my usual black attire. The black jeans were bought quite unexpectedly but it turns out H&M no longer produces the high-waisted jeans I used to purchase so I figured I should probably have a backup just in case they stop producing them altogether. As I’m going to try to ignore fast fashion as much as I can this year, I need to start looking into other brands for jeans (more on that in my next post about style resolutions).

Replacements
Adidas Stan Smiths
& Other Stories wool long-sleeve
& Other Stories blue jeans
H&M black jeans
H&M white and black t-shirt

That’s it! As I kept track of my purchases throughout the year, I was able to make a fairly accurate estimation of what I spent in total over 2015 on clothes and accessories. I won’t bore you with the numbers, but trust me when I say it can be confronting. That said, I was able to afford it all and do not regret investing in more expensive pieces that I know are of exceptional quality. But I should cut down on the purchases in general because at this point I have enough to wear.

What do you guys think? Is my list of purchases over the course of 2015 reasonable? And how did you do yourself?

what's underneath
By On In Wardrobe1,436 Comments

Just last week I threw away some old underwear which was in a pretty sad state to be honest. I kept remembering that one thing my grandmother always tells me: “What if you have an accident and you end up in the hospital with your worn out underwear full of holes. What will people think of you?” I figured she’s probably right and I would hate to leave an awful first impression even though this comes from the same grandmother who refused to take me anywhere when I was a teen and wearing my oversized skater outfits. So obviously I had to wear my most atrocious outfit every time we were supposed to go somewhere just to freak her out. Sweet memories!

But anyway I digress. Even though I have always settled for the most simple and comfortable underwear, I recently realised that I don’t have to compromise when it comes to looks or comfort. So I developed a light obsession with lace bras and their delicate and feminine look. It’s a bit strange actually, because I can buy the most awful looking thing as long as it’s utterly comfortable (you should see the slippers I wear at home), but when it needs to look good, I become extremely picky. So it took me a while to finally find the perfect bra. But let me tell you: even though it may not be visible, lingerie is definitely worth investing in.

Speaking of underwear, have you seen the new & Other Stories lingerie campaign? With their A/W collection the brand wants to show us a more natural kind of beauty. None of the models have been retouched, thus showing us scars, tattoos and birth marks. Another great initiative is the What’s underneath project by StyleLikeU; a project that is meant to show that style isn’t about the clothing you wear, but what’s underneath. If you have a little time to spare, it’s worth checking out some of the videos here.

 

ONLINE FAVOURITES:

Heidi Klum Intimates ($63), Simone Pérèle ($105), Kiki de Montparnasse ($175)