State of the Wardrobe, 2019 Edition

2018 was the Year of Thrift. Though I have been thrifting regularly for the past 4-5 years, I kicked things up a notch last year. Nearly all of my clothing and accessory purchases (undergarments excluded) were secondhand, the vast majority being thrifted. I can count my 2018 retail clothing purchases on one hand; accessories would require an extra hand or two, mostly because I can’t seem to resist Anthro’s clearance jewelry section.

2018 was also my biggest year for thrifting designer labels. A non-exhaustive list includes YSL, Armani Collezione, Burberry, Manolo Blahnik, Jil Sander, Prada, Zero+Maria Cornejo, Roger Vivier, AllSaints, Smythe, Theory, Vince, by Malene Birger, Sarah Pacini, and Lela Rose. Needless to say, I feel extremely fortunate – nay, spoiled – by the Edmonton thrift scene. As an added bonus, it includes a wonderfully supportive group of fellow thrift enthusiasts and bloggers, who share information and tips freely.

2018 was a year of self-discovery for me, style-wise. I spent the better part of the year refining an aesthetic that feels “just right” in my current phase of life; but I have also come to realize and accept that style – which is a primary mode of self-expression for me – will never be a static concept in my life. It is a constantly evolving thing, reflective of the person I am in the process of becoming.

2018 was a purchase-heavy year. I’m loath to put a number out there, but suffice to say that it’s the second highest of the 5 years during which I’ve been tracking my clothing purchases (2014 to 2018 inclusive). Given the above, that shouldn’t be a big surprise to anyone. There are so many amazing pieces to be thrifted, and as selective as I have become (yes, really!), saying “no” to some of them is beyond my willpower. Some of them were calculated risks – some of which paid off, some of which didn’t. Some of them were impulse buys, including those of the “should have known better” type. About 1/3 of items I bought in 2018 are already gone from my closet – most of them, I hasten to add, to consignment (and the balance either re-donated or reserved for my next clothing swap).

2018 was a fairly frugal year. This might surprise you, coming on the heels of the preceding paragraph, but it shouldn’t. In total, I spent approximately $2,900 on clothing and accessories. [This number excludes undergarments, though they total somewhere in the region of $200-$250, largely because I had to replace a bunch of bras and underwear this year.] The total is the second lowest of the past 5 years. It doesn’t account for all the money I made reselling clothes in 2018, some of which I haven’t spent yet. For any fellow number geeks out there, my out-of-pocket costs were approximately 4.9% of the original manufacturer recommended retail price of the items I bought. Again, I am incredibly lucky in this regard; there is no way that I could afford to have the closet that I do have
were it not for thrifting.

A word on budgets: I keep seeing the figure of “up to 5% of net pay” being thrown around as a benchmark of what a person (woman?) “ought” to spend on clothing. I feel weirdly responsible for this, having bandied about that same number almost a decade ago; to be clear, the idea didn’t originate with me – I think I first read it in a fashion magazine, though I can’t remember – and I have no doubt that it propagated no thanks to my efforts. In any case, I think it’s a statement that should come with a huge caveat, and I feel obliged to include it here. It’s mostly bollocks. There, I said it. There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to discretionary spending of this sort, even with the wiggle room of the implied range (0-5%). On one end of the spectrum, there is a base level of clothing needs which have to be met no matter the person’s income, debt level and/or other financial obligations; sometimes, 5% won’t be enough (at least for a period of time). On the other end of the spectrum, people value different things; some people value and prioritize clothing over other discretionary spending (assuming there are available dollars to begin with), while others most certainly don’t. For me, $2,900 is an acceptable amount to spend on something that is both functional and a hobby. It doesn’t interfere with my day-to-day financial obligations or my family’s long-term plans, and it appropriately reflects the value I place on clothing (and shopping as an activity/hobby). To me, that’s far more important than the fact that it also, coincidentally, fits within the “5% or less” range.

Lastly, 2018 was a year of constant curation. My closet hasn’t magically grown in size – alas! – and I’m sure you can imagine the challenges posed by a steady incoming stream of new (to me) purchases. My wardrobe numbers have been pretty steady throughout the year; I haven’t bothered to go back to check against last year’s tally, but I think they are similar. The current numbers are:

Tops – 33

Sweaters & cardigans – 41 (I think this number went up, oops!)

Blazers – 27

Pants (including jeans) – 28

Skirts – 15

Dresses (including special occasion) – 33

Outerwear – 14

Shoes – 49

Bags – 33

As far as goals for 2019, I don’t have any major ones. I plan to continue limiting retail purchases as much as possible; I would love to say I will go “secondhand only” for the entire year, but I don’t think that’s realistic and I’m not a fan or arbitrary challenges. Since my closet is not lacking for anything (except a couple of replacement pieces here and there), I plan to focus my thrifting efforts on favourite designers who cater to my aesthetic, to either expand my current collection of statement pieces or upgrade existing wardrobe staples. But, let’s be real, I am sure there will be more than a few “experiments” along the way as well, and I’m okay with that.

Do you have any wardrobe/shopping goals for 2019? Would love to hear from you in the comments, especially if you’ve been tracking your closet stats this past year (or before).