The holiday season is upon us, which means a new year is just around the corner. I have spared you my gift guides and holiday must-have lists, but I still have some pretensions to being a style blogger. ‘Tis time, friends.
Time to look back upon the year and wax a little bit poetic about the things I have worn, bought, enjoyed. Nothing will be linked; nothing will be sponsored. And I hope that you, too, will share some of your 2019 favourites. It’s how we do things around here.
Today, I am going to talk about about my favourite purchases of the year, and maybe a few not-so-great ones.
I am going to leave the nitty gritty stats for another day (probably in January) but for now suffice to say that I spent less and bought less in 2019 than in 2018, although 2019 was higher in overall quantity (not cost) than most years previous to 2018. 2018 was the year when I began shopping almost exclusively secondhand (and primarily thrift), which explains the trend. Thrifting allows me to “experiment” with clothes at a low cost, which is something I enjoy a lot; the items that don’t work out for me in the long run are either sold, re-donated or swapped. So, while I cycle through a large volume of clothes, my wardrobe stays roughly the same size, and my spending has gone down, year over year. I have been getting more selective in my clothing purchases the longer I’ve been thrifting but, well, the temptation is sometimes too great. As you will see, most of my “worst buys” were not necessarily terrible pieces, but simply things that didn’t work for me, and I should have known better than to try to make them work.
Fave Purchases of 2019
Gap striped sweater (thrifted, $5) – Nothing fancy, but it’s one of those pieces that makes an outfit. It makes me happy when I wear it, and people love it – it’s a compliment magnet.
Elizabeth & James vest (thrifted, $18) – This is a very versatile layering piece, and the small herringbone print “reads” like a nice neutral. I like the elongated proportions, which make this a fun piece to use to play around with outfit proportions.
Rick Owens vest (thrifted, $8) – This was a thrifting dream come true. Rick Owens is one of my favourite designers, and finding a piece from one of his collection is special not matter what. On top of that, this is just a really cool vest, and great for layering.
Saint Laurent Rive Gauche plaid skirt (thrifted, $13) – Another little piece of fashion history. 2019 was the Year of the Skirt for me, and this was one of the items that pushed me to embrace midi skirts. I adore this skirt and it’s one of those things I can legitimately see myself (or my daughter) wearing in 10-15 years’ time.
Ralph Lauren plaid skirt (thrifted, $6.50) – The skirt for all my grown-up princess-dress-up dreams. It’s double layered luscious silk, and I love how it swishes when I walk. It’s wearable for my daily life but just that extra bit special.
Zara green leather skirt (thrifted, $11) – I don’t love the quality of this skirt (it’s okay for being fast fashion) but I love the aesthetic. I’ve worn it a lot and I have to admit that it’s holding up well. I don’t opt for the pencil skirt silhouette very often these days, but this skirt adds an edge to it that I really like.
Australian brand skirt (thrifted, $8) – A random brand from Australia that I’d never heard about, but I was immediately sold on the draping details. It has a certain Vivienne Westwood flair to it, but I can wear it to work without feeling like I’m being unacceptably “extra”. [A little bit extra is basically my whole aesthetic.]
Issey Miyake dress (secondhand, $580) – Apart from my wedding dress almost 10 years ago (and my designer bags), this was the single most expensive clothing purchase I’ve ever made. But it was so worth it. This is the dress I could wear every day, and the one I would ask to be buried in. It fits like a dream, makes me feel like a million bucks, and can be dressed up or down for almost every occasion. It’s one of my fave pieces ever, not just of 2019.
Cartonnier faux fur collar jacket (thrifted, $20) – I love this little cropped jacket; it makes me feel a little bit cooler every time I wear it.
Mackage leather jacket (thrifted, $50) – A lucky score during a thrift sale day; this is a practically new, in perfect condition. I love leather jackets, and this one has the thickest, nicest leather – and it’s very warm as well.
Favourite accessories: Napoleoni flats (thrifted, $6); Rafael jewelry (all secondhand); beaded clutch (thrifted, $10).
Worst Purchases of 2019
Staring at Stars fur vest (thrifted, $16.50) – I love this in principle, but in action it makes me look like Chewbacca. I just don’t think I can pull it off. I will either keep this as a potential Halloween costume, or swap/donate it. I have no pictures of this because I haven’t worn it.
Elevenses linen coat (thrifted, $10) – A lovely coat that I’ve worn a few times, but not my style. I will probably either consign or try to sell it directly next spring.
H&M jacquard jacket (secondhand, $40) – I fell in love with the idea of this coat but later realized that it’s not particularly versatile for my lifestyle. If I had paid $10 for at the thrift store, it wouldn’t be as big of a deal. But I bought it from a reseller and paid quite a bit more than I would normally spend on a (non-leather) coat, especially from a fast fashion brand – hence some buyer’s remorse on my part.
MSGM mini skirt (thrifted, $13) – I was seduced by the label (and the fact it was new with tags) and ignored that it was (a) too short, (b) not really my style. I never wore this, and didn’t end up selling it, so I re-donated it.
Isabel Marant blouse (thrifted, $13) – same deal as above. Not really my style, but I was simply too excited to find a “cool girl” label. If I don’t end up selling it next spring, I may end up giving it another try out of sheer contrariness. Or just putting it in my annual clothing swap. Sigh.
Your turn: What were your best and worst purchases of 2019, and what if anything did you learn from them?
That plaid maxi skirt is a dream! I ended up finding the faux leather Zara shell that you found and love it. Very versatile.
That’s awesome! I love that piece so much (it was a 2018 purchase, I think). I’ve worn it too many times to count.
My fave purchase of 2019 is a Rafael necklace that is the purple version of the blue one you have. It’s not my normal aesthetic, but I was drawn to it, and it’s getting me to be more creative with my wardrobe to work around it. I get compliments every single time I wear it.
I have two more on their way (green anchor and blue tulip) 😂
Yay for Rafael pieces. Full disclosure: I just bought another one myself. Xmas present, yeah, that’s what we’ll call it.
I love the YSL skirt you thrifted. I particularly like how you style it with the leather jacket. I also love the Zara skirt. The faux leather really works well for that piece; it’s like some other worldly liquid material. I seriously don’t know how you find designer brands at your local thrift store?
My favorite thrift this year wasn’t an article of clothing, but a throw pillow by Karma Living. It’s a super cute reindeer design with a floral crown and pom pom border edging.
Best: I intentionally shopped for evening clothes and accessories and did not have Event Panic.
Worst: I bought Final Sale from four brands I regularly wear and got stuck with pieces that don’t fit. They are in the donate pile and you can guess what my New Year’s resolution will be.
What about that orange skirt that is in the first photo in the E&J vest array? Is that not a 2019 purchase? I absolutely love it.
Definitely one of my faves! I just ran out of room on the list … there were a lot of great pieces this year.
Well, that’s the best reason to leave something out, ain’t it? Hope 2020 is equally fruitful. I don’t have access to a lot of thrift stores where I live but love learning about your purchases.
Agreed–that skirt is simply gorgeous and probably my favorite piece I’ve seen in your pictures!
My best was thrifting a pair of gorgeous tall leather Lucky brand boots with heels for $16. I think they must have been a display model somewhere–leather had a few scratches, but there was no sole wear at all. They look amazing with midi skirts and I’d had tall, refined leather boots on my to-thrift list for literally years.
Worst: Falling prey to marketing. I ordered probably half a dozen Everlane pieces over the year that didn’t work at all and had to be sent back. I do have several items from the brand that I love, but I was definitely getting carried away.
I love thrifting boots – they’re expensive at retail but are both a necessity and a style statement. Getting a good deal on a pair is the best.
Love that Ralph Lauren plaid skirt. I think my best secondhand purchases were a blue Ted Baker coat or a blazer I just got (and can’t wait to post about).
I’d say my worst was that after last year, where I had bought 40ish % of my items secondhand I told myself that this year I wanted to break 50%. Instead, I went backward to about 35%, which was a bummer.
That’s still really good! Sometimes, shopping primarily secondhand can be a challenge – it’s very location dependent, for starters.