It’s the time of year for retrospectives, so let’s continue the tradition with a look-back at my favourite outfits of 2025. I am going to say this upfront: the amount of brainspace I devoted to fashion this year is a fraction of what it’s been in previous years. I don’t think I need to tell you why, but just in case you’re new here: 2025 was my Year of Writing. I wrote and wrote and wrote, to the exclusion of pretty much everything else except my family and work. There’s a deep streak of ‘obsessive loner’ in my DNA, and writing is one of those things that can absorb an endless amount of obsessive energy given the opportunity. It’s, like, a match made in heaven … but it did leave me with little to give to my other hobbies.
The good thing is that, by now, me and my personal style are old friends. We know each other inside and out, and we’re there for each other even when we (that is, I) don’t have a lot of time to spend together. Years and years of experimenting, learning, reflecting, and refining have paid off. I know how I want to show up in the world and I know how to translate that into what I wear. As I write this, I start to wonder if it’s not a coincidence that 2025 was the year I turned all of my creative focus to a different channel (my original passion) that allows me to experiment and learn all over again.
While I don’t think (or write) about style as much anymore, I still get joy from dressing up and I still ‘put together outfits’ almost every day. Including the days I don’t leave the house. Dressing is still something I do for myself, as a form of creative expression – even if it’s not my primary modality anymore.
I don’t think anyone who’s been following along this year will be surprised to hear me say that no new fashion boundaries were explored in 2025. It was more of the things I’ve loved for a while, remixed again and again. If anything, my style has been stripped back to its core elements. Less patterns, but more texture. Layering. Subtler colour palettes. Strategic accessorizing. 90s revival. And Ralph Lauren, obvi.
Let’s dive in!
Clearly, my obsession with Ralph Lauren everything is still going strong. As is my love of midi skirts and the colour brown. Putting these photos together really shows my favourite silhouettes, proportions, and outfit formulas. You can see how it’s all about remixing and layering rather than reinventing the wheel.
Seriously, I love brown so much. I was a black-loving girlie for yeeeears, and while nothing beats its crispness, I think brown suits me better – and I’m not even talking about seasonal colour analysis here.
Don’t get me wrong, I still wear quite a bit of black as well. I love pairing it with white (and adding lots of texture) or leaning into my inner goth princess. Yes, she’s still alive and kicking it alongside the Ralph-loving bougie 40-something.
Colour did not disappear from my closet entirely though!
Summer is all about boho, prairie, and western vibes. Again, you can see I have certain silhouettes and styles that I gravitate towards … though I did experiment a little bit with mini skirts this year. I love pairing them with boots, both of the cowboy variety and my Docs. I have short legs and short skirts don’t usually do them any favours, but the proportions work when there’s a tall boot involved.
One last, random collage – though, even here, you can see I’m a creature of habit. Midi skirts for the win!
And that’s a wrap on another year of outfits. Bring on 2026 … and more of the same 😉