Happy New Year! Yes we are twelve days in, but as I only just dragged my tree outside yesterday (condemning myself to whatever evils keeping a tree up past twelfth night conjures) and my outside fairy lights are twinkling, i'm still feeling festive. I've read several articles summarising life lessons in 2024 (including my sister Lisa Dawson's excellent Substack) which got me thinking about my attitude to clothes shopping and styling this year. So here is the getting dressed equivalent if you will: what my wardrobe has taught me in 2024 and I'll be taking with me into 2025.
Culling clothes is cheaper than therapy
A few months ago I had a spontaneous clothing clear out. I would like to say it was for reasons of wardrobe organisation; it wasn't really. I have realised this year that my approach to 'lifes stresses and strains' is deflective tidying; which could also be called self managed therapy* Method: spend an afternoon culling everything you don't love ( My aim was also to banish a lot of whim bought high street, swap summer for winter and stop myself keeping everything on the floor) Result: Organised wardrobe; Organised mind. Plus pocket money. ALL the birds etc etc. This method of therapy might not work for all but I am a firm believer.
* It could also be called procrastination.
Colour Coding is not just for Psycho's
I have never previously subscribed to colour coding clothes. I remember several years ago looking in horror at a friend's partners colour coded work shirts with the realisation he was the home counties equivalent of Julia Robert's husband in Sleeping With the Enemy. However over the years the joys of OCD have crept in, first via my bookshelves and this year to my wardrobe; and when I was having my wardrobe cull I felt compelled to arrange my clothes into colours. A REVELATION I tell you. Not only does it make me excited about putting my washing away, it makes it easier to choose what to wear, and generally turns opening my wardrobe a nice experience. What more do we need in life.
From coordinated wardrobe to actual psychopath? Images getty/imdb (Sleeping with the Enemy)
I have a uniform
Most of my life I have smiled indulgently at my mum's obsessive purchasing of almost identical white t-shirts, believing myself to be a kind of sartorial butterfly, constantly surprising people with my outfit choices from one day to the next. At 48 I finally have realised I am not a sartorial butterfly. I am a uniform dresser. My uniform favours leopard print, stripes and layers rather than the black and linen of my imaginings, but it's a uniform none the less: styles and shapes and brands I buy again and again that feel 'me'. I find this realisation quite liberating. I might want to go off road occasionally but it means I know roughly what i'm looking for when i shop, and I feel more ownership over my wardrobe. PS Yes I am jealous of actual sartorial butterflies
Not quite the sartorial butterfly I thought
There's nothing wrong with changing our minds.
I felt no love for the Mary Jane when it started reappearing on the catwalk and filtering onto instagram. The scars of the Topshop nude ballet pump of the 90's turned school run mum ran deep. The Ganni buckled pair I got last Christmas -and are now a wardrobe staple -were my soft launch back in, but i have no shame in the fact I now own a positively dainty mesh almond toed copy. The same applies to my thoughts on the gilet and the knitted tank top. Yes it might be insta infiltration, but our view on fashion is not the same as our view on world politics. It is entirely acceptable to change our minds.
Try out your 'can't wears'
This was the year I put a few ghosts to rest: pieces I have always had in my 'love but can't wear' file, that that I 'bravely' gave a go. The results? Some I realise I can manage after all :I am now officially in love with a ganni mesh underlayer that sat in my wardrobe for years, that I was convinced would make me look like a cluedo playing piece; I dabbled with waistcoats (despite a niggling feeling that with red curly hair i'm giving more Bonnie Langford in panto than i would like). I have also tried the preppy polo and the tank top without too much 'school uniform' PTSD. Other try outs I fear will never see the light of day again: The beige knitted polo neck in particular gives me Alan Partridge vibes every time i put it on, not to mention a double chin panic. However the point is if you like something give it a try.
It's about styling not shopping.
This isn't a lesson i've learnt this year but one that as a stylist I am ever passionate about: We don't need a constant influx of clothes, we just need to put them together in interesting/different ways that please us. And the more ways we can mix our clothes up the more outfits we have. Simps. The problem is we often fall in to the 'new event new outfit category, often buying entire new head to toe outfits for an event. I've got myself over this in 2024 by ignoring upcoming events until it's actually too late to find anything, and voila, something invariably works from what I already have. I'd like to claim this approach was by design but to be honest this started from good old lack of organisation.
Not me anymore (ever) ...But we dont have to be good at everything
As a stylist i will absolutely argue we can all make any item work with the right styling. However this is real life with personal feelings and associations with certain clothes. I have accepted this year that some styles just dont feel 'me' and i'm more than ok with that- too many options and life just gets confusing: A selection of dealbreakers for me: Loungewear: this just isn't something i can manage, even at home when i'm longing for a pair of tracksuit bottoms; Clean girl minimalism: I feel like a waitress even though I love on other people. boxy avant garde shapes: I'm psycologically unable to not tuck things in. I'm alright with all of these things; my time will come again.
Never ask for opinion on your outfits.
This is a long term opinion that i've made hard line in 2024. The only people who I seek opinion from are my husband ( I use him to determine what to wear based on the option he doesn't like) and my kids whose comments 'I look like a crisp packet, santa's sack, an old woman ,' are used as fuel for writing and witty repartee. If you are asking peoples opinion for anything other these two reasons I say stop: The only opinion that counts is your own.
the yellow dress is 'a sausage' the leopard 'a bag of crisps'
Just do it Yourself.
Last year I developed a habit of buying things on Vinted that I already knew most likely wouldn't fit/be quite right, but I loved them so bought them anyway. They have then hung unworn in my wardrobe as I begrudge paying for alterations when it's 'so easy' to do myself. I upgraded my ancient sewing machine towards the end of 2024, so now i'm preparing to launch into my Alterations Era in 2025. Step up too-long spotty Aligne palazzos and too-short pinstriped vintage Burberry suit. PS If you are also tempted i'm including my model here pleasingly basic rather than a snazzy electric which my super sewer friend assures me are not worth the money.
Finally STOP buying clothes.
This is my ultimate takeaway from 2024 and what i'm taking into 2025. It's easy to pat ourselves on the back for stopping shopping fast fashion - or stopping shopping new (both those are to be applauded of course). But the real win is to massively slow down all clothing purchases. Last year I removed the itch by basically not constantly tapping into the stream of new clothing online and irl (amazingly effective). I'm also trying to only buy good fabrics and uplevelled brands and pieces that I really love. So when I saw a (sustainable) mohair green jumper of dreams 70% reduced as I ran through Cos after xmas I bought it without any over shopping guilt, with the excitement of a special treat, and have since taken it out the wardrobe and admired it regularly. That people is how I plan to treat all purchases in 2025.
Last purchase of 2024 Thank you for reading! Please subscribe for regular Sunday fashion-ish thoughts. I am making a few changes with my writing this year, with a shift towards what i do in my day job - I will update here and hopefully you will still want to join me!
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