New year this, new me that, I sit attempting to clear out clothes before I leave university… I can’t help but feel excited for the new purchases I’ll be able to justify soon. But here are some of my favourite old ones:
Denim jacket
To me, a dark denim jacket is an indispensable piece in my wardrobe – its wash makes it easy
to pair with darker colours whilst keeping to a smart casual look. Double denim done right
definitely makes a statement, the Canadian tuxedo a look I want to go back to more in 2025!
Pinstripe trousers
The pair I own actually come as part of a two-piece suit set of my mum’s when she first started
working, and they’re very simple in a navy-black and white, yet I don’t know what I’d do
without them. They’re a wonderful way to add a dimension to my otherwise plain outfits,
without doing too much.
Turtleneck
Whilst I am a scarf fiend (owner of about eight), there isn’t anything that quite says sleek like a
turtleneck on days that you just don’t want the sweat of a scarf (that comes undone), or the bulk
of it. Some say Steve Jobs, but I say ageless, timeless look, one not trendy enough not to become
the latest fad. I usually keep things quite simple when it comes to my turtlenecks, and knitwear
overall, but I came across a more detailed mohair weave a week ago, that I wish I hadn’t passed
up.
Doc Martens
Whilst these have been the most agonising shoes I have ever owned; I can’t get that joy of the
yellow stitching anywhere else! My Jadens are my everyday shoe, because they’re so versatile,
whether paired with a long dress in summer, or jeans and a t-shirt, their simplicity adds a playful,
chunky elegance.
Leather jacket
Biker, or blazer, it’s up to you, but personally I’m loving leather on me when it really fits –
nothing quite does that like-a-glove snug like a zip can. I do own other jackets, it’s just that I
spent over a year looking for mine! If you’re ambivalent about leather due to it being an animal
product, try and be sustainable by picking something up second-hand – the environmental impact
of much of the vegan leather industry can’t be good!
Still incomplete, these are some of the things I most look forward to adding to my wardrobe:
A short wool coat
A wool coat would pair so nicely with different bottoms and tops, its length offering a
flexibility to express yourself in a way that classic long coat can’t quite (without kind of
swallowing your outfit). The funnel-neck jackets have stood out to me the most, as have pea
coats, think bordering Zooey Deschanel twee, and they’re neutral, so easy to pair with various
bottoms.
A belt
Need me a good belt! Not because I lack a waist but just because I think it’d add that
dimension to some of my outfits particularly ones with shorter tops or cropped jumpers. There’s
something chic about the clunk of a belt sometimes, an easy way to accessorise beyond scarves
and jewellery, breaking up the monotony of the middle of a fit.
Fashion Velcro trainers
Dad chic? Or just ugly? Do I just want to be weird? This is a very recent want, the very unsexy,
clunk of Velcro, that feels almost a little juvenile, having only worn laced trainers for years, but I
don’t know, there’s just something cosily satisfying about them! Velcro trainers have been
lurking on the scene for a while now, gracing the Spring 2018 runways at the likes of Burberry
and Issey Miyake, but from the New Balance 8040s to the ASICS x Hal Studios Gel-Kayano
20s, it seems the world is getting ready for their comeback. Out of nowhere, two days in a row
I’ve experienced shoe envy mid-commute over these unlikely orthopaedic shoes… she will be
tuning in!
Who knows what 2025 will bring for fashion; with the emphasis continuing to shift toward
minimalism and the looming ban of Tiktok in America, perhaps we will finally rid ourselves
properly of the dizzying artificiality of ‘aesthetics’. And in its place, see the refreshing slowdown
of fashion and embrace of personal style, that’s been difficult to embrace as a generation, in the
age of microtrends.