New Additions

Converse All Star Hi 70s

COS roll neck merino wool sweater

Issey Miyake Homme Plisse trousers

Happy New Year! I hope your 2017 has gotten off to a great start and that you were able to have a restful period with your family and friends.

For today’s post I thought I would share my pick ups from over the holiday period. Well, the sales after Christmas...although sale season seemed to start before Christmas this time (pre-Brexit market worries and all that). I do not actually enjoy sale shopping that much, because it tends to be a little too frantic for my tastes. I prefer a more relaxed and slow approach to buying pieces for my wardrobe, because nothing I buy seems to sell out before I have the chance to buy it. If for whatever reason it does, then I am perfectly happy to look for something else, or if I am particularly smitten, then look for it on the second hand market. Thankfully I have a wardrobe now where I can buy pretty much any Yohji piece from the past 20 years, or select basics from whichever current season collection or store, and it works well together. I guess the fact that my wardrobe is so small means that I operate with a uniform by default, so shopping is never really a challenge, it is simply a matter of finding what feels right when I try it on.

I tend to keep a running list on my phone of pieces that I would like to buy at some point to round out my wardrobe (nothing fancy, I prefer Google Keep - Evernote is overkill for me). While most of the time the top of the list is populated by underwear and socks, I do get the chance now and then to buy something from further down the list. I do enjoy the random frivolous purchase too when I really love something, so the list is just a reminder of where to prioritise. But I buy things so infrequently, that when I do it is usually from that list anyway. Anyhow, all that to say that I was able to pick up three things from my list recently. To give you an idea of what my list is actually like the three things I checked off were - “Summer trousers”, “white trainers” and “polo neck”. I leave things purposefully vague, so that when I start looking it gives me that scope to really just have those options of which avenue I go down. I think the organic framework is already there though, so I know what I am looking for before I even start. I know that I will likely buy things in black or white. I know that whatever I buy will have to work with the rest of my wardrobe, because it is too small to really go for anything that stands alone. And I usually have a visual image of the fit and fabric I am after.

The first piece I purchased were the black Issey Miyake Homme Plisse trousers. For Summer I already have a pair of linen Yohji trousers that I absolutely adore, but I wanted another option so that I do not wear those Yohji trousers into the ground sooner than necessary. If I love an item of clothing, I make sure to wear them until I am unable to repair them any longer, otherwise they are donated or sold. I really do not have the desire to have pieces in my wardrobe that I am not happy with, so I would rather they be worn by someone who actually loves them. It is weird though, because as much as I love my clothes, and many of them contain memories for me, I could quite happily sell or donate everything I own tomorrow and start from scratch. I am more attached to people and memories than I am to material objects, which is odd, because I think that I have the personality of a collector, but make sure to hold back from collecting where possible (a collection for me is where things go to be recorded, classified and forgotten about).

Anyhow it was the shape of these trousers that sold me on them, and after reductions, they were surprisingly affordable. Expect an outfit post once the weather warms up, because I think that these will be getting a lot of wear this year. Perhaps even with leggings underneath so I have more of an opportunity to wear them, because they are incredibly comfortable and lightweight. To be honest everything I bought seems to be more suited to warmer weather, but I guess the point of having a list that I keep updated year round means I can buy things during whichever season. Indeed the merino wool polo neck I picked up from COS would seem to be something you pick up for Winter, but it is actually incredibly fine, so more suited to being a transitional piece, which is what I wanted. I have to say that for me COS really have stepped up their game in the last year or two, so I think I might have to start paying more attention to them. I have actually only started wearing polo necks again very recently, because I am at a healthier body weight, and that means I can wear one without my neck swimming in it.

And I may be a sneakerhead at heart, but you would not know it from seeing the footwear in my wardrobe. While part of me would love to pick up the original Rick Owens Geobaskets with the crepe soles (the staples can suck it though), or finally get around to the wide lace Kris Van Assche trainers, the truth is that I tend to go for simpler footwear. So I picked up some mono white Converse 70s hi tops that were going for half price. Standard Converse do not seem to agree with my feet, but the 70s models for whatever reason are super comfortable for me. I was thinking of picking up the white Comme des Garçons pair, to compliment my black pair, but they are actually more of a cream colour, so I just went for these instead. Good all round beater shoes, so no doubt they will be scuffed up and roughed up by the end of the year.

Did you manage to pick up anything nice in the sales?

xxxx