2020 clothing round up: Faves and things I could have skipped
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I wanted to do a little round up of my clothing faves and things I didn't end up wearing/loving as much as I thought from the year! I documented all of my clothing purchases in 2020 including things I bought new, secondhand, or was gifted. You can check-out detailed posts on my blog, but I wanted to do some highlights here and reflect a bit more on a few faves and things that did not work out.
Faves
Babaa No. 18 in Natural (purchased secondhand)
This Babaa No 18 in Natural is honestly my fave cardigan. I purchased this in January 2020 and it was easily one of my most worn items last year. It's a really great, heavy cotton knit and I love that it's cropped for me personally as someone who is short (5'2") with a short torso and arms. Cotton cardigans are harder to come by in the slow fashion world and I do not purchase wool; so I was drawn to the No. 18. I purchased it secondhand because I was a grad student at the time who had only really purchased one or two slow fashion items so I was a bit nervous about spending so much, but am happy I went for it. The only thing that I dislike is the brand itself - I really wish they would expand sizes because it's super exclusionary to offer one size only. I have seen folks size XS-XL wear these sweaters, but a lot of it also depends on height. If I was the same size but 5'9, I don't think this would work for me as well. So while this sweater works great for me, I do feel bad that it's super limited in size offerings.
2. TOAST Cotton Check Dress (gifted)
This Toast dress is honestly one of my favorite dresses to wear! Since I have not been going out too much this year, most of what I wear is just to wear around the house, and this dress is perfectly comfortable, has pockets, and makes me feel cute. There is no buttons or zippers or ties to mess with - it's just a loose structured dress. It's also pretty thick and substantial, so it's warm and cozy to wear with just socks + slippers. I've worn it once per week since I got it. And while I love almost everything I was gifted this year, this one is surprisingly top of my list!
3. Vintage handmade floral dress (purchased secondhand)
This dress!!!! Is like my holy grail dress!! My dream dress! The colors are *chefs kiss*. I forever love Peace Love Bear, the queen of finding awesome secondhand clothing, for finding this because this dress makes me so freakin happy when I put it on. The only thing that I need to get over is that I sometimes don't reach for it because I love it TOO MUCH and I feel like I want to be careful with it. I don't think this is the best mindset, because I should try to get as much wear out of it as I can, but that's just how my brain is :) Anyway - this dress is perfect, was handmade, has no zipper/buttons or ties (maybe this is a trend for what I love in a dress), and is freakin cute as heck. 10/10 purchase.
4. Decade Studio Bonnie Jeans (purchased new)
Jeans are so hard and something I avoided purchasing for almost an entire year. However, when I did the jean brand deep dive, I instantly fell in love with the Decade Studio brand and wanted to give them a try. They do non-stretch denim made for curves, meaning you have to get through a ~7 day break-in period for them to loosen up and perfectly hug your curves! But they did not disappoint and are easily the best jeans I've ever tried. The brand is also really awesome - ethical & sustainable practices and they are releasing their extended sizing in just a couple of months (up to size 50). I wish they offered different inseam lengths, but I know they are working on that in the future!
5.Madewell Emmett pants in Brown Windowpane (purchased new)
More pants! The Madewell brown plaid pants exceeded my already high expectations - they are cropped, straight/slightly wide leg, and fit my waist to hip ratio really nicely (not always easy!). They are so freakin cute and I want to wear them every day :)
6. Rothys
Rothys "lace up" sneakers in Vanilla [gifted] (left) and Fawn flats [purchased] (right)
I looooove Rothys! Both of these pairs were new to me last year and I love them both. They are very comfortable and I like that they are machine-washable. They are also a great alternative to leather flats/sneakers, which I avoid for ethical and environmental reasons. I have worn them both a lot since getting them and they have held up great. They have definitely earned their spot as one of my favorite shoe companies! Affiliate links to each here: Rothys "The Lace Up" sneakers and "The Flat".
Least Faves
Elizabeth Suzann Andy Pants
I was so excited to finally be able to purchase Elizabeth Suzann clothing - I got both a Harper and the Andy pants. While the fabric is beautiful, I was pretty disappointed with the style of the Andy's; they were super cropped, had no pockets, and the waistband was too thick for my liking. I ended up selling these already because I legitimately wore them once and never reached for them again.
Beaton Linen Denim Dress
I looooved my Beaton Rust gathered dress so much that I purchased earlier in the year, that I thought it would be a good idea to buy it in another color. While I love the cut - the denim color is so much more blue than I was expecting and it's been hard for me to reach for it. I haven't totally given up on it yet, but it's currently on my "might sell" list. This purchase feels like an impulse purchase as well, because I bought it when it was on sale. I think I wouldn't have purchased it if I had given myself more time to think about it, so this is just a learning moment for me and how I approach my shopping tendencies.
Tradlands chore coat
I really want to love the chore coat I have that I purchased on sale Spring 2020. However, it is a little tight across the back/arms and I have not reached for it too much since I have had it. I am still trying to give it a chance; I could see myself wearing it a lot to work in the office, but I am still fully remote until post-pandemic. So it's kind of a so-so purchase for me right now.
Pyne & Smith pinafore
I really love the pinafore style, however I probably did not need to buy two. I purchased the black originally because it was one of only two color options and then purchased the Toast brown color when it was released several months later. Having two seems too redundant for my closet, especially because I haven't reached for them too often since purchasing. I think part of the issue is that the length hits me at kind of a weird spot (right at my knee). I will likely resell one of them; just haven't decided which one yet!