Erm, let’s just say that it didn’t exactly go to plan…
At the beginning of the year I set out my capsule wardrobe practices for 2020. I was young back then, so naive. The bad ‘C’ word was the one that Ericka Jayne from RHOBH has as a necklace around her neck and I had yet to find 17,87 spouting grey hairs from my scalp. I thought I’d be able to get through the year without making any rash clothing purchases – WHAT. A. BREEZE. Easy peasy right? How wrong I was… I checked in mid-year to let you in on how things were going. I didn’t rate my efforts that highly in that post, but looking back I’d managed things pretty ok. Could I be making more ‘more‘ sustainable purchases? Oh sure. Could I be spending less and buying less overall? Of course. But it wasn’t horrendous. That my friends, has changed. And if I’m honest, this has been a post that I’ve been dreading doing the spreadsheets for because I knew it would just be soooooooo bad. And surprise surprise, IT WAS.
Horrendous in what way you ask? Well, I basically failed at every single goal I gave myself. I’ll share the gritty details below, but overall I’m just disappointed in myself at the sheer amount that I’ve spent on clothes in the past 12 months and therefore the volume of clothing I’ve purchased. It’s a lot. I feel like we should all exercise caution when it comes to evaluating resolutions that we set for ourselves at the beginning of this year – for obvious reasons – but completely disregarding a clothing budget feels like a frivolous move. I blasted through 50% of my yearly spend on clothes over the months of August, September and October which handily coincided with our most stressful months of the year as we sold our flat and moved back in with my parents temporarily. ‘Oh my psoriasis is terrible and I’m getting daily headaches, but I’M FINE!!!‘ At a time when I should have been saving the most, I was indulging in retail therapy like there was no tomorrow. But that doesn’t feel like a just excuse, and even though it’s been a *year*, I have to find more effective and less spendy ways of coping with my stress levels. Like pick up a book woman! Knit! Watch back to back episodes of Real Housewives! Just stop browsing Vestiaire Collective* like it’s a competitive sport.
An Open Book…
What I wrote in January 2020: ‘This year I want to share with you E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G that enters my capsule wardrobe. That’s items that I’ve purchased myself, sale bits that I pick up occasionally, gifted items, clothing pieces that get added in through jobs that I’ve done, the lot.’
I feel like if we’re looking at my aims for 2020, I haven’t done too terribly at this one. I’ve shared hauls that have been reflective of what’s been added to my wardrobe at that time and I’ve kept up with that eye-popping spreadsheet too (more about this in the next section). I might not have shown every single new item in a haul video, but I share new bits that I pick up on Instagram and Instagram Stories – so everyone is kept in the loop, you know? I’ve done the maths and 17% of what’s been added to my wardrobe this year has been gifted, leaving 83% of items that I’ve purchased with my own money. In the past two years I’ve really scaled back on the gifting, only accepting items that I know are true ‘hang around on my rails for years’ pieces and declining the rest. Like my last check-in I think keeping some kind of log of what I wear everyday would be a good experiment for next year to see how I really wear my wardrobe day in and day out. Has anyone done this? Recommendations welcomed!
Be Real About Budget…
What I wrote in January 2020: ‘Hello my name is Anna and I spend way too much money on clothing. It’s a tricky one as the contents of my wardrobe is partly related to my job and ultimately my income, but I know that for the past few years I’ve spent a disproportionate amount of my earnings on clothing and that’s something that I really want to put an end to this year.’
Yeah with this one I actually just can’t – the total figure is too gross. It’s always a tangled web for me because buying clothing and sharing links is a chunk of my income. So although the total figure is just like WOW, it’s also tied to my business in a way. But like I mentioned at the beginning of the year there is still a way to cut down on this figure and decrease my overall spend. One good thing that has come from this (I’m grasping at straws here!), is that damn spreadsheet. It might have been something that I’ve dreaded filling in, especially as the end of the year has rolled round, but it feels like a good way to hold yourself accountable. I keep track of all new clothing and accessories that I add to my wardrobe – whether they are purchased by me, or gifted, or part of a piece of work I’m doing with a brand. I note down whether they are sustainable or not (sometimes a grey area but I make notes of that), and the price. Having all of this data has enabled me to see exactly what I’ve spend, where and on what. For example I purchased six new coats and jackets – my word – but then only one new dress. 10 new vests and t-shirts, but two pairs of shoes. Also please don’t let me buy another piece of knitwear ever again – I’m not sure I can ever find the courage to divulge that number…
More Second-Hand Clothing…
What I wrote in January 2020: ‘This one does what it says on the tin. I hope that my hauls over the year contain more vintage and second-hand items than ever before.’
Well if I’m really reaching here, I guess this is one that I actually achieved because my hauls over the year have contained more vintage and second-hand items than ever before. As the year progressed I started to become a bit stricter with what I’d determine as a ‘sustainable buy’ – citing it as such when it was a second-hand piece, but not when it was made from a recycled fabric from a high-street retailer for example. 27% of all items that entered my wardrobe in 2020 fell into the stricter ‘sustainable buy’ category. Now that’s definitely not as high as I would have liked it to have been, but it’s a step in the right direction. I still think that Retold Vintage and Wear Not New have a great vintage selection, and I love Curate & Rotate too for pre-loved pieces (and she’s starting sourcing for the general public next year and she’s brilliant at it!!). And as I mentioned earlier I have firmly got to grips with Vestiaire Collective* and it’s just brilliant – designer finds, pre-loved, for a fraction of the cost. My advice would be to search on there for a particular piece – like my Toteme Annecy Coat* – set up an alert, download the app on your phone and then you get a notification each time a piece that fits your criteria is added. And I wonder why I’ve blasted my budget this year, eh?
So overall this isn’t the ‘WOAH GO ME POST!’ that I naively expected at the beginning of the year, but hey has this year gone to plan for anyone!? Probs not. I’m going to take a bit of time to mull my not so surprising findings over the holidays and I’ll regroup in the new year with a reviewed game plan. I think it’s fair to say that the ‘capsule’ days are well and truly over. But maybe there are some ‘no buys’ I can join in on, or as I mentioned some way of tracking what I’m wearing? Just something to get the fun back into things, but without the buying.
In all seriousness though I just want to say a huge thank you for your support over 2020. It means the world that so many of you still come and visit this corner of the internet and thank you so much for your continued viewership over what will have been a pretty grim 12 months. I’m sending so much love, good health and positive vibes your way and I hope you all have a chance to rest and relax over the Christmas break and new year. Stay safe and I’ll see you on the other side…
Photos by Mark Newton
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