August 16, 2019

The Five Best Style Investments I’ve Ever Made

How the hell did I narrow it down to FIVE?!

This post contains ad affiliate links (denoted by a ‘*’) & gifted items (denoted by ‘ad - gifted). You can read my full disclaimer here.

Welcome to the most obvious post that I’ve ever written. A post all about the five best wardrobe investments that I’ve ever made. The pieces that might have cost a little more than my usual fare (although that’s not true for all of them), that are the workhorses of my capsule and I predict will be for many more years to come. They are all neutral, they are all items that you’ve seen approximately 1,378 times before, but I have mixed it up a little by giving dupes for each one where possible and throwing in a couple of anecdotes here and there – you know I love a good conversation sidetrack.

Please don’t making a drinking game out of this, but do feel free to tell me in the comments how many out of the five you guessed correctly. Go on, think of your five now and score yourself at the end. Anyone who gets more than 4, you’re the true MVP…

& OTHER STORIES LEATHER JACKET. Let’s get the obvious inclusion out of the way first. The landscape may have shifted quite dramatically in my wardrobe over the years; the daily-worn ballet flats for Vans*, the empire line dress-length tops for shirts, the leggings for jeans – but the one thing that has always been a constant is a leather jacket. I first bought one from good ol’ Primark when I was a sixth form student and I wore it until it had irreparable holes in the elbows and a non-existent inner lining. At that point I realised that it was something in my wardrobe worth investing in as it has lasted through my teenage years into my mid-twenties, and the various wardrobe culls that came between those milestones. So in I traipsed to & Other Stories* when it had first opened on Regent Street in London and made the most expensive clothing purchase I’d ever made. I shuddered at the £250-ish price tag, but five years later and it still looks brand new. I still wear it all-year round and I still get almost daily questions on where my gold-hardware jacket is from. Now finding one with that detail is tricky, but check out my Instagram page for highlight where I’ve collated some of my faves; this Mint Velvet Leather Jacket* is the closest I’ve found.

SHOP THE LEATHER JACKET EDIT*

RE/DONE HIGH-RISE STOVE PIPE JEANS*. This category could just really be ‘straight leg denim’ in general. I’d been a skinny jean girl since the mid 2000’s; my University days where spent wearing denim that look like it had been sprayed on and before that I was all about the bootleg. For the past three years however, I’ve been truly dedicated to the straight leg denim life and I’ve never strayed. There’s something leg-lengthening and casual about them, but pair them with a strap sandal (see below) and HELLO, you have a chic AF evening look right there. This style are my favourite that I’ve come across because they hold their shape so well and although aren’t the cheapest I’ve found, they don’t stretch and morph in shape like others. This does mean that they sometimes are not the most comfortable – especially when they are fresh out the wash – but what you’re paying for is a classic denim fit that will last you yonks (and trust me after a day of wear post-wash they are back to fitting like a glove). I’ve only just realised that they come in a white wash, which is very dangerous information for me to know. I have the black pair and the blue pair and I basically just switch between the two every darn day.

SHOP THE DENIM EDIT*

LOEWE SMALL PUZZLE BAG IN MIDNIGHT NAVY*. I bought this bag over 18 months ago now as a ‘OMG I’VE GOT A BOOK DEAL – AH SHIT NOW I ACTUALLY NEED TO WRITE A BOOK’ gift to myself, to calm my nerves and use as a tool to mentally guilt myself through the next laptop-heavy nine months. It worked. And although it took a serious amount of saving and is easily the most expensive thing I will ever purchase aside from a home and a car, I can say that it’s an investment I don’t regret making. It’s definitely not an investment you need, but if you’re considering it – it’s a purchase that I’d recommend – especially if you’ve won the lottery. My top tips? Have a think about size. I’ve got the small size, which fits in a small book, my purse, a small water bottle, my camera and my phone comfortably, which suits me just fine. If you’re in the market for gold hardware in a particular colour, stay strong. Check out the Loewe website and sit tight – they are always realising new shades with gold metal detailing, don’t settle for less than you dream bag. Finally, check out pre-loved places like Vestiaire Collective*, barely-used bags are always cropping up on there with major discounts.

SHOP THE LOEWE PUZZLE BAG EDIT*

& OTHER STORIES OVERSIZED WHITE SHIRT* (gifted). I love this shirt so much that I’ve considered getting a second as it’s basically all I wear at the moment; either with the jeans mentioned above if it’s a chillier day, or with my leopard print midi skirt if it’s a clammy day. Can’t stop, won’t stop wearing oversized white shirts. But it’s not shirt*s*, because it’s just this. It’s absolutely perfect. I’d previously bought white shirts and didn’t get the memo that they needed to be real oversized, or else you just look like you’ve got lost on the way to school. The secret is to size up and go for styles that are billowing and fabric heavy so you look like you’ve borrowed it from a guy’s wardrobe. This one is exactly that and if you fancy more to pick from check out the edit below because I found some absolute crackers. An oversized linen shirt*!! An oversized silk shirt*!! The possibilities are endless here, although I feel like a classic semi-heavy cotton style will always be my favourite for it’s year-round versatility and the fact that once you give it a steam it stays pretty crease-free.

SHOP THE WHITE SHIRT EDIT*

BY FAR CARRIE LEATHER SLINGBACK SANDALS*. These are definitely the trendiest pick of the bunch. With every other item here I’d feel comfortable putting my life savings down on a bet that they will be still be sitting in my wardrobe in five years time, heck even ten years time. But these are a choice. However, I’m three summers in to these being in my wardrobe and over the years I’ve collected them in nude, black and red. Along with my leopard print sandals that I wore for my wedding day, they make up my high-heel sandal contingent. The thing is, is they are comfortable and I’m not even chatting B-S. You won’t find me at the end of the night with these in my hand or sitting down rubbing my arches; they are a bit of an illusion as they aren’t *that* high and the lack of straps means that there’s not much there to actually rub your feet. The good thing here are there a tonne of high-street dupes, so if you don’t feel like making a major investment money-wise, there are plenty on the market to choose from so you can save you pennies to make a more ‘sure-thing’ buy elsewhere.