At the start of the year, I made a pact with myself. I was feeling fed up with the feeling of constantly needing to refresh my wardrobe every few months and keep up with every emerging trend, cool new brand and styling trick I saw. As you can imagine, that pesky habit of setting impossible expectations for myself and my wardrobe is exhausting. I know for a fact that I'm not alone here because after endless conversations with my friends I realized we all felt this same need to have something right this second. So I made a challenge for myself: I'm only buying 10 new fashion items this calendar year while fulfilling my shopping itch with vintage and thrift items—and I'm publishing this story to thousands of WWW readers in the hopes that it will keep me honest.
After carefully considering what I have in my closet and which gaps I'd like to fill, I came up with a preliminary list of the exact 10 items I plan to shop for. As you can imagine, there are a good number of wardrobe staples in the below list, but you'll also see that I included a few more unusual things and one downright "weird" trend, too. I'm hoping that by mapping out my fashion buys for the year, I can build a wardrobe that truly feels like me instead of succumbing to the need to dress like every stylish person I see on Instagram. With that, keep scrolling to discover my essential clothing list and shop the exact versions of each item I'm eyeing.
1. High-Rise, Wide-Leg Jeans
The ones I want:
The ones I'm also considering:
2. A Classic (But Cool) Trench Coat
The one I want:
The one I'm also considering:
3. Tailored Bermuda Shorts
The ones I want:
The ones I'm also considering:
4. An Oversize Button-Down Shirt
The one I want:
The one I'm also considering:
5. A Boxy Blazer in a Neutral Hue
The one I want:
The one I'm also considering:
6. A Compliment-Worthy, Wear-Anywhere Dress
The one I want:
The one I'm also considering:
7. Easy, Low-Heeled Mules
The ones I want:
The ones I'm also considering:
8. An "Unusual" Basic Top
The one I want:
The one I'm also considering:
9. A Sculptural Shoulder Bag
The one I want:
The one I'm also considering:
10. An Activewear Bodysuit
The one I want:
The one I'm also considering:
Next up, the one shoes I plan on wearing with my high-rise, wide-leg jeans.
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