Autumn/Fall Wardrobe Update #1

Acne Studios mape leather jacket, Mansur Gavriel bucket bag

Unlike this time last year, the impulse to shop has mostly subsided – unless you count my growing beauty stash – and I’ve found that I’ve been adding fewer and fewer pieces to my wardrobe. Instead of looking for something new and shiny, I’ve been turning to the wardrobe workhorses and finding comfort in the tried and true.

New wardrobe staples: I’ve been ever so diligently sticking to the 5PFW Challenge, which combined with a Fall Project 333 challenge, gave me little reason to shop. I did however pick up a couple of items, which no doubt you will already have seen pop up in a few blog posts; a black leather bucket bag from Mansur Gavriel and a pair of pebbled leather chelsea boots from Acne Studios. Both black, and both pretty well thought out purchases.

New favourites: There hasn’t been a week where I haven’t slipped into my black ‘photo ready’ jeans from J Brand. Aside from the fact that the cut is pretty flattering, they are also incredibly easy to wear. The fabric is very forgiving and they’ve become a bit of a weekend necessity when kicking around with the fur babies…

A special addition: I’m still yet to share my most recent purchase with you all (it’s coming, I promise!), so for now let’s just say I got a little lucky with a piece from Celine…

What I’ve worn the most: It’s probably fair to say that the J Brand skinny jeans have been worn the most, with my Stuart Weitzman suede loafers coming in a close second. Other pieces I’ve been reaching for a lot include one of my favourite tops from Karen Walker, my Acne Studios mape leather jacket (pictured, above), and a navy raw wool coat from COS.

What I’ve worn the least: Admittedly, I didn’t plan out my capsule for Project 333 as well as I’d initially thought; I ended up rarely wearing the Willow navy leather skirt (sadly, at least a size too big for me) or the chambray shirt from AYR.

Most disappointing purchase: I’m usually a terror when it comes to online shopping, and given my ability to recall my credit card digits off by heart, also my own worst enemy when trying to embark on a shopping ban. That being said, I spent more time window shopping than ‘adding to cart’, and only came away with one disappointing purchase for the season; the black suede heels I’d had my eye on (for months, I might add) from Nicholas Kirkwood. They arrived, and were perfect, bar the fact that I received a leather pair as opposed to suede. It took me less than 24 hours to promptly arrange for their return and I haven’t looked back. I’ve since decided to pick up a more wallet-friendly pair for the meantime, which suits me just fine given the new office I’m working in has a more relaxed dress code.

With a wedding to plan for, and four international trips on the horizon, I get the feeling that my nights will be spent hunting down confetti filled balloons and researching table settings, rather than browsing the shoe section on the Outnet and trawling the ‘new in’ section at ASOS (IMO, two of the most tempting time thieves of them all!). With this in mind, I’m hoping to put together a few quick and easy guides on how to stop shopping, and how to make the most out of your wardrobe, no matter what the season (or how many sale alerts make their way into your inbox).