Winter Most Worn 2019 – My Winter Wardrobe Wear Count

The weather in Sydney has been so glorious this week, that it’s easy to forget that winter only just ended. I’ve already been flexing some of my Spring wardrobe favourites, though there are definitely a few winter style staples that I will be sad to see tucked away at the back of my closet.

Keeping up with my seasonal review of what I wore the most, today I’m wrapping up the winter closet staples that got the most wear time, as well as running through some simple observations about my style over the past few months.

WHAT I WORE

I definitely found myself feeling a little like I was in a style rut over winter. Skinny jeans and an oversized sweater was primarily my go-to. It felt effortless, kept me cosy, but often just made me feel like there was something lacking in my outfits.

Over the course of the winter season, I wore a whopping 131 items in my closet; 27 of which were shoes. Safe to say, I was pretty vigilant about rotating through my wardrobe to try and get wear out of not just my favourites, but the other beautiful pieces I own.

There’s a few things that struck me about this. First, I am lazy when it comes to washing knitwear. I prefer to hand wash 90% of my sweaters, so I’ll usually put it off for weeks, which means I’m more likely to rotate through these faster. Second, since amassing a rather healthy-sized selection of coats, I promised myself that I’d actually reach for them all – not just one or two. There were some clear winners in terms of my favourites here, but overall based on the numbers, I did a decent job of switching these out day to day. Finally, winter is the one season where I layer. A lot. Where I work in the study is located at the back of the house, and it doesn’t get much – well any, really – direct sunlight, so it can feel really cold. I found myself adding on the extra layers just to ensure I felt extra toasty.

If you’ve been following my Instagram, then you’ll have seen that despite my best efforts (as always) to try and inject a little more colour, I wore mostly monochrome. But, rather than opt for all black outfits, all of the time, I really warmed up to the neutrals trend. This felt like a breath of fresh air during a season which I usually associate with dark outfits (and short days), and was definitely where I found my new comfort zone.

So, let’s dive into those top ten most worn items…

WINTER TEN MOST WORN ITEMS

Everlane day gloves reknit (review here) | worn 27 times
Wow. So, I reached for these shoes a lot over winter. What I loved about these was how easy they were to slip on, and they were super comfortable too. I found a lot of the time if I was just at home, I didn’t want to think too much about my footwear, so the day gloves in the reknit style were a simple solution for me. I will admit that I’m still not completely sold on the high vamp, but I think if you want a shoe that is streamlined and is comfortable to walk around in all day, then these are the ones. They also come in some fun colours too!

Dr Denim faded black skinny jeans (old but similar here) | worn 18 times
Like last season, I found myself wearing these jeans most days. The faded black wash is just perfect, and they go with literally everything. I’ve always been difficult for me to find jeans with ample rise; I have a long torso and I prefer for my jeans to cut off around my belly button, and these are one of the few I own which come up high enough. Five years on from purchase and they still look amazing, and quite possibly have to be one of my best purchases ever.

Kindersalmon duster coat | worn 11 times
That draw I had over winter towards light, milky hues was definitely spurred on by this coat. The oatmeal hue was something I was missing in my closet, and the subtle herringbone design you can really only see up closet is really special. I mostly found myself wearing this open rather than belted. Definitely one of the pieces I’m sad to tuck away to the back of my wardrobe once any hint of winter is well and truly gone. It’s nowhere near my heaviest-weight coat, but I found it substantial enough to endure a mild Sydney winter. Plus, it was a little like wearing a blanket out in public, only acceptable.

Levi’s white skinny jeans | worn 11 times
Another piece I saw myself wearing a lot, just like last season, were my white skinnies from Levi’s. I’ve mentioned before that these are by no means my perfect white skinny jean, but they’re pretty comfortable and the cropped length is generally quite flattering. I wore these a lot with lighter coloured knitwear (like this Naadam cashmere), worn with loafers or a low heeled pump.

Everlane grey ribbed cashmere sweater | worn 10 times
One of my favourite winter wardrobe additions was by far this grey ribbed sweater from Everlane (gifted as part of my monthly partnership with them). The heather grey hue is muted, but added a lighter touch to my outfits, and the cashmere was ultra cosy and soft. I do find that Everlane cashmerecan be hit or miss in terms of softness depending on the colour and style, but this one has been a total winner. I got this in the size small, and it’s a very relaxed, oversized kinda fit – great if you want to throw a few layers on underneath.

Everlane black l/s mock neck pima cotton top | worn 10 times
Light layers were definitely my antidote to beating the winter chill, and this little mock neck long-sleeved top turned out to be the most versatile option I had. I have this in an XS for a figure-hugging fit, and I love how neatly it layers under both sweaters, shirts, and dresses. My knitted version of this top from Kate Sylvester got destroyed in the wash thanks to a rogue nail in autumn, so this acted as a replacement and while it wasn’t as cosy, it did the trick.

Joseph ivory roll neck sweater | worn 9 times
Perhaps the one item you won’t be surprised to see on this most worn list (aside from my Dr Denims, I’m sure) is my roll neck sweater from Joseph. I purchased this during the end of year sales at the start of 2018, and it fast become a favourite – and not a fleeting one either. The ribbed design along the sleeves and back of the sweater is really what sold the otherwise simple silhouette to me. Plus despite being 100% wool, it’s super soft and doesn’t feel a single bit itchy against my skin.

Vaneli charcoal two-tone pumps | worn 9 times
One of my favourite designer dupes I’ve ever found are these two tone pumps from Vaneli. Hands down. I’ve still not been able to bring myself to spend upwards of $1,000 on the original Chanel versions, but these do the trick, and the fact that they were more affordable means I feel less precious about wearing them. I adore the charcoal pair in particular, as they worn so well during the colder months, but look great when worn with lighter colour palettes, too.

Stella McCartney navy wool edith coat (old but love this current season one) | worn 8 times
Another favourite – and a splurge from last year – that I wore a fair bit over winter was my navy wool pea coat from Stella McCartney. This is the coat I reach for when I’m feeling really cold – it’s the most heavyweight option I own. The exaggerated pea coat silhouette is really different, while still feeling classic and timeless enough to look current in the years to come. The quality is also top notch – if I had the budget to spare, I’d definitely consider investing in another Stella coat in the future.

Uniqlo pink lambswool crewneck sweater | worn 8 times
The final most worn item of winter is the most colourful piece of the bunch; a pink flecked crew neck sweater from Uniqlo. I ended up going back in store to buy this after trying it on as part of my Come Shopping With Me series on YouTube, and I’m so glad I did. It’s one of the few sweaters I can actually launder in the washing machine without fail, it’s warm, and it’s helped to inject some much needed colour into my winter outfits. One thing I will say, is that it isn’t the softest wool – if you’re particularly sensitive you may find it a little scratchy against your skin.

OTHER REFLECTIONS

Crew neck sweater FTW | Over the years I’ve tried to invest in v-neck sweaters, but I keep coming back to the classic crew. I have quite narrow shoulders and I find that these look most balanced on me. In future, I’d love to perhaps look at adding in a boat neck style just to have a slightly different silhouette

Ankle baring | One thing I reached for the least – when it came to shoes – were my ankle boots. Instead, I opted for flats or low heels that bared a bit of ankle. I’m not sure if this is more a reflection of how I prefer to dress, or just of how mild it is, but I thought it was interesting given in previous years, they played such a big part of my outfits.

Duster coats | I was surprised to see how quickly I took to the duster length coat. It’s a style piece I only added to my wardrobe this year, yet it quickly became my go-to, especially when it was cold. Personally, I always felt more elegant in a duster coat, and the longer length helped to balance out a lot of my outfits.