Reviewing my wardrobe

I bought a lot of clothes in 2023. My pregnancy and new baby (read: new body) are partly the cause of this, but I also just bought lots of clothes in general. In the past I’ve done full reviews of everything I bought, but this felt like a little too mammoth a task this year. Just know that I bought more than I did last year, and not as efficiently. There are many pieces I bought that I just haven’t ended up wearing. This has inspired me to take on a No Buy Year for clothes – wish me luck!

With this new outlook in mind, I thought it would be interesting to review the pieces I wore the most in 2023, and consider why they became such firm favourites. As it happens, nearly all of them are things I bought in 2023, which perhaps doesn’t reflect that well on my purchases of the previous years!

Boden cardigan

I bought this early in the year when I was still in the UK. I used to be a huge fan of Boden, and have spent plenty of money in their sales in the past. So with the prospect of being in the UK for a month or so, I thought I’d make the most of the opportunity to shop there again. This was by far my best purchase, possibly even my best purchase of the year, as I have worn it loads. It’s a lovely soft material in a nice neutral shade which goes with lots of the rest of my wardrobe. The ever so slightly cropped length also pairs well with lots of other things in my closet. The sparkly buttons give a little bit of interest and a slightly chic feel. It’s a piece I really enjoy wearing, and that comes in super handy for the cold Melbourne days. Overall a great purchase, and a low cost per wear.

Active Truth postnatal recovery shorts

Now for something completely different (albeit something I have paired with the cardigan above!). These shorts were a life saver in the first month or so after giving birth, and I still wear them basically all the time. They’re a really strong, supportive fabric, which makes for a very comfortable wear when you’re still in that weirdly slack/saggy/worn out mode after labour. I really noticed the difference between these and my normal running leggings and shorts, which I had previously thought were very supportive. They come in various different colours, but the black is easiest to pair. I wear them with t-shirts or oversized shirts, tucked in for a slightly Princess Diana goes to the gym vibe. The pockets are big enough for even my large Galaxy S22 Ultra, so they’re perfect for running around when you don’t want the extra hassle of a handbag, on top of a baby carrier!

Uniqlo green and white stripey shirt

I’m pretty sure this was an impulse purchase, as I couldn’t resist the lovely stripes. But it’s one that has more than earned its keep. It’s a bit oversized, which made it perfect for my growing body throughout pregnancy, and now it has become one of my favourite accidentally-breastfeeding-friendly pieces. It’s a nice, light cotton material, which makes it perfect for hotter days, whilst also layering nicely under jumpers on colder ones. I’ve worn this probably once a week, if not more often even than that, since I bought it, so it’s been a big success.

Ecco black Chelsea boots

I bought these in the UK, in Bath, to replace my Princess Highway boots which were sadly falling apart. I had been after a more classic pair of black boots for a long time, and was pretty picky about which to choose. There are lots of shoe shops in Bath, and I had dragged my poor mother and sister round most of them (some of them twice!). Finally I settled on these (well, I actually bought another pair as well, but in my defence, they are quite a different style!). They’re super comfortable, having a slightly padded insole. Due to having bought way too much while in the UK, space in my luggage on the way home was at an absolute premium, so I wore these on the plane on the way home. I did find that with the short socks I was wearing, the elasticated sides rubbed a bit, but this hasn’t been a problem since. They’ve become wet weather essentials, and as it rarely goes very long without raining in Melbourne, I’ve got an awful lot of use out of them. They proved very useful towards the end of pregnancy when getting in and out of shoes (or just any kind of bending down!) was getting very uncomfortable. So all in all these have proven to be a great purchase, and as they’re still going strong, I expect they will be for a while longer yet!

Uniqlo burgundy down jacket

I’ve written at some length about this jacket over in my post comparing it with the Kathmandu version (read here). As I thought, I still wear it a lot even post pregnancy. It’s a great colour for adding a bit of vibrancy to a black/neutral outfit, and it’s super comfortable. I wore this more than any other coat last year, and I can see it’ll still be in the top 5 (or 3, or 2?!) this year as well.

Vejas

Alongside my Chelsea boots, these are by far my most worn pair of shoes. This is my second (identical) pair of Vejas. My previous pair lasted a long time, but were finally getting a bit worn out. This pair is if anything lasting better than the last, and that’s with almost daily use. They fit me perfectly (which isn’t easy with my slightly odd shaped feet!), and can be styled with lots of different things. 2023 saw a lot of sneaker based trends, and I know Vejas aren’t the be all and end all, ‘it’ sneaker that they once were. But resisting these trend cycles is important, and in line with the philosophy of Vejas. As long as I still like them, that’s all that matters!

Atmos & Here Turquoise knit collar dress

Although I bought lots of clothes for while I was pregnant, I didn’t actually buy that many specifically maternity clothes. Mostly I bought things that could adapt to my pregnant body. This dress is my favourite example. It’s in a stretchy, soft but still relatively thick knit fabric, which stretched where my bump needed, and supported all the rest of my growing body. It felt quite chic and it was my default choice for if I needed to feel ‘put together’. Not the easiest task when you’ve got hot flushes, wonky hips, and are constantly hungry, but this dress rose to the challenge. The collar works well with layering, which I relied on even more while pregnant, as my temperature was constantly all over the place. Now I’m bump free, this dress has recovered nicely, so although it’s not breastfeeding friendly, I’m sure I’ll get a lot more wear out of it down the line.

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Those were my most worn pieces of 2023! It kind of makes a mockery of just how many clothes I own when I can choose just this small handful of items as my very favourites. Being pregnant, and even more so since giving birth, has given me a new respect for capsule wardrobes, and a new determination to cut down my closet! These pieces will definitely survive any purges, and I look forward to wearing them more throughout 2024. What were your most worn pieces of the last year? Are there any that surprised you? And are there any you loved last year but can’t see yourself wearing anymore? I’d love to hear about your experiences, so please do share in a comment!