Notes on Styling | 26 | Things on my Wishlist
Everlane city boots, a COS coat and those Agolde Jeans...
I woke to a lovely text this morning from a client I had last year. She left her job earlier this year and is returning home today from finishing a yoga teacher training course in Portugal.
My heart is so full for her. I know what it’s like to throw all the cards up the air, to step out of life as you know it and follow a dream. It’s magical, scary, and overwhelming.
Change really is a funny thing. It can seem sudden from the outside, but really, change happens in tiny little steps over a much longer time. And it never feels sudden to those within it.
It feels anything but and many little things along the road contribute to giving us the courage to take that step that scares us more than anything.
I’ve come over time to believe that clothes don’t cause big internal changes but they do help us see ourselves differently and that can indeed be a seed of change.
Our wardrobes are small spaces with very big feelings. They carry so much of us within their doors. What you choose can be one of the little things that gives you the confidence and courage to let go of other people’s expectations and see the world through your own eyes again.
It isn’t even about the perfect outfit either but through the exploration of your style and what you love it’s about a fresh perspective and a more self-confident personal lens so other possibilities open up in front of you. Possibilities that are not even about clothes.
A small but pretty magical seed of change in my book.
I wanted to share some things today I’ve been saving in my buying slowly folder (read about this funny little folder here) that I have been mulling over and exploring for my own wardrobe this season. As this little folder is my catch-all before I buy anything, I have a range of bits to share from boots to bags to interesting jumpers….the beauty of slow style exploration..
Along with my style notes, I hope you enjoy and I hope you have your own little style lists being formulated, mulled over and enjoyed this week with as little Black Friday buying stress as possible!
Jx
Large Meret Crossbody Bag £210
I am a firm believer that it’s the accessories and shoes that make the look. Leaning into your Style Words and having a template of ideas and concepts to follow along with helps you add to that personal shopping file with all the wiseness of the wizziest personal shopper. This Jigsaw bag has been in my Buying Slowly folder for (it’s fair to say) 3 months now and I have not given in, which leads me to my second pick.
Smaak Amsderdam’s Lola Bag in Black (reduced already to €215)
This is really the bag my wardrobe (and life) needs. The kitchen sink bag. The laptop bag. The HOLD IT ALL. I’ve never actually had one I really love. This might be it. Smaak Amsterdam opened their Black Friday sale Friday gone and well yes, I think I will nab this while the discount is on.
The Leather Shopper Bag from Mango £59.99
I had also saved this suede shopper bag. It’s real suede and looks like a really nice option. Would fit just about everything essential, just not the kitchen sink.
& Other Stories The Asymmetric Crop Top €59
It is seldom I am drawn to any colour at all :-) but something about this little top feels modern and interesting. Love the cut & the neckline. Love that it feels modern yet has a softness to it too. If I do go mad with a little colour, cool tones would be my thing, hence the blue. On balance, If buying I would probably pick up the black. The model wears a 36, I would probably go up a size to 38 to make sure it fits neatly but not too neat (if ya know what I mean).
Love this little top. The simplicity, the pared-back feel but also the soft girlie edge. I can see this layering under different cardigans or just to give a little hint of lace under an otherwise simple outfit. Love the cool tones too. The deep but soft brown with a soft blue pairs so perfectly.
Sezane Gaspard Cardigan in Camel £95
The high street and online brands are now in full cardigan season. It’s like to first look at my wardrobe in terms of what basics will serve me best and work across trousers and other outfits as a layer. That’s why I love the Sezane Gaspard cardigan. It’s just a winner. It comes in lots of colour ways which I love for client styling. It’s also reversible so the buttons can be worn at the back. From seeing on others it is a little oversized. I would probably buy a M because I like an oversized fit so consider what you would like to wear this with and size accordingly.
Remaining firmly in the cosy picks, this is another winner. And really reminds me I am a creature of habit! I have this in black and an oatmeal from a couple of seasons ago and I just love it. It gives very Toteme oversized vibes. The sleeve is ALL there, quite long and relaxed. The perfect hugging a coffee cup winter layer. However, if you hate anything hanging loosely, this sleeve will not be for you. I really love this tone (mole melange) and would pick this up in a S (that’s the size of my black and it is still oversized and did stretch a little).
Arket Fine Knit Merino Jumper (Mens) €59
Looking at my wardrobe, what I’m not getting enough wear from are a pair of white Mango dungarees which I love and I would really like to style in a cosy winter way! A fine knit like this for me in a darker tone brings an interesting dimension to the white, teamed with a black leather ankle boot. For me, white feels good in Winter. It feels sharp and less girlie (in how I style it) and that’s a vibe for me! I also much prefer the Men’s section for items like this Merino knit because a) fit can be more generous b) if you are into darker, autumnal and neutral tones, menswear tends to have more choice.
Uniqlo 100% Extra Fine Merino Crew Neck Cardigan £34.99
In the spirit of finer layers for giving your styling new dimensions (and warmth), I love Uniqlo’s options. I cannot believe I am saying this but I came across this exact little cardi this week in my local charity shop with the tags on. There was actually a couple of items someone left in. A win for me. It cost £4.50. It’s in an xs which I thought might not fit but it actually does (even room for a little string top underneath) so a great neat layering piece. I would 100% buy this at full price. It is 100% wool.
Boden Embellished Yoke Jumper £120
It’s amazing how colour can impact how you feel about an item. You will see this comes in a cream with a colourful pink and green pattern too. Absolutely not me. But isn’t that what we want - to know more instinctually what feels good and why. I love the neutral, simple feel of this colourway, plus you still have the nice softer little details on the sleeve and neckline. I do wonder if it is a little girlie for me but it’s been saved for a couple of weeks and I’ve been enjoying coming back to see it and think about it!
& Other Stories Merino Puff Sleeve Cardigan €89
There is something about this Cardigan that draws me in. Strangely, I love a little lemon! It’s a weird one for me. I have a cool skin tone so most cool tones from lighter tones like lemon or baby blue, feel good on aswell as all the deeper tones I love much more like navy, black, and charcoal. Every now and again, I like to go off piste and see how different tones feel and this is one I am curious about. Love the shape and the ribbed detail. It ticks a lot of boxes.
Hush Tessa Crewneck Jumper £129
This is a wild card for me but I do love. It’s definitely got to do with the colour tones. all the cools. The relaxed feel. My struggle with this would be to make it feel nice and smart and not farmer goes to market….not sure I can pull it off but I like to save it to my little buying slowly folder and mull over it :-)
H&M Jacquard Knit Jumper £27.99
Maybe this would be a better buy to try this style out. I like the colour tones here better perhaps. Styling is all a lovely game of giving it a go…
COS Belted Double Faced Wool Coat £225
I mean is it even winter if we don’t assess the coat situation? My wardrobe needs a cosy black coat. I found my current dressier black coat in an amazing vintage store in the states about 7 or 8 years ago and it’s been going strong ever since. No particular label, just the most amazing coat. The LINING and weight of that coat. God. They just don’t make them like that anymore. I’m not sure about this COS one but like the idea of something belted, which feels more relaxed and could be more easily styled with heels/ dressier aswell as elevating cosier everyday pieces. Might buy and try and see how it feels. Their oversized rounded wool coat (which is now sold out) I tried on in store a while back and loved but somehow I did not feel cool enough for it (lol). That and the sleeves were a bit too much even for my oversized sensibilities.
Everlane’s City Boots (reduced to £189).
Ok, I might have already bought these! They went on sale last week and that was that. I have them saved in my Buying Slowly folder for about 2 months waiting for this moment. They were originally £270 and are just the most perfect soft square toe, everyday, elevated but cool leather boot. I. will. wear. to. death. They come in some really nice suedes too. I bought a US 8.5 which translates as a size 6.
Mango Leather Boots with Kitten Heel £89.99
The perfect high street pointy boot for Christmas? Pointy but not too pointy! A nice heel and leather. Love these guys but ultimately I know I will wear the Everlane boots more but a girl can save an item without buying can’t she?…
Agolde Low Slung Jeans in Paradox from Folk Clothing £300
If you’ve been here since I started Substack you might remember me styling the white version of these best-ever jeans during the summer. Calling them Low Slung is quite misleading. They are lovely and high on the waist. They sit so beautiful with curves and are great for anyone (like me) who is experimenting with a more relaxed denim. These are wide in the leg. I shortened the white version to just below my ankle and have already worn with knits and boots this season. I would probably buy these in the 28” leg (on the Agolde website you can get in a 30” leg too) and leave the length as is. I have them saved on a couple of websites to see which ones get discounted the most. Let’s see if I can nab them…
Sending all the good vibes for Black Friday.
Would love to know if you bought anything. You can always share, chat or ask questions in the comments below.
Warmly,
Julie x