Why Your Wardrobe Still Feels Wrong (What to STOP Buying in 2026) — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00There has never been more choice when it
2. 0:02comes to clothing, especially when
3. 0:04online shopping has made everything
4. 0:05instant and endless. If you want a
5. 0:08trench coat, you'll find hundreds. If
6. 0:10you want a new handbag, you can scroll
7. 0:12for days. But over the years, I've
8. 0:14realized something powerful. Good style
9. 0:17is about restraint, and what you don't
10. 0:19buy matters just as much as what you do.
11. 0:23So, these are the things we are going to
12. 0:25stop buying this year because the
13. 0:26pickier you become with your wardrobe,
14. 0:29the better your outfits will be. Stop
15. 0:32buying things you like the idea of but
16. 0:34actually hate wearing. Have you ever
17. 0:36seen an item of clothing and you love
18. 0:39the way it looks? You love the idea of
19. 0:41it. It looks amazing on the model and
20. 0:44you imagine it would be good for your
21. 0:47lifestyle, but when you actually wear
22. 0:49it, you just don't enjoy it at all. For
23. 0:52me, this is matching sweat sets. In
24. 0:55theory, they make a lot of sense. If
25. 0:58you're going to be wearing loungewear,
26. 1:00at least wear a matching set because it
27. 1:03looks better. It looks more put
28. 1:05together. It looks more intentional than
29. 1:07wearing a mismatched one. But on me, I
30. 1:10realized they just feel too casual. When
31. 1:13I dress casually, I actually want
32. 1:15contrast. I want something polished in
33. 1:17there to sort of balance it out a little
34. 1:20bit. If I'm wearing sweatpants or lounge
35. 1:22trousers, I actually prefer to pair them
36. 1:26with my actual knitwear or a nice jacket
37. 1:30just to dress them up a little bit. And
38. 1:32if I'm wearing a sweatshirt, I like to
39. 1:34wear it with a nice pair of trousers or
40. 1:36even like jeans and loafers to help give
41. 1:39it a bit more structure. I almost never
42. 1:42reach for that full lounge set. I think
43. 1:46the only time I would ever wear a lounge
44. 1:48set like that is like going on a long
45. 1:52haul flight. So, as much as I absolutely
46. 1:55love seeing them on other people and
47. 1:57seeing them styled like on websites, I
48. 2:00have to remember that I actually don't
49. 2:02like wearing them. It's just not my
50. 2:05preferred version of casual. And that
51. 2:07means I don't need to keep buying them.
52. 2:09[laughter] And I think a really big
53. 2:10skill in personal style is learning how
54. 2:14to separate admiring something on
55. 2:17someone else from actually wanting to
56. 2:20wear it myself. This next one is the
57. 2:22problem with at least 90% of people's
58. 2:25wardrobes. Stop buying items that almost
59. 2:29work. There's one thing missing from my
60. 2:31wardrobe right now. It's a pair of
61. 2:33fulllength black tailored trousers in
62. 2:36like a wool or a twill fabric. I want
63. 2:39them a little bit wide, not too wide,
64. 2:42not too straight. I want there to be
65. 2:45pockets. I want belt loops. Basically,
66. 2:47just a really classic pair of black
67. 2:50trousers. You'd think this would be
68. 2:52quite easy to find, but it's actually
69. 2:55not. There are so many options, yet
70. 2:58every pair that I've tried, there's
71. 3:00something slightly off. Of course,
72. 3:03length can be altered and the waist can
73. 3:06also be tailored to some extent. But
74. 3:08then maybe the leg is too wide for my
75. 3:11frame or there's too much fabric in the
76. 3:13crotch. That happens a lot to me because
77. 3:16I'm petite. Or the fit is great, but
78. 3:18maybe there are no pockets. or worst of
79. 3:21all, the fit is perfect, but the
80. 3:24composition is all wrong. And this is
81. 3:26where I've leared to stop settling. I
82. 3:29have so many pieces in my wardrobe where
83. 3:31I think this would be perfect if, and
84. 3:34I'm just tired of feeling that way. So,
85. 3:36instead of filling my wardrobe with
86. 3:38trousers that almost work, I am
87. 3:42patiently [clears throat]
88. 3:42waiting for the right pair to come
89. 3:44along. It honestly took me years to find
90. 3:46my perfect pair of knee high black
91. 3:50boots, but that was absolutely worth the
92. 3:52wait because I finally got a pair just a
93. 3:55couple months ago and I adore them so
94. 3:58much for me. Everything about them is
95. 4:01exactly what I was looking for. The heel
96. 4:03height is perfect, the shape of them is
97. 4:05perfect, the way they fit my calves,
98. 4:08perfect. And that experience just taught
99. 4:11me it's worth waiting. I could have
100. 4:13settled for something that was, you
101. 4:16know, okay, but I'm so glad that I
102. 4:19didn't. And so everything I buy now has
103. 4:21to run through four filters. The
104. 4:24composition, the quality, the cut, and
105. 4:28the color. If I'm not happy with any of
106. 4:30these things, then I don't want it in my
107. 4:32wardrobe. I realized that if I'm going
108. 4:35to get dressed every single day, I would
109. 4:38rather reach for the same few items that
110. 4:41I genuinely love and adore again and
111. 4:44again than have a huge wardrobe full of
112. 4:47things that I only kind of like. Stop
113. 4:50buying trendy items without thinking if
114. 4:53it works for you. Notice how I didn't
115. 4:55just say stop buying trends. Trends
116. 4:58aren't necessarily bad. They only become
117. 5:01a problem when we don't think about why
118. 5:04we actually want them or how long
119. 5:06they'll actually last in our wardrobes.
120. 5:08So, how can we ensure that a trend will
121. 5:11have longevity in our own wardrobes? I
122. 5:14like to think of trends as sitting on a
123. 5:16spectrum. So, let's take barrel trousers
124. 5:19or jeans for example. On the one end you
125. 5:21have the really wide exaggerated shape
126. 5:25and on the other end you have a much
127. 5:27more subtle version of the same kind of
128. 5:30idea. For me personally that exaggerated
129. 5:34shape feels like too much. It is
130. 5:38extremely trendled. It's very specific
131. 5:41and I think you'll get bored of it very
132. 5:43quickly. But the more subtle barrel
133. 5:46shape that adds a more interesting
134. 5:48proportion to an outfit without
135. 5:50overpowering it. It feels modern but
136. 5:52still wearable, especially when paired
137. 5:55with classic pieces. Another example is
138. 5:57animal print. On the extreme end, you've
139. 5:59got very bold headto toe prints. And
140. 6:02then on the other end, you can have
141. 6:03something a little bit more subtle such
142. 6:05as a leopard print shoe or a bag or a
143. 6:09jacket. One feels extremely trendy and
144. 6:13of the moment, whereas the other one can
145. 6:15slot into your wardrobe for years to
146. 6:17come. If a trend enhances your existing
147. 6:20style, it works with your proportions,
148. 6:22with your color, with your lifestyle,
149. 6:25then it's worth considering. If it
150. 6:27completely takes over the outfit, or it
151. 6:30only works in one specific way, then it
152. 6:34will probably be something that you grow
153. 6:36tired of very quickly. What I also like
154. 6:38to do when it comes to trends is wait
155. 6:41for the peak of the trend to pass. If
156. 6:44you still genuinely want the trendy item
157. 6:47once you're no longer seeing it
158. 6:48absolutely everywhere anymore, then
159. 6:50that's usually a good test. It's a good
160. 6:53sign that you will still wear it after
161. 6:55the trend has passed. And bonus tip, you
162. 6:58will probably be able to find that
163. 6:59trendy item being sold pre-loved at a
164. 7:03fraction of the price because other
165. 7:05people have gotten bored of it already.
166. 7:07Now, let's talk about materials. And
167. 7:10this is a mistake I will never make
168. 7:12again. Stop buying faux leather. We talk
169. 7:16a lot about synthetic materials such as
170. 7:18polyester or acrylic or nylon, but one
171. 7:21material that doesn't get talked about
172. 7:23enough is faux leather. is usually
173. 7:26marked as the vegan alternative to
174. 7:29leather, but that really is not the full
175. 7:32story. Faux leather is plastic,
176. 7:34typically polyurethane that has been
177. 7:37bonded to a fabric, which means it isn't
178. 7:40breathable. It doesn't regulate
179. 7:42temperature and it does not age well. I
180. 7:45have a faux leather puffer that I bought
181. 7:48years ago back when it was really trendy
182. 7:51and before I gave much thought into what
183. 7:54materials I was buying. When you look at
184. 7:56this jacket, you would think that it
185. 7:58keeps you so warm, right? Well, wrong.
186. 8:02It traps heat so badly. It doesn't
187. 8:04insulate you in any way, but it still
188. 8:07manages to make you feel clammy. And
189. 8:10this is the kicker. If it aged well,
190. 8:13then maybe I could justify it. But it
191. 8:16doesn't at all. The inside collar has
192. 8:18started to peel and wear away. And this
193. 8:20was a really expensive item. I looked
194. 8:23online last night and it's still being
195. 8:25sold for £625.
196. 8:29Oh my god, that actually hurts to say
197. 8:30out loud. My only saving grace is that I
198. 8:32bought this years ago and I'm pretty
199. 8:35sure it was like at least £100 or £200
200. 8:38cheaper back then. I did get a few years
201. 8:40wear out of it, so you know, it wasn't a
202. 8:43total waste. But knowing what I know
203. 8:46now, I would never buy this type of item
204. 8:49ever again. Once faux leather starts to
205. 8:51degrade, there's just no saving it. It
206. 8:54doesn't soften over time or develop
207. 8:56character or a patina like real leather.
208. 8:59It just breaks down. For me, this is one
209. 9:01of those things that
210. 9:03looks great on camera, but the
211. 9:06functionality doesn't match up. And if
212. 9:08you're trying to build a wardrobe that
213. 9:10lasts, faux leather is just not it.
214. 9:14Especially when you care about longevity
215. 9:16and not having to replace things every
216. 9:18couple of years. Okay, I feel like this
217. 9:20next one sounds really niche, but please
218. 9:23let me know if you relate. What do this
219. 9:25jacket, this pair of shoes, and this bag
220. 9:29all have in common? Two things. One,
221. 9:31I've hardly worn them. And two, I bought
222. 9:34them all whilst I was on holiday. And
223. 9:36that brings me to this point. Stop
224. 9:38buying things just because you're on
225. 9:40holiday. At home, I'm incredibly picky
226. 9:43about the things that I buy. I mean,
227. 9:45that is the premise of this whole video.
228. 9:47I really think things through. I think
229. 9:49about the materials, the fit, where I'm
230. 9:52going to wear it, how I'm going to wear
231. 9:53it. But fly me to a different country,
232. 9:56give me a different currency, and put me
233. 9:58in a different time zone. All of that
234. 10:00discernment seems to disappear. I get
235. 10:02very caught up with the excitement of
236. 10:04being on holiday. and I convince myself
237. 10:07that these are good purchases without
238. 10:10giving them the same care and
239. 10:12consideration that I would if I was at
240. 10:14home and then I come back home to
241. 10:16reality and they don't quite fit my
242. 10:19lifestyle. Please let me know if you
243. 10:21relate to this. Now, I'm not saying you
244. 10:23shouldn't buy anything when you're on
245. 10:25holiday. I love buying unique items that
246. 10:28remind you of being away. But what I am
247. 10:31saying is treat your holiday purchases
248. 10:34with the same standards that you would
249. 10:36at home. Ask yourself, would I still buy
250. 10:39this if I was standing in my usual shop
251. 10:42in my normal time zone and paying in my
252. 10:45home country currency? And if the answer
253. 10:48is no, then it's usually just the
254. 10:50holiday convincing you it's going to be
255. 10:52a good purchase. Stop buying clothes
256. 10:54that don't solve a wardrobe problem.
257. 10:57Every time I get dressed and I feel like
258. 11:00I'm missing something or I could do with
259. 11:02something, I make a mental note of it or
260. 11:05I add it to a list. For example, this
261. 11:08top that I'm wearing today. I had a lot
262. 11:10of dinners with friends throughout
263. 11:12December and January. And quite a few
264. 11:16times when I was putting my outfit
265. 11:17together, I kept thinking that I was
266. 11:19missing a nice long sleeve top that I
267. 11:23could wear out to dinners that isn't
268. 11:26like a button-down shirt and also not
269. 11:29knitwear, just like a nice top. And
270. 11:32because I had that thought multiple
271. 11:34times, I thought, okay, this is actually
272. 11:38something that is missing from my
273. 11:40wardrobe. And so I had a little search,
274. 11:42came across this top which I absolutely
275. 11:44love and I'm happy. So now whenever I
276. 11:48buy something, I try to ensure that
277. 11:50whatever I'm purchasing will answer a
278. 11:54wardrobe problem. And this problem can
279. 11:56be one of four things. It either
280. 11:58elevates a silhouette. Maybe it adds
281. 12:01structure or balance or a better
282. 12:04proportion. It improves layering. So
283. 12:06does this work under shirts, under a
284. 12:09coat? Is it something that helps an
285. 12:11outfit feel more intentional? It fills a
286. 12:14function. So maybe this is something
287. 12:16that I actually need for my lifestyle or
288. 12:20for the climate. Or it introduces a
289. 12:23texture. So this could be something that
290. 12:25adds depth and interest to an otherwise
291. 12:28simple outfit. If an item does none of
292. 12:30these things, then it's not necessarily
293. 12:33adding any value to my wardrobe. Because
294. 12:36a lot of the clothes that we regret
295. 12:37buying aren't necessarily bad items.
296. 12:41They're maybe just redundant or they're
297. 12:43not answering your wardrobe problem. Of
298. 12:46course, fashion isn't a perfect science.
299. 12:49Sometimes you'll be drawn to something
300. 12:50that technically fills a very similar
301. 12:53role to something you already own, and
302. 12:55that is completely normal. And this is
303. 12:57where a wish list always helps. I've
304. 13:00talked about wish lists so many times on
305. 13:02this channel, but it's honestly probably
306. 13:05one of the main things that has made my
307. 13:09purchases so much better and so much
308. 13:12more intentional. Adding something to
309. 13:14your wish list just creates a bit of
310. 13:16distance. It slows you down and it stops
311. 13:19the initial excitement of a new item
312. 13:22from just clouding your judgment. And
313. 13:25your wish list isn't meant to be static.
314. 13:27You should always be curating it, adding
315. 13:31things, taking things away when they no
316. 13:33longer interest you. And to take things
317. 13:35one step further, whenever I take
318. 13:37something off my wish list, I actually
319. 13:39add it to a different list. This is my
320. 13:43things I no longer want list. And this
321. 13:46has actually been really eye opening
322. 13:48because over time I've started to see
323. 13:51patterns and I start to see what I'm
324. 13:54drawn to initially but then over time I
325. 13:58no longer want. And style is all about
326. 14:00knowing yourself and understanding
327. 14:02yourself. And that awareness has saved
328. 14:05me from a lot of regret purchases. If
329. 14:09there's one thing you take away from
330. 14:11this video, I hope that it's this. Good
331. 14:13style isn't built by constantly adding
332. 14:15more. It's built by intention, patience,
333. 14:18and restraint. And the goal is not to
334. 14:20own less just for the sake of it. It's
335. 14:23to only own things that you genuinely
336. 14:25love wearing again and again. If this
337. 14:27[clears throat] video helped you rethink
338. 14:29the way that you shop, please let me
339. 14:31know in the comments what you intend to
340. 14:33stop buying this year. And if you want
341. 14:35more content on building a thoughtful
342. 14:38and highquality wardrobe, you can watch
343. 14:40this video on screen next. Thank you so
344. 14:42much for watching and I will see you in
345. 14:44the next video. Bye.