The Best Pieces I Added to My Wardrobe in 2024
10 items that really made a difference.
Am I too late? Is it too far past the window of reflection on last year? Or can we forget any perceived rules and reflect at any moment in time, when it feels right to us as individuals? I’m opting for the latter.
I was snowed in last week so I took the opportunity to do a small Q&A on Instagram. One of the questions I got was: ‘What was your best find in 2024?’ Like being asked how I found my personal style, it was a question that really made me stop and think. And because I found it so hard to narrow it down to just one piece, I thought I’d list my top 10 here.
Each piece is included for a different reason. There’s a jacket that I’ve worn in every season and quickly became my “chuck on and go” when popping out of the house to run errands. There’s a jumper that’s so soft and so oversized that I’ve worn it on a thrice-weekly basis throughout winter. There’s a shirt that challenged my views on colour and print. There’s a coat that ticks every smart and warm box — and gets compliments every time I wear it. And there are trousers that are so comfortable and useful, I can’t stop wearing them.
The jacket I wear most days
This jacket was my first purchase from Estudio Niksen, after following the brand on Instagram for a while and always thinking how cool everyone looked in its pieces. It’s a brown, thick cotton jacket that comes in one size but with a drawstring waist and buttons at the cuffs, it’s easy to adjust the fit. It’s oversized (on me, anyway) which I love, plus it makes it a great jacket for adding more layers underneath when they’re needed.
It’s the perfect early spring/autumn/cool summer day jacket and if I was organised and tracked my wearing habits, I wouldn’t be surprised if it came up as my most-worn piece in 2024. It’s the jacket I wear over my yoga/Pilates/barre get-up, the jacket I throw on to pop to the shops or grab a coffee before starting work, and the jacket I’ll generally wear out for a long lunch or a walk along the coast.
The perfect oversized V-neck jumper
Ahh, the James Street Sloane Vee. It has the perfect relaxed, oversized fit that feels really cosy and whether you tuck it into your waistband or leave it hanging loose, it creates some wonderful shapes. I have it in charcoal grey which is super easy to wear. It’s accompanied me on busy cross-country trains on some of the busiest pre-Christmas days, days WFH and out and about whenever I wanted to feel that pure comfort.
The shirt that changed my mind about prints
If you’ve been around here for a while, you’ll know that I don’t really wear prints (beyond stripes). Or colours that aren’t black, white, grey, navy, brown or khaki green. But this shirt really challenged that. Granted, it’s not that colourful, but it is print-heavy in a way that nothing else in my wardrobe really is.
It’s from Etnodim, a Kyiv-based brand (worldwide shipping available), whose embroidered pieces are inspired by Ukrainian art and culture. This particular shirt takes references from residents of an apartment block built especially for writers in Kharkiv called Slovo House in the 1920s and ‘30s, many of whom were later arrested and killed by the Communist authorities.
I’ve enjoyed wearing it so much since it arrived a few months ago, that it’s made me want to experiment more with print in 2025. Watch this space.
The smart warm coat that always gets compliments
I can’t tell you how many times women I don’t know have stopped me to tell me how much they like this coat. On train platforms and in my local deli and coffee shops over the past couple of months, it’s always this coat that gets the most admiration. It’s really long (on my 5’4” frame anyway), has a classic mannish double-breasted style and has a relaxed, generous cut. It’s also made from a wool blend (90% wool, 10% nylon) so it’s nice and warm — perfect for the cold winter days when I still want to look smart.
The trousers that feel like PJs (in a good way)
These trousers are made from a cotton cashmere blend, have a balloon-leg shape and a drawstring waist and reader, they are so bloody comfortable. They’re slate-coloured, so they’re easy to wear, and have a white grid pattern which stops them from looking boring. I have had a few ‘pyjama’ comments when I’ve worn them (including from my brother over Christmas who accused me of not being dressed at 3 in the afternoon) but more fool them. They’re fabulous. I wear them with thermal leggings underneath in winter.