098/ Reboot: What I Bought, Kept - And Returned - From The SSENSE Sale
It's a dopamine minefield out there: why I picked the pieces I did + the reasoning behind what I kept vs returned.
Dear readers,
As the emails alerting you to sale season start roll in, I wanted to share a newsletter I wrote last year right around this time. The pieces are from last year, but my advice remains the same!
Sales are important to me for professional reasons, but — let’s be honest — for personal ones, too. After placing orders for my clients, I ordered a dozen or so pieces for myself.
I thought it would be helpful to walk you through my thought process on why I ordered the pieces I did, as well as the reasoning behind what I kept and returned. My hope is that my analysis will help you as you think through your own buying decisions during this dopamine minefield that is sale season.
An important note: the intention of this newsletter isn’t to suggest that you should or shouldn’t buy certain things (although, aren’t you curious what I chose!). We’re all in different stages of building our wardrobes, live in different climates and have different lifestyles. Assessing what you want or need will depend on the unique facts of your life. Having said that, even if our needs differ, I find the process of determining what to buy and not buy is pretty consistent — I encourage you to refer to Five Questions I Ask Myself Before I Buy Anything.
While I have a well-rounded wardrobe with no major gaps, I do have minor gaps in my tops. I have a range of foundational, solid, neutral tops of all weights and shapes from which I’m able to make countless outfits. But I’ve been itching for more variety in my tops lately. Motivated by my family’s adoption of skiing, I achieved that this past winter by adding a few ski-style sweaters which I’ve incorporated into outfits both on and off the slopes.
For this sale season, my main focus will be on finding more seasonal statement tops. Functionality and versatility (and, of course, that I love it) are still key criteria, but I recognize that, by definition, statement pieces will be less versatile than foundational pieces — and that’s okay! Not every piece you own has to be a workhorse; it’s okay to own something because it brings you pleasure, even if it’s just once in a while.
I’ve broken down my try-ons into three categories: 1) an easy “yes”, 2) an easy “no”, and 3) I had to think about it — in some cases, quite a bit.
Easy “Yes”
Marques’Almeida Draped Taffeta Top
My first impression of this top was that “it’s yellow.” Hello, Captain Obvious! But hear me out: I don’t have many bright colours in my wardrobe — off the top of my head, maybe one bright pink top and that’s it? It would be a big departure from my norm, but I was drawn to the shade — like I was to the tangerine dress I shared last week — and I ordered it.
As soon as I put it on, I knew. I instantly lit up as the neutral-warm shade of yellow practically gave me a tan simply by being next to my skin (it really is amazing what a difference undertones can make). I felt that same magical feeling I had when I put on my Patou top for the first time. And I will welcome the injection of colour into my wardrobe.
As I played with it, I also found it to be surprisingly functional and versatile. Yes, it’s strapless, but as strapless tops go, it’s pretty full-coverage and I don’t feel like I’m fussing with it to keep it in place or need to worry about an inadvertent nip slip. For cooler temperatures, it’s easy to layer, whether over a shirt or under a blazer.
I ripped off the tags and wore it the next day. Keep!