As I've settled into 2024, I'm taking the opportunity to evaluate my (admittedly overflowing) closet and make some decisive cuts. I realized I hadn't done a deeper audit of things in quite a long time, so not only was my closet in need of a healthy purge to make everything finally fit on a hanger again, but my style has notably pivoted over the past year toward a more elegant and classic look, and many of my older clothing items just no longer feel like anything I want to wear.
I'm guilty of trying a lot of different trends and during the height of the Y2K redux. I tried dozens of things that feel overly trendy when I look at them now. It turns out that I was holding on to plenty of items like baggy cargo pants and colorful plastic jewelry that I thought I'd get wear out of but never really did. At the end of the day, I've always preferred more timeless styles to trendier ones, so I'm taking it as a lesson to be pickier when trying new styles. Below, I'm discussing several of the swaps I've made to move my wardrobe and personal style in a more elegant and less trend-driven direction that will (hopefully) withstand the test of time.
Purged: Tall Platforms
Kept: Sleek Slingbacks
Speaking of trends I was only convincing myself I liked, I admit that platform heels are one item that's never been very "me." When everyone and their mother seemed to be wearing a pair, I simply couldn't help myself from doing the same. Now, though, I'm focusing on slingback pumps that recall the sleek and simple style of the '90s.
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Purged: Kitschy Corset Tops
Kept: Classic Bustiers
The first items I removed during my recent clean-out were corset tops with bright colors and kitschy prints. While they were fun to wear in the moment, I look at them now and they immediately remind me of a very specific era of my life, a surefire sign that they're anything but timeless. Instead, I held on to a few bustier tops I had that were on the simpler and more refined end of the scale.
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Purged: Baggy Cargo Pants
Kept: Column Skirts
Cargo pants are one of those cool-girl items that you either pull off flawlessly or not at all. (Take a wild guess at which category I fell into.) Yep, I tried to love them but ultimately could never shake the feeling that the pants were wearing me and not the other way around. One trend that suits me especially well, however, is the column skirt. When I'm not feeling jeans, I always reach for a tailored maxi skirt for a dose of polish.
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Purged: Printed Mesh Pieces
Kept: Sheer Lace Pieces
Vintage Jean Paul Gaultier and Cop Copine tops are still in high demand on the resale market, but being print-averse, I've accepted that the style just isn't for me. In place of them, I'm interested in sheer lace pieces to wear going out on the weekends, like a lace bodysuit underneath a blazer à la my elegant-style icon Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
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Purged: Colorful Plastic Jewelry
Kept: Sculptural Statement Pieces
My jewelry box was overflowing with colorful plastic rings and quirky beaded necklaces just a few years ago, but one glance at it now and you'll notice it's a sea of gold and metal in organic shapes.
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This story was published at an earlier date and has since been updated.
