Worst Sartorial Purchases of 2015
Now that 2015 has come to a close, it's time to look back on all of my wardrobe additions and reflect on my worst (and best) buys of the year. I do this in the hopes that I can further pinpoint the purchasing mistakes I'm making and avoid them in the future. This past year, I actually did a fairly good job with my wardrobe additions; most of these purchases weren't that bad. None of them have absolutely terrible qualities that give me deep regret. I just wouldn't buy them again given the chance knowing what I know now. Surprisingly, most of these I purchased in the same month...
Madewell Stripe-Inset Dress {purchased April 2015}
Original posts: left / right
I absolutely fell in love with this dress when I first spotted it online earlier this year. I thought the stripes were unique but not too crazy; I mean, they were simple black and white stripes, after all. I definitely thought I would get a lot more wear out of this dress than I have. Turns out, it's harder to come up with unique outfit ideas with this dress. I think part of the problem is that I don't want to cover up the stripes with a jacket or cardigan, but layers keep an outfit interesting. I wish I had purchased this dress in the solid grey color instead because I still haven't been able to find a solid grey dress I like!
LOFT Tank Top {purchased April 2015}
Original posts: left / right
I originally purchased this top because I thought it would make an excellent neutral basic, perfect for layering and wearing on warm days. I didn't spend that much on it, but I shouldn't have kept it only because it does not fit me the way I wish it did. The scoopneck was too low for my liking (look on the left above), so I got the shoulders raised a bit...and it still tends to slide down. :/ I'm really bummed about this one because I had such high hopes!
Lilly Pulitzer for Target Pompom Shorts {purchased April 2015}
Original post here
The Lilly for Target collab was one I was really excited about, especially for the white crochet tank top. I also really liked this print and was hoping to grab the shift dress in this print, but I wasn't so lucky. I ended up buying the shorts since they fit well and I thought I'd wear them throughout the summer. I wore them once (above) and then washed them... They are rayon, so they totally shrunk in the wash! Now they are way too inappropriate to wear to school. I'm really bummed about that, but now I know that rayon + water = a terrible match. They are now reserved for loungewear and as a coverup.
Fashion Union Striped Crop Dress {purchased April 2015}
Original posts: left / right
I fell in love with this dress when it was featured by a blogger I follow. I couldn't ignore its reasonable price, so I ended up purchasing it. While it is adorable, I find that it has many problems similar to the Madewell stripe-inset dress. It's just unique enough that it limits the number of different outfit possibilities. Plus, for some reason, my hair gets caught in the zipper at the back of the neck, and it's super annoying to feel my hair being pulled every time I turn my head! It also fits me just perfectly, so if I gain any weight, it will not fit anymore.
& Other Stories Scoopneck Tee {purchased June 2015}
Original post here
I bought this at full price, a thing I hate doing, because I was in NYC and wanted to pick something up while I was there since I love the store. While this tee wasn't that expensive, I definitely haven't gotten the wear out of it that I thought I was going to get. Plus, once I washed it, it sort of lost its shape and the side seams twisted, so the quality was not what I expected it to be. As with the LOFT tank top, the scoopneck on this tee is quite low so I have to be careful when I wear it. It feels strange to include this tee because this outfit was one of my favorites from the summer, but I'm not sure I'd buy it again.
ModCloth 'Cutie Like You' Dress {purchased June 2015}
Original post here
While I love the idea of this dress, the fabric choice is not my favorite. The top layer of the skirt is rayon, so when I washed it...well, it shrunk, of course. The lining didn't, so I had the lining shortened to match the new skirt length. I really liked the original length, so I'm bummed about that, but it is still wearable otherwise. (I'm nervous about washing it again, though—should I expect it to shrink again?!) It also doesn't fit the best in the bust, but I can overlook that because it's adorable. This one almost didn't make the list, but I figured since I included the rayon shorts I may as well include this, too. (Not to mention I've only worn it twice.)
Victoria's Secret Bikini {purchased July 2015}
Old Navy Mini Skirt {purchased October 2015}
I purchased the bikini this summer when I couldn't find the two that I normally wear. (I ended up finding them in September before our move.) I didn't need to purchase it because we didn't end up going swimming at all after one time in June, but it's nice to have around anyway to mix things up. I kind of feel like maybe buying a one-piece this year if I find the right one! The skirt was so inexpensive, but I haven't worn it since I purchased it. I'll have to wait until after this spring and summer to see if it really was a bad purchase; I'm kind of wary about it because it's tighter and shorter than I usually prefer. It's also not that structured, so I'm not entirely sure it'll work with the outfits I envisioned with it.
If you're really observant, you probably noticed that I didn't include a couple of items on this list that I purchased a few months ago and have yet to feature on the blog: my navy sheath dress from Old Navy (purchased April 2015) and red striped tee from COS (purchased June 2015). I didn't include them here because they are both excellent staples that are good throw-on-and-go pieces. I have worn both, just not in "blogworthy" outfits. I'll try to think of some good outfits that feature them this year, though!