There are some clothes I know about the moment I put them on. And then there are the pieces that need styling properly before I can decide whether they deserve a place in my wardrobe.
These three autumn pieces definitely fell into the second camp.
I tried a pair of COS barrel-leg trousers, a red John Lewis jumper and a Uniqlo jacket. Two stayed. One went back. And I think that is actually more useful than pretending everything I buy works perfectly.
The COS barrel-leg trousers
These were the easiest decision of the three.
I already know that wider trousers generally work well on me, but barrel-leg trousers are slightly different because there is more shape through the leg. If the proportions are wrong, they can overwhelm me very quickly.
This pair works because they give me shape without clinging, and they make a very simple outfit look more put together.
I’m tall, curvy and long-waisted, so proportion matters a lot. I find that trousers with some volume through the leg usually balance me much better than anything very skinny.
What I also like about these is that I don’t have to work very hard to style them. A good knit, trainers or clogs and a jacket are enough.
Verdict: kept.
The red John Lewis jumper
This is the one I nearly got wrong.
When I first put it on, I wasn’t convinced by the neckline. I usually prefer something more open around my neck because I have quite a broad chest and back, and higher necklines can sometimes make me feel a little boxed in.
My first reaction was that it might go back.
Then I styled it properly, and I really liked it.
The colour made a huge difference. A clear, bright red works far better on me than many of the softer, muddier colours that appear everywhere in autumn. Once I stopped looking at the jumper on its own and looked at the whole outfit, it suddenly worked.
It reminded me that sometimes I need to judge an outfit as a whole rather than deciding too quickly about one piece.
Verdict: kept.
The Uniqlo jacket
This one made complete sense in theory.
I liked the idea of an easy autumn jacket that I could throw over lots of outfits. The colour was useful, the shape was practical and it looked like the kind of thing I would wear a lot.
But once I tried it properly, I just didn’t think it suited me.
There was nothing wrong with it. It simply didn’t make me feel my best, and that is enough reason for me not to keep something.
I’m much more disciplined about that now. If I have to keep persuading myself that something works, it probably doesn’t.
Verdict: returned.
I think this is worth saying because buying well is not just about finding good pieces. It is also about recognising when something perfectly nice is simply not right for you.
What I actually learned from these three
The biggest thing these three pieces reminded me of is not to judge clothes too quickly — but also not to talk myself into keeping something just because it is practical or fashionable.
The COS trousers worked because the shape suited me.
The red jumper worked because once I styled it properly, the colour and the whole outfit won me over.
The Uniqlo jacket went back because, although it was perfectly nice, it didn’t feel like me.
That is how I want to shop more and more now: fewer things that are just fine, and more pieces that I genuinely want to wear.
Some links in this post may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. I only share pieces I genuinely wear, use or like.
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