As a serial outfit repeater, each season I typically end up with a shortlist of outfits I wear over and over, made up of a few hero pieces I can’t live without. These are the most worn pieces in my closet – the items I wear multiple times per week, the pieces worth building mini capsule wardrobes around, the pieces that I’d replace – in a heartbeat – if something ever happened to them.
sweater (s) | jeans (28) | shoes
And before you assume my most useful pieces of the year are going to read something like, white tee, white button-up, black pants…nope. Many of these pieces are actually a little exciting – outfit-makers in their own right! In fact, the ten best closet purchases I made this year all have some sort of fun factor.
The 10 Best Closet Purchases I Actually Wore This Year
I don’t know if this fun factor is due to the Scandi influence, the shift towards maximalism, or even lingering dopamine dressing, but my most useful purchases this year caught my eye because they are a little different…yet they’ve earned their spot on this list through sheer usefulness, comfort, and versatility. I’ve worn these pieces out to dinner, to the office (ours is very casual), and while bummin’ around on the weekends. They’ve all been packed into suitcases – often more than once. Dressed up, dressed down, or somewhere in between, these are the ten clothing purchases I wore on repeat this year (and would happily buy again).
1. AGOLDE Low Curve Jeans
Where To Buy: AGoldE | Shopbop | Bloomingdales
My everyday, go-to denim outfits have been slowly changing over the last couple of years, and this is the year I’m finally, truly happy with where I landed. Baggy, full-length jeans in a size or two up has been the missing piece. I actually tried on 30+ pairs of baggy jeans this past fall, and while there’s plenty of really good pairs to choose from, it’s the AGoldE Low Curve Jeans that have become my favorite.
These 100% cotton jeans have a borrowed-from-the-boys look to them, and the wash options are great.
Other Notable Pieces: Black Sweater (s), Studded Bag, Brown Heels | Plaid Top (s) | Green Sweater (s), Brown Bag | Navy Sweater, Blue Bag, winter boots
My first pair of Low Curve jeans was the light wash ‘fairway’ in a petite length (great for flats and sneakers), but I loved them so much I also bought a standard length pair to wear with heels. Additionally, I picked up this dark wash pair in a cropped length – another option that’s great for petites. The actual dark wash is called, ‘Pendulum’ and it is available in regular lengths, also.
Anyway, I can’t recommend these jeans highly enough. The shape is just really cool, without being quite as dramatic as barrel jeans, and they also wash & dry like a dream. If you’d like to see how I’ve been wearing these jeans lately, I featured them in How To Wear Baggy Jeans In Winter.
2. Reformation Cove Oversized Cashmere Sweater
Where To Buy: Reformation
I have had…a love/hate relationship with this sweater. Reformation’s Cove Sweater, in previous years, was made out of 100% cashmere, and was so thick, soft and delicious that it earned my top pick in our yearly cashmere guide. This year, however, Ref issued this sweater in a blend of 95% recycled cashmere and 5% recycled wool. While I love the commitment to recycled fibers – it’s one of the reasons I’m such a Reformation fan – the addition of wool definitely changed things.
The new Cove sweater isn’t quite as soft as its 100% cashmere predecessor, but…it’s still really, really good. I’ve been wearing the new Cove sweater freaking everywhere, and it’s still incredibly warm, drapey, and perfectly oversized. Additionally, I was able to wash this sweater just like I wash the old 100% cashmere version (delicate cycle, on cold, lay flat to dry), and it washed up just fine – with barely any shrinking.
Other Notable Pieces: Studded Bag, blue earrings | UGGs in ‘rocky oak’, Daisy Ring | Blue Bag, tan embroidered boots | glitter fishnet tights
And while it may be too soon to tell, it looks like the addition of wool is actually keeping the sweater from pilling quite as much (although the original barely pilled, either). In any case, when I want to be warm, cute and comfortable, this is the sweater I’m wearing, with everything from baggy jeans to silk shorts to sweatpants. It’s great.
3. Pink Pineapple Apres Ski Cardigan
Where To Buy: Our Shop
I had originally bought this sweater, years ago, from Social Threads (they now have a skier cardigan, if interested) and it’s become one of my most-worn pieces each winter (you can see it featured in our video, Cute & Practical Apres Ski Outfit Ideas). It’s the kind of piece that looks good thrown over anything (including dresses), and I had been on a years-long hunt to find it in stock…somewhere (anywhere!!!).
So when we launched our shop, I took the opportunity to hunt it down. Happily, we were able to not only stock the exact piece, but add something I always wished it had: a varsity stripe sleeve.
Other Notable Pieces: Plaid Top (s) | Studded Bag
Gahhh it really is the coolest.
4. Sézane Suzy Jacket
Where To Buy: Sezane
This Sezane wool jacket was another pleasant surprise!! I had ordered this piece last winter while doing a deep dive into Sezane (what’s good, what’s not), and I was a little worried that this jacket wouldn’t be practical: too cold for winter, too hot for Spring. Fast forward one year and wow: it’s a workhorse.
This unlined wool jacket has a really cute, almost swingy cut that means it fits really nicely over sweaters. Because of the swing, I can layer it over longer, bulky sweaters and it still works. Because it layers so nicely, I’ve found that I do end up wearing it in the winter just fine. Is is my warmest winter coat? Nah. But it’s great when I don’t want to deal with a bulky coat (and is almost always what I wear going out to dinner).
Other Notable Pieces: Studded Bag, AGoldE jeans (28), Lilac hat, Acne Scarf | Blue Bag | Mesh Flats | Green Sneakers
Furthermore, because it is so soft and unlined and, well, just casual (it’s almost bomber-jacket styling), I ended up wearing this jacket a bunch in the spring, too, as well as the fall. It ended up being kind of a hero piece during those very tricky transition weather seasons. (You can see it featured in this old article, too, Spring Layering: 5 Perfect Outfits For Muddy Days.
5. Re/Done Graphic Tees
Where To Buy: Re/Done | Nordstrom | Saks | Bloomingdales
Guys, these graphic tees are stupid expensive. Especially for graphic tees!! That said….they really are freaking perfect. The graphics are cheeky (not cheesy), and the fit is….well. I have NO WORDS for how freaking good this fit is.
The tee I’m wearing (above) is Re/Done’s 50’s Boxy Tee (more here) and this is my favorite style. It’s a little looser and more boxy, and I almost never tuck it in. That said, it does tuck nicely into high-rise jeans.
I also have a few of Re/Done’s classic tees (full line here). These fit a little tighter and a little longer, so I suggest sizing up in this style.
Other Notable Pieces: Apres Ski Varsity Cardigan, Diesel Jeans, Aloha Sneakers, Clare V Bag, Crystal Ring
I’ve been wearing these tees for years, and they also wash and dry like a dream (none of mine have ever developed those little holes in them). I’m also pretty hard on these tees. Because they’re so good – they literally drape and cling in exactly all the right places, and are easily the most comfortable tees to layer – I’m almost always wearing one under my sweaters all winter long.
6. Aloha Sneakers
Where To Buy: Aloha
While I’ll always and forever love sneakers…this year (and definitely again in 2026), I wanted a break from such a sporty look. Yet my lifestyle works best with sneakers, so these Alohas have been my move. Their low-profile, suede, punchy colors vibe more like a shoe than a sporty white sneaker, and they’ve almost completely transformed my everyday look.
They work especially well with baggy jeans, too.
Other Notable Pieces: Ref Boyfriend Sweater (s), Madewell Jeans (29p), Blue Bag, Daisy Ring, Collar Necklace | Sezane cardigan sweater (s), Negative layering tee (s), brown bag, tie-dye leash
7. Statement Ballet Flats: Freda Salvador, Loeffler Randall + Vivaia
Where To Buy: Mesh Flat | Sparkly Flat (ft below)
With denim’s hemlines getting longer and looser, the best way to offset those big, boyish vibes are ballet flats. Ballet flats are, hands down, the best possible shoe choice for baggy jeans or pants. And statement ballet flats? Even better.
My Freda Salvador mesh flats are not only incredibly comfortable (even for walking around the city), but they look good with literally everything. I cannot believe how many outfits they’ve saved this year, just by adding a bit of interest. They’ve been such a useful piece that when I came across Loeffler Randall’s sparkly flats, I knew I’d get a ton of use of these, too. And yup: they’ve been my go-tos all holiday season.
Other Notable Pieces: Leather Jacket (xs) | Studded Bag, AGoldE jeans (28) | L/S Tee (8), Madewell Jeans (29p), Blue Bag, Daisy Ring, Collar Necklace, Big earrings, similar crossbody
Ok HOLD THE PHONE: My black mesh flats were getting so much wear, that I also bought a lighter weight pair – in ivory(!!) – from comfort shoe brand Vivaia. Which promptly sold out, so I stopped talking about them. HOWEVER….they were just restocked!! Theses babies are so lightweight and comfortable, I wore them all over Spain last summer.
Other Notable pieces: Vivaia mesh flats, linen pants (m, petite), leather & pearl necklace
8. DÔEN Henry Top
‘Where To Buy: Saks | Nordstrom
If ever there was a day, in this past year, where I needed to look “nice”…or a day I didn’t know what to wear…or a day that was too hot to think or a day I couldn’t stand wearing anything tight…these are the days I reached for my Doen Henry top. This top is literally foolproof: Tuck it, don’t tuck it. Wear it with jeans, wear it with trousers, wear it with shorts. Oh and go ahead and wear a real bra.
I know other brands have copied this top almost exactly, but I’ve tried those other tops on and there are some pretty key differences. One big difference is usually in the sleeve. Doen gets this sleeve *exactly* right – it’s a tiiiny bit longer, a little slouchier – and the result is more cool than fussy.
I have worn this top so often that I ended up splurging on the longsleeve version, too. Both are fantastic.
Other Notable Pieces: Plaid Top (s), Studded Bag, AGoldE jeans (28), Sparkly Flats | Minimalist sandals, woven bag
9. Sézane Silk Coralia Shirt
Where To Buy: Sezane
Ok, so I usually only share photos this unhinged on our Discord channel (haha) but you guys!! This is the ONLY photo I could find of a top I wear allllll the freaking time!! This 100% silk top is a total stunner, and it’s the one I wear whenever I need to dress up, but it’s too cold for strappy little tank tops. This top always starts out layered underneath a sweater, and then, once I’m warmed up, VOILA: big reveal.
In fact, this top is actually layered under all of the sweaters in this baggy jean article, here. Did I get a single professional photo of this top? No. No I did not.
Anyway, Sezane just came out with a floral version and I couldn’t order it fast enough. So. A 2026 promise? I’ll write a full article on these tops – they really are so dang pretty and incredibly useful.
10. Reformation Satin Lace-Trimmed Shorts
Where to buy: Reformation
The vintage vibes of these lace-trimmed, satin shorts are strong. Which makes them seriously fun to dress up, especially if you have a penchant for oversized sweaters. When I first laid eyes on these shorts, it was the outfit above that I envisioned. However, those ivory shorts were on backorder for months, so I ended up ordering a black pair first. Little did I know that those black lace shorts would end up being worn multiple times a week in August, through all of September, well into October, and even making a few appearances in November, as temps cooled.
Not nearly as fussy as they look, the black satin shorts were so useful, I built an entire mini-capsule wardrobe around them.
That’s it! Those are my top ten purchases of 2025, my most-worn pieces, the ones I know I’ll be wearing for years to come. Let me know if you’d like to see my mini capsule wardrobe for any of these pieces – this exercise is still the best way I know to make the most of your closet.
What were your hero pieces in 2025??
xo,
S
