No/low buy 2025 shop from wardrobe

[Netcam]

A new thread to share 'shopping from our wardrobes' so we realise we already have nice things to wear and don't need to buy anything else.

Thanks, I appreciate the sympathy. We're now wondering what we have let ourselves in for. DH is in the process of removing the old sink uniy while we try to put our tap into a temporary basic Ikea sink on a stand. Except we realise our plan might not work and we might need to buy a different tap. But we did make a decision and finally ordered some units on Friday. We're going for fun bright colours on the doors, with plywood units. We've been looking at Wood & Wire for style inspiration, but trying to do it relatively cheaply.

I've been pretty much living in my Genevieve Sweeney cardigan. I bought it in the sales in the spring but hadn't work it at all, but think I've worn it daily for the past month, apart from the few days when we went to the Norfolk broads and I left it at home.

My work colleagues must think I don't have other clothes when they see me on video call every day! Well, I do wear different tops with it, luckily it seems to go with everything and is perfect for current weather.

But actually it is such a fab cardigan and it's allowing me to feel good without having to make any real clothing decisions.

And here are the formica colours we've chosen for our unit doors, along with this colour (Norbert, a kind of lemon/lime) for the walls. We're going for a full on bright colour retro look. And I quite fancy these roman blinds. Well, you know I love a bit of colour.

Wow, amazing kitchen colours @Netcam.
Love the palazzo trousers with the skinny belt @anon2022anon- so elegant. Vintage handbags are great aren't they? I've used my burgundy Autograph ebay bag most of last winter & this Autumn so far.

I managed to buy 2 wool cashmere coats from Tk Maxx yesterday, with the intention of returning one.
But they're brilliant - one's 90% wool/cashmere n the other is 80%. Both by Nicole Farhi & £89.
Taupe one pic. is attached, though the pic is dreadful.. So much better quality than my Mango wool mix coats. I think I will sell those, as I have one that I haven't worn at all.

I've also managed to have all my Cashmere repaired by a local tailor & dug out & repaired 3 ponchos from years gone by, as they're back in fashion again. Dd2 took one back to London with her along with a Cashmere Cardigan.

@Netcam what a fabulous colour palette! I once had that colour on my kitchen walls with an oak kitchen, I thought it was great. Took a fair amount of painting over though, when it changed- I went for turquoise/ teal after.
@Cantonet I must admit that I've tried on a couple of the Farhi TK Maxx coats too, however I have been so bad with autumn jackets, that I need to stay away from coats. They're very nice though!

Love the lime green! We have it as an accent colour in our kitchen (blinds etc) but weren’t brave enough to use it on the units. Love it with yellow too. Kitchen refurb is a nightmare though. We did previous houses ourselves but last time we got the professionals in and it was even worse. Started it in October and I was still without an oven until the week before Christmas. They did upgrade us to a super swanky oven as compensation though.

I’ve been even more determined not to buy as I’ve started on WLI. I’ve rediscovered the denim skirts that I bought last year and am loving them at the moment. I did invest in another pair of Fitflop ankle boots as I loved the ones I bought last year.

Interesting that it was even worse with the professionals. What happened? We keep thinking ot would be so much easier, but it would cost a fortune for what we want.

I did an Ikea DIY one years ago with exH which wasn't too bad, but we got someone in to help with finishing things off. DH had the professionals in for one with his exW and said it was all in and out in a week.

We are prepared for it to take months. We've ordered plywood units but they are made to our exact spec, which we are still finalising and we won't get them until mid December. And that's without considering worktops, which we will organise afterwards.

So we are already anticipating Christmas lunch will be a combination of the air fryer, our little combi microwave/oven/grill and the camping double induction hob, which is how we're managing now.

DS1 is going to Hong Kong for Christmas with a friend so it will only be DH, DS2 and me. We'll manage. It's OK at the moment as both DS are at uni but will be more complicated when they are back in the Christmas holidays I imagine.

We've bought a cheap sink with worktop on a stand from Ikea which isn't a bad temporary solution. And the top of the washing machine and dishwasher are functioning as temporary worktops, along with the kitchen table.
The electrician should be coming next week to sort out oven/hob electrics so we can put in an induction hob.

Then we'll need to find someone who can patch up all the plasterboard holes where we pulled tiles off and skim it. At least we can paint after that.

We're going to have screw in glass upstands/splashbacks this time, I'm never having tiles grouted to plasterboard again, it pulls half the wall off when removing them.

We're hoping to make it a bit more modular this time so parts could be replaced if necessary without having to remove half the installation. I bought the house as a new build 14 years ago and they had literally stuck the kitchen together in many places.

Well the electrician not wiring things in correctly was a highlight. Only uncovered when we got our regular electrician in to do another job. And people not turning up on time. And the senior fitter being on some kind of weird body building enhancing supplements that required him to spend copious amounts of time in our loo. Lots of little things really. And of course the oven.
I’ve never been happy with the fitting of the worktop either as there just isn’t enough of a lip so water gets splashed down the cupboard fronts. We could really do with replacing the doors and worktops now but I can’t persuade DH that we need to do it again!

It took me ages to get used to the induction hob but I love it now. So much cleaner.

Our bathroom refurb this year was almost as nightmarish but that was more to do with supply issues than anything - we lost our fitter halfway through as the shower unit was stranded in Ireland due to a storm and he had to go to another job, then the wrong size was supplied twice. We were without a bath or shower for a month!

That sounds like a nightmare.

At least when you do it yourself you can choose who does the work. We're using a local electrician recommended by a neighbour we trust.

Our old worktops splashed all over the cupboard doors, we are going to have a 2cm overhang this time.

We're also considering stainless steel for the whole area around the sink and having it made with front/side edges that tilt inwards towards the sink.

What type of worktops do you have, we're finding it really hard to make a decision. The current idea is stainless steel around sink and further to make a big wet/food prep area. And then solid wood either side of that on the rest. I had wood before and would never have again near the sink, but think it is a good DIY option that we can have cut to size with a hob cutout and preoiled relatively cheaply.

We went for wood effect laminate worktops which I still like - I wanted real wood but like you we were put off by the area round the sink. Think it sounds a good idea to have stainless steel areas.

Dressed to match the new kitchen units today in my Croft house wool jumper and Dilling merino joggers. Lime for the top doors and leaf green for the bottom. Once we've finished it all I could wear this and see how well I can camouflage.

Hoping to revive the thread with Christmas outfits!

We have work Christmas lunch coming up at nice restaurant, but also have a Christmas jumper tradition for the event. What can I wear with this and still have a 'dressed up' feeling? I want to use my existing (extensive) wardrobe, work is very casual, can wear anything really as long as it's clean!

Not sure why my photo had the bottom chopped off, trying again. I'm thinking maybe stretchy long charcoal merino skirt with tights and boots.

Something like this.

I’m planning on wearing my Christmas jumpers with either a long satin skirt (I have a black pleated one and a navy bias cut one) or wide legged jeans. Not sure about footwear yet. I have some nice chunky boots. Long black merino skirt sounds good.

I have a few meals out but one of them I’m really not sure what the dress code will be as it’s at a golf club and I’m afraid it might be a bit dressy. Which I don’t do.

That's a good idea tony I might try my Christmas jumper with a satin skirt, didn't think of pairing those 2 items.

I've been very into the short skirt, tights, long boots and sweater combo atm in various iterations.

Actually, not a bad option either, I could do the same with a short skirt and boots. I have various short black skirts and black tights I could do the same with, as long as it's warm enough!

My Xmas jumper this year is a M&S red cashmere crew neck cardi. I will probably wear it with my Uniqlo Easy Satin or Velvet trousers & brown heeled ankle boots, over a silk camisole. I'm all about the comfort in Winter, amidst soft flowing fabrics.
I like the mini skirt with the jumper idea @Netcam.

What are you all wearing in this much colder weather?
I fell in love with the knitted bomber pictured. The colours are amazing but it doesn't love me back & I need to return it. I really don't suit bright colours with too much contrast & it's just not me. I would love to venture out of largely wearing neutrals & take on more colour. Though I have worn some pink with a warm grey coat this week. I'm currently enjoying wearing my brown borg gilet in this chilly weather which is very cosy over a brown cashmere knit. It's also useful for layering under a coat & keeps my neck warm for dog walking - very practical considerations.

I have a lovely pewter grey Borg coat I got in the sale from John Lewis (similar to the one pictured but a finer slightly silky Borg) two or three years ago. It’s perfect in this weather. I think it was about £30 and an absolute bargain. I have had so many compliments on it. Plus I splashed out on a Fair Isle tank top from Seasalt eBay site which is my new best friend. Usually with a denim midi and my trusty Fitflop ankle boots though mine are dark brown.

That's a beautiful Fair Isle jumper 💙
I've just looked at that SeaSalt eBay store & I'm a bit horrified by the prices. Are they actually cheaper than the shops? I don't think I've shopped in SeaSalt for a long time ...
The Borg coat sounds very cosy . I read it as Brora initially & thought it was bargain of the century!

The eBay store is previous seasons or sale stuff. I don’t buy much from Seasalt but I’m usually pleased with the quality, especially the knitwear.

@tonybennscat it's just I never buy wool jumpers as I'm allergic to them , so I'm shocked they're a similar price to the Cashmere items I buy new off eBay.

I recently succumbed to the lure of buying a new Christmas skirt ( a black velvet edged with lace - so pretty!) only to realise I probably wouldn't wear it & need to return Asap.Weirdly I don't really wear skirts in Winter, but find them so much easier to wear in summer.

Then I took my Mum shopping to a very large M&S & discovered a cream faux fur gilet that will go well with virtually all of my winter clothes & purchased that instead. Pictured are the outfits it will complete. I absolutely adore the Mint Velvet Gilets but they're so pricy. This was a good compromise.

Did any of you do any Black Friday shopping?
I bought a couple of presents for my dd's in the sales - Penhaligon's perfume & a pretty white cutwork blouse from Abercrombie & Fitch for dd1.

Just checking in to say hello. How are you all doing and how do you feel the 2025 shop from wardrobe went? And are you looking forward to Christmas?

Another day of painting today in my old clothes and we should have finished painting the kitchen. No units/oven/hob yet, but at least the old one is out, the walls patched up with plasterboard and skim layer, electrics done and we'll be ready for the next stage.

Two more days at work and then we're having a break for Christmas with DS2 who is back from his first term at Cambridge, DS1 is back too but going to Hong Kong for Christmas.

I've had a good look at my clothes on the Whering App and come to the conclusion that I'm doing a total no buy for 2026 as I have no space and nothing to throw away.

I like all my clothes I have left and just don't get to wear them all, I've been rotating my wool jumpers this winter and realise in one winter I'll struggle to wear them all. I'm even starting to forget some of the clothes I have as there are so many!

I have spent £1500 on clothes/shoes this year which was probably totally unnecessary, some of which I haven't even worn, not because I don't like them, but because I have too many clothes to choose from.

I'm keeping everything but 2026 is going to be 100% shop from wardrobe. I've given up recording everything I wear daily on the Whering App as it's too much effort, but still have all my clothes on there so I can see what I have and plan outfits, as well as reminding myself of the clothes I have to make sure I remember to wear them!

These are my purchases from 2025. Anyone joining me for a total no buy shop from wardrobe 2026?

I feel like I did a lot better this year, just a few pieces each season, but my wardrobe is absolutely bursting at the seams, I'm also annoyingly in-between sizes. Really need to loose a bit more weight for my health (diabetic) so I'm hoping that will help a lot. Want to get on top of the Whering app but I can't take decent photos this time of year the lighting is awful and I'm never home when its light.