Things I am not buying in 2025
Because I’m tired of making the same fashion mistakes over and over again.
I've already made a pretty solid and organized start to the new year with my style goals, for my standards at least. Now the key is to stay strong, resist the temptation of sale signs (which, let’s be real, hasn’t been going too well – ended up weak at Toteme), and really reflect on the mistakes I’ve made over the past few years. The ones I'm still trying to offload on Vinted and Vestiaire. I’m just done with that type of "style work," so my big goal for 2025 is simple: no more bad buys!
I’ve already seen a few newsletters like this on Substack – things people are no longer going to buy – and honestly, they've taught me more than the ones where people just list all their recent purchases.
So, here we go, diving into my (very personal) list of things I’m not buying this year. Let’s hope I can stick to it. And if not, I’ll be transparent about my failure, haha.
My No-Buy-List
This list is, of course, very personal and in no way meant to devalue the items on it. Quite the opposite, actually – in many cases, I just don’t want to own even more of them because I already reach for them over and over again. In other cases, I’ve realized that they don’t suit me, don’t fit my style, or simply don’t make me feel comfortable.
Sneakers
I know, it doesn't make sense, but I'm not really a sneaker girl, yet I wear them all the time. Why? I don’t know, but they’re just SOOO comfortable, especially when you have a toddler who’s just discovered running. When it comes to sneaker trends, my brain kind of shuts off, and I have to join in, especially since I can justify them to myself because of their practicality and how they fit into my daily life. But since I want to wear fewer sneakers – and more other shoes – I really need to stop buying them. If only the Adidas Leopard drop wasn’t happening in a few days ... Honestly, I’m almost sure I’m going to fail at this. But hey, it’s worth a shot, right? Or maybe I just accept the fact that I’m a sneaker girl?
Button downs
The section of my wardrobe that’s probably the fullest, but gets the least use, is my collection of blouses and shirts. Even during my nursing days, I barely reached for shirts (too many buttons, not enough time when your baby is screaming), and mostly wore T-shirts. I do like the idea of a shirt, though – and it fits my style. The thing is, I don’t like wearing a jacket or a sweater over them – so I only wear my shirts on those 3 days in spring and fall when the weather screams Indian Summer. I own way too many of them – and I can’t buy a new one until I figure out how to style them for fall and winter.
Jeans that don’t fit
I don’t just have one drawer of jeans in my closet, but two. And yet, right now, I only really like one pair – and not because they look great, but because they’re comfortable. I have such a complicated love-hate relationship with jeans that I always manage to buy the wrong size. Either I get them too small, thinking they'll stretch out, or too big, because I think I've learned my lesson from buying them too small. Seriously, how do you find the perfect-fitting jeans? I need your tips!
Hats
I wish I were the kind of girl who looks cool in a cap or rocks a stylish bucket hat in summer, but I’m just not. Hats make me feel like I’m playing dress-up. I’d like to first be able to wear and style the three hats I already have and actually feel comfortable in them before I buy any more.
Birkenstock
Birkenstock and I have the same relationship as sneakers and myself. I LOVE them because they’re so comfortable, but somehow I don’t feel completely like myself when I wear them. But because they’re relatively affordable, easy to get, and, well, comfortable, I keep buying them over and over again. Meanwhile, I’d really love to own a pair of Emme Parsons ... But even here, I know just by writing it down that I really have to be strong when it comes to sticking to this!
Anything Short
Shorts, mini skirts, and little dresses – they all sound great in theory, but honestly, I just don’t feel comfortable in them. Especially in summer without tights. The moment there’s the tiniest breeze, I get all paranoid, plus I can never figure out what shoes to wear with them (except knee-high boots, obviously). And don’t even get me started on how restricted I feel when I try to move around. I do wear shorts sometimes, but only on vacation, at the beach, or chilling at home – and let’s be real, I’m not spending more money just for that.
Knee-high Boots
And that last no-buy category leads me straight to the next one: knee-high boots. I almost fell for an amazing pair from Sézane again recently, but the size turned out to be surprisingly small, so back they went. Now, I’m actually kind of glad fate stepped in, because honestly, apart from skirts and dresses, I’m struggling to think of ways to style them. But I love them so much – in theory, of course! Which is why my collection is already pretty huge. So before I’m allowed to buy another pair, I need to actually start wearing the ones I already own more often!
Basic tops
My drawers are overflowing: I’ve got so many white and black T-shirts, long sleeves, turtlenecks, and tank tops in every length and material that I could basically never do laundry again (though, of course, my favorite ones are always in the wash). So, if I want to buy another top, it absolutely cannot be white, off-white, or black. It has to have some color or a print. Especially prints – because I don’t own a single one of those!
Transitional jackets
In Berlin, the weather loves to mess with us: winter is long (but often way milder than it used to be), summer is scorching, and spring and fall basically don’t exist anymore. Transitional jackets are one of those categories in my wardrobe that take up a lot of space and are fun to shop for, but in reality? I hardly ever wear them – like, almost never. So, no more patchwork puffers or trench coats for me. The only exception? Leather jackets. There’s still one specific model I am looking for …
Black handbags
Over the past few years, my handbag collection has shrunk rather than grown – but it’s become more curated, exclusive, and refined, and I’m totally here for it. Quality over quantity! Where I’m officially drawing the line for now, though, is black bags: I have plenty of those. What I do need is a brown bag or maybe something with a bit of color or even a pattern for a change! Oh, and like I mentioned on my wishlist back in December, I definitely need one or two bags that can actually fit my laptop!
Lilac (that light, pastel purple)
I’ve bought lilac clothing pieces over and over, and every time, I end up selling them again. The color just isn’t my thing – it’s way too cool-toned, and I feel so uncomfortable wearing lilac stuff. It only took me 30 years to figure that out!
So, now that I’ve written everything down and manifested it, this should totally work, right? Although, I have to laugh at myself because today I was in a store casually asking about the Adidas Leo Sambas … Am I ridiculous? Yeah, just a little bit. Definitely.
Now I’m curious: What are the things you absolutely don’t want to buy in 2025?
Here’s a little sneak peek of what’s coming your way in the next issue on Wednesday:
Now that we've talked a lot about me and my goals (and non-goals) for 2025, let's dive back into the fashion industry on Wednesday and I'll share the BEIGE news with you!