Sarah’s Ten Hero Pieces For Spring

On Boxing Day I received a lovely email from one of our customer’s Marion Hancock.

Marion asked if we could do a video about our personal core wardrobes or what we refer to as our uniforms so she could get a better understanding of how we simplify our buying habits & therefore our lives. This has been on the to do list ever since & rather than it staying there for another three months whilst life keeps getting in the way I thought a quick blog with photos would be a good compromise.

In this article I am highlighting items that are already in my wardrobe as well as a few that I will be investing in this spring to update it. These new pieces will not just work now but move through other seasons too which is something that I always consider before buying any article of clothing.

The photo I have used at the top of this article is from Summer 2020 just to show you how, if you invest a classic piece that you love, it is more important to consider the cost per wear rather than the price on the tag. In the photo I am wearing a Bariloche Blazer, in the past decade I have had two, my current one is four years old & still going strong.

From March until May I rotate between this & my Georgina Gilet, I then wear it again from September until the end of October. I am not great at sums but say I wear it three time a week during that period, I calculate that to be roughly 50 times a year. At the moment this jacket retails at £210 so has cost me just over £1 per wear. If it lasts me another couple of years & there is no reason to suppose it wont this will be reduced even further. As I wear my gilet virtually year round & it was less than half the price by the end of this summer it will be at similar cost per wear point.

So what is in my spring wardrobe already?

• Bariloche Blazer
• Georgina Gilet
• Angelika Magic Stretch 7/8 Jeans in white
• Angelika Magic Stretch Jeans in Stonewash
• Cap Sleeve T Shirt in white

These are my go to pieces every spring. I always have several pairs of white 7/8 jeans on the go as they are great for my body shape, elongating my legs whilst balancing out my top half at the same time. Most years I have to replace at least two pairs as I tend to wear them in the summer too as crops just don’t work for me, however as last year’s are still going strong I can spend my money on something else now.

I have stonewash jeans in two sizes & both full & 7/8 length as I wear them most of the year. In spring I just switch my predominately black winter wardrobe for navy & these still work well, again increasing my cost per wear.

My go to T shirt whatever colour is our Cap Sleeve from B-Copenhagen. It is slightly oversized with a drop sleeve so covers my lumps & bumps but is fine enough to wear under a jacket without bulking. As the weather gets warmer it will become part of my summer uniform as  I wear it as a stand alone with my go to linen trousers, The Tilly. I should actually say them rather than it as I have three (!) but again I think they are all still going strong so my pennies will go elsewhere this season

& what will I be adding

• Western Style Jacket in Khaki
• Fine Cotton Roll Neck in Ecru
• Claire Jumper – not sure which colour yet
• Tallulah in Gingham – again not sure which colour
• Gold Buckle Belt in Taupe

The Khaki Western Style Jacket is a bit of a gamble as although I love neutrals I can’t always wear them until I have a bit of a tan so I might not look as good in real life as I do in my head. However by the time I am definitely ready to wear it we won’t have my size in stock so I am grabbing it now. Even if it doesn’t work for me in spring I will wear it from July to October so it will work with my late summer /early autumn neutrals. However if it does work now I will pair it with jeans, white T, ecru rool neck, taupe belt & most years chelsea boots, however this because of my ankle khaki green flatform trainers.

The Fine Cotton Roll Neck in Ecru. If I had been at work I would have bought this in December so it would have already earnt it’s keep working with greys, blacks & browns in my winter wardrobe. This spring it will be worn with jeans, my jacket & gilet as well as the belt.

The Claire Jumper – which might have to be changed to a Kimmie. I love cable jumpers, have wanted another one for years & The Claire has the look & feel of a Ralph Lauren piece without the label & price tag. The big issue is will I look the same in it as I did a decade ago? I know I am fine in the darker colours but not sure about the pale blue or pink that I am lusting after. I think I must have banged my head as well as broke my ankle at the end of November because I have fallen in love with pink again, a colour that I haven’t worn for years.

The Tallulah in Gingham. I love Tallualh Shirts. In my wardrobe already I have the white, chambray & Gucci print. This season I am adding the gingham – again I am not sure which colour yet but both will work with all of the above except the Western Jacket & move beautifully into the summer.

The belt will go with everything, pull all my outfits together & give the illusion of the waist I dont have.

I hope that I havent rambled on too long & that by working through these ten pieces with me you have an understanding of the thought process behind each piece that I buy.

I use the same  philosophy when I am buying for Artichoke. Each season we put together three or four colour ‘stories’ that are either similar or the same as those in previous years, so for this Spring Summer they are Navy, Denim, Sea Green & Fuchsia. This helps you update your wardrobe, enabling you to chose pieces that we have selected for you & be confident that they will work with your existing items.

Thank you Marion for suggesting this idea & hopefuuly by the time summer arrives we can do it again as a video

Sarah X