2022 Wish/Need/Replace List

Given what I wrote when I broke my no buy, I wasn’t even sure whether to do a wish/need/replace list post for this year. In the end it seemed best to carry on and be as inclusive in this post as possible in order to cover all possible bases in the hopes of streamlining my spending somewhat.

Image from AdobeStock.

REPLACE

As of right now, the replace list is pretty much the same as it has been for a while now. Granted, I managed to make some of these replacements last year, so for the time being it is an incredibly short version of it, nonetheless it’s the same things as for the past however-long: a navy half bonnet and a pink bolero.

The bonnet is for reference only, the bolero is the actual first choice.

Having said this, I fully anticipate the replace list to expand with some key additions. Once I finally get round to doing the drastic purge, I imagine a fair few of my blouses will end up needing to be replaced. I won’t know exactly which ones until I do the purge, so for the time being I am leaving this section like this with a promise to elaborate on it when that is done and I know more.

NEED

If I had a pound for every time I said that I didn’t need anything anymore, I could afford to have quite the haul. The four items that have been on this list since last year also remain unchanged:

• A sweet brooch in red and a neutral shape.
• A sweet necklace in navy and a neutral shape.
• A pair of white x lavender OTKs or tights, warm toned lavender and a neutral design.
• A pair of classic navy earrings in a neutral design.
• Neutral flats/walking shoes in white, blue and red.

This final one definitely needs some extra streamlining and I could do with reviewing my shoe collection anyway from the comfort of walking angle anyway. So there is a chance that this may see some updates when my wardrobe purge takes place, assuming that any shoes get the chop.

Most of the above images are for reference only, these don't have to be these exact things.

There is also a chance that as my wardrobe overhaul will take me closer towards a working daily wardrobe, that I might need to stock up on a few more neutrals and basics. I’m thinking specifically about tights here, since OTKs aren’t always the most comfortable option around. Solid tights are not a bad shout, though I wouldn’t mind if they were at least textured and in an ideal world, they would have some sort of a pattern, however subtle. My best bets here would either Violet Fane, if they carry on making tights, or Snag, since I don’t have the energy to test Chinese brands from Taobao. So fingers crossed that either of those delivers something there that I like.

Additionally, based on what I learnt from 2021, I realised that I really like having a simple yet large hair accessory at the back of my head, like a giant bow. The initial instinct was to try to make these, but I know that I would turn lazy and that I have more chances of getting those bought. This is where Taobao could come in helpful since I only need simple barrette clips in pretty common colours: ivory, wine red, dark green, and maybe pink and sax for the lighter looks. So this is something to look for and the biggest challenge will be finding some of the right size.

Not really a proper tick-list collage, but since I don't plan on procrastinating on these, this photo will do.

WISH

This is where the most changes will have to happen. Because as my musings about ‘what next after breaking no buy’ have shown me, I really have no direction anymore as far as an end goal is concerned. Between splitting some of my wardrobe into seasonal items, allowing myself some leeway for items that will be dedicated to casual wear, and acknowledging that I still have some pieces that I want because they’re pretty, I decided to reorganise the dress wishlist into, well, precisely that. The traffic lights rating of priority still stands, but instead of each row being dedicated to one of those colours, now it will be one line per category, starting with wishlist items at the top, seasonal frivolity allowances in the middle, and daily things at the bottom. One or two updates later and the list currently looks like this.

The list as it stands now. No doubts more will join these ranks as the ideas in my head on what I want clarify further. Though I foresee this mostly being more skirts and OPs.

As for the non-main piece wishlist, this actually stays the same, just cleaned up with the things that are no longer applicable. There’s room to argue that some of these elements may end up moving to the need list, like the blouses which were originally added with ouji in mind, but that remains to be seen once the wardrobe purge is completed. For the time being, I’m keeping it to what it was because there genuinely aren’t any things that I want. Well, except for that emerald green blouse, but I can’t find anything remotely what I’d like in the shade that I’d like and I suck at photo editing, so this is something that will just happen whenever it happens. If it even happens.

• Some layering items, namely overskirts and underskirts in common colours from my wardrobe: wine red, navy blue, and sax blue.
• Innocent World Millefeuille boleros: black and preferably cross-lace (though pure smooth would also be acceptable); and shell lace in any colour, which I’d then replace for one of my current ones (brown would likely be the easiest). 
• Vintage hats: a black wide brim, a wine red pillbox/percher, and something elegant in navy.
• Elegant bracelets: ideally some elegant chain and sparkly ones, preferably in pairs, but I realise this isn’t the common thing to do in Western fashion, so I’ll take things as I go.
• A short underbust corset in black.
• A long fancy sleeve open neck (square or round) emerald green blouse, preferably mesh, but fabric choice is secondary to cut and colour.
  

Except for the boleros, the above images are for reference only.

THE INKLINKS

I’m adding a quick new section to this post to acknowledge the things that have been hinted at so far for which it is too soon to say whether I will want them or not. Teaser images, particularly from indie brands, can give us the necessary heads up to prepare ourselves for something, but until full samples are shown I can’t say either way whether I might want something or not. So here is everything that I am aware of so far that I will be keeping my eye on.

• Lady Sloth’s Slavic Beasts print - I’m still waiting to see what the cuts will look like, but I like what I’m seeing so far.
• L’Esprit de la Noblesse’s Le Nuage blouse in black - no idea if they will do another drop for it, but if they do, you can bet that I’m going to be all over that!
  

An unusually dark set of inklings for now, but that's just what I can reasonably predict.

I think I’ve done an alright job in keeping this list as specific as I possibly could have. There will always be things beyond what can reasonably be predicted, there’s simply no way around that. And those I will simply tackle in the same way as I have everything else: wait it out for a minimum of 48 hours and then see how I feel about it. I may add another layer to it of ‘does it fit any of the categories outlined above’, to make that decision process somewhat easier, but knowing myself it might not be as much help as I would like it to be.