January 2026
Annual wardrobe recap! My 20 most worn items, brand trend report, and what's on my wishlist for 2026
Welcome back!
There are a few new folks this month so let’s start with a quick intro. Data Made Me Wear It is a monthly study of how a real wardrobe evolves over time. I track what I wear, what I buy, what I let go of, and why—through the lens of data, sustainability, and long-term collecting.
This newsletter has forced me to evaluate what I buy and sell more than ever, and as I reflect on 2025, it’s become clear that the data alone doesn’t tell the full story of how a wardrobe actually functions. What I wear day to day is shaped by a much wider set of decisions—what I save to my wishlist, which trends quietly earn a place and which don’t, what I choose to repair, alter, dye, recycle or resell. It’s shaped by caring for what I own as much as consumption.
The data isn’t going anywhere—it remains the backbone of this newsletter—but in 2026 I’m widening the frame. Less of a monthly log and more attention to the decisions that sit behind the numbers—and ultimately determine what I wear.
Last year was a big shopping and selling year for me and through the change I learned a lot about my evolving style and what I enjoy wearing in this chapter of my life. The annual wardrobe recap is one of my favorite things to put together. So let’s get into it.
FYI this post is too long for email. To view the full post you’ll need to open it in your browser or the Substack app. Thank you, love you.
2025 Wardrobe Recap
Shopping More, but More Secondhand
I bought 45 items last year (2X year-over-year), but only 40% of these items were secondhand purchases vs. 50% goal. And although I bought a lot more than expected, I also sold more than ever before in a single year, 26 total items.
The total percentage of my closet that’s secondhand increased to 28% (+5% increase year-over-year) and that’s a step in the right direction. I’m a collector and I crave newness (I am human) but not necessarily current season newness. 22 of the items I bought were from before 2025 with the oldest being a silk Prada blouse from 1995.
Brand Footprint Remains Small
My brand footprint remains small and I tend to only invest in a handful of designers regularly. It’s really fun to learn the language of a designer and collect through the years. I’ve built a strong foundation of most-worn items that I reach for again and again but I’m looking to shake things up this year and expand the list of brands I try and shop with.
Top brands purchased
TOTEME - 13 items bought in 2025, 8 secondhand and 5 new. 38 total TOTEME items in my wardrobe (22% of total wardrobe).
Tory Burch - 12 items bought in 2025, 4 secondhand and 8 new. 30 total Tory Burch items in my wardrobe (18% of total wardrobe).
Prada - 3 items bought in 2025, 2 secondhand and 1 new. 6 total Prada items in my wardrobe (4% of total wardrobe).
DONNI - 2 items bought in 2025, both new. 3 total DONNI. items in my wardrobe (2% of total wardrobe).
LouLou De Saison - 2 items bought in 2025, 1 secondhand and 1 new. 2 total LouLou De Saison items in my wardrobe (1% of total wardrobe). This was the first time I bought from this brand—a silk dress (new) and a pink button-up (secondhand).
New brands purchased
I bought from six new (to me) brands last year and I bought core pieces including loaders and shirting. I’ve been hearing so much about Jamie Haller and totally get the hype—these loafers are immediately comfortable, no breaking in period required.
I Wore 80% of My Wardrobe
I wore 87% of my wardrobe in 2024 meaning 80% is a decline year-over-year, offset by the amount of new items I added in 2025. Right now my wardrobe consists of 171 items of clothing, shoes, and handbags and I wore 137 of those items at least once in 2025.
Unworn (0 wears) and low engagement (worn once) items make up 38% of my wardrobe and include dresses (a notoriously low wear category for me), occasion shoes (including my wedding shoes), blazers, and turtlenecks. I used to wear turtlenecks a lot more in previous years and because the ones I have are good quality I’m not letting them go anytime soon. Getting more wears out of these items is one of my largest opportunities in 2026.
Occasional reach (worn 2-9 times) items make up 44% of my wardrobe and are made up of items you wear seasonally, maybe even cross-seasonally, but not year round including jeans, trench coats, shorts, sandals, summer tops and even some knitwear.
My 20 Most Worn Items
Surprising no one, my most worn pieces are mix-and-match separates that transcend seasons. Although somewhat basic, these are some of the most hardworking items I own and since I started working from home full time I’ve really adopted uniform dressing since my co-workers see very little of my outfits. I keep my weekly uniform from feeling boring by adding in jewelry, layers, and scarves.
Modern Citizen Paula wide leg pants, 42 total wears, bought in 2023. +5% more wears year-over-year.
TOTEME silk cashmere crewneck, 40 total wears, bought in 2024. +8% more wears year-over-year.
Nike daybreak sneakers, 30 total wears, bought in 2023. -19% fewer wears year-over-year. I wanted to wear “real” shoes more this year and so instead of always reaching for sneakers I invested in new shoe purchases including the comfiest loafers from Jamie Haller (worn 6 times), a pair from Tory Burch (worn 13 times) and Bally boat shoes (worn 6 times). IMAGE
VEN Store cashmere crewneck, 27 total wears, bought in 2023. +29% more wears year-over-year.
DONNI drawstring chino pants, 26 total wears, bought in 2025.
TOTEME signature cotton shirt, 25 total wears, bought in 2024. -17% fewer wears year-over-year. Tops were a wardrobe gap for me and in 2025 I bought a dozen new tops, including 7 pre-owned items.
DONNI simple silk pants, 25 total wears, bought in 2024. +2000% more wears year-over-year because I only wore them once in 2024.
TOTEME cropped parka trench, 23 total wears, bought in 2023. +21% more wears year-over-year.
soeur Thales sandal, 23 total wears, bought in 2023. -39% fewer wears year-over-year.
Polo Ralph Lauren cashmere cable knit, 20 total wears, bought pre-owned in 2020. +67% more wears year-over-year.
Tory Burch jersey ankle pants, 20 total wears, bought in 2023. +25% more wears year-over-year.
Chanel quilted ballet flats, 20 total wears, bought in 2023. -39% fewer wears year-over-year.
TOTEME cashmere v-neck sweater, 19 total wears, bought in 2025.
Tory Sport track pants, 18 total wears, bought in 2020. +13% more wears year-over-year.
Tory Burch Violet flats, 18 total wears, bought in 2024. +1700% more wears year-over-year because I only wore them once in 2024.
AGOLDE Parker cropped jean, 15 total wears, bought in 2025. -45% fewer wears year-over-year.
TOTEME cargo pants, 17 total wears, bought in 2023. No change in wears year-over-year.
TOTEME Picos coat, 14 total wears, bought in 2020. +17% more wears year-over-year.
Dries Van Noten wide leg trousers, 13 total wears, bought secondhand in 2023. +18% more wears year-over-year.
Tory Burch Jessa loafer, 13 total wears, bought in 2025.
2026 Mood Board
I’m looking forward to the softness of Spring and slowly incorporating more color into my wardrobe. Nothing too bold, but I’m suddenly interested in lilac, yellow, and pale blue. I have pleated skirts and a split cuff blazer that really scratch the suiting itch I’m seeing all over the runways. The only item I plan to buy right now are a pair of white flats and these ones from By Far are a saved favorite.
And with that, let’s take a look back at December.
The Addition
I own 3 winter coats—a puffer, a wool overcoat and a shearling coat—and all of them are long which makes them an absolute pain to wear when driving somewhere. My long coats are great for city days or dressing up, but I live in the suburbs and have been skipping a coat completely because a long coat is so annoying. This jacket has done the trick and has already gotten a lot of wear. It’s a twill wool blend meaning it’s warm-ish, and it’s an oversized fit making it perfect to layer over a heavier sweater—impossible to do when wearing a tailored wool overcoat.
The Edit
I have a few things listed on TheRealReal right now, but I’m more excited about what I’m repairing and tailoring. I had the straps of a swimsuit shortened for $46 and this Tory Burch skirt taken-in for $65.
I requested to keep the pockets along the side seems and to avoid cutting the fabric so I can always adjust the waistband size in the future. I bought the skirt secondhand for $105 so for under $200 (including the alteration) I have something high quality that fits perfectly. Not too bad considering it retailed for almost $600.
I was really looking forward to repairing my cashmere sweater after practicing my darning techniques on some old socks. This repair would have looked cleaner with a finer wool yarn but this is the best I could find locally. The repair is at the back neck of the sweater so my hair will cover it anyway, but I love that I was able to do this myself. Highly recommend this virtual darning class if you’re looking to get started. Next up I want to add some embroidery to this sweater—stay tuned!
The Favorite
This menswear sweater was an absolute steal on eBay in 2020. I’ve worn it 75 times since then (bringing cost per wear down to $0.80), wore it every week in December, and regularly share it with my husband. There’s so much great cashmere secondhand and the off-season is a great time to buy if you’re looking for more inventory heavily discounted.
See you next month!
Lauryn
Further Reading:
