2024 Year In Review

Last updated on December 29th, 2025 at 09:05 am

Happy 2025! In keeping with tradition, this post features hits, misses, and a reflection on shopping over the past year. You can find my previous year-in-review posts here.

Hits

There were five categories of items that were hits for this past year:

Daily Uniform

Not the most exciting, but definitely the most worn! Especially items that supported my health goals for the year (ex. shoes good for daily walks).

• Rothy’s Mary Jane Flats (secondhand) I caved to the mary jane trend, and I don’t regret it
• Everlane Sneakers These are incredibly lightweight, perfect for travel and also the occasional weight training session on said travel
• Loeffler Randall Chelsea Boots (secondhand) Fun spin on the classic chelsea boot. The patent leather holds up well to semi-inclement weather (rain, light snow)
• Teva Original Sandals During the warmer months, I was taking morning & evening walks and logged many miles in these sandals
• Everlane Organic Boxy Tee (secondhand) Love the slightly cropped length which is still appropriate for the office. Additionally, the organic white cotton is substantial enough to be fully opaque

Reformation

I hadn’t purchased Reformation in a long while, since my review a few years ago. But, armed with some credit from a ThredUp bag, I purchased several casual pieces that have been quick favorites.

• Will Oversized Shirt I wear a ton of button downs at the office, and this one has a silky cotton texture that adds a nice crisp look to any outfit
• Val 90’s Jeans See my full Reformation denim review here, these were my favorite style of the ones I tried. So much so that I also purchased a second color secondhand, too
• Clara Cashmere Cardigan Their cashmere is not cheap, but feels much more substantial in terms of weight-to-warmth ratio. I love the shorter body length, and these come in so many different colors

Maternity Clothing

We are thrilled to be expecting a little one next April, which quickly pivoted my purchases in the second half of this year.

• H&M Maternity While I try to avoid fast fashion, I also find it hard to stomach $150+ price points for clothing that is temporary. I’ve been very pleased with most of H&M’s Mama line, and try to stick with items made from natural fibers.
• Rag & Bone Sweatpants The viral denim sweatpants. I caved during Black Friday, and these are amazing.

Dopamine Dressing

These… are not functional purchases. But I love them, and have been able to wear them more times than I expected thanks to my wardrobe tracking.

• Jacquemus Pochette La Ronde This evening bag is quite large, and practically a weapon, but I love that it fits so much (even an extra pair of flats!) and is a great convo starter
• Structural Top from & Other Stories Very impressed with the details and structure of this top, it feels like a much more expensive brand
• Rachel Antonoff Coffee Puffer Love renting her colorful items via Nuuly (and looks like RTR carries her as well), this puffer was perfect for weather in the 20s F on our recent trip to the East Coast
• Parks Project x Merrell Hiking Shoes Such a fun twist on the classic Merrell hiking shoe
• Dolce Vita Kanika Mules Despite the stiletto heel, these are quite comfortable. I find Dolce Vita toes the line well between design and comfort, even at 3″ heel height

Beauty

Lastly, a few beauty items. My routine is very basic, and these have been easy to fit into my daily cadence.

• Inkey List 10% Azelaic Serum Had to give up my Agency retinol for a pregnancy safe ingredient – I’ve tried a frew Azelaic serums and this one is my favorite, with no weird residue or scent.
• KOSA lip balm & KOSA wet oil lip In leue of lipstick, these provide a nice boost of color while still feeling natural.
• Wavytalk Thermal Brush I… was totally influenced by TikTok, but this has quickly become a favorite. For the last ~15 years, I’ve diligently used a flat iron on my frizzy hair, which I found lacking in volume as of late. This inexpensive thermal brush provides the perfect balance of smoothing and volume that looks natural!

Reflections & Learnings

In the prior year, I made a lot of purchases for one-off events and new hobbies. Sorry pickleball, I’ll play again someday ha. Looking back, I did manage to pare back these types of purchases, with the exception of…

Maternity Clothing

At the start of my pregnancy in August, I had a goal of sticking it out with my existing clothing for as long as possible. My stretchy waistband pants worked great, but quickly began to limit my wardrobe, particularly for the office. I could probably get away with wearing sweatpants to the office occasionally, but leggings would definitely be a no-go.

By the second trimester, I caved and purchased several items that were either maternity specific (Ex. jeans) or maternity friendly (Ex. sweater dresses, of which I owned zero). I tried keep the former category to a minimum, knowing that they would be worn a few months. I plan to write a review of what pieces worked best for me through the different trimesters!

Secondhand Purchases

In total, 40% of my non-maternity purchases were secondhand. I was hoping to increase my % from last year – but I’ll take maintenance regardless! Unfortunately, I still had several misses with secondhand purchases, primarily for fabric (unexpected drape given material listed) and sizing. I was a bit lax in asking for measurements, and took a gamble with shoes (looking at you Doc Martens), lessons learned here.

Total Additions

My total wardrobe additions declined YoY*, which is a win overall. Major footnote of excluding maternity-specific purchases!

All in all, I feel OK looking back at the past year. I don’t love how much I’ve added in the last few months purely for a transitional season in my life. But my hope is to be able to re-use as much of this clothing as possible post-partum, and any near future pregnancies.

How about you? Do you have any intentions set for 2025?

Partnership Disclosure: This blog post was not sponsored by any of the brands listed above. As always, all opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, in which I earn a commission on purchases.