What did you never wear this summer and why?
As we move into a new season, it’s a really great time to look back at your summer wardrobe and notice what you didn’t wear.
Not because we’re planning on getting rid of anything, or because every unworn item is a bad buy.
I do this for a living, and i’m really careful about what I buy, but even I’ve noticed there were a few things I didn’t reach for much this summer.
One thing I know about myself is that if I love something, I wear it. A LOT. I don’t necessarily need loads of different options, I’m quite happy to find something I love and wear it on repeat. So I’ve realised I don’t need a huge amount of new things each season.
I also know that I often don’t wear things for sensory or comfort reasons, which is something I’ve become much more aware of over the years. Sometimes I don’t notice this after just trying something on quickly, so when I’m trying something new, I’ll often wear it around the house for a while to get a real idea of how it actually feels to wear.
I bought a few different tops at the start of the summer in the sale and found I kept wearing one more than the others because it made me so happy. Which, in turn, made me realise the others were getting very little wear.
One of them kept sliding off my shoulder when I wore it (which I didn’t notice when I first tried it on), so it annoyed me and I kept adjusting it. Another was made from a heavier fabric and felt too hot every time I wore it.
That’s really useful information for me to have, if something is annoying or uncomfortable to wear, I’m probably not going to wear it, however much I like it.
I know some people in the group are very different and love having lots of options, putting together loads of different outfit combinations and wearing something different every day.
And that’s absolutely fine too.
The point isn’t that there’s a right number of clothes to have or a right way to use your wardrobe. It’s about noticing your own patterns and using them to understand what works for you.
The point isn’t that there’s a right number of clothes to have or a right way to use your wardrobe.
It’s that your wardrobe can give you some really useful clues about what works for you.
Before you pack your summer things away, pick a few things you thought you’d wear more than you actually did.
Maybe it was something you already owned but just kept overlooking.
Or something you bought this summer with high hopes — that holiday dress that never came out of the suitcase, the tops you bought at the start of the season, or those shoes that looked lovely but somehow never made it onto your feet.
Now ask yourself:
Why didn’t I wear it?
Was it simply the weather, or the fact you never had the right occasion?
Or was there something about the item itself?
Was it uncomfortable?
Did the fit never feel quite right?
Did you not love the colour on you, even though you thought you would?
Was it harder to style than you expected?
Did you buy it because it was on trend, rather than because it genuinely felt like you?
That distinction is really useful.
“I didn't wear it because it was so hot this summer” tells you something very different from “I didn't wear it because I never actually felt good in it.”
And just thinking about that distinction can really help you think about how you add items to your wardrobe, not just next summer, but this season too.
Because your wardrobe is constantly giving you feedback about what you actually wear, what you feel good in and what makes getting dressed easier.
You don't need to make any decisions about these things now. You don’t need to get rid of anything. Just notice.
If you’ve been in JD a while, this is one of those little habits that can make Better Buying so much easier, you’re not just learning from what you like, you’re learning from what you actually wear.
Your wardrobe is giving you feedback all the time. You just need to start listening to it.
And if you only have time to think about one thing today, make it this:
What did I think I’d wear this summer that I didn’t and why?
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