Best and Worst Purchases of 2021
Much like 2020, 2021 was another weird year for sartorial purchases. Even though I made a wardrobe plan for 2021, I ended up not fully following it. I went back to the office in June after starting the year working from home. My everyday wardrobe shifted back to in-person, smart casual office job from what was a very casual work from home situation. I continued to include loungewear and activewear in my quarterly budget recaps. I added fewer items to my wardrobe in 2021 than I did in 2020—but spent way more. Whew.
Out of the 50+ items I added to my wardrobe in 2021, I selected eight best purchases (plus four honorable mentions) and only two worst purchases. If you’re interested in specific outfit details, just click on the photo of interest to be taken to the original post!
My past best and worst purchases: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 best/worst, 2016 best/worst, 2015 best/worst, 2014 best/worst
BEST SARTORIAL PURCHASES OF 2021
NAADAM ESSENTIAL CASHMERE SWEATER (purchased January 2021)
I love a good basic, affordable cashmere sweater, and the essential $75 cashmere sweater by Naadam quickly rose to the top of my favorites when I bought it in early 2021 (read my full review and comparison between this sweater and my cashmere from Everlane and Quince). The olive green color is essentially a neutral in my wardrobe, so it goes with everything!
VUORI PERFORMANCE JOGGER (PURCHASED APRIL 2021)
I started wearing joggers a lot more often in 2020 when I was working from home, and I ended up buying more in 2021 (even after I went back to the office and had no real use for more joggers, lol—oops). After countless people telling me I needed to try Vuori joggers, I bit the bullet in the spring when they were on sale, and wowww—I get the hype! I love them so much that I bought two more pairs in the summer (see above comment about buying more when I didn’t need them LOL), and Korri has a couple of pairs of the Sunday performance joggers that he loves.
Vuori joggers are lightweight but somehow don’t stretch out with wear. They’re perfect joggers for the warmer and transitional season months (I don’t think they’re warm enough for winter in Boise!) and make excellent travel joggers. I honestly don’t mind wearing these in public. Highly recommend!
MADEWELL COTTON-LINEN PACKABLE SUNHAT (purchased May 2021)
Even though I have a ton of baseball caps and wear them often, I was on the hunt for a hat that covered more of my neck and landed on the Madewell packable sunhat. Even though I’m not entirely sure how it’s packable (perhaps I missed instructions on how to pack it somewhere), I love it for its ease and versatility. It’s (obviously) great for being out in the sun! This is going with me on future vacations that involve a lot of hiking as well as to beachy locations (like Cabo!). I do wish it had some sort of chin tie for breezy situations because it’s just slightly large on my small-ish head.
MADEWELL CURVY HIGH-RISE SKINNY CROP JEANS (purchased July 2021)
I discovered the wonders of curvy jeans in 2020 and added way more to my denim collection in 2021! My curvy high-rise skinny crop jeans in Lander wash were a standout purchase, mostly because I find them the most comfortable out of all of the pairs I currently own. They work even on my most bloated days, which means they’re a lifesaver when those bloated days coincide with work! I’ll be continuing the hunt for more jeans like these in 2022. (Read my curvy denim review!)
ZELLA RESTORE SOFT POCKET JOGGERS
(purchased August 2021)
I thought about not including a second pair of joggers in my best purchases…but I just love these Zella joggers so much! They’re right up there with my Vuori joggers, and I wear them nearly as often. These also make excellent travel pants, and I’ve been known to wear them for running errands. If you’re looking to spend less than Vuori but want similar quality, I would recommend trying these joggers out! They also have front pockets and a bonus back pocket that the Vuoris don’t have.
TWO DAYS OFF JORDAN DRESS IN JERSEY (purchased September 2021)
If I had to pick only ONE item that was my very best purchase of 2021…I think I’d have to go with my Two Days Off Jordan dress!!! I wore it the day it arrived and then like four days in a row after that LOL. It’s so good. It’s the epitome of a dress that can dress up and down. (I hate when people say that in reviews—it’s usually not helpful information because most things can skew casual or dressy—but this dress is more of a workhorse than I thought.) I love it for weekend wear, I love it for work (!!!), and I also love it for travel—by some miracle, the wrinkles from packing fell out once it was hung! I just cannot say enough good things about this dress!
EVERLANE PIMA MICRO-RIB TANKS (PURCHASED NOVEMBER 2021)
I purchased the Everlane pima micro-rib tanks in two colors, white and black, in two separate orders so I could hit the free shipping threshold. They turned out to be excellent buys! I didn’t expect to love them as much as I do since ribbed items are sort of hit-or-miss for me. I’ve been wearing them layered under cardigans and sweaters on days when a Uniqlo Heattech tank is too warm, and they also work great on their own in warm weather! I super appreciate that the white tank isn’t sheer.
QUINCE LUXE BABY CASHMERE SWEATER
(PURCHASED NOVEMBER 2021)
2021 was the year I tried Quince items for the first time! While I love both cashmere sweaters that I ordered (the luxe baby cashmere and the $50 cashmere), there’s just something special about this baby cashmere sweater! It’s so soft and feels luxurious on the skin. Plus, the price can’t be beat. Even my dentist commented on it! 😂 I would definitely recommend either this sweater or the Naadam sweater above if you’re in the market. (Read my affordable cashmere sweater review and comparison between Quince, Naadam, and Everlane!)
Honorable mentions go to my Outerknown Sierra flannel shirt (color no longer available; purchased January 2021; last seen here), One/Third Jacket 09 (purchased April 2021; last seen here), Madewell drawstring pull-on paperbag shorts (purchased July 2021; last seen here), and Everlane curvy authentic stretch high-rise skinny jean (purchased September 2021; last seen here).
WORST SARTORIAL PURCHASES OF 2021
Naadam cropped fleece sweatshirt
(purchased December 2020)
I had such high hopes for this cropped fleece sweatshirt! I loved the matching sweatpants, which ran slightly large compared to the sweatshirt; this one ran slightly small (what’s up with that wacky sizing?!). I bought them on final sale, which would’ve been fine except for the fact that I followed the washing instructions and the sweatshirt shrunk TERRIBLY. It’s now way too small. Such a disappointment! I’ve had better luck with Naadam’s cashmere so far.
Madewell pull-on shorts (purchased April 2021)
My black pull-on shorts from Madewell were honorable mentions in my best purchases of 2020…so it feels strange to list the same pair in olive under my worst purchases of 2021. But, if I’m going to be honest with you (and myself), I don’t love these shorts. They wrinkle pretty much immediately, which is not quite as noticeable in the black pair. For that reason, I don’t like wearing them out of the house…they just feel sloppy! But they can’t be beat in terms of comfort. I’d just recommend sticking to black unless you don’t mind lots of wrinkles!
