My style has, unfortunately, become more boring. This is partly because I am more reasonable and practical these days: I want to be able to wear my clothes for years, which means safer bets and better quality, often resulting in more classic looks. I have also simply been drawn to quieter colour combinations, whether due to the influence of Instagram’s love for neutrals or my own changing tastes, who knows. But my list of favourites can perhaps still be useful, even if shorter on – although not entirely devoid of – glamour than in some other years.

COS cashmere. As is well known, I’m a cashmere addict, and own sweaters and cardigans in this yarn by quite a few brands. I believe that COS offers the best value for money, as you get softness, good quality and timeless but fresh design for non-crazy prices. The knits are by no means cheap, but there is simply a certain amount of money one needs to part with for decent cashmere. With the exception of one cardigan, I have been very happy with how COS cashmere has aged. The roll-neck on the photo above is now at least five years old and still going strong. Once you go through the first washes and a couple of cycles of de-pilling, they tend to settle and require less care after that. COS is also pretty much the only more affordable brand that does really thick cashmere (I own this one, for example), a category that I am particularly interested in.

Toteme tank tops. In the other end of the spectrum, there are Toteme tanks. I own these in black and white and wore them to death both this summer and the one before. They are definitely on the pricier side for such a simple garment and you can find very similar tops at Arket for considerably less money. But there is something about the exact cut and weight of the fabric of the Toteme ones that makes me like them better than any other I have tried (among others, I own the viral Loewe version in turquoise, but like it much less). And I have now reached a point where I would rather have one really good item that I love than five that are almost right. Of course, your mileage may vary with these, as different body types suit different shapes. Also, the Toteme cotton is relatively thin, so I suspect that everyone wouldn’t be comfortable wearing these without a bra.

Adidas Sambas. I know, I know, absolutely everyone has been wearing them this year, so I’m not trying to claim that this is some sort of a style flex. But this list is meant to be an honest reflection of what I loved in 2024 and I wore my white-and-black Sambas more than any other sneakers I own, for the second year in a row. What I like about them is that they are slim and also relatively formal, which makes them perfect going-to-the office trainers. This specific colourway is also extremely versatile, it works with a good portion of my clothes. If you care about trends (I’m not judging, I do too) and you are planning to buy your first pair of Sambas, I would probably choose a different colourway, as the black stripes on white have become so ubiquitous (I bought a brown pair this autumn and am considering green for spring). Or you could go for a different slim Adidas style instead, such as Tokyo or the up-and-coming SL 72 OG – I feel that the Gazelles and the Spezials are almost as popular as the Sambas at this point. Onitsuka Tiger is another obvious option.

Mango loafers. I generally avoid straight-up fast fashion these days, but if I find something that I really love, I will still buy it (I mostly visit these shops with my daughter now, fast fashion is much easier to avoid if you are not raising teens…). These beige suede Mango loafers* are a case in point – I really like how they look, the material was perfect for this year’s suede mania (which is fortunately continuing into 2025), they work really well with my wardrobe and I find them comfortable. I own two pairs of Gucci loafers and have other more premium options available, but I wore these so much more than any other pair.

Aerin Oversized Weekender. One reason I wore the Mango loafers so much was that they matched my new Aerin bag. I had coveted one for about five years, but they are not sold outside the US and not shipped internationally either. Even when one is physically in the US, it’s not easy to get, as Aerin has only two stores, one in Florida and one in the Hamptons. Fortunately, J was kind of interested in going to the Hamptons anyway, so we drove over for the beach and some bag shopping. I had found out just before the trip that the large weekenders are being discontinued, so I could no longer get the chocolate brown version that was my original choice. But I am now thinking that I was lucky, as I do really, really like the beige one. It looks gorgeous and luxurious and while it’s not super practical, I don’t mind if my casual bags don’t look pristine. If I had the money – and if I could access them – I would get the olive and navy versions as well.

Grains de Verre clip earrings. I am on a constant hunt for beautiful clip earrings and these Grains de Verre ones (from the Odesa collection) are my latest obsession. Grains de Verre is a Ukrainian brand known for rather bold styles. While these earrings are bold, too, they are also classic – pearls and gold rarely look wrong. I am obsessed with this gorgeous pair and I like how they look beautiful with a silk summer dress and tanned skin, while also working perfectly with a floor-length black gown on the new year’s eve. Or with white cashmere.

Aldo Järvsoo dress. Talking about floor-length black gowns, my most worn occasionwear piece this year was this simple black dress by Aldo. It is not as spectacular as some of my other favourites, but it is very flattering. The padded shoulders make one’s waist look slimmer and balance the proportions overall; the generous sleeves only expose the nicer parts of arms without being restrictive. Even on low body confidence days, I felt beautiful and elegant in this.

Riina Põldroos dress. A couple of years ago, I bought a gorgeous white goddess dress from Riina and I still adore it. However, I have worn it to a few parties and it shows – the fabric is very delicate and has started to fray. So I ordered another one, this time in sky blue with golden details (inspired, partly, by the memory of this Michael Kors dress worn by Carmen Kass). Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of it, although I wore this to see Hamilton in NYC. Unlike the Aldo dress, this one requires a good dose of body confidence, but the flattering cut helps.

Filippa K Alex coat. To finish on a sober, practical note that I promised in the beginning, I must mention my most-worn coat of this year. The Alex coat is an easy, belted style that works well with skirts and trousers alike. The cut is comfortable, as you can easily fit your thick knits into the sleeves. The fabric is gorgeous and my taupe colour in particular is lovely, although I cannot find that shade on the website any more. At some point I yearned for a more chocolatey brown one, in line with the biggest colour trend of the autumn, but in reality, I found this colder brown working beautifully with everything from cream to beige to all kind of browns, navy and even black (and pink!). This coat is now four or five years old and considering how much wear I have gotten out of it, I am seriously considering getting it in another colour. Or two.

To complete this run-down, let me also give a shout-out to the La Collection coat and Zara jeans in this post, as well as this blue dress. But they have already had their moment of glory, so I will not elaborate further here.

What were your favourite clothes and accessories in 2024?

* I could only find a link to a very similar loafers in white, but the beige ones seem slightly slimmer and more elegant to me.

Image Krõõt Tarkmeel, MUAH Gerda Miller.