I loved this read so much. I can’t wait to watch your vintage journey unfurl because it’s going to be so stylish and beautiful! I thoroughly agree on the natural fibers, though I do make exceptions for certain pieces. I will say I have saved so much money from seeing pieces I loved, finding that they’re made of synthetics, and then refusing to buy them bc of that.
Now that I'm really paying attention I can't escape the secondhand synthetics, which should definitely help my wallet. I know I'm going to make a few exceptions this year but having a higher balance of natural fibers feels better. Thank you for your kind words Danielle ❤️
Excellent as always!!! I'm trying to buy for longevity as much as I can, knowing we can't always predict the future but we can resist purchasing something we know won't feel as exciting in a year!
This is a great mindset Stephanie! Agree it's so hard to predict our future selves, but looking a year out can help shape your wardrobe into something you love.
Amen to natural fibres! Whenever I wear synthetics these days my armpits hate me. And it was a PLEASURE to feature you - thank you for your sage styling advice as always.
I’m looking forward to Just Wear it January! All three of your goals resonate with me, and I’m going to start 2026 by focusing on wearing what I already have.
Thank you and amazing! I hope it's a great month for your wardrobe. It's mind blowing how much there really was in my closet when I played around with styling things in different ways.
I love seeing how your personal style has evolved and shifted from maximalism, bold patterns, and colors to more monochromatic and "minimalist". I put it in quotes because you're exceptional at layers, textures, and accessories.
You are too kind Kate! Tysm for this tip about Vintage by Misty, I just took a look and there are so many amazing items. I'm very into the fringed silk opera gloves.
I wanted to select all the options, because they truly resonate with me! I've also been on the journey of trying to reduce synthetics from my wardrobe and have made the switch to mostly vintage/secondhand leather as well. The vintage space is something I've dabbled with on and off for a long time, there's so much to learn! It really does feel like a treasuretrove.
Thank you so much Stefanie! It sounds like I'm going to be learning a lot this year :) I've been following Kendall Flavin's incredible vintage leather curations and there are so many amazing things available, it kind of mind boggling.
I love your 2026 intentions and love your creative style - you always look so chic, fun and put together, I feel this reflects a wonderful person on the inside as well. I’ve been shopping natural fibres only for the past eight years or so and though it’s getting harder to find garments in all natural fibres, it’s still possible. Also, it slows down my consumption rate and ensures that I really want the garment since it’s worth waiting and hunting for it. I tend to buy Cos (quality is good and their garments fit tall) and they have 100 % natural options. In many garments they’ll blend wool with lyocell, a greener alternative of viscose that is cheaper than wool, and the garments will therefore have a nice drape and be soft. Vintage shopping is near impossible for any tall person, unless it’s accessories. I’ve had too many misses! 😅
Thank you for your kind words! I've seen so much about COS sweaters in Substack chats and have started to keep an eye out for them at resale, and this is great to know about them being good if you're tall. Before I started wearing secondhand wool, I only had a sad couple of synthetic sweaters that were a pilled mess. Wearing natural fiber sweaters is such a huge jump in quality, I'm excited to have more options.
A huge yes to natural fibers - in particular 100% merino wool. I discovered it ahead of my first mountaineering trip - my first big summit - the Kilimanjaro, back when I was turning 31. You see, for the gym I cannot imagine wearing cotton and swear by a 'good' (and yet not so good for the environment) polyester and elastane - BUT in the mountains, only merino wool will give you the warmth when it's cold and at the same time the cooling when it's 25oc - just like my today's volcano hike in New Zealand.
Merino does not smell and like other wools, it is self cleaning. It dries fast. ...I mean I could just go on and on. It comes in different thicknesses so you can really go from tropical heat to high altitude and hence polar conditions. Amen ❤️
Thank you for this intel Ewelina! I have a friend who skis and says the same thing about merino wool underlayers. I've tried to be less concerned about washing my handful of secondhand wool sweaters since I've learned about the self cleaning :)
I love love love your style resolutions. A number of years ago, I too pledged to only wear natural fabrics - I fell deep into small-scale Indian brands doing amazing things with cotton. I still cherish everything I have though I've discovered wash wear can show up considerably more. It is a fine balance buying for longevity (very important to me!!) with the reality that some fabrics just don't always last as long. I've eased off just a smidge - especially since I like Tibi but silk and wool will forever be superior to me! Good luck with this endeavour! You are a huge inspiration to me - I'm always thinking WWTD? 🥰
Thank you Usha ❤️ You have such a great and balanced POV about your wardrobe. I have a few cotton pieces that don't seem to wear as well over time with fading and I'm not sure how to combat that other than to find a community dye bath (I do not trust myself to dye anything). I'm just starting to get into secondhand silk and wool and I'm glad to know that those are the fabrics you have the most success with.
I have no meaningful solution Tina - mine have been relegated to the home-use/PJ stash and will eventually make their way to cleaning rags once they start tearing.
Your outfits are always so killer, forever my secondhand style inspo. Love the idea of squeezing the heck outta your wardrobe, something I neeed to be better as I’m a victim to throwing on sweatpants and a sweatshirt everyday where I don’t need to leave the house
Wow, thank you so much! I've just started wearing my regular clothes for a day at home and it does create a positive mental shift. Although I'm ready for sweatpants by early evening :) Practice makes perfect I guess?
Oh, thank you so much friend. I'm excited to follow along with your wisdom this year, you've made me think about my wardrobe in so many different ways.
Love this, Tina! You know I adore vintage, but it is fraught with peril. Sizing is wacky (always get measurements), get photos of all tags and the inside of the garments (linings disintegrate).
FYI, your Vanity Fair “skirt” is a long half-slip; they made primarily undergarments. It’s probably from the 80s or earlier and will last forever.
Vintage fabrics are always better than modern, even polyester. 💕
Thank you Sheila! Do you have a Substack post dedicated to vintage tips? I think we'd all love to learn from your knowledge. This is the advice I need and it's just scratching the surface of your extensive knowledge.
So good, Tina! I really appreciated your mentioning feeling nervous about getting into vintage. I’m feeling the exact same way but also eager and excited!
As someone who shops at lightening speed — it will be a good way to slow myself down and get closer to your pace!!
It's a little intimidating - I will be using Kendall Flavin, Katie Casper, Emily Stochl, and Glenn Mae as my entryway since they always have stellar picks on Substack. I know I'm missing some fantastic vintage writers, if I think of anyone else I'll be back.
I loved this read so much. I can’t wait to watch your vintage journey unfurl because it’s going to be so stylish and beautiful! I thoroughly agree on the natural fibers, though I do make exceptions for certain pieces. I will say I have saved so much money from seeing pieces I loved, finding that they’re made of synthetics, and then refusing to buy them bc of that.
Now that I'm really paying attention I can't escape the secondhand synthetics, which should definitely help my wallet. I know I'm going to make a few exceptions this year but having a higher balance of natural fibers feels better. Thank you for your kind words Danielle ❤️
Excellent as always!!! I'm trying to buy for longevity as much as I can, knowing we can't always predict the future but we can resist purchasing something we know won't feel as exciting in a year!
This is a great mindset Stephanie! Agree it's so hard to predict our future selves, but looking a year out can help shape your wardrobe into something you love.
Amen to natural fibres! Whenever I wear synthetics these days my armpits hate me. And it was a PLEASURE to feature you - thank you for your sage styling advice as always.
❤️❤️❤️
I’m looking forward to Just Wear it January! All three of your goals resonate with me, and I’m going to start 2026 by focusing on wearing what I already have.
Thank you and amazing! I hope it's a great month for your wardrobe. It's mind blowing how much there really was in my closet when I played around with styling things in different ways.
I love seeing how your personal style has evolved and shifted from maximalism, bold patterns, and colors to more monochromatic and "minimalist". I put it in quotes because you're exceptional at layers, textures, and accessories.
Check out: https://vintagebymisty.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopvyJ8HkAef9NQtQ1AKBR7yMEvf4peuD5bpgOHcipil6d6cOqx_
She has some unique cool pieces and a huge archive!
You are too kind Kate! Tysm for this tip about Vintage by Misty, I just took a look and there are so many amazing items. I'm very into the fringed silk opera gloves.
Fringed silk opera gloves are gorgeous!
Lots of great tips, especially the one about prioritizing natural fibers!!
I'm very excited about this one even though I know a synthetic is still going to sneak in :) Thank you!
I wanted to select all the options, because they truly resonate with me! I've also been on the journey of trying to reduce synthetics from my wardrobe and have made the switch to mostly vintage/secondhand leather as well. The vintage space is something I've dabbled with on and off for a long time, there's so much to learn! It really does feel like a treasuretrove.
Thank you so much Stefanie! It sounds like I'm going to be learning a lot this year :) I've been following Kendall Flavin's incredible vintage leather curations and there are so many amazing things available, it kind of mind boggling.
I love your 2026 intentions and love your creative style - you always look so chic, fun and put together, I feel this reflects a wonderful person on the inside as well. I’ve been shopping natural fibres only for the past eight years or so and though it’s getting harder to find garments in all natural fibres, it’s still possible. Also, it slows down my consumption rate and ensures that I really want the garment since it’s worth waiting and hunting for it. I tend to buy Cos (quality is good and their garments fit tall) and they have 100 % natural options. In many garments they’ll blend wool with lyocell, a greener alternative of viscose that is cheaper than wool, and the garments will therefore have a nice drape and be soft. Vintage shopping is near impossible for any tall person, unless it’s accessories. I’ve had too many misses! 😅
Thank you for your kind words! I've seen so much about COS sweaters in Substack chats and have started to keep an eye out for them at resale, and this is great to know about them being good if you're tall. Before I started wearing secondhand wool, I only had a sad couple of synthetic sweaters that were a pilled mess. Wearing natural fiber sweaters is such a huge jump in quality, I'm excited to have more options.
I’m so ready for natural fabrics!
The tide is definitely starting to turn 💚
A huge yes to natural fibers - in particular 100% merino wool. I discovered it ahead of my first mountaineering trip - my first big summit - the Kilimanjaro, back when I was turning 31. You see, for the gym I cannot imagine wearing cotton and swear by a 'good' (and yet not so good for the environment) polyester and elastane - BUT in the mountains, only merino wool will give you the warmth when it's cold and at the same time the cooling when it's 25oc - just like my today's volcano hike in New Zealand.
Merino does not smell and like other wools, it is self cleaning. It dries fast. ...I mean I could just go on and on. It comes in different thicknesses so you can really go from tropical heat to high altitude and hence polar conditions. Amen ❤️
Thank you for this intel Ewelina! I have a friend who skis and says the same thing about merino wool underlayers. I've tried to be less concerned about washing my handful of secondhand wool sweaters since I've learned about the self cleaning :)
That is great, Tina! 🙌🏻 imagine that even small stains may disappear with time, thanks to the still active enzymes that sit in wool 🥳
oooh, even better!
I love love love your style resolutions. A number of years ago, I too pledged to only wear natural fabrics - I fell deep into small-scale Indian brands doing amazing things with cotton. I still cherish everything I have though I've discovered wash wear can show up considerably more. It is a fine balance buying for longevity (very important to me!!) with the reality that some fabrics just don't always last as long. I've eased off just a smidge - especially since I like Tibi but silk and wool will forever be superior to me! Good luck with this endeavour! You are a huge inspiration to me - I'm always thinking WWTD? 🥰
Thank you Usha ❤️ You have such a great and balanced POV about your wardrobe. I have a few cotton pieces that don't seem to wear as well over time with fading and I'm not sure how to combat that other than to find a community dye bath (I do not trust myself to dye anything). I'm just starting to get into secondhand silk and wool and I'm glad to know that those are the fabrics you have the most success with.
I have no meaningful solution Tina - mine have been relegated to the home-use/PJ stash and will eventually make their way to cleaning rags once they start tearing.
Same! It's about time to cut up a new t-shirt for rags.
Your outfits are always so killer, forever my secondhand style inspo. Love the idea of squeezing the heck outta your wardrobe, something I neeed to be better as I’m a victim to throwing on sweatpants and a sweatshirt everyday where I don’t need to leave the house
Wow, thank you so much! I've just started wearing my regular clothes for a day at home and it does create a positive mental shift. Although I'm ready for sweatpants by early evening :) Practice makes perfect I guess?
Love these goals! On a vintage journey myself.
Thank you Alex! I will definitely be following along on your journey, I love your eye and am excited to see what you find.
You’ve been such an inspiration in loving fashion sustainably!! I can’t wait to see more of your outfits this year :)
Oh, thank you so much friend. I'm excited to follow along with your wisdom this year, you've made me think about my wardrobe in so many different ways.
Love this, Tina! You know I adore vintage, but it is fraught with peril. Sizing is wacky (always get measurements), get photos of all tags and the inside of the garments (linings disintegrate).
FYI, your Vanity Fair “skirt” is a long half-slip; they made primarily undergarments. It’s probably from the 80s or earlier and will last forever.
Vintage fabrics are always better than modern, even polyester. 💕
Here’s to 2026!
Thank you Sheila! Do you have a Substack post dedicated to vintage tips? I think we'd all love to learn from your knowledge. This is the advice I need and it's just scratching the surface of your extensive knowledge.
I wish I had the capacity to put one out, Tina, but I think you get how much work it is to write a weekly (plus I also blog near-daily)!
You can always DM me if you have any questions about a particular garment, however - I'll give you whatever insight I can glean!
Thank you! I might take you up on that :)
And I do know your name, my apologies, Tina! Please do reach out.
I know you do :) Although I prefer Gillian as a name over Tina. Thank youuuuu
So good, Tina! I really appreciated your mentioning feeling nervous about getting into vintage. I’m feeling the exact same way but also eager and excited!
As someone who shops at lightening speed — it will be a good way to slow myself down and get closer to your pace!!
It's a little intimidating - I will be using Kendall Flavin, Katie Casper, Emily Stochl, and Glenn Mae as my entryway since they always have stellar picks on Substack. I know I'm missing some fantastic vintage writers, if I think of anyone else I'll be back.
Taking notes!
Also Viv Chen!