What I Bought in January

(and, what I didn't)

TikTok is unbanned for now, but maybe not for long. My online presence is in desperate need of a little redundancy, folks! Hence, my low-buy monthly recaps have come to Substack.

If you’re here *only* for my industry / DTC takes: boy, have I got some good stuff in drafts for you! But hey, maybe you’ll like this too.

My low-buy “rules”

This is my third year shopping this way, and the “rules” I’ve personally settled on are:

• I’ll only buy 12 new pieces of clothing in 2025

• Secondhand doesn’t count

• Accessories (bags, shoes, jewelry, etc.) also don’t count

This works well for me and my goals, which are to 1. generally keep a lid on things to prevent massive overconsumption and 2. slowly, thoughtfully curate a wardrobe of things I actually love.

What I bought

Do what I say, not what I do

I capped off 2024 with a data-driven recap that concluded in 2025 I should…

1. Try to be more consistent with my purchases, truly pacing one per month

2. Avoid buying on sale

Despite my best-laid plans, the Tibi sale hit my inbox on January 3rd and these principles for 2025 went swiftly out the window. What can I say?

Note: I really, really, really want to avoid glazing any specific brand. Because at the end of the day, almost none of them are ever all that great. A brand isn’t a person to be loved and admired. They’re a business that exists to part you from your money. Never buy from a brand because someone else told you how wonderful or virtuous they are. Buy from a brand because you like what they’re putting down and the product they’re selling fits the criteria of what you’re looking for.

This newsletter is called Brand Panic, after all. But Tibi is the closest you’ll see me come to brand worship. (Is a full brand breakdown in order? From like, a business perspective of course.)

I’ll get straight to what I did buy: the Artemis Dress and Double-Waisted Jeans

I’m obsessed and I won’t be making any apologies

In my defense (if I have any): both of these pieces lived on my Pinterest wishlist since the moment they were launched and the ideas behind both of these pieces have lived for even longer on THE LIST in my notes app.

See: “some kind of transparent black skirt / pant” and “mid blue loose denim”

So despite being “impulse” sale purchases, they felt quite a bit more considered than that. Time will tell whether they end up being a “love”, “meh”, or “mistake” by the end of the year, but for now I am 100% pleased with myself.

To me, there’s just nothing better than a really f*ed up jean

That being said, I am now cooked and in the freezer on any new clothing purchases till March.

What I didn’t buy

These are things that caught my eye enough to justify a screenshot and/or Pinterest list save, but that I talked myself out of one way or another. Read for my self-deinfuencing train of thought.

On the list? ❌
I find this quite interesting in a cartoonish way. It’s also slightly unappealing in that same cartoonish way. I tend to find button-up silk shirts more fussy-feeling than I’d like in practice.

On the list? ❌
It’s just pretty isn’t it? I feel super drawn to this chocolate-y brown suede color right now, but I also suspect that this exact shade is reaching MEGA-TREND saturation levels and this “timeless” color will suddenly feel not-so-timeless in about two years.

On the list? ❌
Oh, this is so down my alley. The perfect colors for my wardrobe palette. It’s somehow both simple and detailed at the same time. And it’s reversible!!! But coats are just such an odd thing in San Francisco. Like, you kind of never need a coat but you always need a jacket?!? I hate it.

On the list? ❌
I’m probably the last person on earth to discover Uniqlo. I said I’m not a brand glazer, but I’ve been impressed lately. These feel Tibi-esque to me and I think they’d look cool. But I’m not 100% sure if I really love this color green (for me).

On the list? ❌
As of now (but, this could change!), this color suede feels like the less trendy version of the darker brown iteration above. It’s yummy and I think this shape is beautiful. But like…how much are you really wearing a clutch!? If anyone carries a clutch in everyday normal life, I’d honestly like to hear from them.

On the list? ✅
(they aren’t white with black accents but they’re still a “slim neutral sneaker”)
These are a Miu Miu x New Balance knockoff. Get a pair of green paracord laces and you’re in business. A part of me fears I’ll look a bit silly in them.

On the list? ❌
My final end-of-2024 wardrobe takeaway was to think about bringing in more Tibi “ring 3” colors. The “ish” colors. This is a good one.

On the list? ❌
This feels like exactly the shape of something I would want, but at the same time it somehow comes together as feeling less than the sum of it’s parts? Idk, it’s hard to explain. But also I’ve never truly loved anything with an exposed zipper. And this is REALLY exposed.

All for now! Friendly reminder that if you’re curious, you can see all the details of my full closet on Indyx. The web link will let you spy on all my items, but to see aaaalllllll the outfits I’ve styled with those items you’ve got to get the app.