"Being a fashion editor is a dream job, but something that’s not-so-dreamy about it is the pressure that can come with it. Since I literally write about what to wear for a living, it’s easy to feel like I should exclusively be dressed in new, of-the-moment pieces that follow the most coveted trends of every season. This mentality is something that I’ve had to hurdle across over the past few years, because when I don’t, I end up with an overstuffed closet with absolutely no cohesion—or worse, no ties to my true personal style.
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Throughout 2024, I’ve felt a major shift in my style. Rather than trying to bend it to be something it’s not (or follow every trend I write about), I’ve really tuned into what my instincts are when it comes to dressing. I started with figuring out my three fashion words—which I narrowed down to effortless, cool, and comfortable—and then let myself wear what I truly wanted to. For example, a huge priority for me is comfort, and since I live in Chicago, almost every day involves a lot of walking. I reach for a pair of my (many) sneakers six out of seven days a week, so that’s something I allow myself to add to my wardrobe consistently.
Rather than focusing too heavily on trends this year—don’t get me wrong, though, I’ll always have trendy pieces in my wardrobe—I decided to really hone in on curating my capsule wardrobe, and so far, I’ve succeeded. Not only do I now feel like I have more to wear, but I feel excited to get dressed every single morning—not overwhelmed. These are the 10 pieces I added to my capsule wardrobe so far in 2024.
If you saw how many jeans I own, you’d ask how I could ever justify buying another pair. But after a recent bout of frustration where I realized I still hadn’t found my truly perfect pair of jeans, I decided to go try some on in person. About a dozen pairs in, I put these on, and my world stopped spinning. These are, truly, my perfect jeans. They’re a great medium wash, are medium rise, and have a leg that is perfectly straight on my more muscular thighs. If I could only keep one pair of jeans, these would be them.
I’ve always been a ballet flat wearer, but of all of my shoes, they tend to wreak havoc on the back of my heels the most. These, however, are by far and large the most comfortable flats I’ve ever owned. They don’t require being broken in, and have a little bit of support in the arch that allows me to walk literal miles in them. On top of that, despite having been worn dozens of times, they still look brand new. I’m going to have these in my closet for years to come.
One of the biggest changes I’ve made in shopping over the past year is how I buy my knitwear. While I used to buy a few every season, now I invest in one or two high-quality ones that will last me for years instead. If I had to choose one sweater to keep out of the dozens I own, it would be this cashmere fisherman sweater from Jenni Kayne. It’s classic, lightweight, and so soft that I live in it in the colder months. The fisherman design also provides the perfect relaxed, boxy fit that I look for in sweaters.
As someone who goes to the office twice a week, having a bag that carries my laptop, lunch, planners, and a dozen miscellaneous items is a must for me. Not only is this tote beautiful, but it carries more than any bag I’ve ever had. It’s extremely deep, which distributes my items in a way that never feels cumbersome or bulky to wear, even when it’s stuffed to the brim. I own it in black, but am planning on ordering the beautiful deep brown it comes in for fall, too.
When I don’t know what to wear, the piece I reach for is a button-up. They’re a piece I get endless use out of, so I’ve allowed myself to add quite a few to my wardrobe over the years. Of the 15-ish I own, this is my favorite. It’s perfectly oversized, beautifully made, and hangs on my body in an effortless way that looks relaxed and cool, no matter how I style it. I opted for this striped version, but they have over 10 other colors and patterns that are equally beautiful.
I wear a maxi skirt what feels like every other day in the warm months, and really take advantage of their ability to dress up everything from a basic tank to graphic tee. I was on the hunt for a white one that wasn’t tiered—a surprisingly difficult task—and found this one. It’s the perfect linen maxi skirt that isn’t see-through, and I feel that the slit makes it feel even more elevated. At $65, my cost-per-wear on this is already down to mere cents.
Tennis jewelry has been trending for quite a while now, but despite wanting a tennis necklace, I wasn’t looking to spend thousands of dollars on one. I came across Dorsey’s lab-grown sapphire tennis necklaces on TikTok, took the plunge on this beautiful bezel version, and have worn it every day since. It lays perfectly on the neck—no flipping or twisting—and the sapphires truly sparkle identically to diamonds. If you’re interested in investing in tennis jewelry but don’t want to spend $3,000+, this is your best bet.
If I had to name my Holy Grail item of summer 2024, it would be these J.Crew pants. I couldn’t name a bad thing about these if I tried. They’re high-quality, have a perfectly relaxed fit, aren’t see-through, and the drawstring waist makes styling them a breeze. They’re the only linen pants I ever want to put on my body. I would buy them in every single color if they were in stock. 10/10, no notes.
Working from home three days a week has allowed me to lean into the casual side of my style. On my work-from-home days, I frequent the coffee shops around me in jeans and sweaters, and like to feel put-together, but in a casual way. I wear my Birkenstock clogs to death, so I recently added this sage green pair to my arsenal to wear on my off days. I’m so excited to have the beautiful green shade as an option to pair with all of my sweaters this coming fall. I’ve never regretted buying a pair of Birkenstocks, so I know I’ll never regret having these.
If there’s one thing to know about me, it’s that I am historically not a heel person. But over the past year, both out of necessity and a desire to ~mature~ a bit, I’ve made an effort to change that. I decided it was time to get my first big-girl pair of heels, and this was my pair of choice not only because of their classic design, but also because of Larroude’s reputation for being comfortable. These are, in fact, so comfortable that for the first time in my life, I feel like I actually might be a heel person. I could comfortably wear these all day long.
Madeline Galassi, Senior Fashion & Beauty Editor
Madeline has been covering fashion at The Everygirl since 2018. She edits all fashion content, writes in-depth trend reports, and curates the direction of the fashion and beauty sections. She’s worked with top brands like Nordstrom, & Other Stories, Sézane, and Everlane.