August for me was a month of many goodbyes and too few hellos. The biggest goodbye to my flat in London where I have spent the last two years. A goodbye to many of my neighbours and friends, from whom I will now be living a little further from. A goodbye to my job of three years. A goodbye to consistent sunny and radiant weather.

And goodbye to a LOT of clothes.

Moving out and stepping into a new chapter of my life was the perfect chance for me to properly sort through my wardrobe and belongings.

My sense of style rotates at a much slower rate these days compared to how it did when I was a teenager, so I find wardrobe clear-outs tend to be less fruitful for me these days. However, I believe this turning of seasons sparked a ruthlessness in me that allowed me to reduce my wardrobe by about a quarter! I was able to donate multiple bags of clothes I no longer care for, as well as retire anything that was beyond repair.

Saying quite so many farewells and ‘see you soons’ in such a short space of time prompted a great deal of reflection within me. Initially it felt difficult and heavy to acknowledge that things were changing in my life and that certain people, places, and things would no longer surround me in quite the same way. However it has opened up a space in my heart, or more so made me realise just how much I had in my heart to begin with.

Through this process of change I have adopted greater levels of gratitude. How lucky am I to have such wonderful friends that make leaving feel so hard! How lucky am I to have had such a beautiful flat that has inspired me and been my home for two of the greatest years of my life! How lucky am I to have so many clothes and shoes to sort through and give away to others!

August was a month where I was truly able to be present and appreciate all of the fortune and blessings that surround me.

Looking a this from a fashion perspective I can consider the items in my wardrobe that I’m not ready to say goodbye to yet (nor will I probably ever be) and feel appreciation and gratitude for them. I am grateful for my favourite cashmere cardigan, and my fur coat that I would consider to be almost perfect. Saying goodbye to my beloved Paloma Wool 10 year bag (fondly nicknamed my ‘blueberry bag’) would definitely be a challenge.

Translating this gratitude I feel towards my community and environment in London and the pain it feel to say goodbye to the clothes and objects that I cherish has been a refreshing way to navigate this period of transformation.

Additionally, all of these changes and departures have opened up a capacity for the new. Not only space for new clothes and furniture, but space for new opportunities, new goals, and new people. My wardrobe now has the space for new pieces to find their way in, and my new environment and routine will call for new styles and staples.

When reflecting upon August, my style remained relatively unadventurous. I find that slow-summers can do this to me. I get so wrapped up in the lazy days and heat and end up recycling the same outfits. Kind of an ‘if it works, it works’ mindset.

I didn’t shop much this season and mostly rotated between my adorable Handover boxers, my reliable white sundress (a staple in any summer capsule wardrobe, in my opinion), plain black muscle tees, and my Cop Copine letter patterned shorts.

I purchased two hoodies from Scuffers as I discovered that I had sacrificed style over comfort one too many times and my wardrobe was pointedly lacking a good quality sweatshirt or two. These are 100% cotton and fit like a dream. Comfortable beyond belief but, as I said, unadventurous.

I have become extremely fond of grey clothing and I practically lived in my grey lace cami that I found in a thrift store in Chiang Mai this June. It is one of those perfect pieces that I don’t see myself getting sick of anytime soon. It also holds a special memory from my trip.

I wore a lot of sportswear this summer, including two adidas matching sets, one in pink and grey, the other in green and yellow that I bought whilst combatting a boredom induced by an extremely early arrival time at Bangkok airport. I wore the green set to Notting Hill Carnival paired with my eight-year-old buffalo trainers which I re-laced with Jamaican flag coloured laces. I also added green and yellow gems on my face. I looked great.

A sporty-casual outfit paired with dainty and girly elements is how I would describe my style right now. For example, coupling an oversized sports jersey with a ballet flat and silver jewellery feels extremely chic and playful, whilst remaining comfy and summery. An honourable mention is a baby-blue vintage adidas skort that I scored on Vinted. I loved to match this with a floral lace top or a simple cardigan.

The items that got the most love out of my wardrobe this month are without a doubt my two pairs of Puma Speedcat Ballet flats. I essentially refused to take them off all of July and August. I first purchased the baby pink pair, however after a devistating step in a giant puddle of uncharacteristic summer rainwater I had to send them to a shoe cleaner (he did a fantastic job and the suede that had turned brown and soggy is now good as new). I missed these shoes so greatly whilst they were in shoe hospital that I ended up purchasing another pair in metallic silver. You know a piece is worth buying again when you can’t even go two weeks without it.

The only other fashion purchase of my summer was a unique handmade ring I found in a gift store in Hampstead Heath the day before I moved out of my flat. It is a chunky silver hammered band with three spinning rings layered on top. There were two in the shop so my friend and I bought them to match. It instantly became one of the most meaningful pieces of jewellery in my collection and will always remind me of our friendship and the day we spent in the Heath.

After saying so many goodbye’s in summer I am looking forward to saying ‘hello’ in autumn. I am welcoming in the changing of the seasons and the slow pivoting of style that comes with that.

As much as it will sadden me to put my ballet flats and cute shorts to the back of the wardrobe, it will feel like welcoming home old friends to pull out my coats and fur hats! It’s not goodbye, it’s ‘see you soon’.