Style & Planning
Planning for 2025
Building a Thoughtful Wardrobe and Budget
The Approach
Intentional Over Impulsive
As 2024 comes to a close, I'm reflecting on my year and planning for what's next. Each year, I set strategic goals that help increase my productivity in acquisitions and prevent impulsive spending. This structured approach keeps my wardrobe refined and tailored to my actual needs, with an emphasis on quality and thoughtful purchases.
One valuable lesson I've embraced is the importance of testing with affordable options before committing to high-ticket items. Lower-priced alternatives allow me to experiment, understand my preferences, and determine what's truly worth investing in. This approach reduces waste and helps me make smarter, more intentional purchases. Once I identify essentials, everything else becomes incremental — freeing up budget to focus on high-quality items that add significant value.
The Numbers
2025 Budget Plan
| Category | Item | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Shoes | Nike Air Force 1 '07 | $115 |
| |
Adidas Stan Smith — delayed to 2026 | — |
| Clothes | Polo Letterman Jacket | $430 |
| |
Uniqlo Chesterfield Overcoat | $140 |
| |
Uniqlo Sweater (3) | $90 |
| |
Uniqlo T-Shirts (6) | $135 |
| |
Uniqlo Polo Shirt (1) | $35 |
| |
Levi Blue Jeans (2) | $80 |
| |
Banana Republic Sweater 1/4 Zip | $26 |
| |
Khaki Shorts | $10 |
| Hobbies & Tech | Apple iPhone Air | $400 |
| |
Apple AirPods Gen 4 | Gift |
| |
MacBook Air M2 — delayed to 2026 | — |
| Total | |
$1,461 |
Footwear
Footwear Essentials
As I plan my footwear lineup for 2025, I've decided to stick with Stan Smith and get a second pair once my current set wear out over Common Projects—for now. I'll try this method and cycle a new pair each year, making it my nicer set while the older shoes become my daily beaters.
For everyday wear, I'm gravitating toward the timeless Stan Smith silhouette. Its classic design complements my existing wardrobe effortlessly, serving as a reliable go-to sneaker. Meanwhile, I'll hold off on adding Common Projects to my collection until 2026, reserving them as a premium "halo" addition for the future.
I'm also going to hold off on a second pair of Stan Smiths until 2026 as I want to wear out my existing AJ1s and AF1s. I'm impressed at their longevity.
Planned Rotation for 2025
- → Daily — Stan Smith (new pair), AF1 (new pair)
- → Beaters — Stan Smith (old pair), AF1 (old pair)
- → Heaters — AF1 Triple Whites (special set)
- → Gym — Nike Milers
Outerwear
Outerwear Upgrade
I'm planning to get both the Uniqlo Overcoat and the Polo Letterman Jacket, as they offer better quality and style than the Alpha Industries bomber. I had considered the bomber as a replacement, but the Uniqlo and Polo pieces provide superior durability and versatility, making them the better choice. This completes my primary outerwear needs so I can now focus on upgrading other elements like my sweaters, shirts, and pants.
Denim
Denim Goals
A solid pair of blue jeans is also on the list. I'll start with a basic, versatile pair for everyday wear. Looking ahead, I aim to deepen my understanding of denim and invest in a quality pair of selvedge jeans by 2026.
Basics
Uniqlo T-Shirts
I've been hooked on Uniqlo ever since discovering Supima when it was $10. Although it now retails for $25, it's still one of the best t-shirts even at that higher price point. I'm also liking their other models — Airism and U-Crew shirts each fill a different niche: Supima is great as an undershirt, Airism for a medium weight, and U-Crew naturally for a heavyweight option.
I'll add 3 Supima, 2 Airism, and 2 U-Crew and adjust my existing collection accordingly, rotating out worn pieces to leave me with 10 shirts total (3 Supima, 4 Airism, 3 U-Crew).
Tech — Delayed
Apple MacBook Air M2
While I was able to upgrade my ancient HP i7-6700HQ to Windows 11, I'm still leaning towards upgrading to a MacBook Air M2 as it's become very slow and I'll limit use to only when I absolutely need a Windows device. For daily use, I'll need a MacBook.
For now, I'll delay to 2026 as I'm seeing prices drop on newer M4 MacBooks.
Tech
Apple iPhone Air
I was surprised myself that I opted to spend $400 to pick up the new iPhone Air as my iPhone 16 is only a year old — this is the fastest I've done an upgrade cycle; typically it was 2–4 years. While I naturally had some buyer's remorse, not so much for the Air itself, but because I had only had my iPhone 16 for a year.
I'll stick to a longer 2–4 year upgrade cycle and see if I can stretch the iPhone Air until 2029.
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