Scroll Top

A Year In Review – Purchases And 2019 Shopping Wishlist

Suitsupply MTM Navy Double Breasted Suit - Misiu AcademySaying Goodbye To 2018

Do you realize that 2018 is gone already? Take a moment and think about this. Did you hit your personal and business goals for the year? Welcome to my personal 2019 Shopping Wishlist!

Looking back at my own year I must admit I have exceeded my expectations by a mile. I got a promotion at work and discovered a passion for tailoring and style. Not only that, but I also became financially independent and started Misiu Academy.

This is something that might be very trivial or something we brush aside easily, but for me it is important to review the past year and make a road-map for the next one. It helps me be focused and passionate and therefore I highly recommend it to all of you.

When it comes to Misiu Academy, I wrote a “2019 Shopping Wishlist” to help me make more smart purchases and less impulse buys.

I want to thank you for joining me in this journey and wish you a Stylish Happy New Year.

Reviews Of My Purchases In 2018

We might repeat ourselves but smart, quality purchases will always outvalue multiple low quality buys. However, you can not always avoid a bad purchase such as the one in my own list.

“Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.”
Steve Jobs

Shoes – 10/10

Starting off from my favourite category, I bought 4 pairs of shoes this year and all of them have been great.

  1. Loake 1880 Aldwych Oxford in Dark Brown: My first ever real pair of dress shoes has been the cornerstone of my wardrobe. They have aged remarkably well with minimal creasing and are very comfortable to wear.

    Loake 1880 Oxford Dark Aldwych Brown Review
    British Elegance – The Loake 1880 Oxford Dress Shoes

  2. Loake 1880 Chatsworth Chelsea Boots in Brown: These took a good 5 months to break in fully but since then I love wearing them. Classy, comfortable and timeless describes the Chatsworth perfectly and is a solid buy in the Goodyear Welt world.

    Loake 1880 Chelsea Boots review - Chatsworth Brown
    The Loake 1880 Chatsworth Chelsea Boots in Brown

  3. Carlos Santos Double Monk Straps in Wine Shadow: What can I say about these? Comfortable, spectacular looking and incredible value for the price in addition to amazing customer service. It is my most recommended brand by a mile.

    Carlos Santos Double Monk Straps in Wine Shadow Patina
    My Crown Jewels

  4. Carlos Santos Suede Sneakers: I have not reviewed these but you can spot them often in my Instagram Feed or some of my other articles. Bought for a mere 50 $ from a second hand shoe market they are outstanding value and my go to casual shoe if it is not raining.

    Suitsupply Pants Review: MTM Custom Brown Flannel
    My favorite sneakers

I can happily give myself a maximum grade for this category. I have beautiful, comfortable shoes for every occasion that are interchangeable with all the rest items in my wardrobe.

Total: (9500 SEK/1050 $/925 Euros/830 £)

Suits – 8/10

In 2018 I bought a total of 5 suits. All of them have their use and I rotate often, however I can see I would have made slightly different choices with the knowledge I acquired through this year.
  1. Brothers Navy Blue Suit: My first ever suit, it is of inferior quality to the touch but was a good lesson when I compare it with higher quality. I still use it which is important rather than sitting in my wardrobe.
  2. Matinique Dark Melange Grey 3-Piece Suit: I bought this on sale and it works wonderfully. It has a nice touch and is just dark enough to be considered formal. I will certainly continue wearing it in 2019.

    Three Piece Grey Suit - Misiu Academy
    Three Piece Suits are always elegant

  3. Tiger Of Sweden Navy Blue Lamonte Suit: This suit was bought during a sale as well for a 40% discount. At full price it is not worth it as you pay a lot for the brand name. However, it is a beautiful suit and people tell me I look good in it. It did not feature in the first ever article for nothing!

    First suit guide
    One of the first pictures of Misiu Academy!

  4. Suitsupply MTM Navy Blue Double Breasted Suit: Where to start and where to end? This suit made me love Double Breasted Suits and I find it very hard to go back to Single. It has been an amazing experience and it looks staggering. I feel like a big boss CEO when I wear it.

    Suitsupply MTM Double Breasted Navy Suit - Misiu Academy
    Double Breasted Suits are here to stay

  5. Suitsupply Emerald Green Double Breasted Suit: The latest addition to my suit collection and definitely not your standard choice. Dark Green is more informal and it takes a lot of confidence to wear, which is something I am not short of. Maybe very slightly overpriced but it is a limited edition. Nonetheless, I will wear this as much as I can in the upcoming year!

    Suitsupply Emerald Green Double Breasted Suit - Misiu Academy
    Unusual color for a suit but it looks stunning!

All in all I can see how I have started making better quality purchases and both my taste and knowledge has improved vastly over the course of 2018.

Total: (~ 19500 SEK/2175 $/1900 Euros/1710 £)

Pants – 10/10

I already had a pair of good jeans and some chinos from the previous year, so my focus was solely on some specific parts.
  1. Brothers Beige Dress Chinos: A great choice for business casual wear, the are very versatile and go well with almost everything.

    How To Wear Chinos And Khaki
    Khaki/Green/Navy – The 3 most important Chinos to start with

  2. Brothers Olive Green  Stretch Chinos: Bought together with the above, it is a great colour and very comfortable pants for casual wear.
  3. Suitsupply MTM Brown Flannel Dress Pants: You will hear me often rave about earth tones and brown and it is because it is awesome! It goes with literally everything, flannel gives you a bit of texture and keeps you warm in the winter and they can dress up or down an outfit.

    altea cashmere turtleneck review - Mr. Porter
    Suit separates can create a fantastic colourful look

Not much to say here, I am definitely covered for the next year when it comes to pants. Smart choices and good prices once more make me very happy.

Total: (~ 3800 SEK/420 $/370 Euros/330 £)

Outerwear – 8/10
Only one item was purchased in this category and it was an important one.
  1. Suitsupply Pure Cashmere Navy Double Breasted Coat: Fits great, looks great and is spectacularly soft and insulating. Certainly a good purchase.

    Suitsupply Cashmere Coat Review
    Cashmere is well worth the price

Now, let me start by saying that I am extremely satisfied by this coat. I just feel sometimes that I could have spent a little less money for a similarly warm coat without the premium price of Cashmere. However I consider this a gift to myself and will be my mainstay for years.

Total: (5699 SEK/630 $/550 Euros/500 £)

Shirts – 6/10

Here is finally a category I could have done better. My main mistake was figuring the correct collar and sleeve length and I think I have finally found it.

  1. 5 Shirts of various colours from Brothers: These have a good overall fit but the collar is so tight it is impossible to wear a tie.
  2. ETON Light Pink Shirt: Expensive and really premium but definitely the best shirt I own. A little buyers remorse due to the price but the quality is indisputable.
  3. These Glory Days Denim Shirt: Got this on sale and is very nice though once again the collar is too tight for a tie.
  4. John Henric Light Blue Shirt: Fits good and has a nice collar but stains very easily. The collar is losing a little shape in the end.
  5. Charles Tyrwhitt Prince of Wales in Light Blue Shirt: Fantastic fit and perfect to wear with a tie for an amazing price.Extra Slim Fit Non-Iron Sky Blue Prince Of Wales Shirt - Charles Tyrwhitt

A few bad choices there that limit my tie wearing but I can still wear them often during more casual days. I now have more experience and am very satisfied by Charles Tyrwhitt.

Total: (~4500 SEK/500 $/440 Euros/395 £)

Knitwear- 10/10

Another category where I feel I made smart purchases. I bought a total of 4 crew neck sweaters and one turtleneck to cover every occasion.
  1. 3 Merino Wool Crew Neck Sweaters by Brothers: Bought in Grey, Navy and Brown and are still in great condition.
  2. Sand Brown Cashmere Crew Neck Sweater by Brothers: A recent purchase for only 40$ from discount which makes it a great buy.Brothers Sverige Sand Brown Cashmere Crew Neck Sweater
  3. Light Grey Altea Milano Cashmere Roll-neck: Warm, thin and luxurious it will accompany me for years.

    altea cashmere turtleneck review - Mr. Porter
    Altea Light Gray Cashmere Roll-Neck Review

As aforementioned, my choices have created a lean minimalist wardrobe and all those pieces are interchangeable. Very happy with the prices I paid for everything including a few discount steals.

Total: (~4500 SEK/500 $/440 Euros/395 £)

Watches – 1/10

Here we have the worst buy of the year and possibly my life.
  1. Vincero Kairos White/Rose Gold: Faulty mechanics, terrible shipping and customer service, endless fake promotion, loses time and quality is like a Tiger Electronics Watch.

    VIncero Watch Review: Kairos Series
    Avoid it like the plague

What is there to say about the Vincero Watch? The only reason I don’t give this a 0 is because I don’t have another watch. Stay away from this stinker.
Total: (~1000 SEK/110 $/100 Euros/90 £)

Accessories – 10/10

Apart from a number of different ties I have bought and a tie clip, the only real accessory I bought was a Scarf.

  1. Suitsupply Light Brown Alpaca Scarf: So versatile, warm and soft I consider it a bargain!

    Suitsupply Alpaca Scarf Review: Light Brown
    Elegant, versatile and warm

Not much to comment on here, as I am frequently using all of these ties and the scarf.

Total: (849 SEK/119 $/79 Euros/79 £)

2018 Total: (~50000 SEK/5575 $/4875 Euros/4385 £)

This was quite the tab but honestly the way I have been shopping things has allowed me to be in great financial position and not exceed saving goals.

2019 Shopping Wishlist

Now that the longer than awaited review is over it is time to move on to the 2019 Shopping Wishlist. It will be based on possible gaps in my wardrobe and the development of my taste and style over this year. In the same format as above I will break it down into different categories with a small reasoning behind each choice.

Shoes

The only thing I feel I am missing from my shoe collection right now is a pair of dress boots, derby shoes and maybe loafers for the summer months.

Dress Boots – Likely

I have been eyeing a good pair of dress boots for the Winter months nowadays. A rubber sole is a must for better traction in the slippery roads of Sweden. Meermin is one of the kings of value for a GYW shoe so these Meermin Shearling Lined Boots are a possible candidate. They look great and the shearling lining will help keep my feet warm and cozy.Meerming Oak Calf Shearling Lined Dress Boots

Derby Shoes – Likely

The Derby is a versatile type of shoe that goes with jeans or suits and it will be a nice change from constantly wearing oxfords or monks. I have been itching to test Löf & Tung from Skoaktiebolaget otherwise I will turn to my trusty Carlos Santos in a shade of brown.Carlos Santos Derby Shoe in Braga Patina 7201

Suits

I feel pretty comfortable with my suit collection at the moment and I would like to explore more sport coats and jackets this year. However, this does not mean I will not purchase a suit. Checks and Stripes are the ones that intrigue me at the moment and the dominant colours are grey or blue.

Pinstripe Double Breasted MTM Suit – Likely

The Power Suit and the Kingsman look is one of my favourites. Now that I know much more about suits, fabrics and little details I feel it is time to invest in one of these. Flannel is a possibility but worsted wool is my preferred look. I do have a lot of blue suits and a medium grey is a great choice but I will think well before deciding.

Colin Firth Kingsman Double Breasted Pinstripe Suit
Colin Firth in his iconic Kingsman Suit

It will be most likely MTM though as I want it to look flawless.

Checkered Single Breasted Suit – Unlikely

Glen Plaid, Price of Wales or Windowpane, the checkered suits are intriguing but not a priority for me. I will be on the lookout for sales or a good opportunity but this is not so high on my list. Nonetheless, I feel these types of suits look fantastic!

How to dress like Tom Hiddleston
It certainly is a loud pattern

Shirts

I already mentioned that I had a lot to learn about shirt collars and size last year so in 2019 I am going to stick a few brands that I trust. I probably will invest in a good White Shirt and a more casual Blue OCBD. Charles Tyrwhitt gives me the best bang for buck and with their frequent sales makes it a bargain but most importantly their 15″ collar fits me perfectly.Essential Formal Shirts For Men

Jackets

This is the category I want to experiment more this year now that I have nailed the basics. Checks, patterns and different colours are high on my list.

A Brown Checkered Jacket would go extremely well with everything I already have and is a prime candidate. This is an example of what I would like to find.

2019 Wishlist - Countrysports Tweed Brown Blazer
This is an example by Tweed Countrysports, but I will probably prefer another type of weave

Birdseye and Houndstooth make for another good example, but in general I would like to add at least 2 Jackets this year. What do you think about this Puppytooth Jacket?

Accessories

A man cannot have enough ties, belts or socks so I am going to touch very briefly on these. My collection of ties feels complete for every occasion with different colours and patterns blending well with my wardrobe. I will always be on the lookout for good ones and maybe try a more luxurious tie like Drake’s.

When it comes to accessories then the only thing I want this year is a proper Watch. Just thinking about the Vincero makes me nauseous. However, I must do some careful research before buying a replacement. Everything seems to be pointing out towards the Orient Bambino though. There is no doubt though I will step up my watch game too this year.

What should you expect from Misiu Academy in 2019?

Reviews, how-to-guides and styling looks have become a standard now. We introduced interviews and holiday guides, which is a trend I intend to continue. A free short PDF eBook is also on the works with simple instructions to starting your lean minimalist wardrobe.

Lastly, we always try to improve the layout and optimisation of the website and avoid intrusive ads for a smoother experience.

You are welcome to always interact with us and make suggestions through email or comments!

Concluding Remarks

With this article you have no only witnessed the development of my own lean wardrobe, but also how I lay my future plans for 2019. Simple and concise, I will continue making smart purchases that compliment the rest of my clothes.

It is also a bit different from the previous 28 in the sense that it is more of a personal reflection but also a chance to recharge my batteries for next year.

Suitsupply MTM Navy Double Breasted Suit - Misiu Academy
Happy New Year 2019!

With everything covered, the only thing left is to wish everyone a Happy New Year with laughter, love and health above all. I am glad to have you with me on this journey to explore our sartorial boundaries and be the men we can be.

Thank you for reading,

Kostas Mandilaris,
Misiu Academy

Related Posts

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.