Still, like all great love stories, shopping comes with its fair share of heartbreak too, mostly in the form of missed opportunities. Whether it’s due to lack of funds, a sold-out collection or bad timing, some showstopping items never get to make the journey home from the store and into your wardrobe. Like the summer romance that never was, these items live on as memories, the type that fill you with regret every time you think about what might have been.
As the years go by, similar items pop up now and then but none as magical as that one particular piece. None as mood-boosting as that yellow dress you would have worn to every wedding in the last five years, or as perennially chic as the black rollneck jumper that would have kept you warm every winter for the rest of your life.
Whatever it may be, every fashion lover seems to have that one item that they wish they had bought but didn’t. Ahead, R29 staff share their ultimate love stories – of the one item that got away.
My item that got away was a Kate Moss for Topshop asymmetrical floaty yellow dress. It was 2007, I was a wee 15-year-old and Topshop’s Leamington Spa branch didn’t have the full collection. I don’t even remember if online shopping was a thing back then, so it most likely didn’t occur to me to search for it. Why do I regret not buying it? I think about that collection all the time – like on a weekly basis. I nabbed the classic floral tea dress and wore it to death before giving it to charity; I re-bought it last year on eBay because I got a pang of regret every time I saw someone wearing it.
The one that got away, though, was this slice of sherbet lemon perfection. Every time I see this photo of Mossy in the one-shouldered chiffon dream dress, I think of all the ways I would wear it. Obviously, I wouldn’t look like Kate Moss in it, but that’s beside the point. I’d wear it with Castañer espadrilles on European holidays; to friends’ weddings with barely-there heels and my pearl Shrimps bag; it would look just as sweet with bare feet in the park at the height of a British summer as it would at a formal event. RIP to the dress of my dreams, I hardly knew ye.
My item that got away was a pair of black diamanté sunglasses from Mango. I found them in an airport on the way back from a long weekend in Barcelona. I had around €15 left in my purse which I allotted as my duty-free spend, and while perusing the store a pair of sparkling sunglasses immediately caught my eye. They were sleek, square-framed and wildly OTT – I remember thinking I had to have them.
Unfortunately, they cost €25 and without the correct cash I decided that it was too much of a frivolous purchase to warrant using my debit card. Instead I decided to do the sensible thing and pick out something practical, a wallet in the sale which only cost €10. Of course, I instantly regretted this once I got home. The sunglasses were the perfect statement accessory and would have spiced up every outfit I own. The fact that I didn’t buy them for the sake of saving a tenner was such a daft thing to do in hindsight, and it made me hate my wallet every time I used it.
Had I bought the sunglasses, I would have worn them to every festival or day party I’ve been to since. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been out at an event and thought, How much better would this outfit be if I were wearing them right now? To make matters worse, months after the non-purchase I saw that a friend had bought the exact same pair and was wearing them to a rooftop rave in New York. I could only imagine what people were going up to her and saying: “God, your glasses are SO cool, where on earth did you get them?” It could have been me, and I’ve lived with that regret every day since.
My item that got away was a two-piece wedding dress with a shell top and a long, plain white skirt with pockets. I wish I could remember where I saw it (because then I would be able to find the pattern and recreate it) but sadly I’ve spent hours researching, to no avail.
I found the two-piece when I was writing a story about alternative wedding dresses and the design really popped out to me. I’m really not into lace or tulle or big wedding dresses and this one was so simple, but made a cool silhouette. It felt very Scandi and I fell head over heels for it instantly. I saved the picture on my desktop and used to look at it several times a day. The model had a blonde bob like me and it just felt like fate.
However, given the fact that this was five years ago and I wasn’t engaged, I didn’t make the purchase. I thought at the time that there would be other wedding dresses that I’d fall in love with when I actually did start planning a wedding but sadly there were not. I’m now engaged and I have literally not seen another dress anywhere that I like more than that one. Every time something piques my interest, I remember The Dress and it pales in comparison. Also, I’m pretty sure it was only about £300.
I wish now that I had bought it because in hindsight I know that it was ‘the one’. I’ve been incredibly lax about organising my wedding and I think the dress (or lack thereof) might be something to do with it. I will be going naked at this rate.
My item that got away was a pair of DKNY low-rise dark denim jeans with a button fly and dark red stitching on the seams. They had a slight flare but, on first glance, looked like they were straight leg. They were the perfect late ’90s/early ’00s jeans.
I found them on the sale rack in John Lewis Bluewater, everyone’s favourite out of town, indoor, air-conditioned mega mall. I was 15 and my dad said no. Understandably – I was 15. They were expensive. Who did I think I was? Still to this day, I think about these jeans. The ones that got away.
They were perfection. Coyote Ugly meets Buffy. I was devastated. They haunted me for years afterwards. Would Jack in upper sixth have snogged me if I’d had the jeans? Would I have had more fun at Daisy’s 18th if I’d been wearing them? Obviously, the answer is no. That’s not the point here.
If I had bought them I would have worn them everywhere – on own clothes days at school, mainly. That monumental day twice a year when you could ditch your scratchy standard-issue school uniform and showcase your entire personality for a few hours.
My item that got away was a cosy grey sweater from JW Anderson. I bought my first ever JW Anderson handbag (a black and gold Pierce bag) as a gift to myself for starting a new job, and quickly fell in love with the brand’s accessories. After purchasing a couple more bits online, I soon realised that my JW obsession wasn’t sustainable (my bank balance was hit pretty bad) so I sniffed out a sample sale in east London and took the day off work especially.
In the queue to pay, with a JW logo bag under each arm, I spotted the sweater – a total bargain at £40. But stepping out of the queue I’d been waiting in for over an hour was risky and I had visions of the catfight scene in Confessions of A Shopaholic ensuing if I put my finds down for a second. I decided to leave the cosy knit hanging on the rail but now I really regret it.
My style is really laid-back and casual and I really could have done with it in my wardrobe. I pretty much live in cosy jumpers and this one was cool, understated and would have gone with absolutely everything, from jeans to a maxi skirt. If I had bought it, I would have worn it at home, at work, everywhere. You can’t go wrong with a good sweater.
My item that got away was a teal corduroy jacket from Paloma Wool. I had just discovered the brand through Instagram and what started off as admiring their visuals eventually spiralled into perusing their webshop.
I don’t totally remember why I didn’t buy it, it either wasn’t in the budget or was sold out. Honestly, it was probably both. I majorly regret not purchasing it now as I love workwear as much as I love corduroy. Take both of those things and create a teal jacket? Absolute perfection. I still dream of how this jacket would complete so many of my outfits. I secretly hope with every new launch that maybe, just maybe, Paloma Wool will come out with something just like it again.
If I had bought it, I would wear it everywhere, every day! Chilly nights sat outside the pub. On my walk to work. Picnicking in the park. The list goes on…
My item that got away was a black turtleneck jumper from Christopher Kane. I saw former Elle UK editor-in-chief Anne-Marie Curtis wearing it when I met her a few years ago. She’s so stylish and she rocked the look and I just knew I had to have the jumper. Mostly because for such a simple turtleneck, the words emblazoned on the front sparked, well, joy.
For some reason I didn’t end up buying it, which I now majorly regret. It sold out everywhere. I missed the boat. Fumbled the ball. Lost the only turtleneck I really yearned for. It’s been years since I first saw it and I still scour the internet for it. I’ve even asked my PR friends when it will come back in stock (spoiler: not any time soon). To say I’m gutted would be an understatement. I’ve been thinking about this turtleneck for upwards of three years. It was true love and I let it slip right through my fingers.
If I had bought the jumper, I would wear it everywhere. In bed, in the kitchen, in my living room, in the garden, in the office (post-lockdown). If I had that turtleneck, it would be my uniform.
My item that got away was an oversized brown blazer from Balmain. I found it on Depop while I was searching for a staple black blazer and instantly fell in love. But I was freelancing at the time and money was quite tight, so buying a secondhand designer blazer didn’t seem like a smart decision. I was also working from home and didn’t think I would get that much wear out of it.
I majorly regret not buying it now because it would have gone with literally every single outfit I own, and it was Balmain. It seemed like a lot of money at the time but I realise now that I should have just closed my eyes and clicked purchase. If I owned the blazer now I can imagine wearing it to work on a nice spring day with a classic white tee and black Converse. Or even over an LBD with heels on date night.
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