Tops 

DAZY Solid Drop Shoulder Tee, white, £2.58 

35 wears

This pushed me out of my comfort zone (my comfort zone is quite small!) in terms of design — it’s extremely boxy, while I usually wear a much slimmer silhouette. That was a good thing though! It’s 100% cotton, which was nice for the summer, and thick enough that it wasn’t see-through. Altogether a nice and inoffensive garment that I plan to continue wearing. It looked as good after 35 wears as it did after one. 

SHEIN LUNE Women’s Batwing Sleeve Round Neck T-shirt, grey, £4.35

26 wears 

I didn’t love this, not least because the grey wasn’t a great colour on me. I also found the polyester a bit clammy on very hot days. On the plus side it draped nicely, and looked good tucked into the jeans or leggings. I wore it 26 times, and machine washed it every 1-3 wears. There was a bit of pilling but it’s barely noticeable. 

SHEIN LUNE Eyelet Embroidery Knot Front Tee, white, £2.82

21 wears 

I had mixed feelings about this top from the beginning. My first impression was that the fabric was offensive to me, like an old net curtain that had gone slightly yellow with age. It was also a much snugger fit than I’d expected, and with no lining the eyelet holes made it see through — a particular problem since neither of the two bras I’d ordered were nude. Despite all this, I did think it was a pretty top and enjoyed wearing it with the denim wide-leg trousers. I’d really like a top just like this but lined and in a natural fabric like cotton. Over time it stayed largely the same; it looks less fresh on the hanger, but fine on.

Bottoms 

Dazy-Less Drawstring Waist Cargo Wide Leg Denim Pants Baggy Jeans, £15.29

33 wears 

One of the most successful of all my Shein purchases. They pushed me a bit out of my comfort zone and into a more fashionable place, but the soft, dark denim meant I didn’t look like I had stolen my daughter’s jeans. I wore them 33 times and they looked just as good at the end of the challenge as at the beginning. 

Women’s Solid Color Basic Daily Leggings, £5.99

41 wears 

These were mostly polyester and more shiny than I’m used to my leggings being. They needed regular washes or they became a bit smelly. After 41 wears they are very slightly starting to sag (disconcertingly around the crotch) but not enough that I have to stop wearing them. 

Black and white stripe skirt (thrifted) 

4 wears 

The general concept of the skirt was fine — it was a good shape, and I liked the black and white stripes. However, the waistband was uncomfortably tight. Because of that I only wore it on a few occasions. 

Layers 

Dazy-Less Women’S V-Neck Drop Shoulder Long Sleeve Sweater, green, £5.99

25 wears 

I kind of liked this when I got it, even though it’s always felt disconcertingly crispy. It’s a different shape from any of my other jumpers, and I liked the colour a lot. it’s the kind of colour I reach for in the spring and early summer. Disconcertingly the sleeves are gradually elongating with the cuffs descending to the ground. That’s even though I never dared to machine wash it, and only gave it a couple of cool hand washes. It’s in my jumper drawer now. I haven’t reached for it since the challenge ended, but I’m going to see if I can incorporate it into some outfits in the spring. 

Burgundy hoodie (thrifted) 

28 wears 

I got the hoodie secondhand off Vinted. It’s in a deep pinkish red, which is one of my favourite colours. Because of the thick fleece fabric, it feels lovely and snuggly to wear. It looked new when I got it, but after the first few wears — and even more after the first wash — it pilled a lot. My main problem with it though is that it picks up every bit of dust, pet hair and assorted small pieces of debris (scraps of paper etc) that passes it by. That means that while I love the colour and quite like wearing it, I can only use it as a round the house/going for a run garment. Even if I give it a going over with sticky tape or a fabric brush it still looks a mess half an hour later. 

Beige trench coat (thrifted) 

44 wears 

I bought the trench coat secondhand from my local Red Cross charity shop. It was my only piece of outerwear. After I returned an ill-fitting puffer jacket bought directly from Shein, I decided it was too wasteful to buy a coat or jacket purely for the purpose of the challenge if I didn’t envisage myself wearing it when the 90 days were over. 

The trench coat is basically quite nice. It’s in stone, which isn’t a colour that I usually wear, with large dark brown buttons. It’s unlined, but then so are a lot of the cheaper trenches in the shops at the moment. The only weird thing about it is the hood, which is in a thick grey jersey. I don’t personally think the stone of the coat and the grey of the hood go together. Why not just make the hood in the same fabric as the rest of the coat? 

I also have a problem with what I’ve dubbed “frankengarments” — I’ve seen a lot of these on Shein and among the secondhand Shein pieces I’ve looked at online, jackets or trousers with each half made of a completely different fabric. It’s not a look I see anyone wanting to keep in their wardrobe long-term. If I keep the trench, I’ll cut the hood off. 

On the positive side, the coat looked new when I bought it, and after 44 wears it has very few signs of wear and tear, only some slight bobbling (pilling) around the arms. The main damage is two ink stains close to the hem, which is entirely my fault. I’m trying to shift them with Vanish, but if I fail, I’ll cut the bottom of the coat off and re-hem it. I’d need to do that whether I keep it or pass it on to a new owner. 

Shoes 

2024 New Style College Wind Black & White Outdoor Sports Shoes for Women, £7.26

80 wears 

My only pair of Shein shoes got 80 wears during the challenge. The remaining 10 days they were too wet to put on and I had to wear my own shoes. As a pair of cheap plimsols go they were fine, a good fit and comfortable. However… as the challenge continued the soles became noticeably thinner and thinner and thinner until eventually they were worn right through. By the final few days, the soles of my feet were literally touching the pavement. To be fair, that number of wears is comparable to (in some cases possibly better than) others I’ve bought on lower-end high street stores that haven’t lasted a full season. 

Accessories 

3pcs Jewelry Set, earrings (no wears) and necklace (5 wears), £0.75

The necklace and earrings set was quite pretty despite costing a disturbingly low 75p. Unfortunately I kept misplacing them and so they didn’t get a fair trial. 

Allover Leaf Graphic Drawstring Backpack, £2.34

75 wears 

Aside from the shoes, the bag was the only thing that broke. The stitching was frayed from the outset, and when it got to around 50 uses, a hole appeared in one corner. I patched it up with a small piece of cotton from an old sheet. However, by the end of the challenge the bag’s fabric had frayed further and coins started showering out again. It’s basically a flimsy item and I’m surprised it didn’t fall apart completely. However, aside from the fabric choice and poor stitching I like the bag’s design and love the pattern, so I’m definitely going to mend and keep it. 

Fashionable Sunglasses, £2.25

The sunglasses were less substantial than other pairs I have but they were in decent condition by the end of the challenge. 

The only thing that worried me about them was a warning on Shein’s site that they were not intended for outdoor use…

Nightwear and underwear

DAZY Women’s Floral Print Sleeveless Round Neck Sleep Dress, £7.49

90 wears 

I had only one piece of nightwear and I managed to wear it every one of the 90 nights. Luckily there were enough warm, dry days I managed to wash it regularly, around 20 times at least. It’s made of thin cotton with a bold flower print. The fabric felt flimsy — it actually felt more like a very light viscose than cotton, but it didn’t burn when I ironed it on a cotton setting. By the end of the challenge it looked and felt just the same as at the beginning.

Lace Flower Pattern Thin Underwear Set, £4.04 bra (74 wears), knickers (6 wears) 

Fashionable Color-Block Lingerie Set, £4.04 bra (7 wears), knickers (10 wears)

I managed to lose the colour block bra, which meant that I racked up 74 wears of the pink lace bra. Luckily being a kind of polyester mesh it dried out overnight so washing wasn’t a problem, although towards the end some black pilling appeared on the lace. I found it fine to wear, if not particularly supportive. I was less keen on the two pairs of polyester knickers — they were the ones I only reached for when everything else was in the laundry basket. 

3pack Lace Trim No Show Brief, £3.57 black (23 wears), grey (23 wears) pink (22 wears) 

I was much happier with these. When they first arrived there were lots of stray threads on the inside, which made me wonder if they would fall apart, but they stood up well to 22-23 wears. 

DAZY Flower Pattern Crew Socks, £0.99 (17 wears) grey (18 wears), black (17 wears) white (16 wears)

3pairs/set Fashionable Women’s Socks, £2.00 

I was quite happy with all four pairs of socks. They racked up between 16 and 18 wears each in total. All of them showed bobbling after the first wash, and the three pack had some small holes by the end of the challenge. The white pair grew steadily greyer. However, I’m still wearing all of them regularly.