The 10 Year Closet 004 | Seoul subway station sweater

A spur-of-the-moment purchase that sharpened my shopping instincts.

Dec 22, 2024

Welcome back to The 10 Year Closet, a series spotlighting the longest-lasting items in my closet (owned for at least 10 years) and what they’ve taught me about shopping and style. In this installment, I’m sharing a core memory of a piece — a grayscale statement sweater that proves the texture-er, the merrier.

Snaps from my time in Seoul and Jeju in 2012 — L: Checking out what I bought… was it this sweater? The patterned fleece leggings and chunky scarf were also purchased on the same trip.

The deets: “One size” sweater (label says “m & j story”), full of little nubs on a grayscale, creating a speckled effect; no label for materials but I’ve been able to machine wash it with no major issues.

Circa: 2012

How it became mine:

It was a frigid January in Seoul… my first time visiting and I was only there for the weekend (a little group getaway from a month-long teaching program on Jeju Island during college). It was the latter half of the weekend and I had already bought an assortment of cold-weather clothing and accessories from small boutiques, including subway station shops.

But this one was different. It was in a bigger station and had higher ceilings, warmer lighting, and a glittering display of sweaters mounted like paintings at the Salon.

I spotted this particular sweater on the top row, immediately oooh-ed, and had to make a split-moment decision: Do I quickly ask the shopkeeper to see the piece? Or just forget the hassle and run to catch up with my program mates?

I went with the former, obviously. From earlier shopping in Seoul, I was already aware of the prevalence of “one size” clothing. To quickly gauge fit, I merely held the piece up against my body, and decided it’s probably going to be a bit loose but that’s ok for a heavier sweater. I was impressed by the thickness of the material, and most importantly, won over by the speckled design.

I bought it for 50,000 won (or roughly $45), which I think is quite a lot for a subway shop purchase… but I really didn’t have it in me to haggle!

Why it’s in my 10 Year Closet:

This piece is perhaps proof that you get what you pay for, even in subway shops. It was the most expensive piece of clothing I got on that trip and the only one that’s still intact and in use. So that’s point #1…

Sweater playing nicely with the colors at The William Vale in Brooklyn.

It’s good quality. It now feels slightly thinner after many wears and washes, but I still count it among my warmest sweaters. This is where shopping IRL helped. Just by touching the sweater directly for a moment I quickly got a sense of its sturdy construction and not-too-scratchiness. It was enough immediate tactile feedback to help me make a fast decision. You just don’t get that online.

The design still rocks! I think this sweater will always have a little extra oomph to it because the little nubs literally add another dimension. This is something else that’s just way easier to notice in person. Occasionally an IG ad will grab my attention and it’s usually a close-up shot that shows an intricate texture (happened recently with this cardigan from Taylor Stitch, and now the brand is on my radar). Also, in terms of color scheme, the grayscale feels both timeless and modern… kind of like black and white photography.

It helped shape my “shopping identity”? This spontaneous but ultimately successful purchase made me see myself as the type of person who knows when a piece is the one. I learned what it feels like when I really like something... which in this case meant having enough conviction to go out of my comfort zone (my Korean was beginner at best) to inquire about it. It’s a good reminder of “if it’s not a Yes! it’s a no”.

Pre-pandemic office life… winter accessorizing with a scarf (that I call the Chrysler Building scarf, ha) for even moreee texture and a very old pair of Kohl’s earmuffs that I can’t get rid of because I just love the colors.

While I continue to love this sweater, I do have some regrets about how I’ve worn it over the years. As you can see from the photos, I default to just throwing it over black leggings and calling it a day, especially if I’m wearing boots. But I know there’s way more I could do to bring out different flavors of this sweater.

So in the next decade, I’d love to try pairing it with more interesting bottoms. For starters, I could wear it with my Gap jeans — even just this very minor tweak brings a lighter, more casual feel.