Maternity Style: Here we go again

So now that I’m 12 weeks pregnant,  I’m having to figure out maternity style again.. I looked back over my early blog posts from the last time and I learned a few things.. I was a lot thinner then.. Plus I had a lot of time to stand around in the garden while Dan took photos of me.  Plus,  I started showing a lot earlier this time around and none of my clothes fit already.. I think I held out til 20 weeks for maternity jeans last time.. I bought them at 11 weeks with this pregnancy. 

So far I have about a million lovely dresses that are perfect for maternity.. I’m all set for hot days off and weekends.. I’m NOT set for work. Especially with this transition season of sometimes cold sometimes boilsville.

On Friday it was a gorgeous day and I knew I’d be warm so I spent about 45 minutes pulling clothes from hangars and getting stressed that nothing looked professional enough.. Nothing fit.. Nothing was cool.

I ended up with this Jersey skirt I’ve had for few years that was a maternity staple last time around but this time is already a bit tight and won’t stand the test of my ever growing belly.. For now it would just about do.
I wore it with a black body suit and I think I look like I’m about to do an interpretive dance. I added red Boden shoes which I love and my yellow rucksack.

It was comfy and I didn’t get too hot, plus I got a compliment on my colours.. So that’s good! But I felt daggy.

Here’s to my 3 day a week struggle. Watch this space for solutions….

Je T’aime Jamie

This is a post about jeans! Although it could easily have been about Jamie Oliver so don’t worry if you feel stupid.

I love Jamie jeans from Topshop. If you’ve seen my instagram page and my 30 days of my capsule wardrobe, you’ll know they’re a staple for me.

I’ve actually worn them for years pre baby but it’s now, post baby that I see their real benefit…

They’re high waisted…this means my jiggly belly is corseted in. Also when sitting on the floor as much as I do..  Rolling around, general Tom foolery…arse and knickers don’t hang out..tops stay firmly tucked in.

They’re stretchy…aforementioned tom foolery is done in comfort.

They’re “ankle grazers”…their words not mine. As a total shorty, I find it hard to get jeans in the right length/waist ratio…because these are meant to be short they just come up the right length on me! (Try getting a waist 32 leg 28 in topshop it’s the fucking holy grail)

They’re only 40 quid but I’ll be honest I tear though them pretty fast so I’m on the look out for a more hardy brand that may cost more but will last longer…the problem with that obvs being that I don’t stay the same jeans size for long..but share your trusty go to jeans with me!

Anyway, here is a selection of friends and family who love Jamie jeans too just to highlight the range of their appeal.

Me! (I think they make my bum look good hence the bum shot)

Mother of two Tanya (aka my mum)

My baby free friend Hen

My friend Laura, mother to 4 month old baby Martha

And an action shot…check out the cool mittens

SPRING into my Capsule Wardrobe

I was going to try and feature everything in my spring wardrobe but that’s NUTS.
So I thought I’d feature some of the new bits I bought to update my capsule wardrobe for spring.
As you can see..spring for me equals YELLOW.

Jamie Topshop jeans, yellow cashmere Boden jumper, Boden Dolly dress, patterned H&M skirt, Zara black jacket,

The Zara isn’t actually new but it’s a top item for Spring.

Someone told me once that I shouldn’t wear yellow but I don’t know why…maybe I should get my colours done in Debenhams.

I think I’ve learned that I suit bold colours rather than pastels so I think this yellow Boden jumper is ok for me.

The Boden dress, I wear with a bright yellow necklace to break up the pale colours near my face and also the high neck so it’s not a sea of  boob.

I love it the H&M skirt..especially paired with the yellow jumper and this necklace from Zara.

And there you have it!

Capsule Wardrobe Capsule Wardrobe Capsule Wardrobe!!!

At the moment I talk about capsule wardrobes A LOT. 

I’m obsessed with them (along with getting a volvo, John Lewis cushions and uppababy vistas).

I have a very obsessive personality..I’ve learned that about myself since having Fred. I’ve also learned that due to this, I over think EVERYTHING about being a mum.

Something I haven’t learned, but always have known, is that I’m an emotional shopper…I shop to feel better when I’m blue, I shop on a whim..I end up with a lot of clothes I don’t actually like myself in and that don’t really go with the stuff I already have. I also often look at myself and think..oh…this isn’t the image I want. I don’t think I dress well for my shape or my lifestyle. I think this is because I have quite a chameleon like style..when I was a teen I used to dress like my favourite tv or film character..I see clothes as dress up!

But now I’m in my 30’s, I’m a mum shortly returning to work part time and I’m short on shopping money!

The answer to all my prayers? A CAPSULE WARDROBE!!
I found a great blog in which a girl creates a different capsule wardrobe for herself every season and then every day shows you how she’s dressed from it..
Your wardrobe only has 37 pieces in it (including shoes and coats, not including underwear, fancy clothes for weddings etc and work out gear). Everything in the wardrobe has to fit, be in season and be something you LOVE.

The benefits are supposed to be that you never are stuck for what to wear and it ends emotional shopping…at the start of the season (weather season not fashion season) you clear out everything or put in boxes for other seasons, using the above rules and then you plan how to fill the gaps. You set a budget and it saves money. I shop a lot so I really see this as helping me. Also the girl in the blog is from Texas…in London our seasons are a bit more wishy washy I don’t think I’ll need 4 wardrobes a year!
ALSO I need a practical wardrobe of comfy but cool mum clothes that I can wear with trainers and sit on the floor..but also work wear that I can pick out in 5 minutes to be out of the house by 6.45 am!

I’m so excited about it..I’ve already cleared out my wardrobe and this weekend is my birthday so I’m starting to fill the gaps…TREAT YO’SELF.

I haven’t figured out a way yet to show you my capsule wardrobe…I’m not very good with tech..other people seem to manage to get photos of their clothes up, as if they’re on a body but you can’t see the body! Also lots of photos of clothes in a big grid…

I might have to just leave it but I’ll feature the whole outfits as I go…

We’ll see! Gosh you must just be on the edge of your seat right now!
Ok well that’s it…CAPSULE WARDROBE.

Here are some “wants” but I have to see how I do cos they’re mega pricy…

Banana Republic jumper

Banana Republic skirt

Banana Republic shoes

Topshop Jamie jeans

And there you have it!
CONFESSION! I ALREADY BOUGHT THE JEANS.
Bye!

Faux money faux problems!

I called this blog post this because my outfit features faux leather! HAHAHAHAH HILARIOUS.

An outfit of the day post!

Today I went to visit my friend Chris and his lovely housemate Robin Taylor.
They live in zone 2! Fancy!

I didn’t want to rock up to their cool flat in cool town looking like a daggy mum so I tried something different with my outfit today.

I recently sorted out my wardrobe..Every 6 months or so I realise my wardrobe is a total mess and I freak out and HAVE TO SORT IT OUT. I also only like clothes hanging up that I would wear any day so anything that doesn’t fit needs to be put away. Ditto anything for the wrong season.
I’ve also been buying up nice hangars from Primark…so Dan kindly watched the baby on Sunday even though I’d been out all day Saturday, so I could spend 2.5 hours doing a wardrobe tidy.

The reason I’ve told you all this is because I now have loads of clothes hanging nicely that I’d forgotten about! And they’re easy to find cos I colour coded.

So I put on this asos shirt (with faux leather collar) and zara trousers (with faux leather pocket detail) on a whim. And I liked it! But I wanted to show I don’t have a massive fat “I just had a baby” belly anymore so I tied the shirt at my waist. I’d seen on the vogue website that this is very “in”.
And I liked it more!!

I wore the outfit with pointed zara flats which I love, and berry nails and I felt like a cool fashion forward mummy about town.

And there you have it.
Catch you later!

OILY RAGS; FAGS…a 40’s weekend

At the weekend Dan, Freddie and I went to stay with my parents in Chatham..They moved into a new house recently in Chatham Dockyard which is absolutely gorgeous (the house and the dockyard itself). It’s a working dockyard as well as a residential area and they have lots of events there too. Every year they have a 40’s weekend so we popped along (free tickets innit).

None of us got dressed up..I really wanted to dress as a land girl..I’ve been saying I’ll dress up as a land girl for every fancy dress event in the last 10 years but I’m but very good at fancy dress. A good fancy dress outfit takes time and planning and those are not my strong points. I do hate to take time.

But dressing up 40’s is my favorite look. For my wedding my hair and makeup was quite 40’s actually. There’s also a episode of Gilmore Girls eps where Rory dresses up so cool 40’s (I LOVE HER).

But in the end I just wore a denim shirt dress with tights and my new mustard coat.

THEN I DIED because it was a hot summer’s day sms I changed into these navy Zara trousers and striped Zara top. And Zara flats. Oh. I did it again. Head to toe Zara.

Anyways, while we were at mum’s, Fred slept in her room so Dan and I could catch up on some sleep..he then had two of the worst nights he’s had in months so sorry mum but thank duck we were at yours!

And Fred got some new wheels from Dan’s gdad.

Staycation British Seaside Chic

Last week Dan, Fredrik and I packed our bags and drove to Norfolk for a family holiday with his Nan and Grandad, siblings and their families.
We stayed in a massive 7 bedroom house in Cromer that had an aga, a hot tub, a table tennis room, two living rooms and a secret panic room.

Oh by the way I hate agas they’re rubbish. Each time any of us made dinner it took 5 hours and was ruined cos of that thing. Also the entire house was BOILING because of it. I did dry some washing near it though very quickly so it had one purpose.

Yes. I do laundry on holidays. Didn’t you know I need to do five loads a day since I had Fred?

Anyways…Cromer is lovely..I’ve been quite a few times before as my best friend in uni was from there..but all my memories of the place are of getting drunk on the beach and skinny dipping..this time round was a much more wholesome affair…

And what to wear for a windy, rainy British seaside holiday?

This was my favorite outfit of the week because it sums up British summertime…it’s a summer dress, but I’ve added a jumper and trainers and a windswept hair do.

The dress is Zara, the jumper Topshop and the trainers are Converse.

Oh and here’s one of Fred in the hot tub. He’s such a baller.

Holiday Style! The Italian Edition

Thought I’d share some key outfits from my little trip to Italy.
I was obsessed with looking CHIC.

Poolside Chic

To hang out by the pool and sunbathe I wore this watermelon swimming cossie from Sainsbury’s and this tie dye kaftan thing I got from Primark! I loved it and wore it basically every day.

Casual Evening Chic

For wedding party drinks the night before the wedding, I wore this red Zara playsuit which I love. To breastfeed I had to actually undo the back and take the strap down. I got quite a few stares but look mate, I’m feeding my baby I won’t be made to feel ashamed!
I wore it with these flat gold sandals also from Primark that I picked up on a whim to take in my handbag to the wedding for dancing. They actually just became my holiday sandals but as to be expected from crappy Primark quality, they only lasted the four days and then they went straight in the bin.

Wedding Chic

For the actual wedding I wore a navy asos dress. I love it so much. It was comfy, flattering, thin material to keep me cool, and a good colour on me. I just wore the gold Primark sandals all day due to the Malcesine cobbles, climb up the castle and boat ride. I accessorised with orange lipstick, white raybans, a hand held fan and a baby!

Final Night Chic

For the final night out I wore this green Zara skirt which was a wedding outfit contender..with a black cami..I’m glad I didn’t wear it to the wedding a the waist band was making me hotter..I love this skirt though…

And there you have it…chic enough for you?

Oooo Missus! What a lovely STRIPE tease

Hi this post is about stripes!
Did you like the pun? I text my friend Hen “send me a pun on “stripes”. She sent me that. I love it.

So basically I read this article yesterday about how Breton tops are the British women’s summer staple. First, I thought hahaha this article is funny. Then I thought yes! I do have a Breton top.
Then I thought… I have a lot of stripy tops and clothes.

This one, I bought in Topshop some years ago. This is a true Breton top. You know… I don’t know what Breton means. But whenever you see a Breton top it has a neckline like this one.
I wore it all through my pregnancy and I’m wearing it now. I guess it’s tent like quality means it fits no matter what size I am!

Here I am wearing it when was pregs…

Here I am wearing it now with my pre-pregs skinny jeans that fit me again!

The other stripes in my life are both new from Zara…yes I’m obsessed with Zara. Always have been.

This is a stripy maxi dress. So far I’ve worn it with converse and with flip-flops and it looked shit with flip-flops. It looks good with a denim jacket.

I also got this nautical striped t-shirt.

Yes it’s quite similar to the other one but it’s not you see. It’s got a different personality. The first one is like a laid back kind of girl who prefers to drink craft beer and go for runs. This one wouldn’t leave the house without her red lippy and only likes crisp white wine.

And there you have it.
Here’s a picture of Fred and me in matching stripes.