There's something about being pregnant which means that your wardrobe falls massively behind and that serious work is needed to get it to catch up. Take my last pregnancy. Our daughter was born in January 2008. So my winter wardrobe 2008 suffered because I was pregnant and then I don't think that I really surfaced again until spring so a huge whole started appearing then. Come winter 2009 I was still feeding her, so that ruled out lots of wardrobe options for me - and the things that I did buy were, shall we say, investment purchases (apart from the very expensive sequinned top from Reiss!), so not many of them could be made. Well, boots and coats always do a good job of covering up whatever may lie underneath don't they - so I figured that they may as well be good ones. The things that I now look at from before I was pregnant just don't hold the same appeal any more - some are too big, some are dated and some I just don't like, which means that this year, there is one almighty crater in my winter wardrobe. You will, however be pleased to know that I am working fairly hard to fill it. So far so good.
So, how did I go about doing this? Well, as I mentioned in my last post, I was shopping for a hen party this weekend and fortunatley some of the guests were the same size as me. Result. I didn't really buy the things with myself in mind, in fact I am quite good at switching off from what I would like when buying for others - or so I thought, but it seems as though quite a few of the purchases that I made in my size might find themselves re-directed to my wardrobe, rather than back to the shops. However, given that I didn't buy them with myself in mind, its not really like going out on a shopping spree for myself now is it? No, I thought not too - so therefore I don't need to feel guilty.
So, what might I be keeping?
This lace top from Zara is a pretty and not too "full on" take on the lace trend. I will wear it with jeans, as shown, and possibly with smarter trousers but dressed down with a boyfriend cardigan. I am not sure that I will ever do black lace again - largely due to it sharing the same name as that dodgy band who did "Agadoo". No, I just can't go there again.
I rather liked the navy M&S pea coat and at £55 I thought that it was really good value. It is a great weight for this time of year - not too heavy but warm enough to fight off the chill in the mornings. The white shirt is from Zara - I liked the fact that it didn't have a collar as I find them irritating, yet it is still fitted and has pretty detailing on it.
The TopShop trousers at £28, again in navy. are a good alternative to the usual boot leg or wide legged trouser and given their price, when the style eventually fades (if it does; it is holding its own so far) I won't feel hard done by. I love the White Company poncho and if it hadn't already sold out in my size, I think that, with the help of a birthday voucher from some lovely relatives, it might have found itself in my wardrobe. I haven't given up yet, you will be pleased to know.
Yes, I know that it is all a bit navy, white and cream but as a basis, that's where I want to be. I will add interest with the Hobbs leopard print belt that I have my eye on plus various scarves, knitwear, leather gloves and jewellery that I already have. The one other thing that I have bought and which I love are these (and please bear with me on them....)
Being both black and grey means that they are versatile. They have a slight heel to avoid that "frumpy" feeling that flat shoes can bring without being the sky scraper heels of late. The fact that they are laced up also gives that added "security" when wandering around for hours. I will wear them with the peg leg trousers, a cropped pair of black trousers and a wide pair of black trousers that I have from Jigsaw (although possibly not all at the same time), which are slightly too long for flats. I will also wear them with black opaque tights, shorter dresses and a cape that I have - for those times when I want to be smart but not too smart. I hadn't really given heeled brogues that much consideration before but I think that I might quite get to like them. Alot. So, as you can see, I am making in roads into my winter wardrobe but I don't think that I am quite finished yet. Oh no, not by a long shot!
