Whilst I highly doubt I’ll ever consider myself particularly fashionable one thing I've come to really love is writing about is clothes. Whether it’s pieces of clothing that I want to buy, have had in my wardrobe for years, think are highly practical…
I’ve been doing my own version of the capsule wardrobe for a few years now and it’s something that I absolutely love and would recommend to anyone if they want to get more of a hold on their personal style. Having that type of structure is something that I thrive from…
I feel like this is the year that I’ve finally nailed dressing for the colder seasons which makes them so much more enjoyable. For far too long I was the girl walking around in a leather jacket and ballet flats when there was ice on the ground, despite my mum constantly telling me that I needed to dress warmer but of course, when you’re a teenager you always think you know better than you’re obviously older and wiser parents. Since getting Josie and then Edie it means that as long as it’s not a torrential downpour I’m outside every single day and I’ve quickly learned what works and what doesn’t and these are all the mistakes I’ve made when it comes to dressing practically.
Over the years, my style has changed a lot inline with much my life has changed and I never thought practicality would be at the top of my requirements when it came to when buying something new but now it certainly is. For years, I was the girl who wore ballet flats and a leather jacket when the temperatures were in the minuses and there was ice on the ground so it’s fair to say I’ve not always put common sense or practicality first but now it's a priority. Finding style pieces that make me feel awesome as well as being fit for purpose isn’t always the easiest to find but the pieces I do have in my wardrobe that fit that bill are things that I wear all the time and are things that I’d recommend to anybody.
My collection of gym clothes is something that I take serious pride in and honestly, I sometimes wonder if I was a gym instructor in another life with my love for athletic wear. And finding workout clothes that are not only functional, make you feel awesome but are long-lasting isn’t the easiest thing as so many things can lose shape within just a couple of months which is so frustrating. Over the years I’ve gathered together some awesome gym clothes that have lasted me nearly 5 years of exercise which is pretty damn awesome and these are the things that have been in my collection the longest.
Just in case you’ve been living under a rock, we’ve had a crazy heatwave in the UK with quite frankly terrifying temperatures of 38 degrees. And of course, when I’m writing this it’s raining outside but I’m hoping we won’t have said goodbye to the more reasonable warm weather just yet as there is nothing that makes me happier than waking up to the sunshine and these are my favourite style pieces for keeping cool & feeling confident in warmer climates.
Investing in different style pieces has become something that I absolutely love doing. And for me, when it comes to buying something that’s fairly expensive I always like to make a list as not only do I find this helps me when it comes to spending money. But, it also helps me make sure that it’s going to be something that I really get good use out of and it’s not a flippant purchase as those are typically the items that I always end up regretting and there is nothing worse than knowing you’ve bought something you’re not going to get the most out of. So far this year I’ve not invested in much style wise as the I find the investment purchases I want to make tend to be more suited towards the colder weather and even though the sun has only just come out A/W is going to roll around quickly enough and this is what I want to invest in.
Just in case you’ve missed every single person in the UK moaning about the weather let me tell you that it’s been absolutely foul lately. I don’t think I’ve ever known rain as heavy or as often as we’ve had in the past couple of weeks. It’s rained every single day, often all day and to say it’s put a dampener on my enthusiasm for summer is an understatement. I’d tucked away all my coats and knitwear in favour for summer dresses and sandals but sadly there’s been absolutely no way I’ve been able to put those on so I’ve been turning to style essentials for a typical British summer instead.
Little did I know one of the most searched things that land people on this blog is a query of dressing for when you’re bloated, a post I wrote a couple of years ago and never gave much thought to doing a follow-up. But, as there isn’t a day go by that I’m not nursing a painfully bloated stomach I’ve had to learn to dress for it. And in all honesty, it’s all too tempting to just wear sweatpants but not all occasions are sweatpant friendly so this is what I reach for in those instances…
There is only one item of clothing in my wardrobe that is from a sustainable brand and considering how much I care about the state of the planet that horrifies me. The rest of my albeit small wardrobe is all from fast fashion brands and we all now know thanks to Stacey Dooley how terrible that is for the world and I know that so many of us are trying to contribute less to that industry. I was absolutely clueless to the effects that fast fashion was having on the world and the facts are hard to ignore. That doesn’t mean it’s that easy though so I thought I’d share my thoughts on why shopping sustainably isn't as easy as we might like to think.
-this post contains a gifted item-
It’s been a long time since I’ve packed an overnight bag let alone for a week-long holiday. Before I moved in with my boyfriend I was an overnight bag pro but these days, not so much and I can’t deny that I have the tendency to overpack so the prep for our week away was intense. A question that often slides in my DM’s is about the more practical clothes I wear as I know all too well that when it comes to that type of clothing is that often it’s not the most stylish option out there so bridging the two can be difficult And I’ve been meaning to do a round up of the most loved practical clothing pieces for a while so this post is the perfect opportunity to do that as well as give you a little packing list just incase you’re going on an adventure anytime soon.
-this post contains gifted items-
Now, I don’t want to get my hopes up and transfer all my warm weather clothes onto my clothing rail only to be disappointed when it’s 10 degrees for the entirety of April. But, I can’t deny that things are feeling a lot warmer and I’m getting a little balmy in my big chunky knits at the moment. Whenever I do transfer my clothes across I tend to like to do it in sections and there are always plenty of things that I keep from my A/W wardrobe and this year they are;
The irony that I’m sat writing this and snow is falling from the sky is almost too much to handle. I admit, my excitement for warmer weather is a little pre-emptive this year as we had that freak heatwave (a serious reminder that global warming is very much a serious threat) a couple of weeks ago. And after getting a taste of warmer weather it got me itching to pull out my pretty midi dresses as well as add a few more pieces to my wardrobe. I created a little capsule wardrobe post for A/W and it worked really well for keeping my spending on track so here is the S/S instalment.
-this post contains gifted items-
Winter style is something that I’ve come to rather enjoy, not something I ever thought I’d be saying because I’m absolutely married to my pretty midi dresses come summer but getting bundled up in layers and exploring different textures has become one of my favourite things to do. This January the weather has been a little unpredictable, often it’s been over 10 degrees and then we’ve seen lows of -3 so finding a happy balance has been a little tricky and then let's not forget the false sense of security that the winter sun gives you.
Something that I’m interested in more than ever before is style, it used to be the other way around where I wasn’t all that interested in what I was wearing but cared so much about beauty. Now I’m happy to go makeup free but something I do care a little more about is the clothes I’m wearing, even if it is just for walking the dogs I like to feel my best. And my wardrobe is something I’m always trying to change around and declutter which lead me to the topic of this post. Most of you will know that I don’t care for the traditional rules of the capsule wardrobe but something I am very interested in is keeping my clothing collection to a minimum. And this is the year that I really want to hone in on that so here are my plans for my somewhat capsule wardrobe in 2019.
Dressing practically is something that might seem rather obvious, but as someone who wore a pleather jacket in the depths of winter for far too many years clearly, some of us put style over practicality. I know even when I was in my early twenties I truly believed that if I was to dress practically that would mean I would also lose all sense of personal style and that isn’t the case at all. Nowadays there are a plethora of brands out there that combine the need of feeling warm and dry as well as feeling good about what you’re wearing. These are my favourite practical style discoveries and are true staples in my A/W wardrobe.
One of the first designer pieces I ever invested in was a Barbour jacket and it’s the most popular search topic on this blog. It’s something that I’d wanted for years and years but they’re not cheap but they are definitely an investment piece in an outdoor lovers wardrobe. I first became aware of the style in around 2008 when they were all the rage with the likes of Miss Chung and she’s still one of my biggest style inspirations to date and I've coveted one ever since. In 2016 I purchased my first Barbour jacket which was the Aeonium style and this year I purchased the classic Beadnell which actually ended up replacing my initial purchase as I prefer the fit a little more. So here are a few words about why I’m such a fan of the brand and my favourite way to style my sage Beadnell which has been my ultimate staple this autumn.
After being absolutely horrified by the Stacey Dooley documentary on fast fashion (which every single internet human is rightfully discussing, I even put my own thoughts into a post). I’ve been taking a good look at my wardrobe and what pieces I’ve had in there the longest. No longer being a huge shopper means that means when I do shop I tend to only try and purchase things that I know I can get a lot of use from so here are the things that have really stood the test of time in my wardrobe over the years.
When it comes to my A/W wardrobe all I want is practical and long-lasting pieces. I went through my teenage years not ever dressing for the weather and frankly, I cannot be bothered to do that anymore. And one area that I struggle to find items that are really fit for purpose is knitwear. Everything seems to either be cropped or so thin that you can see through it which irks me no end. I shared my struggle on Instagram and asked for your best knitwear recommendations and as so many others share my struggle here are the brilliant recommendations people sent it in as well as my favourite pieces.
When I wake up with the dogs I can feel Autumn in the air, it quickly burns off and it's nice 16 degrees most days right now but the cooler season is most definitely upon us. Although I'm not so excited for the lack of light something I am pretty excited about is to start dressing for cool, crisp days and as I've already shared the pieces that I want to pull out again. I thought today I would share some of the things that I'm looking into purchasing. I love writing posts like this as they keep me accountable and I think maybe in a couple of months I will do a follow up to show what I've bought and what I decided against.
A question that comes my way quite often is if I stick to the traditional rules of the capsule wardrobe and the answer is no, not in the slightest. Whilst I love decluttering, a well-considered wardrobe and owning a whole lot less I like to do those things without strict rules and regulations. Since challenging myself in July to wear something different every day it taught me a lot about all three of those subjects. And as the blogging world has taken a total U-turn from the gargantuan hauls it used to feature it's always an interesting conversation to dive into.
Regular readers of this blog will know that a big no-no over on this part of the internet is talking about a season before we're in it. But summer, for the first time ever, I am over you and I'm craving some cooler weather which has thankfully arrived which has put a temporary end to short and dress weather and the leggings and sweatshirts are being pulled back out. Part of me just thinks I'm probably just bored of shaving my legs and having dusty feet from wearing sandals but I'm been thinking about my A/W wardrobe a lot lately and all the pieces I'm excited to wear again and they are...
For the entirety of July, I've not bought a single piece of clothing. And I didn't set out at the beginning of the month with that intention, it just sort of happened but when I realised that I'd got 20 days into the month without purchasing anything it pushed me to make it all the way to the end and it feels liberating. Although my relationship with material items has changed drastically from what it used to be I do still love the thrill of a good purchase. Something I did make a conscious effort to do this month, however, was to wear something different every single day and I found it really fun. I'm such a creature of habit when it comes to style and tend to gravitate towards the same things in my wardrobe and by doing this it's been like shopping my own wardrobe and these are all the items that I've rediscovered.
Something that I'm sure we're all guilty of is buying things that tend to look nice but when it comes to fulfilling their roles they're pretty terrible at it. And I speak from experience here as far too often I have put looks over practicality and it's always come back to bite me. So here are my favourite purchases which are practical as well as aesthetically pleasing.
Personal style is something that absolutely fascinates me and whenever somebody shares their personal style journey I'm always desperate to know why they wear the clothes they do. For some unknown reason this week I've really found myself thinking about the clothes I wear and examining my own personal style. So I thought I'd share a trip down personal style lane and why I used to dress the way I did and why I dress the way I do now.
Out of all the clothing pieces that I own there is nothing I love more than loungewear. When I get home from being out whether that be from taking the dogs out or a social occasion. Then I will without fail get changed as soon as I get in into something more likely made of cotton and stretchy. Because when you're at home why be uncomfortable? Frankly, I can't believe that I've not written more about loungewear before as it's one of my favourite things to buy.
If you weren't aware of my absolute obsession with stripes by now then be warned, I bloody love stripes. They are one of the only patterns I find truly flattering and well there is never a bad occasion to wear something of a striped nature in my opinion. Over my years of collecting things with a nautical vibe, I've certainly learned what is good and what isn't and I think I've managed to get myself a stripe for any occasion and here are my favourites.
Whenever I share any type of outfit post on this blog I'm usually wearing my best attire, the things that I save for nice occasions and even though obviously, I am wearing those things. I definitely do not wear them every day as realistically it's not practical to walk the dogs in a floral dress, as much as I wish it was. So today I thought I'd share the things that I really wear every single day as well what are the best things I've found for walking the pups in.
It's been a good while since I've written an anti-haul. These posts were incredibly popular last year and in a world where luxury hauls are now completely normal, they are always such a breath of fresh air. I've seen saving up the things that I won't be buying and boy, are there quite a few! Of course, these posts are just for fun and not to make anybody feel bad about what they love, different strokes for different folks and all that.
Normally I don’t pull my spring/summer wardrobe until the end of May as the weather in the UK is so unpredictable. But, this year we’ve had the most beautiful spring and I did the switch quite early in comparison to other years. All of my outfits are currently centred around comfort as well as being weather appropriate at the moment as the only time I’m leaving the house is to walk Josie & Edie…