Exploring My Wardrobe #1

Well, this morning I went through everything that was on my hangers and I have a big sell/donate pile to get rid of.

I only kept things that actually fitted. There were a couple of things I was not quite sure of that I did hang back, but I have made a mental note and if I end up not wearing those items in the next six months, away they go.

In the next while I want to explore how I can actually use the stuff I am keeping. Maybe challenge myself in the way I wear things. I am very basic generally, especially in winter. At the moment I tend to wear jeans and a jumper and that’s about it. Pretty boring! I want to challenge that by taking a look at my wardrobe and see how I can spice up my daily outfit choices.

First I will post a pic of what I chose to wear this morning. This is pretty standard winter fare, as I said. (notes on my size at the end of this post)

Now, for my standards today’s outfit was a bargain!   The jumper is a nice silver grey colour with silver sequins, which makes it perfect for this time of year. The jumper is new and surprisingly is from Lidl (€9.99 – honestly!). I love colour, so bright blue ‘jeans’ are only normal, right? I usually buy good quality jeans, but I loved the colour on these so-called stretch jeans and if I remember correctly they were €9.99 from Lidl as well, would you believe. I have washed them a few times already and seem to be holding up really well.

The lace-up ankle boots are from Esprit and the bag is from Gigi, both of which I have had for a while. I am a big fan of saddle-bag-type bags. It’s a shape I come back to again and again.As for the ankle boots, I like them, but I do prefer a squarer heel.

Anyway, that was today’s outfit. Now, I thought I would challenge myself and put something together from what I found whilst clearing out.

This brown corduroy pinafore dress was actually on my throw-out pile, but I decided to use it for my challenge. I thought a bit harder about what to wear with it and found the petrol tights. Then I found the white blouse that has a pattern with blue and red little flowers, and added the red shoes. The cord dress (Bonprix) I have had for three or four years, but I have never worn it as I could not figure out how to! The blouse I bought over the summer (Esprit). The red shoes are from Clarks and are so comfortable! I have had them for ages and I still love wearing them. What I love about them is that they are red, but not bright red. It’s quite a subdued red colour, but they still manage to brighten up an outfit!

I quite like this outfit and I plan to wear it exactly like that!

What do you think? Does it work at all? What other types of garments would this dress work with? Or any of the other pieces?

I will do some more of these I think. It was quite revealing to me to put an outfit together from the pieces I already had in my wardrobe that I have never thought of putting together before.

Posting pictures of myself is sort of scary, even if I know it should not be. I am not a size 8/10 (EUR 36/38) that you see on a lot of fashioney type blogs. I am on average a size 14 (EUR 42), though usually a bit smaller on top. Like so many other people, especially women, it can be hard to find well fitting clothes, as my body is various sizes in different places.For example,  I have a V-shaped rib cage, which means wide shoulders, but a narrow waist. That combined with a slightly hollow back, big bum and an ample chest makes it hard for dresses to fit everywhere properly for example. Add to that, I never quite lost the pregnancy flab. I am not complaining. It’s what makes me me, but it just makes looking good or feeling attractive a little more challenging day to day. Not impossible by any means, but it takes a little more effort. And I have to admit it is effort I am not always willing to put in on a daily basis. I am pretty sure I am not the only one in that!

My feet are somewhere between a size 5 (EUR 38) and 6 (EUR 39), a bit closer to 5. Being somewhere between sizes can be very annoying. A lot of shoe brands only do 5 and 6 and often 5 is too small and 6 too big. Converse for example. I love them, but the sizing is so wrong for me. I ended up having a lot of Clarks shoes; they do half sizes!

I mentioned before that I want to do a post in the next few days on body issues, because I think it is a very important topic that causes a lot of problems for the average (or not so average) woman.

Acquisitions! #1 – December 2016

Just thought I’d share some stuff I got for myself (boohoo)in the past week that I am excited about!

First of all, my new Ollie & Nic bag! I used to have a red Ollie & Nic bag years ago that I adored and I almost cried when it started falling apart after years of extensive use! I have had several bags over the years, but none that I loved quite so much. My last bag was a Sakroots bag I got in TK Maxx in the UK about two or three years ago. Loved that one two, but again, it’s starting to fall apart.
So I treated myself and got myself a new bag with matching purse.
This is the Elsa Saddle bag in Tapestry/Taupe. I love it! It’s also available in a plainer tan, but I preferred this one. It’s a bit different and it fits the colourful side of my personality without being too in your face.

I have also been replenishing my make-up stash, as I have thrown out a lot of my old make-up recently. I have been especially looking at brands recommended by friends, such as Urban Decay, but also at other cruelty-free brands such as The Body Shop and Sleek.

Anyway, very self-indulgently I treated myself to the Moondust Palette from Urban Decay. These days I don’t do nights on the town THAT often, but when I do, I like to go all out and sparkly and this palette is just perfect for those glam nights out! I fell in love with it the moment it arrived!
The box is absolutely beautiful and feels incredibly sturdy. The colours themselves are beautiful and I could not help myself, I had to put some on immediately. Luckily I had a naked face, so just put some on my eyelids with my finger. Gorgeous! The glitter does get everywhere though! I will take a picture next time…

I also bought myself one of their lipsticks, the Vice Comfort Matte one, colour Psycho, which is described as ‘bright rose with iridescent blue micro sparkle’. Again, I just had to put it on and it’s an amazing colour. It lasted really well as well, which I was really impressed by. I love the way the lipstick holder looks.

It’s gorgeous and I am in love with it. I have now on an impulse bought some more colours, which should arrive shortly. Oops! Oh well, December is supposed to be an expensive month, right? Right??

I got a sample with my order of a fragrance called Intimacy Sheer, which has a really nice scent. It manages to be spicy and kind of sweet and a bit sexy at the same time. It’s a perfect every day scent. I like it! I was surprised by that one, because I am not really a perfumy girl really. I don’t know whether I will be buying a bottle, but I am definitely using up the sample.

About this fragrance (spied on the sample packaging)
Top notes: Bergamot, Mandarin, Lemon, Cardamon, Pink Pepper
Mid Notes: Roses from Kazaniak, Jasmine, Honeysuckle, Quince, Cognac
Base Notes: Patchouli, Vetiver, Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Musk

What the hell is Vetiver? Or Tonka Bean? Some for Google, I guess. Oh well, it smells nice anyway.

The other thing I got this week and that I am really excited about is my new record player! Woohoo! I have been wanting one for ages. I would have kept it till Christmas, but we are flying to the UK for Christmas, so not really an option.

I did quite a bit of research into which one to get and I finally went for the Audio-Technica AT-LP120 USB HC. It arrived and I can confirm that it weights a tonne!

We have put it together, but we still have to get some speakers. My husband is hoping he will get a discount code for Sonos, like previous Christmasses, so we can get either a PLAY:5 or a Connect: Amp. I am so wanting to try it, but I still have to be a little bit patient. We don’t want to buy speakers and then discover we could have bought them half price!

What else? Ah, yes, a book, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. It came up randomly in the English books section of a website and I liked the look/sound of it, so got it. Looking forward to reading it.

That’s about it, but there’s some stuff on the way, so there will be more to come!

December is exciting!