FINALLY… my absolute favourite time of year is here in terms of styling outfits. Summer is great and all, I’ll miss being able to spend time in the garden but I definitely will not miss having to have so much skin on show all the time. Is that just me being weird? I hate it. I’m all about the jeans and knitted jumpers! By November we’ll all be complaining about having to wear a huge coat every day because it’s freezing and Spring will seem so far away, but for the next couple of months it’s that perfect in-between weather where we can wear a jumper and no coat, ankle socks with our trainers and we don’t have to layer a thermal vest top under every single outfit. I’m giddy with excitement.

So here are some of the items that I’m excited to wear this Autumn whether that’s just at home, for a walk in the park or for a social distanced meet up with friends. How 2020.

 

Five out of seven days a week you’ll find me wearing joggers, they’re just so comfortable and practical. But I still want to feel put together and not like I want to crawl back into bed for a midday nap. There’s a whole category of joggers that I’ve discovered this year that are more fitted, made from nicer material and are the perfect in-between of a trouser and a jogger. Paired with a tucked in t-shirt and trainers, it’s my favourite look.

JOGGERS

I’m VERY excited for chunky black boot season but we have months of being able to wear them, so for now I’m going to enjoy wearing trainers whilst I still can, my favourite shoe choice. I have an unhealthy trainer addiction but I DO wear them everyday. If you’re a mum, go for a pair with velcro… you can thank me later.

TRAINERS

KNITWEAR

Knitwear for Autumn… ground breaking. But I’m here for it. Sweater weather is the best, whether it’s a cashmere knit, a chunkier knit or a waffle knit (I’m obsessed with waffle knit at the mo). Here’s my edit of the best knits around right now. Side note, I also can’t stop buying waffle knits for Grey (check Zara kids!).

Autumn… bring.it.on.

Black Friday is almost here and if you’re reading this post it’s probably because you like the bits I pick for my home, you’re interested in what big baby buys I recommend and you want to be as comfy as I am in my loungewear every day. So, that’s what I’ve done this year. I’ll be compiling the best picks, in my opinion, from all of the sales so that you can decipher the unnecessary splurges from the money saving purchases you were already planning to make. So many of the sales start early this year so I’ll just keep updating this post for you to check back between now and Friday!

MY TOP PICKS

Missoma Gold Mini Tunnel Hoops – 25% off their entire site. These are my most worn earrings from this year but also check the style edit below for more of my faves!

BB Hug Me pregnancy pillow – 25% off. If you’re pregnant and you’ve been toying with the idea of investing in the BB Hug Me pregnancy pillow. DO IT! Best product ever, it got me through my pregnancy and I used it postpartum too to help me feed and get comfortable. I promise it’s worth it.

Whistles Cashmere Knit – 25% off! Now is the time to invest in those cashmere pieces. They’ll last you forever if you look after them and keep you so warm.

Cowshed ‘The Awake Bathing Set’ –  30% off! Hands down the most relaxing, luxurious bath and body products around. Cowshed is the ultimate treat.

The Steamery Pilo Fabric Shaver – 30% off! The most satisfying way to keep your knits looking fresh.

(more to come)

PREGNANCY & NEWBORN

STYLE PICKS

HOME

GIFTS

Here’s a list of some of the discount codes you won’t want to miss out on

Selfridges have up to 20% off with code SELFCCE

Cowshed have 20% off on orders under £70, 25% off on orders between £75 and £100, 30% off on orders over £100

Missoma have 25% off the entire site

Mango have up to 50% off

H&M Home have 20% off everything for members

& Other Stories (coming soon)

ARKET (coming soon)

Beauty Bay have up to 30% off selected lines

Space NK (coming soon)

Whistles have 25% off all full price items

Topshop currently have 30% off brands

ASOS have up to 50% off on selected lines OR 15% off the entire site if it’s your first shop with code ASOSNEWBIE

GHDs have 20% off all stylers

This is also a good time to shop small, and here are some of my favourite small brands .

Inside Store London
for trendy home accessories

Prick Ldn
for cacti, succulents and pots

Workshop Living
scandi minimalism at it’s finest 

Marloweville

for the cutest kids stripey name tees

Kan Kan London
refillable hand soap
20% off their “near perfect” starter sets and they’ll be planting a tree for every one sold

Nude Ethics
illustrative embroidered clothing and prints

HAYGEN
for gorgeous home accessories

Scandiborn
for pretty kids things

Me+Em
they don’t have discounts but will be donating £10 from every order to The Prince’s Trust 

After having my first baby I felt totally lost when it came to how to dress. My wardrobe was filled with t-shirts that didn’t fit and worked best tucked into high waisted jeans, trousers that didn’t suit my new body shape and shirts that didn’t sit right on my broader shoulders. It felt like someone else’s wardrobe and it took me a really long time to let go of older items that didn’t work any more and find newer styles that felt right. To be honest I’m not sure I ever really got to a comfortable place with my style before getting pregnant again two years later; the pandemic and the ability to wear loungewear most days probably didn’t help. The reality is you’re pregnant for 10 months, which is almost a year and during that time all style goes out the window, well for me it does anyway. So here I am, three months postpartum after three and a half years of either being pregnant or confused about what to wear, and I think I’ve finally worked it out.

I can’t tell you why, but after my first baby I felt like I’d lost myself, but after my second I feel like I’ve found myself again. For the first time in years I look forward to buying clothes, to getting dressed and I don’t totally hate looking at photos of myself. Honestly I know this all sounds a bit shallow, and trust me I never thought or cared so much about this before but I think the mix of hormones and exhaustion just messes with you as a new parent and you crave a bit of self confidence. So what’s actually different this time? Because I still have a postpartum body and everything that comes with it, I still have the exhaustion… But maybe because it’s my second time the changes are less shocking, I was more prepared and the big wardrobe change has already happened so I have more options this time. Also call me old fashioned, I don’t know if this is actually true but the hormone imbalance I felt having a girl pregnancy and birth vs a boy one was SO different.

There’s also something to be said for just getting older and more confident in your own style choices. There’s something very freeing about having the confidence to wear what you feel comfortable in, instead of what you think you’re expected to wear.

So let me try to pin point the main changes in my wardrobe over the past few years as I’ve transitioned into a new lifestyle and a new body shape. The tighter graphic tees have been switched out for a more classic white tshirt with a bit more structure, slightly longer arms and longer in length allowing for a french tuck rather than fully tucked in. Other options instead of a graphic t-shirt would be a looser long sleeved top or a ribbed vest top layered under an oversized cardigan or linen shirt. The skinny jeans (although sometimes still worn with a longer oversized jumper) have been replaced with a more flattering straight leg jean, which kind of balances out my shape a bit more. I used to wear a lot of fine knit sweaters, but these days I find they just don’t sit comfortably on me and I prefer a heavier knit. I especially like if they have a zip neckline, to create a more flattering shape. I used to wear a lot of shorter jackets, but they make me look quite top heavy and so these days I prefer a longer line trench or wool coat.

Like I said, I feel totally different after this last pregnancy as I did the first time round so don’t be hard on yourself if you feel lost and like you no longer have a clue what to wear. It will come back! But in the meantime I found using Instagram really helpful for putting outfits together. It’s easy to get into a rut of wearing the same top and jeans combination, but all it takes is a few extra pieces to make an outfit feel more complete and to make you feel more confident in it. Save any outfits you see and like, then shop your wardrobe to see if you can recreate it.

Here are some of the newer pieces in my wardrobe that I’m loving.