At last, I'm caught up with the current season and sharing some Spring outfits! Have been a bit behind with blogging lately, having too much fun with baby T :)
Here's what I wore to head to the shops with baby T:
Baby T had a lovely long nap in the morning, which was helpful as I was fussing around my wardrobe wondering what to wear and taking longer than usual to decide. I knew I wanted to wear this pretty maxi skirt, but couldn't settle on a nice top. When I saw this floral one I thought it was too perfect - florals for the first day of spring! It was still a little chilly though, so the denim jacket was needed.
DH complimented my outfit when he got home that afternoon, so it was a winner in my book.
This was another "I don't know what to wear" day, this time because I had to dress for two very different events! My sister and I had been nominated for the ALS ice bucket challenge, so while I wanted to be comfortable for a day out with my mum, I also needed to be wearing something that would stand up to having a bucket of water thrown over me. "What to wear for an ice bucket challenge?" is not something I'd normally ask of my wardrobe, so it took me a while to come up with an outfit!
Ended up with a grey tee and maxi skirt, with a nice scarf to add a bit of colour and some print mixing during the cooler morning. Was really comfortable all day for being out with baby, and minus the scarf it worked well when I got a bucket of ice water poured over me in the evening!
Gong Xi Fa Cai to those who are celebrating the Lunar New Year! We have postponed our celebrations until the weekend, hoping that the weather is better in time for baby T's first new year! He's sure to get lots of ang pao!
Still a bit delayed with sharing outfit pics, here's what I wore last week. Baby T caught some kind of bug and kindly decided to share it with the family. It was a couple of days of just grabbing whatever was clean to wear, and not really thinking about leaving the house. When everyone was feeling better I finally ventured out, but wanted cosy and comfortable clothes to wear. So I wore my maxi skirts!
Here's what I wore to go out shopping with my mum:
Took the chance to get dressed and get some fresh air by heading to the shops with my mum and baby T. It was good to get out of the house, even if it was just going to Woolies! Was good we were well enough to do so! We were also desperately in need of some essentials for baby, so we stocked up on them.
I wanted to wear something colourful, and remembered this tee. I found it in my big wardrobe clean out when we were turning the spare room that was my wardrobe room into a nursery for baby. I'd told myself I'd keep it as it's a great basic top, and I love the colour, so I was sure to wear it again....and this is the first time I've worn it since. As if that isn't bad enough, I have the same top in grey as well, also unworn! I can see from the blog that I haven't worn the tops in 3 years! Definitely fits the Putting Me Together style challenge prompt of something you haven't worn in 6+ months!
There is so much to love about this top - it's super soft, it's a gorgeous colour, and it's so simple and flattering. But I don't wear it! Maybe because it slides off my shoulders now and then. I even had a quick look at some of my pre-blog photos, as I was sure I had worn it a lot when I first bought it years and years ago...and couldn't find a single photo of it (although I did find a pic of me wearing the grey version at a surprise engagement party my family threw for us).
It's time for this top and the grey one to leave my wardrobe. Not worth holding onto it if I never wear them! I did find myself thinking at the end of the day that I could hold onto this tee, maybe take it to the tailor and bring the neckline in a bit so it stays in place....as I do love it. But I don't really think it's worth any additional investment, or I would have done that a long time ago. So two tops leaving my wardrobe!
Another comfortable outfit! I wear this skirt with grey tees a lot, wore it that way last time too. it's just such an easy option. Nice and casual for an afternoon chat with a friend.
Since wearing a proper necklace had went well the day before, I decided to wear another of my necklaces instead of the teething necklaces I've been wearing often. I regretted that choice pretty quickly though! After baby T had lunch, we headed out to meet a friend. Despite having the baby bag packed with toys, he wasn't interested in playing quietly on his own. It was difficult trying to have a conversation with him crawling all over me and flinging his toys around. Wished I'd worn one of the teething necklaces, as they always keep him occupied. Instead I was trying to grab this necklace out of his hands so that he didn't snap it, ha! Baby T is definitely still keeping me on my toes. There is always something new to learn, he's frequently surprising me (in a good way). I think I'm going to store one of the necklaces in the baby bag, just to have it handy for future outings.
Earlier this week, toddler T and I were lucky enough to be invited along to the Myer Giftorium for some Christmas shopping. Just like last year, I wanted to share a little about the Giftorium. It's a brief break from my Frocktober backlog of outfit pictures too.
Picked this outfit to wear to be cool and comfortable for the hot day. Although I'd planned to wear my lace kimono over this, I took it off after standing outside for a minute - it was much too warm for layers. I loved this tank and maxi skirt combination a lot in my last pregnancy, I'm going to be wearing it just as much (if not more!) this time around.
The 2015 Myer Giftorium felt bigger and better than last year! I was reliably informed that there are over 2.5 million products in the Giftoriums Australia-wide, and overall it takes up 12% more space across Myer stores than last year.
There is, as always, something for everyone. They have tried really hard to make it a one stop shop. 'Gifticians' know about all of the products offered from each of the seven themed categories: For Her, For Him, Tech Guru, Kids Cubby, Paws Corner, Stocking Fillers and Food Fanatic. I didn't manage to get a picture of every area this year, as toddler T was too busy running from activity to activity and I was getting quite distracted picking up gifts!
They weren't short on staff, the Gifticians were lovely and often asked if I needed help (but then after giving toddler T a high 5 were happy to let me browse in peace if I didn't need assistance) and thankfully offered to help me manoeuvre my large haul of presents to the registers. If you find it a bit difficult to juggle everything for the trip home, they have a 'Shop and Drop' parcel service, or even a 'Shop, Wrap and Deliver' service!
Last year I went back to the Giftorium for even more shopping with my sister and was able to take advantage of the fact that every Giftician is equipped with an iPad. They are able to order anything that might be extremely popular and has sold out in store, and can deliver it to your home. Myer is doing the same thing again this year, although I didn't need to use it on this trip as I was able to find everything I needed.
My top gift pick has to be the personalised jar of Nutella! It's so unique and delicious, and I was very lucky to receive one free. It starts at $12.95 too so it won't break the bank if you're looking for a quirky stocking filler. With all the great food treats available to buy, and a lovely morning tea, they certainly know how to keep a pregnant lady happy!
If you get a chance to visit a Myer store in person and check out the Giftorium please do - you won't be disappointed. I was even briefly on TV (40 seconds in) discussing why I enjoyed shopping in the Giftorium and in-store for Christmas gifts! If you can't make it in-store, you can shop the range online.
Some compensation was received for this post but as always all outfits, opinions and words are my own.
More JaNEWary style challenge outfits. Although I was a little unsure about doing another style challenge so soon after my December one, I'm finding it's really making me use more of my wardrobe and wear things I wouldn't have normally. I'm enjoying it!
Here's what I wore to spend the day with DH and baby T:
The style challenge for the day was 'sequins or something that sparkles' so I thought I'd wear this sequin top. It's a pretty one, but suffers from the 'too good to wear, I have to save it for a special occasion' curse so I never wear it all that much. I've only worn it 6 times over two years. It was good to have an excuse to wear it, even if it was just for a quiet Saturday out with DH and baby T.
First time I've squeezed into these jeans post-pregnancy too! They are the most unforgiving of all the skinny jeans I own, so the longer top was good, it helped hide the little muffin top that was going on! Might need to exercise more to wear these more often, they are not as stretchy as my other zippora jeans.
I didn't have time to get a photo in the morning before we went out, so I figured a change room selfie would do! The style challenge for the day was 'a neutral day' so I went with black and grey. I wore the bright necklace not just because it adds some colour, but also as the teething necklace is almost guaranteed to keep baby T amused if he gets grizzly. We wanted to get lunch, so I wanted to be sure I could distract him!
Was the first time I've worn this new tee, and I'm really pleased I bought it. I know I have too many grey tees, but I like the little black sleeve detail on this one. Was nice and comfortable for a morning out shopping the post-Christmas sales, and then having lunch with DH. I even got to check out some of the Missoni for Target stock - it was all massively reduced at my local target, so I took the chance to go try on some things I didn't get to previously. Nothing was in my size, but I picked up a few sizes that 'might' have worked and tried them on. The good prices couldn't hide the fact that I had the wrong sizes though, so I didn't get anything for myself. I did end up picking up a few cute baby clothes for baby T in the sales though...
Being in my third trimester, I've been finding a few clothes that fit me in the earlier trimesters definitely don't fit me any longer, as baby is growing so well! I still can't quite kick the habit of browsing through online clothing sales when I get email notifications though ;)
Earlier in the week I came across this oversized stripe tee on The Iconic. I have another Atmos&here oversized tee, and I love it. I last wore it to hide my growing belly, but it still fits the bump. When I saw it came in a striped version, I just had to get it, and I picked one up in black too....haha! Resulted in a very casual outfit for casual Friday at work. Some days I'm so grateful for the very relaxed dress code we have in the office, makes getting dressed easy.
Had a bit of a busy Saturday! Spent the morning with DH shopping in baby stores, went car shopping, took a test drive, had lunch and then I went shopping with Mum for some maternity essentials. I ended up picking up two new maxi skirts from Target too. You can probably tell that I've been in a very maxi skirt mood lately, so it was easy to justify the purchases. Plus the stretchy elastic waists and fabric mean I can buy my pre-pregnancy size and still accommodate the bump!
This maxi skirt has a small elasticated section on the back, but as it's so long I need to wear it high enough over the bump that it's all it needs. Thought that this red singlet would be quite complimentary with it. It certainly got a lot of lovely comments on instagram. :) Felt very colourful and summery all day.
It's no secret that I love maxi lengths even though I'm petite. I think a maxi is appropriate for almost every situation, and these two outfits illustrate that well with a formal maxi dress and a more casual maxi skirt. The Louis Vuitton neverfull tote works in multiple situations too!
Perfect for the 'maxi impact' instagram style challenge for SummerStyleFile, this dress was what I wore to go have our annual family Santa photo back in December. Trying to get Baby Boy, Toddler T and Cooper all happy and smiling at the camera was interesting though!
I really liked wearing this maxi dress for the photos - although I did take it off when we got home again as I figured untying it and tying it back up to breastfeed in would get too frustrating. The Louis Vuitton Neverfull and nude studded sandals made a really nice accessory combo too. It was fun wearing this dress for the first time without a baby bump, as I was pregnant the previous times I wore it!
Unlike the beautiful maxi dress above, this outfit was being worn for a much more casual occasion. This is what I wore to take Baby Boy into hospital. It had been a possible course of action discussed at our last specialist appointment so we knew it may happen in advance which made it a little less scary. This was a nice causal outfit, great for settling in and meeting some of the team who would be investigating Baby Boy and supporting us during our stay.
While the goal is to share everything I wear on the blog, I won't be posting the hospital outfits. I shared them on instagram, they are basically variations of this grey tee and maxi skirt outfit!
The hospital room outfit photos aren't the usual quality I'd have for blog photos so I hope you don't mind if we skip 2 weeks of hospital style. They were a nice distraction from everything and fun to share on Instagram but I have lots of other outfits to post anyway. I'm usually 2 weeks behind with outfits but for some reason posting December outfits in January makes me feel like I'm even more behind!
Dressing in pregnancy is a fun challenge as the baby bump grows and changes every day! In order to simplify things this time around, I implemented a third trimester capsule wardrobe.
Why I Made a Pregnancy Capsule Wardrobe:
I've never tried a capsule wardrobe before (unless you count living out a suitcase for travel).
The baby bump was outgrowing my current wardrobe faster than I anticipated this time around.
I didn't have the luxury of time that I had in my first pregnancy to try on lots of outfit options each night and find things that still fit. (Or I didn't have the energy to do so after spending time with my toddler!)
The summer heat and humidity (that continued well into autumn in Brisbane) left me less inspired to try new things.
I had lots of great maternity pieces I wanted to wear as much as possible to make sure I got my money's worth.
Third Trimester Capsule Wardrobe in Video Form:
Below is a video covering the pieces in my capsule wardrobe, how I wore them, and my general thoughts about the experience.
I didn't include accessories (scarves or bags or shoes) in this count. I also didn't include 'completer' pieces like my printed kimonos or blazers. I freely grabbed these from my wardrobe as and when I wanted them.
The pieces included were suitable for my part time office job, as well as being perfect for a stay at home mum the rest of the week.
Not everything was a maternity piece, I used pieces from my regular non-maternity wardrobe too.
There were a few times at the start of the third trimester where I wore pieces that weren't included in the capsule, but after realising they were getting uncomfortable I stuck to my capsule wardrobe for the majority of the time.
The 22 items I had were great over summer (and multiple heatwaves!), but would need to be changed for cooler weather. Simple things like swapping the maternity denim shorts for jeans instead, and some long sleeved tops and fewer tanks.
Outfit Combinations from a Pregnancy Capsule Wardrobe:
Some photos of my favourite third trimester outfits from my capsule wardrobe to give you an idea of how I wore all the pieces in the third trimester. Not an exhaustive list, as 3 months worth of daily outfit photos would be a pretty big post! You can see all the outfits I wore in the third trimester here.
For my first capsule wardrobe experience, it was pretty fun, and I hope that it gives you some ideas or inspiration to try your own capsule wardrobe if you've often thought about it too.
Worked from home on Tuesday as I had a doctor's appointment, so wore a simple tee and maxi skirt outfit. Was very comfortable all day! Maxi skirts are fantastic in pregnancy. Especially stretchy elastic waist ones like this one. Plus being non-maternity, I can wear them after pregnancy too. I think this skirt would look great with boots in cooler weather!
While I was tempted to wear a maxi skirt to the office today....I tried to still dress professionally. I know my office has a very casual dress code, and that when it comes to pregnancy they relax the rules even further for us, but I'm "saving" the maxi skirt outfits for the last few weeks at work when I'm sure I'll have nothing else to fit me, haha.
Went with one of my old favourites - my Jeanswest Aztec print dress. Still trying out some current non-maternity wardrobe options that I think will work, so that I can have more than just a few go-to outfits in the third trimester.
Continuing on with the sporadic outfit posts, sharing what I wear when I do venture out of the house with baby. I still haven't progressed passed wearing PJs while at home, but baby T doesn't seem to mind!
Here's what I wore for an appointment at our local clinic (a week and a half after baby's arrival):
Using the old "black is slimming" rule to try disguise some of the post-baby belly a little, as the breastfeeding singlets I'm wearing are quite figure hugging and accentuate my little bulge.
While I was running around later in the afternoon I ended up knotting the long drape of the cardi around my waist. Wish I'd had a chance to get a photo of it, as I preferred it that way rather than the long line it creates worn lose in the photo. Of course by that point in the day the top was already stained courtesy of a messy baby, so the time for photos was over, haha!
Really getting into winter weather here - even Cooper has his winter woolies on!
Another singlet and cardigan combination! It's really easy in these early days looking after baby T. Swap the PJ pants for something outdoors appropriate, add shoes and a cardi and I'm good to go!
I have a lot of cardigans, I just don't show them often on the blog. They tended to be something I'd throw into my bag to have to cover up at work or if the air con got cold when I was out somewhere in summer. At the moment they are being worn more often as they are a nice snuggly option with the cooler weather, and easier to clean than most of my jackets if baby T makes a mess....
Wore the boots to keep my feet warm, and to have a little change from the frequently worn Converse! :)
We had some Easter celebrations at work on Thursday, before the public holiday on Friday. That meant casual dress, so I had the chance to wear something super comfortable to the office. Despite being a little worried initially, I saw someone else in the office later in shorts, so I wasn't the most casually dressed person there. Usually when our area has dress down days when others might not I put a bit of effort in to not look too casual, but Thursday I just wanted to be comfortable!
We were encouraged to wear something to match with the Easter theme of the day so pastel singlet and bag seemed like a good choice, with the addition of a scarf for warmth in the morning. One guy dressed up in an Easter bunny onesie, and a few people wore bunny ears! Spent a bit of the day getting messy with egg decorating and taking part in the competitions too. It was a fun and relaxing end to the day before the long weekend.
Good Friday, and the first day of our long weekend! Another casual outfit as we didn't get up to very much, spent some more time preparing the house and nursery for baby's arrival. I did a lot of relaxing and lazing around too, haha! I'm being mindful of enjoying the time off and not pushing myself too much. Shorts and a tee was comfortable and perfect. These maternity shorts have been worn a lot more than I thought they would. The maternity tights I just 'had' to buy are still sitting unopened!
Wore this tee over my others as it has the fun pink panel on the back - supporting Renae from Simple Sequins with her Pink Friday as she faces cancer treatment.
