While I'm keeping track of everything I buy through the blog, I thought I'd expand a little further.
Instead of just sharing what I've bought, and having the goal of wearing it twice in a month after buying it, I thought I'd do a wrap up and show how each purchase was worn.
Let me know if you find these kinds of posts interesting!
I didn't buy anything in February, and ended up doing a no buy month / Frugal Feb with Kiki from According to Kiki. Partly because the third trimester is not the time to be buying any new clothes. Nothing fits! As can be seen by the one-off wears of a couple of non-maternity pieces I bought.
The Balenciaga day bag I bought has had the most wear, which is good since it took up most of the budget!
Click on image to enlarge
You can see my third trimester capsule wardrobe starting to come through with this wrap up of photos - I'm sticking to just a handful of pieces that still fit the baby bump at the moment!
Overall I'm pretty pleased with how well I've used the things I bought last month, although I did expect to get more than one wear each out of the non-maternity tops I bought, the baby bump just grew too quickly. Both pieces will get lots of wear post-baby.
While I do have a good collection of maternity tops in this pregnancy thanks to the Jeanswest sales, I still want to try wear some regular non-maternity tops as long as possible. I figured I'd best squeeze myself into them before the third trimester baby bump grows too large!
I wore the striped version of this tee at 40+ weeks pregnant last time around, so I was confident I'd be able to fit into this black one for a little while. I did forget that I had covered up the neckline with a scarf last time though. I didn't feel very comfortable with this and kept grabbing and pulling at the neckline through the day. If I wear this tee (or any of the other colours I have it in...) again in pregnancy I'll definitely be layering it with something.
Trying to find the last time I wore this black tee, it's been over a year and a half! I'm sure I've worn it more recently, maybe I just can't find the post. Or maybe I just have too many clothes if a great basic like this is hardly worn!
Added the pink bag and necklace for a bit of colour, just a quiet day taking toddler T to his gymboree lesson.
When my sale parcel arrived, I tried this top on and was pleased to find it easily accommodated the baby bump. I put it away in my wardrobe to wear later and so when I finally got around to wearing it, the bump was much bigger. I was tugging at this top all day also, just trying to pull it down! Definitely won't get worn again until after baby arrives.
Keeping dressing for the office during pregnancy as simple as possible in the third trimester, I've been relying a lot on my wrap dresses - both maternity and non maternity ones.
I was eager to wear this dress again to the office. Although I bought it a size larger than usual so it would fit the third trimester baby bump, it's still not a maternity dress so I'm not sure how many times I'll be able to wear it before the bump outgrows it, and I'm trying to make the most of it while I can! I thought the magenta bag might be a bit of a bold pairing with the turquoise print on the dress, but really liked the way it looked.
As it's the second time I've worn this dress, and I'm reviewing everything I buy to make sure I'm adding the right things to my wardrobe, my purchase review:
I'm glad I bought this dress! It was an impulse buy in the sales and I wasn't sure if it would even fit around the bump, but I've been really pleased with it. I know I'll be able to wear it post-baby so I think it was a good pregnancy purchase. It's super comfortable for the office too. A purchase I'm glad I made, that will be worn now and after baby arrives.
Unlike the two bright colours together above, this is the magenta bag worn with a neutral dress. As much as I liked the colour combination in the first outfit, I think the magenta popping against a neutral outfit is my favourite way to wear it.
Just like last time, I'm starting to feel that I'm wearing this dress a lot over my pregnancy, but it's such an easy outfit option for work!
When I was post-Christmas sales shopping I had some Jeanswest vouchers to spend. I splurged on a couple more maternity tanks, even though I was close to the end of the second trimester. I'm struggling a bit with the summer heat and I'm finding singlet and shorts is a great go-to outfit, so I felt the late pregnancy purchase was justified. I'm sure to get a lot of wear out of these in the final trimester! I'm wearing both of the tanks below.
It's the first time I've worn this tank. I'd saved it for a hot day so I didn't cover up the awesome laser cut detail with a kimono, but it hasn't really shown up well in the photo! It has laser cutouts on the shoulders and on the back, you can see it better on the Jeanswest site.
I thought the bright statement necklace and colourful bag dressed up a casual outfit nicely, and added a lovely touch of colour. I had the day off to relax and unwind and I spent some time with my mum in the afternoon.
Unlike my other tank in the first outfit, this is the second wearing of this one that I bought at the same time. I'm loving the print on this. The material is different to my other Jeanswest maternity tanks too, not as stretchy but very soft so it's lovely to wear. Wore this to work from home.
Kept the same bag as I love the way the magenta pops against the blue.
I love this tank. It's different from the other maternity tanks I have as it has a print, it's light and cool to wear and of course it's in my favourite colour. Even though I only have a few months left in my pregnancy I'm glad I bought this. Otherwise I'd end up wearing nothing but the three plain maternity singlets I had before!
I'm in the third trimester now and my wardrobe options are quickly running out. I've been looking at lots of tops in my wardrobe and hoping I can squeeze in one last wear before the baby bump outgrows them! I was happy to get another wear from my graphic tees.
I've worn graphic tees and maxi skirts together before, it's a nice casual outfit. Despite being petite, I love my maxi skirts! I think anyone can wear them (even if they might need a little hemming first).
Wore this to spend the morning with family and then go out to the books and rhymes session at the local library. The shirt started to feel a little tight over the baby belly near the end of the day, I was pushing it to the limits definitely. I loved how much the magenta Balenciaga bag popped with the neutral outfit though.
I enjoyed the outfit combination above so was eager to try it again with another graphic tee. I've worn this tee and maxi skirt together before, back when I was in the first trimester, and the weather was a little cooler. Looks very different with the baby bump. Again, I loved the way the bag popped with this outfit.
It's more than the second time I've worn this bag on the blog since I bought it, and I'm reviewing everything I buy after wearing it twice to check I'm buying the right things. So here is my purchase review:
My January purchases and some third trimester office wear. Although I'm trying not to dress too casually for work, my maternity tanks are so comfortable I'm looking for ways to make them work in the office. Adding a blazer on top is a great way to do that!
It was quite cold and rainy - but welcome as it broke the heatwave we'd been having. I did consider wearing pants in the morning and wished I had during the day. I liked the print mixing with the scarf and tartan pencil skirt together. This is my favourite blazer and although I can't button it over the baby bump it works well unbuttoned. Just as perfect for the office as it is with jeans.
This tank is another of my post-Christmas sale purchases. You can tell I had some Jeanswest gift vouchers to spend! I wouldn't normally be able to wear this skirt in the third trimester, but as the maternity tank is so long I was able to wear the elastic waist of the skirt under the bump and have the tank cover up all of the baby belly and then some. I was actually able to tuck the tank into the skirt. Benefits of being petite, maternity tanks are quite long.
In contrast to the previous outfit above, this was such a hot day. I took the blazer off after these pictures and just wore it around the office to keep my shoulders covered. It was much too hot and humid to wear it long on the commute.
That's a lot! I had some gift cards to spend and there were so many good sales on....so far the most worn items have been the maternity bras. I don't usually talk underwear on the blog but a good maternity bra is a pregnancy and breastfeeding essential and these two are just so perfect!
I don't anticipate buying any more clothing until after baby arrives, so there are likely to be few monthly haul videos for a while. I'm not entirely ruling out getting some accessories though.... ;)
My ninja baby tee was a firm favourite last pregnancy, and I'm enjoying wearing it this time around too. There are a lot of fun novelty pregnancy tees around so I thought I'd do a post featuring them.
Also wanted to give away an extra copy of the #Struggles book I received. I wrote about it last year, in my favourite post I've ever written. I pre-ordered a copy and received an advance e-copy to read. Since I ended up with one more copy than I needed when the one I bought arrived, it made sense to do a little giveaway.
Everyone loves a good ninja baby tee! I wore this to work from home, run some errands in the afternoon and attend my OB appointment. It's fun seeing everyone's reactions to this tee - at the very least it raises a smile. Comfy and casual outfit for a hot day.
This isn't designed to be a maternity tee, but when I saw it I knew it would be a fun slogan tee to wear in pregnancy. I was contacted by SheIn and asked to pick another item to feature on my blog after previously featuring this cute lace kimono. I picked this tee right away. Of course as everyone who orders from SheIn knows, shipping is slow, (around 3 weeks) and with Christmas delays, it took quite a while to arrive.
I don't think I'll be able to enjoy it while I'm pregnant as much as I thought due to it's late arrival, as it doesn't have enough stretch in it for me to wear it again as the baby bump grows. I did size up, but the third trimester baby bump is pretty big. It's a tee that's easy to wear outside of pregnancy too, it just makes the text even better when you're growing a baby!
The Struggles book really made me think and change my behaviour so I'm excited to be able to share it with you! I completed a technology fast, cut down my data allowance on my phone, removed a bunch of apps, unfollowed some accounts, and set myself specific times each day to use social media.
The book is about something that is all too common to bloggers - social media burnout, and how social media takes up so much of our lives, time and worry. One of my favourite quotes:
We want to believe we’re more than the total number of clicks on our last post, but we still check to see how many we have #strugglesBook
While the book is written from a Christian viewpoint and references bible values frequently, I think the advice contained in it is worthwhile reading even if you aren't a Christian. Of course feel free to read the reviews first if you're unsure. If you've ever felt overwhelmed with 'keeping up' with social media, or browsing your feed has made you feel like everyone has the perfect life, this book is for you!
"The more you compare, the less satisfied you are. The more we interact online, the more we crave face to face intimacy, but the harder it is to find. The more filtered our lives become, the more challenging it is to be authentic. The more information about the pain in the world we’re exposed to the more difficult it is to care."
This competition is open internationally, I will ship the book worldwide. In order to win a copy of "#Struggles: Following Jesus in a Selfie-Centered World", you have to come up with the most creative answer to the question "What advice would you give to someone feeling overwhelmed with social media, or what is the best advice someone has given you?". You can enter this game of skill competition via the rafflecopter form below, and remember to include your answer in a blog comment.
No outfit pics for Monday! It was a public holiday and really rainy, so we decided to laze around, watch movies and stay in our PJs all day cuddling Cooper. It was wonderful. :)
Lots of pink for Tuesday. Picked these pink and black flats to wear again with my polka dot pencil skirt. As a friend noticed and commented, they match so well!
Last Friday I went shopping in the French Connection sale as I had my eye on a lovely peplum top. Unfortunately, they were all sold out in my size, but this beautiful dress I saw while browsing was the perfect fit :) I love the little pockets it has, which I'm trying my best to show in the photo. There's a reason I'm not a graceful model, haha.
Wore this to work, and a surprise lunchtime outing to see Ricky Martin in Queen Street mall. My friend had heard that he was going to be there, and judging by the crowd, everyone else had heard too! Nice little distraction for a Wednesday.
