Happy New Year

Happy New Year

Let me start by saying a very happy new year to all of you. Let’s hope 2018 is a year filled with happiness. I have decided not to write a post with my resolutions this year, after revisiting this blog post that I wrote at the beginning of 2017, I realised that most of the things I need to work on this year are the same as last year! Oops. Instead, I have decided to focus on one thing a month that I want to achieve. January is going to be Marie Kondo style clearout month. February might be ‘reading’ month. March might be ‘buy less’ month and so on…

Clear out sentimental clutter

Last year I cut my wardrobe down to a third of what it was at the beginning of the year. I sold quite a bit and a lot of it was donated to charity and the ‘fashion boutique’ at the school fair, but there are still piles, boxes and bags that need to go. Our loft is rammed full of things that we never use. Spare pillows, duvets, golf clubs, ski kit, a buggy (!) boxes and boxes of books and far too many prints and framed photos that we are never going to hang. It’s time to get ruthless up there. I am also going to tackle the linen and towel situation. We have collected far too many sets over the years and the tired ones need to go. I definitely haven’t applied the one in, one out rule to our bedlinen over the years. And lastly, all the cupboards need a good sort out.

My Capsule Suitcase this Holiday

As many of you know, we went to spend Christmas with family in France and because we travelled by train, we had to pack very little to make space for the presents we took along. It was the first time that I managed to pack a capsule suitcase and I thoroughly enjoyed eight days of easy dressing and not being faced with too much choice in the mornings. I should mention a couple of things that really helped. I decided to have a bit of a break on the OOTD photos over the holidays. Having taken a photo of my outfit almost every single day for an entire year, I realised that I was in need of a good break. When you post your daily outfit on instagram, you are essentially putting it out there for people to like or not like and the constant pressure of putting together an outfit that works and that people can take inspiration from had begun to take it’s toll. By the end of 2017, I felt like I was running out of inspiration and that people must be getting bored of my photos and my outfits. We all have those ‘off days’ when our outfit just doesn’t quite work for one reason or another, or when we just aren’t feeling our best, and I realised towards the end of the year that I needed to allow myself more of those ‘off days’ without feeling the pressure to document them. Aside from the break from the daily outfit snaps, our days in France were mostly spent at home with a few very relaxed lunches out and a very low key Christmas day, so I really didn’t need to take along anything too dressy or smart.

The contents of my suitcase

1. Red Chinti and Parker Cashmere Jumper Was £350 now £175 / 2. Breton from Stripe and Stare – £45 /3. Leather leggings Were £850 now £595 / 4. Cashmere Sweater from Scout Cashmere / 5. Grey Skinny Jeans from MIH -£195 or from Mango now £29.99 / 6. Black Beret from Accessorize – £12 / 7. Chloe Bag / 8. Blue Skinny Jeans Mango now £29.99 / 9. Black Sezane Cooper Knit – 95 euros / 10. Vans – £55 / 11. Chloe Boots or Topshop dupes for £20

Shop my Suitcase

A few photos from the holiday.

I wore this red jumper on Christmas Day, it reminded me of my Sammy back home.

I took my Miranda Dunn Faux fur along with me.

Playing Mix and Match – 7 different outfits

 Just a note on a few of these items. My Chloe boots have to be one of the best investment purchases I have ever made. I have worn them so much their cost per wear must be around a fiver per wear. I was really lucky to have snapped them up in a Luisaviaroma flash sale. I ebayed half my wardrobe to save up for them and only allowed myself to buy them once I had enough money in my Paypal account. I ended up paying £650 for them which is £200 cheaper than their current price. My Chloe bag was also a splurge purchase but once again bought at Bicester Village for 30% less than it’s retail price. I always take a breton top on holiday and I am a big fan of the new label Stripe and Stare. I tend to live in my leather leggings in Winter. They are really warm and comfortable but a slightly smarter option than jeans. Once again I bought mine from a sample sale, but they really are an item worth investing in if you can. January sales are an excellent time to buy. I have also worn my new Sezane Cooper knit a lot this winter. It’s one of those jumpers that goes with everything and smartens up an outfit.  *Top tip – Now is a good time to have a look at Sezane as they have their archive sale on. *

For my monthly collaboration with Next Label, I selected items for a practical yet stylish every day look. (see below)

Labels at Next Look : Red Waterproof Raincoat Joules Clothing / Jumper from Mint Velvet (now in sale)/Black Skinny Jeans Warehouse/ Vans 

I have ended up living in the Vans. They are my first pair and I have to say I am a complete convert. I find them infinitely comfier than Converse and they seem to go with everything. The red waterproof coat from Joules Clothing has also been incredibly useful. I took it to Scotland and put it to the weather test in the snow and the rain and it really is waterproof. I must admit I had plenty of layers underneath, including my Perfect Moment down jacket (that I bought from Vestiaire Collective) as it was absolutely freezing in Scotland, but it would be perfect for the school run in wet weather with a cosy knit underneath.

In the snow

Once the snow had melted

With our friends

I had lots of messages about my Sorel Boots while I was away, that I’m afraid I didn’t get a chance to answer, so while we are here, I thought I would include them. I am a massive fan. They are very comfortable and warm, easy to get on and off and perfect for walking in snow and boggy terrain. (I really put them to the test in Scotland) They are also currently 30% off here. I took my usual size (5) and they are still quite roomy. I did try the size down but they were too snug with a ski sock.

Well, it’s suddenly time to fetch the children and I still haven’t done any of the things on my list today. One of which was taking down the Christmas tree. It’s always left to us mums, isn’t it?! Plenty of help putting it up and not a jot taking it down! Hey ho…

Apologies for the mish-mash nature of this blog post. I guess that’s what happens when you start blogging again after a little hiatus – you end up cramming everything in to one! As always thank you for reading and here’s to sharing lots more fashion, beauty, lifestyle and interiors ideas in 2018.

Love,

Chloe x