I mentioned my work "uniform" of black trousers and black boots in my previous blogs, and I certainly have a lot of both items in my wardrobe. My non-work wardrobe has become, I'm afraid, a little bit too much on the "comfortable" side, and not a lot of the "style". I haven't quite succumbed to buying the elasticated waist "slacks", that can be found in the week-end supplements - well, not quite - I admit to viewing them occasionally and thinking how nice and comfy an elastic waist would be...
I'm already on the slippery slope to scruffiness due to my extensive fleece collection. I have one pair of jeans that I tend to live in at the week-end, along with flat shoes/boots/trainers, a t-shirt and a fleece. Easy to put on, easy to wear, but a bit samey. It's not that I don't have other pairs of jeans, but when I drag myself out of bed at the week-end, I just can't be bothered to try and squeeze myself into a pair of jeans that are a little tight, or require a heel to be worn. The jeans aren't particularly scruffy, it's just that when worn with a fleece, they do rather look like I can't be bothered - especially as I tend not to put make-up on at the week-end. I never used to be so slovenly - I blame pregnancy. The only bottoms that fitted were those with a very loose elastic waist, and once I realised just how comfortable they were to wear, there was no going back to tight zips, buttons and studs.
As well as the comfy jeans, I have a number of pairs of jogging bottoms in which I love to loll around the house. I haven't yet ventured out in them, but it's only a matter of time...
I think one of my resolutions should be to make a little more effort with my appearance - perhaps by wearing a nice skirt or dress? A different pair of trousers or jeans would be a good start. I must certainly never go out of the house with a pair of elastic-waisted trousers.
There is something very comforting about a lovely, soft, fluffy fleece. They are so comfortable to wear, and so warm and snuggly. Perfectly suited to the British weather, they can be worn all year round, even in the summer on the frequent occasions when the sun isn't anywhere to be seen.
I have quite a collection of fleeces in various colours - some that zip all the way up, and some that pull over the head. I even have a couple of sleeveless versions to "layer" (probably with another fleece!).
There is one small problem, and that is that they are not exactly... well.. stylish! Whilst they are probably OK to wear on the "slopes" (not that I have every ventured anywhere NEAR a "slope"); it is just about acceptable to wear them when carrying out some active outdoor task, such as gardening; and it is OK to wear very expensive, branded versions from "outdoor" shops for outdoorsy pursuits such as rock climbing and extreme walking, it isn't really considered acceptable to wear non-branded versions for everyday wear. It is probably because the cheaper versions are worn by people doing manual labour in cold places, including road sweepers and cleaners.
I am rather taken by the latest fashion for "onesies" - now they WOULD be warm and snuggly... Perhaps Santa will bring me one?
Not so very long ago, I could buy anything (as long as it wasn't pink!) for my son, and he would happily wear it. I could pick up t-shirts, jeans, jumpers, fleeces from Tesco or Sainsbury's and he would wear them all without a glimpse at the label or a derisive comment.
Not so now! Any item of clothing I have bought for my son in the past year or so has been met with a look of horror, and a muttered grunt that there is absolutely no possible chance that he is going to wear the offending item. This makes it very difficult to get him any new clothes, as he can't stand shopping, so it's not as though he wants to come with me to choose anything.
Darling hubby jumped on the bandwagon, and said that he would take his son shopping for clothes as, he thought, he was much more in tune with youngsters these days (ha!!!) and would be able to assist his son to choose some tasteful but fashionable items. I went along with this as it saves me the hassle. In the summer, we went to one of those retail outlet centres. Normally this would be a nightmare, as we all walk round together, and I have to put up DH and DS whinging about the amount of time I spend in each shop. Not so on this occasion - I suggested that they went off together to find some nice clothes for DS, which left me to wander round at my leisure - Bliss! There mission was successful, and they bought a few pairs of jeans/trousers, and some nice t-shirts and other tops. DH was feeling very happy that he was able to gloat about his excellent taste, and DS was happy with his clothes. Win/win for all for us.
More recently, I was in a supermarket with DS, and I pointed out that he needed a few more items for winter, so would he like to have a look at the things they had in store. We managed to find a nice pair of trousers that he liked, and stocked up on some underwear and pjs. Then DS spotted a top that he got very excited about. It was a long-sleeved jersey top with a picture of a reindeer head on the front. He now won't take it off except when he is forced to wear his school uniform (I'd probably find he's wearing it underneath if I checked!), or going to bed. It looks a bit like this one:
Along with the black trousers (see yesterday's blog) goes the black ankle boots. For the 48 weeks of the year that it isn’t summer, If I am dressed and not in my house, chances are I am wearing black ankle boots. I usually do my boot shopping in secret, as I know my DH will ask me if I NEED another pair of black ankle boots. I have always answered that a girl can never have too many pairs of black ankle boots. Not true…
I should take this picture everywhere with me (perhaps as a background on my phone...) and look at it every time I am anywhere near a shop selling boots. Seriously!
Clothes feature in a number of my 31 items not to buy. This is because, like many women, I have a wardrobe full of clothes but can never find a thing to wear! Well, OK, I can ALWAYS find a pair of black trousers. I am very comfortable wearing trousers, and black trousers appear to be the most readily available in most shops - recent attempts to find some "anything-but-black" trousers have not been very successful. The shops that sell slightly more trendy clothes (including interesting coloured trousers), insist that trousers are made with a waist that is about 3 inches below where normal people have their waist. I would not exactly describe myself as large (following my successful attempts that have been previously blogged, to get rid of a little over a stone) - I now take a size 8-10 in trousers, so, in theory, shouldn't look too bad in most trousers - however, as soon as I pull on a pair of trousers with a zip that is only 2 inches long, a huge mound of flesh pours over the top of the trousers in a most unattractive way. I don't know where it comes from - when I zip myself into a tight pair of size 8 skinny jeans, it seems to disperse quite nicely, but not so when there is nothing there to hold it all in.
Here is a picture of the trouser section of my wardrobe. The 2 pairs of coloured trousers on the right are actually jeans, so I can't wear them for work. The only slight variation from black is the two pairs of dark grey you can see on the left hand side. Other than that, it's black, black, black!
I would really love to wear something other than black trousers (a nice dress perhaps?), but can't break out of it. I really mustn't buy any more for a VERY long time!
For an explanation of the 31 day blog, see Things I am not going to buy: Introduction post
Following on from yesterday's post about skirts and dresses, is the question of tights. Not usually too expensive to buy (unless you are a fan of Wolford, or similar luxury brands), they are easy to stick in your shopping bag at every available opportunity. They come in many colours and levels of transparency, and some of them have lovely patterns, which look lovely worn under a skirt or dress.
The question I have to ask myself is why do I buy three pairs of tights every time I buy a skirt or dress? I am caught up in the same fantasy of looking stylish and ladylike as when I purchased the skirt or dress. I have a drawer full to the brim with tights that I don't wear - most still in un-opened packets!
