Following on from my last blog post as promised, this blog shall bring you my top 3 tips on staying in the fashion loop when you’re a tired coffee fuelled mama. **disclaimer** I am not professing to being some kind of style guru a la, Rachel Zoe (or any other fashionista) also I’m not saying fashion and clothing is the be all and end all. As mums we all have different outlets that make us exactly who we are if you’re more into crafts, sports, cross stitching then girl I totally get that and you may want to take this post with a pinch of salt. Unfortunately for this mum her hobby is clothes, if you also fall into the ‘hiding new purchases under the bed from your partner’ category this ones for you.

PLAN AHEAD

My number 1 top tip for successful outfit building is plan what you’re wearing in advance. Every single night I lay out what I’m going to wear the next day, this includes shoes and any accessories. Now I’m not going to lie and say it’s always been this way, for a long time I used to just grab anything in the morning and go….guaranteeing I’d end up wearing some sort of mismatched (or dirty) leggings/T shirt combo. Now don’t get me wrong I still have those days when you’ll catch me in that exact combo but those are the days that just getting dressed is considered a win. I now also plan Max’s outfits the night before due to our super early mornings. If you’re up first thing in the morning like I am the last thing you want to be doing is creating a cute outfits.

OWN YOUR STYLE

Remember pre kids…..yes that distant memory think back to then. Who were you before you became a mama? What was your style? Don’t be afraid to still own that look just because you’re a mum. When I had MJ I suddenly became really conscious about what clothes I would wear, I started to question myself on whether I should/shouldn’t project a certain image because I had a baby? I vividly remember taking MJ to a mum & baby group when he was around 14 weeks old, I was wearing beaten up converse, fishnet tights, a leather skirt and a cropped jumper. I felt so out of place and like I was less of a mum purely because of what I was wearing. I look back and think how silly that sounds now, of course I didn’t stand out of course I wasn’t out of place. I guess what I’m trying to say is just own your style, own who you are, never feel out of place or judged because of something so trivial as your outfit. A small side tip that goes alongside this is to consider adapting your wardrobe slightly to become more baby friendly because I learned the hard way that fishnets tights and babies don’t exactly go hand in hand.

CAPSULE THIS

If you’ve become used to spending every penny on the little person in your life this is a top tip for you. So instead of buying random pieces when you see them try and build a capsule wardrobe. This is so effective for saving your money yet will always leave you looking stylish. My advice for a capsule wardrobe is keep it as simple as possible, firstly plan for the season. We are currently in the throes of A/W meaning the shops are full of latest trend drops, everywhere we look just now there’s masses of inspiration whether that be from instagram, magazines or online shops. My suggestion is look into the key trend pieces for the season and build around that. I always think you should have one statement trend piece (something printed for instance) that you can wear to death, 1 pair of good blue jeans and one pair of black, lot’s of basic Ts and jumpers that can be worn with anything (zara & primark for basics always) a statement coat that’ll withstand our glorious British weather. I think accessories are amazing if you’re a mum on a budget because you can instantly add a good hat or scarf in winter and it’ll totally change the look of your outfit. Declutter your existing wardrobe of anything you don’t wear….be brutal!! There’s soooo many tips online for building capsule wardrobes and the good news is it’s so easy to do for your little one too.

I really hope these tips were helpful for all my fashion conscious mamas. For me clothes & fashion make me feel good about myself, some days when I’ve been up since 5am and I’ve watched more episodes of peppa pig than I care to admit to I feel like small victories keep me going. So if I can leave the house feeling good from the inside out and feeling confident that’s a personal win. Even if i’m entirely fuelled by coffee and tired by 9am it’s all good, after all the saying is fake it till you make it.

Love always,

Lauren xx