Animal print dress, chunky cardi, boots

This is what I wore to work on Tue - a blouse, sweater, black trousers style.

This is what I wore to work on Wed - a dress, cardi dress style. 

I always feel that my photo doesn't do any justice to this French Connection long chunky cardi. It is very warm, a great addition for the winter when wearing a spring/autumn dress. 

When I bought this cardi, I thought it would work really really well for a home party in winter, so that I can still wear a dress, not worrying being too cold.  Then, the baby comes along and this home party idea hasn't been tried out yet at all.  : ) 

Dress: French Connection (last worn)

Cardi: French Connection 

Boots: Schuh

AA xxx

dresses, cardi and brown boots

 

Dress: Oasis (last worn)

Cardi: Label Lab

Boots: Hush Puppies

Coat and Bag: as usual 

Now, this Oasis dress definitely looks better with the white cardi as last worn. And I also think my tan/brown boots, although very practical and keeping me warm, doesn't look great with this dress and for 'professional' or 'corporate style' look. 

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Dress: (last worn)

Cardi: Label Lab (grey) and Mango (stipes)

Boots: Hush Puppies

Coat and Bag: as usual 

This brown, jersey striped dress was last worn with the white cardi too, and it looks better with the white cardi too !!  Then, I thought about trying on the new cardi (second-hand from eBay) received yesterday, which I think is an improvement from the grey cardi.... just a lot of stripes!  

After work I am meeting with a friend and her little girl who is at similar age to Baby D. So I thought this jersey dress would work well for both work and play time later on (I hope so anyway). 

AA xxx

Blue Monday #2

Second week/post of the {Blue Monday Project}:- I had a hospital appointment today and arranged to work from home before and after my appointment.  And as I went on my own, it's the day for wearing my favorite handbag - Balenciaga City in Violet (I am a very happy girl) !! 

  

Dress: (last worn)

Knitted top: Mark & Spencer

Boots: Hush Puppies

Bag: Balenciaga city in violet 

Coat: SLY N3B

I really like what I have come up with, a similar dress/style inspired by Pippa Middleton as shown in the below picture. Although this is the style I've tried in the past (like here), I much prefer what I am wearing today. 

source: Google image

The dress is actually a summer dress (so I have got a very warm leggings on today) as seen here on my blog, and I wore the blue knitted top outside to create a similar look/style. 

The fit of this knitted top is more flattering than the white sweater and the purple knitted top. And to create an outfit like this, a fitted knitted top/sweater would work better for layering (for my future note).  

Previously on Blue Monday Project...

Blue Monday #1

Linking up with Mix It Mondays.

AA xxx

Dotty dress, cardi, boots

Dress: Mamas & Papas nursing dress

Cardi: Label Lab

Boots: Hush Puppies

Bag: as usual 

The idea of trying to wear all my dresses to work (not in the same day of course) is now sticking to my mind(!!), although it is very likely that I will be wearing them in same/similar combination, ie with a cardi/sweater and with different boots - Well it is a project for my own amusement I guess! 

Mamas & Papas makes great maternity dress, by the way, and their dresses are in a better length for me, especially for work wear.  What I am wearing today is for nursing, which can also be wore during maternity as the fabric is quite stretchy and at knee height.    

AA xxx

Dress, Cardi/Sweater, Boots

I am wearing similar outfits today and yesterday - Dress, Cardi/Sweater and Boots. 

Dress: French Connection I think (last worn)

Cardi: George at ASDA

Boots: Hush Puppies (new purchase in January)

Bag: as usual

Necklace: French Connection

Coat: SLY N3B 

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Dress: Oasis (last worn on blog)

Sweater: Dorothy Perkins

Boots: Hush Puppies

Bag: as usual 

Necklace: Topshop (not in the picture)

Coat: Warehouse long winter coat

I had this purple dress on originally before Baby D threw his toy digger on my cereal bowl ! I ended up with cereals and milk all over myself and the sofa.... (annoyed!!) 

I begin to wonder how many different dresses that I could wear to work before I start to re-cycle them..... Has anyone tried to do this before?? 

AA xxx

Blue Monday #1

 

Dress: A|Wear (last worn)

Cardi: Label Lab

Coat: SLY N3B in green (AW 2014)

Scarf: White Stuff

Bag: Balenciaga First

Boots: Clarks

Thought to set up a challenge for myself to always wear 'blue' on Mondays for as long as I can! 

Wearing blue is definitely a challenge - I couldn't think of any outfits (tops and dresses) that are in blue until I opened the wardrobe doors.  This is going to be fun, and requires a little bid planning ahead I think. 

I bought this Balenciaga First a while back on eBay - I like how broken in it is. I know a First bag won't hold a lot. But, it really doesn't !!! I happened to leave my diary in the office, so it is just about right. (My phone, keys and pens that aren't in the picture). 

On PurseForum, people do wear a First bag to work or as their day bags, but I don't really see myself wearing a First to work a lot - I feel it is a good size for a quick pop-out to the shops, or out dining I guess.  

I did wear it on Saturday when we were out shopping in Leeds. It was OK to have it hung on my arm while I pushed the pram and for holding hands with Baby's D when he walked. But I wasn't on my own and we didn't hold hands for long.  So, for a day-out that may require chasing a toddler on the streets/train, a bag that could go across the body would definitely be better. 

AA xxx

Oasis dress, white cardi, boots

Dress: Oasis (last worn here)

Cardi: New Look 

Boots and bag: as usual 

Almost identical to how I wore it last time, but this dress does go better with the white cardi I think. Less boring, colour co-ordination wise. 

A meeting is held this afternoon as the follow-up session of yesterday's big day. (So another good opportunity for style watch again if I am bored!!)  

Wearing a work dress like today's and yesterday's is a good go-to solution, just like the colourful top and black trousers combination. And for a life with messy toddler, work dress is definitely a better choice of the two -  because I only have one pair of black trousers but many pairs of tights and dresses! : ) 

AA xxx

Smart work dress, cardi, boots

Dress: Oasis (last wore in Sept!)

Cardi: Uniqlo

Boots & Bag: as usual

AA xxx

Dress and the wardrobe system

I adore this purple maternity dress!! - I think I said this every time I wear it... 

This is one of the only three maternity dresses I didn't sell/throw away after giving birth as they are sooo pretty! And funny enough, two of them including this purple one are from Topshop - By the way I do recommend its maternity line, they are very flattering. 

I was chatting with my line manager last week and for some reason we started to talk about outfits, which is an odd thing to do with a male, married, oldish man I think.  Anyway, he said that in order to maximize the use of his clothes, he rotates and wears each outfit combination in an order, for both work outfits or for casual wear too. This system works like this: the same shirt would nearly always go with the same suits/trousers, and they are folded/hung up in an organised way after being washed and ironed. I don't know how many combination he has in place, but all the items get to be wore/organised in that system. So, he may sometimes wear something perhaps too formal and smart for a busy stay-in office day, and sometimes he may wear slightly too casual for formal teaching.  In a way, he is looking forward to find out when/what he is wearing for the following day(s) and how each outfit combination match, or not match, his work commitment of the day!!! 

I was amazed by his organisation and system initially (and I am still so actually). 

Well, I then thought about how I decide what to wear these days - I tend to just grab whatever item nearby when I am dressed on the day, which often results in wearing the same outfits every other day!  So, I thought perhaps I could have a similar system set up like that when I have some free time on weekends, or at least, I could think of some outfit combination as default options for as/when I am out of ideas of what to wear, (like lately!)       

How do you organise your wardrobe ? 

Have you got a system set-up like my line manager ?

These are how I wore the dress and the cardi last time:

 

AA xxx

Dress and cardi, busy working mum's favorite

This dress and this cardi again ! 

This combination has become my new default work wear recently. It's practical for work, and even more so for life with a baby - this dress sits on the knees, so perfect for bending over to the stroller, for chasing after a monster on the train/street, and for picking him up when he cries for a cuddle. So, alrhough it is not my favorite item, it is getting a lot of use lately. 

Another good reason to wear dresses for  work as a busy working mum is if the little one decides to wipe his dirty face with running nose on you at last minute, more chance to get away from changing the entire outfits - just the tights or the dress.  And it's easier keep a spare tight at work than a spare outfit/trousers! 

AA xxx

Dress up

Dress: Topshop maternity dress (bought 2012-13 autumn/winter)

Knitted top: Dorothy Perkins

Boots: Clark's

Blazer: F&F 

Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs Hillier Hobo Bag

Another dress combination day...

I love this purple maternity dress ! Although it is definitely way too loose on waist without a baby bump, I love the fabric and colour. I think it will go better with a top or cardi that fits the waist line better than what I've got on today.

It was 8 degree in the morning when we set off, but it was snowing in the afternoon. So I was a bit cold in the snow  ha ha : (

AA xxx

Juggling life as a working mum...

Alex's post about juggling life was a very useful and powerful reminder that I am not alone here who feel overwhelmed by the pressure and the to-do lists.  Back to work for 6 months now, how to juggle life is still a steep learning curve.

We live in a small house, where living room and kitchenate are in the same room. It was cosy for a couple, but as parents, it was a nightmare.... I want to MOVE house !!

This means that when I am cooking dinner, Baby D can see me and would often cry for the attention, or throw his toys and books at me, even when his dad sits next to him !

It also means that the room is always messy: toys everywhere, bags (mine work bag, dad's, baby's diaper bag) on the floor or piled up in the corner of the dining table, food everywhere on the carpet (training toddlers to not throw food on the floor is very challenging), and dishes left unwashed !

And our nearly 1.5 years old is a very very handful one.... (aren't they all !?)

I have found it not easy to stay positive and keep smiling at all times.... And being at work, I feel, is the only escape I get for a bit of calm and peace. 

Dress:

Cardi: Whistle

Boots: Clark's

Wearing a dress seems to be the best thing for a busy working mum.
The combination of {Dress + cardi / blazer + boots / heels / flat} works very well for a casual business look environment, and good for a raining day.

AA xxx


 

Stripes dress, Cardi and Boots

I am back, after having two months, or nearly three months perhaps, break from blogging my outfits. 

One reason of that is because I ran out of ideas and thoughts to comment on my outfit combination, and inspiration and energy to keep up with that due to exhaustion from juggling between a full-time job and off-work full-on mum. I was sooo exhausted to a degree that I kept picking up terrible colds one after another till the new year !

While I was recovering from being poorly and from lack of energy, I have been thinking about my blogs (I have two 'active' blogs, one here in English and the other in Mandarine). I have been on and off blogging for a decade now. Although I had taken short and long breaks every now and then, I do generally go back to blogging as I do enjoy it and as a form to be true to myself. 

The original thought of this blog is to simply keep records of my outfit /style, and mostly to see how it would develop over time. I now feel more relaxed about sticking to that plan as life is not always so simple and clear-cut, and I feel I want to embrace more flexibility generally in life. 

I would still blog about my outfits, but I may also share my motherhood ups and downs here too ! : )

Back to my outfits, this is what I wore to work today. 

Dress: 

Cardi: Uniqlo 

Tights: 

Boots: Clarks in Taupe 

Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs Hillier Hobo Bag in Taupe

Coat: Traveler (not in picture)

Had a meeting with colleagues from different departments. Although it was a casual catch-up, I thought a more formal look may go down better, so I put on F&F blazer for the meeting (blazer not in the picture).  The meeting was in the atrium, which was rather cold even with the central heating on. So for that reason, it was a wise decision to have the blazer on !  

AA xxx

Definitely autumn

top: H&M grey silky shirt

trousers: Next chino S/S 2014 collection

cardi: Uniqlo

shoes: Clark's heels

coat: in Korean fashion style, bought in a night market in Taiwan (2012/13 winter)

scarf: ASOS owl prints 

bag: Marc By Marc Jacobs Classic Q Hillier Hobo bag

This is what I wear to work today - it's definitely in autumn now, the temperature  has dropped a lot since last weekend.

Had nearly two weeks break from blogging my #OOTD. Although I enjoyed documenting my daily work style and learning how to dress better and remix my style, I have been feeling a bit lost in this project. 

I feel I am falling into the trap of trying very hard to come up with new style every day, which we know it's not possible. So when I started to repeat the same outfit combination, I felt let down by myself, and this then led to me buying more items... and that's when I decided to put a stop on blogging and from my addiction of eBay. (I also had a couple of disappointing purchases on eBay in the last few weeks.)

Although I am still trying to figure this out, I've decided to not buy any more items until Boxing Day!! : ) 

dress: brown stripes

cardi: George at ASDA

shoes: ASOS safari leather heels

coat: French Connection in navy 

This is what I wore to work on Monday. 

AA xxx

Dress, cardi, trench coat, boots, Marc Jacobs Hillier Hobo bag

 

dress: A|Wear (very old)

white knitted cardi

boots: Forever 21

trench coat: Ted Baker & Longchamp style bag as baby diaper bag (two bags system)

bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Q Hillier Hobo bag

necklace: French Connection 

This dress was on its way out several times when I tried to make rooms for the wardrobe in the past. I didn't have the heart to give it away to charity shops every time, mostly because it is in the right length for my liking!! And several years on, probably three or four old now, it's amazing that I still find it fit for the work environment. 

(Although this is a proof that I am back to the pre-pregnancy size, it is still depressing that I didn't manage to lose any weights all these years! - I am one or one and a half size bigger than when I live in Taiwan.)

It is a cotton, jersey style dress, probably A-line. The length is a better fit than many dresses I owned and tried on in the past (ie French Connection, Topshop, Warehouse, Dorothy Perkins). I think once you find a piece that cannot go wrong, you tend to keep it or go back to it every now and then - I hope that I can find more this type of dresses....  

AA xxx

stripes dress, cardi, boots, Marc Jacobs Hillier Hobo bag | stripes top, jeggings, boots

This is what I wear to work today - essentially, following same formula as last week, but with warmer boots, a grey cardi and a black knee-high trench coat from Ted Baker (not in the picture).

I have been off work for two days earlier this week with a bad cold, rough throat and uncontrollable big cough all the time. I am 'told' to stay home away from people while I get myself sorted as the wife of my line manager has bad lung problems and he is concerned to pass on the cold to her. Although I am feeling better today and came back to work yesterday (Wednesday), I am still coughing a lot. And I feel like a mess, less inspired in my look generally.    

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This is what I wore to work yesterday (Wednesday). Again, similar combination of the weekend style, but with a different pair of jeggings, boots, coats and bag.

I like to wear boots and jeggings when I am playing a commuting mummy role. And it was specially functional when it ended with me pushing/running with the pram in heavy rains !! (I hate rainy days.)


AA xxx

stripes dress, cardi, boots, Marc Jacobs Hillier Hobo bag

  

dress: bought on eBay

cardi: George at ASDA

boots: Forever 21 ankle boots (bought on eBay)

bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Q Hillier Hobo bag (bought on eBay)

trench coat: Uniqlo

Most item I wear to work today (Thursday) are bought from eBay - told you that I am addicted to finding gems on eBay!! 

This dress looks lovely on eBay picture (the one against the white door), but I cannot hide my disappointment when I received it. It was just slightly too long for my liking, and also slightly too big and baggy. Of course the trouble with buying second-hand clothes on eBay is that you cannot refund/return an item. 

After sitting on this for few days, I feel more positive about it again - it is actually a functional dress for a working full-time mum!! It is comfortable to wear all day at work, to sit in the playpen after work, and to bend down checking on the baby when on the go - I am sure many mums would recognise these elements in every day life : )

AA xxx