A month in my wardrobe

Since I started my new job I have been taking pictures (or rather, The Boy has) of my ensemble for the day every morning before I leave for work. This has meant The Boy doesn't get to enjoy his morning lie in quite so much and I ultimately have to open my eyes a little wider before throwing on the first outfit that comes to hand, but all in all I've been really enjoying the whole process.

Mostly I decided to take an OOTD* picture every morning to try and encourage me to make more of an effort, be more creative with my dressing and as my Mother so nicely put it recently: "wear less black".

Here's what I've learned and some of my favourite images from along the way.

• I need to go into black blazer rehab. No question. A black blazer everyday does not a stylish outfit make.

• In the words of my Mother: "Maybe sometimes you should wear more colour" I'm a fan of leopard. I'm a fan of denim. I'm a fan of black. But real, vibrant, eye popping colour? Rarely does it grace my wardrobe and really, it should.

• A centre parting is definitely the way forward.

• If your ensemble doesn't make you feel amazing, why are you wearing it? Special pieces shouldn't be saved for "best" in favour of that tired old jumper (or black blazer as the case may be).

• Heels are so much more flattering than flats...but they simply won't do when you spend most of your days running all over town.

• And finally... My hair is getting long! At last!

*Outfit of the day (for your benefit, Dad)

A week in my wardrobe/the one-week challenge

I’ve written here before about my trouble in deciphering what exactly constitutes work wear and this is proving to be an on-going problem, mainly due to my tendency to be lazy with my outfit choices, especially for work. Inspired by my colleague Zsa zsa’s new mantra of “Dress for Success” I’ve decided that the time has come to take a more measured approach when it comes to what I wear for work. Although my ensembles have been more considered so far in 2012, the time has come to up the ante and start thinking promotion/pay rise/confidence when it comes to what I wear. Therefore this week saw me embark on the Dress for Success Challenge. When I challenged myself a few weeks ago to wear something new every day I ended up feeling better about what I was wearing and more confident to boot so this week I endeavoured to think “smart” when picking an outfit. Here’s the results:

When dressing for work I think it’s important to consider where you work and not only dressing to suit yourself but also dressing to promote the brand you’re representing. Luckily for me I work for Hobbs and NW3, both of which being brands that I can relate to. Tuesdays ensemble was more NW3 than Hobbs inspired, with an ode to Victoria Beckham in my new cat print dress The Boy got me for Valentines day.

Dress: Red Herring at Debenhams

Blazer: H & M

Belt: Primark

Boots: Next

Bag: Hobbs

Wearing jeans to work is something I’ve always struggled with as unless it’s a black jean I don’t really feel smart enough. Luckily for me my workplace is pretty laid back and people are generally allowed to wear what they like (and it does help that we sell jeans ourselves). I always feel smarter in a coloured jean, especially with a heel, which led to my choice for Wednesdays ensemble.

Blazer: H & M

Jeans: River Island

Blouse: TKMaxx

Boots: Next

Bag: Hobbs

Thursday saw the first outing of my new charity shop blazer. Being tweed with orange, blue and green threads this jacket fits in perfectly with some of the colour palettes from the NW3 range, helping me stay on brand, and it also nicely smartens up my black jeans. You will see from these pictures that I am very much a fan of a blazer or smart jacket. Although I really dislike suits (too much of a reminder of working in the inspiring world of finance for my liking) I often find that adding a blazer really finishes my look and helps me feel smart, whatever else I’m wearing.

Blazer: Traid

Jeans: Dorothy Perkins

Blouse: Primark

Boots: Next

Bag: Hobbs

Friday saw the first outing of a Primark dress that has been lurking in the back of the wardrobe for almost a year. It has a great print but with it being a purple/blue colour I was unsure of what to put it with. Turns out, I needn’t have worried as it looks great when paired with black.

Blazer: H & M

Dress: Primark

Boots: Next

A week in my wardrobe/the one-week challenge

The one-week challenge was a roaring success, with many a forgotten item finally seeing the light of day and me putting a lot more thought into my ensemble in the mornings. Personally, although I loved all of the outfits, the final one was my favourite. I’ve been waiting for the right occasion to wear my orange pleated skirt from River Island, which I got in the sale just after Christmas and, due to the challenge, I decided Friday was just that occasion. Sure, I had nothing special planned but life’s too short to save things for best. My least favourite outfit was Mondays. It seemed like such a good idea in my head but something just wasn’t quite right and, although I love my hair in this pic, the overall look was a little lacklustre.

Saturday: The Boy and I went for a wander on Saturday around Fulham and over the bridge to Putney to go to the library (one of my favourite things to do). This called for comfort so I paired my knee high black boots with denim shorts and a t-shirt from Obey that I got in a sample sale. The top has a really nice nautical anchor print and I’m looking forward to wearing it on it’s own in the summer.

Sunday: On Sunday The Boy got it into his head that it would be a good idea to walk all the way from West Kensington to Camden Town, and due to the 16lbs in 16 weeks challenge, I went along for the ride. The weather was sunny but cold so I used this as a chance to wear my new red and white oversized knitted jumper from Next. I also wore my fedora, which probably wasn’t the best choice of headwear as I found out when we were in Hyde Park when I realised just how windy it was.

Monday: Mondays at work mean an early start to prepare for trade, so for me, leaving the house before 7am, Mondays ensemble has to be about comfort. I paired some wide leg jeans with a favourite spotty top from Autograph at Marks and Spencer, finishing the outfit off with a pure wool navy cardigan that I got at the Sue Ryder sale for 50p and had never worn before. This outfit was pretty disastrous due to the cardigan making the top go really static and me feeling fat in the photograph, but still I love all the items individually and will definitely wear the cardi again.

Tuesday: My outfit on Tuesday was more of a success. I debuted a purple and black leopard print knitted skirt (another Sue Ryder 50p purchase) that my mum has taken in for me at the sides to make it more fitted. I wore this with a black jumper, leather jacket and my new favourite lace-up boots from Next (another Boxing day sale purchase). I also wore my massive knitted snood that I made myself and is fast becoming a wardrobe staple for me (as you can see from these photographs!).

Wednesday: A red Primark dress that I’ve had for years made an appearance on Wednesday underneath a black round neck jumper. This dress looks great on and I’m really not sure why I haven’t worn it before, it’s really comfortable and I’m looking forward to wearing it on it’s own in the summer.

Thursday: Thursdays unworn item was another sample sale purchase in the form of this aubergine coloured long belted cardigan from Hobbs. I teamed this with leggings, knee high boots and my favourite leopard print scarf. This outfit was really comfy and although I don’t normally go for the whole long top-leggings combo I think this outfit was one of the best of the week.

Friday: The final day of the working week saw me wear my new pleated skirt with a black top and cardigan. I loved this outfit; it was comfortable and was still smart enough for work (even if Friday morning was spent working in a branch of John Lewis. Don’t ask). I like teaming a long skirt with a short jacket (I do this a lot in summer with maxi’s and my denim jacket) and I definitely want to experiment with this look more for the winter weather.

So, what have I learnt. For one, I think it’s pretty interesting that all of the new things I wore were either coloured or patterned. I seem to always gravitate towards black or denim (either because it’s easier or because I’m lazy, maybe a bit of both) yet I still buy colourful pieces. I certainly need to reconsider colour in my everyday outfits (as I obviously have enough of it in my wardrobe). I hope to carry on the challenge in some way or another and make my outfits a bit less predictable in the coming weeks, I also have a colour challenge planned so watch this space.

The one week challenge: something new everyday = DONE