But hear me out here. If you focus on acquiring bits and pieces with the right amount of flex, you will not be wearing those items for just a few weeks, it could be more like years. It’s also not wasteful if it makes you feel better at a time when you are basically programmed to feel like shit… (I don’t know about you, but I am not someone who loves being pregnant but that’s a conversation for another day).

In my first pregnancy I made the mistake of really stocking up on dresses that were more muumuus than dresses - shapeless pieces that looked, if we’re being nice, a bit whimsical and floaty when pregnant but in the postpartum period, made me feel like I was ashamed of my new body and had so much fabric, that they genuinely got in the way of just living.

This time round, it helps I’ve done this before because, with hindsight, shopping in the size up or buying things that work for ‘now’, isn’t a waste at all. You’ll be grateful in the postpartum period. Having clothes that fitted me already after the baby was born, really helped me accept my body as it was. My shape changed so much over the following 2 years, it really made me appreciate what had been worth the money and what hadn’t so I hope this helps you all too. Maybe you’re not even pregnant, you just fluctuate in size for whatever reason - also me. Anyway, as always, I just advocate for shopping with a strategy and not just for a dopamine rush. Lets get into it..

Things I’ve bought & sized up in

All linked here.

From left to right! A Rixo, 100% silk skirt in a size 18 - fits so well on the bump right now and after I have grand plans with some brooches to cinch it in. This is the kind of shape I also really liked postpartum. Looks fab with an oversized shirt thrown over the top, which also works to hide any new lumps that haven’t quite settled..

This Sezane t- shirt dress I honestly bought in a size too big (XXL). It was sold out in the XL when I got it but I loved the print so much I’m just going to roll with it. I might have to take it in, at the shoulders down the line but the stretchy fabric is very comfy and, like the Rixo skirt, I think I’ll probably be wearing it more as a skirt with a jumper chucked over the top later down the line anyway.

This Doen dress in a size L, I bought when I had just found out I was pregnant. The benefits of the shirring at the bust we will discuss further down in this newsletter, but the biggest pro is that it has a tie at the top and bottom of the shirring which means it can actually physically be tightened as you inflate or deflate, genius.

Shirred dresses

All linked here.

I actually love/hate dresses. Easy to wear, yes. Creatively unfulfilling to style, also yes. There is a time and a place for the everyday dress and I am in the peak of it I feel. Often super easy to breastfeed in, always easy to throw on and if the shirring is in the right place, hard to grow out of - it has not yet happened to me yet and last time I went from a size 12 to a size 18/20…

The humble A-line

All linked here.

The most neglected and not talked about silhouette? Maybe when it comes to dresses we just call it 'trapeze’ now, but to me an a-line has no gathering and is all in the cut, but anything labelled trapeze or swing will give a similar effect and be just as useful. A-line skirts are also just as handy in pregnancy and postpartum, the gradual flare in the side seam just means you can keep wearing it higher and higher waisted as the bump grows and gradually.. maybe… eventually, it will return to where it was originally intended.

The brand doing the most clasically a-line is always and consistently Cos. Arket has some good options but all of them this year have an unfortunate poly blend so don’t bother.

The pink Cos dress pictured above I got last year and actually they’ve re-done it for this year. Have linked!

Oversized good, not oversized bad

All linked here.

I know, I know, captain obvious over here but if you want to lean into the flowy side of maternity dressing, make sure it fits well on the shoulders, please. I’m all for sizing up and wearing whatever you are comfortable in (obviously) but honestly if it’s oversized everywhere, you’ll hate it postpartum. Trust me.

—

I am not a frequent Substacker I know, I can’t decide if I love it or I hate it here if I’m being really honest. Please leave a comment below with any thoughts, feelings, words of encouragement maybe? I’m just a woman with a phone and a laptop at the end of an algortithm at the end of the day.. I will do what you want me to do!

This post contains affiliate links and items that may have been received as pr or been part of previous paid partnerships on other platforms.

It’s been a while hasn’t it? I’m now a year into calling myself a full-time content creator but I’m definitely still working out how to juggle all these channels and hats. I’m posting the below on Instagram later but because I have’t forgotten about you, I thought I’d share it with you first. I’ll add a link for everything at the bottom but if you can’t find something or want size info, please just ask!

I stumbled upon the idea of ‘sudoku’ packing through various creators on instagram and thought I’d try it for a long weekend away in Milan with the Ken, a couple of weekends ago. I was dubious, but it worked really, really well for me. It basically entails packing 3 outfits all consisting of a top, a layer and then a bottom piece. Laid out in a 3x3 overview to help you see all the options without having to unpack.

Looking at it like this, it really helped me visualise all the different options. I normally just try on each outfit as I’m packing and take some photos that I think I’ll go back to and look at when I’m away but I never really do. This I did go back and look at though.

Does this require some thought and effort? Yes. However, that time I put in pre-trip, definitely made up for it on the trip. I felt like I could still pick and choose an outfit based on what I felt like on the day and that I wasn’t trapped into wearing something I either didn’t feel like or that wasn’t weather appropriate.

My advice?

• Pack a ‘variety’ of type eg: make sure all your bottoms are different types. I think adding in a dress as a ‘bottom’ really helped create variety and also weather proofed my options somewhat

• Try everything on together before you go. Always!! I know this is boring but it does save you time on the trip and I’ve never regretted doing it.

• Only pack things you wear day to day at home. If you don’t reach for it at home, you won’t in a different place either.

• For bags, I like to pack a ‘day’ bag - something that can fit an umbrella and a water bottle in. Then for night, I like a wallet on a chain - it’s small, compact and I just keep it in my bag during the day. Means if I run out of room in my day bag, I can just wear it as a crossbody. Plus airlines often don’t count them as a carry on item if you run into space issues.

• On shoes, in my opinion all you ever need is a good pair of trainers and boots!

In summary, I think this concept is brilliant and I definitely could have gone a couple more days if I had needed to. I really think that by adding a dress into the mix as a ‘bottom’ and a sleeveless knit as a ‘layer’, it helped keep it interesting and flexible.

Milan was also the perfect city to roam around together as our first weekend away from Mac together, since we had him. Did we mean to take 2 years to do this? Absolutely not but life…

Hopefully see you all here again soon!

Shop my sudoku capsule here

This post contains affiliate links and items that may have been received as pr or been part of previous paid partnerships on other platforms.

Shop them all here

I was gifted the below Elk one, and until recently I’ve layered it with a shirt, tights and boots. That’s the other thing about a denim dress, it can and should be worn year round.

I’ve been quietly trialling this thing, where I put together a small, weather appropriate collection of clothes that I like, that fit and that work for the month ahead. It takes the pressure off first thing in the morning and takes the shame and frustration away when something isn’t right, right now. A couple months in and I’m ready to share the concept. There are a total of 18 items of clothing and 9 accessories. I haven’t limited the accessories element before though, so that part is new to me.

I’ll be sharing this theory daily over the next 30 days on Reels, TikTok and Shorts - pick your poison. However, exclusively, below is an overview of the capsule. I’d love to hear your thoughts, feelings and emotions. Is this something you think might help you get out of a leggings rut and utilise the rest of your wardrobe? It’s less intimidating than an entire wardrobe clear out, still requires some prep but feels less of a commitment.

The capsule:

Shop the capsule here

I’ve tried to make it as shoppable as possible but if something is no longer available, I’ll be linking what I think is a good substitute as the 30 days series goes on. If the above link doesn’t work for you wherever you are, try manually searching for my LTK using their app - my username is alisonhopemurray.

Firstly, I know, depending on your location, links are annoying and don’t always work. Thus, dear Antipodeans - I have labelled the brands in the comments of each section. Obviously I’d rather you go on LTK (LiketoKnow.it, the link hosting platform for influencers) and search for me directly, then shop via the links so I make the teeny tiny fee, but I won’t begrudge you for hating the faff. I hate faff more than anything right now.

Secondly, I know I went somewhat AWOL here. I don’t know where maternity leave begins and ends if I’m being completely honest, and what are the perks of working for yourself if you can’t change a timeline? So although this Substack is allegedly monthly, we’re feeling footloose about it, so maybe I’ll see you soon. Maybe I’ll get swallowed by Christmas and see you in the New Year. I’ll make the rules and let you know how I’m feeling.

Anyway:

For the dog people

For the full edit, click here.

For the new mum (of a baby person)

For the full edit, click here.

For the cat person

For the full edit, click here.

*all links are affiliate links.

Shop them here

These are a close second but they aren’t quite as comfy so they are more my ‘event’ undies. Slightly more control than the above too - probably why they aren’t quite as comfy but I don’t get angry wearing them so they pass the test.

Shop them here

Goal achieved. That was very brief. I probably shouldn’t use that joke twice.

There won’t be a full Clutter to Capsule this month due to the September style challenge I’m running on TikTok and Instagram - see you there or if I get a hot second, I’ll deliver a second Monday Minute because I love you guys the most.

Want to talk about it?

Leave a comment

Whilst I find my feet on mat leave, this newsletter will remain free. After that, it will likely move mostly to a subscription model. If you’re enjoying this content, you can pledge a subscription here - a little monetary motivation never hurt anyone on statutory maternity pay..

Or you could recommend me to a friend! I’ll love you regardless.

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*This newsletter contains affiliate links. This means I can make some small change off of these links if you purchase said good. It’s just another way to support me in my creative endeavours.

If you were a woman wearing a t-shirt and jeans in the 1970’s, your sunglasses of choice were likely oversized, think Jackie Kennedy. If you wore the equivalent outfit formula in the 1980s, your sunglasses might still be oversized but possibly more colourful. If it was the 1990’s, maybe your glasses got smaller and slightly cat eyed, think Julia Roberts in Notting Hill. You get my point right?. Sometimes it’s not just about the clothes.

With underconsumption-core (exactly what it sounds like - people making it cool to buy less) being a trending conversation on TikTok, I’ve seen a lot of dialogue about how outfit repeating is fundamentally what creates personal style. It’s the consistency of the repetition that makes something uniquely you.

But, I think a lot of us, still don’t want to wear the same look over and over again. I think we’re most guilty of this when it comes to event dressing. The minefield of always wanting to wear something new is a conversation for another time, but what I do want to delve into here, is how much a pair of sunglasses can do the leg work for you - and they don’t even need to be that elaborate or outrageous.

How many pairs?

Shoppable here

I don’t know how many pairs I actually currently own because unlike clothes which you easily grow out of, it’s obviously harder to grow out of sunglasses. Trends are cyclical and as an object that is small in size, I figure that this is one category I can afford to hoard.

When I lived in Australia, I wore sunglasses year round. I had a pair that lived in the car, another that lived practically on my head (great if you want to grow out a fringe) or in my handbag and a third specifically for exercise. I, of course now live in the UK. I get my sunglasses out from the depths of a summer handbag sometime in April and then they go back in there begrudgingly sometime in early September and that is that. 

But for the time they are out and about, they get a lot of screen time. A full blow out and the layering of prints and/or colour basically makes up my entire personal style, so when it’s too hot for both these things, a nice pair of sunglasses can do a lot. 

I mostly rotate between a pair of 2 year old Celine Triomphe Oval’s because they feel like jewellery, and some Gucci cat eyes purchased in 2019. What I love the most about the latter pair is that genuinely they are so comfortable - does that sound weird? I have a big head, comfort in sunglasses is something I have to actually look for, they are often too tight across the bridge. 

I don’t need a pair of sunglasses just for exercise so much living in the UK but I do find I need a pair for events/weddings and then another pair for everyday life. The reason these two are the only ones on constant and consistent rotation is that I feel I can wear them with jeans as much as I can dresses. For years, I’d be running out the door for a wedding and just grab whatever sunglasses, only to look back at photos and think it’s weird how I look too dressed up for the beach. Versatility for dress codes is not something we ask of many other accessories is it? You don’t expect to take your everyday handbag to a wedding, do you? But we tend to take the same pair of sunglasses to everything so it’s helpful if they have some flex.

I walked past someone running in these just this morning. I also think they don’t ruin a good dress for a wedding. Just saying.

It is not lost on me that my most worn sunglasses are also very expensive. I know I have expensive taste which often means I like things that are well made. With sunglasses, this isn’t really as relevant - they are all mostly plastic. No one has trademarked type of imprints on plastic quite like they have with saffiano leather (at least not to my knowledge, please correct me if I’m wrong in the comments)… so quality is important but also not that important.

Designer or not designer? 

If you’ve never worked in fashion or if you don’t buy and sell stocks, you might not know that there is one business that effectively manufactures, licenses and sells all luxury designer sunglasses - EssilorLuxottica. Yes the same company that produces Michael Kors sunglasses (£100-£200 ballpark) produce Bulgari (£300-£800 ballpark) and Chanel sunglasses (£400-£1300 ballpark). 

This monopoly plus the fact that the raw materials to make glasses are very common, means they are incredibly cheap to produce. Unless of course you have a very complicated prescription. 

I’d say that it is likely that the marketing spend is a greater than the cost of the raw materials. I can’t find a credible source to give you an exact figure and of course it will vary but it’s high, we’re talking maybe as high as 80-90%. They are, after all, basically just plastic. Remember those plastic chairs you sat on at school? That same plastic (it’s called polypropylene) is the plastic often used in sunglasses, of course sometimes brands use acetate or wire or some other material but whether your glasses were £10 or £1000 the basic materials are mostly the same. Of course, the more expensive the sunglass the more likely the arms will be secured on properly, that they will have a more considered design and that they will come in a nice case.

How much you want to pay for something is deeply personal. I’m just saying that the ‘buy once, buy well’ motto here is not as linked to price as it is for other accessories.

For me, I think it’s about perception, if something costs me more, I’m more likely to look after it well. That logic is so flawed but it’s true, for me at least, and ultimately if I want to create a consistent style. I need to rewear and rewear and rewear. This helps me do that. 

Timeless is not the same for everyone

My sunglasses are arguably the most ‘classic’ style choice in my wardrobe’. I don’t believe anything is truly timeless forever but I do ask myself whenever I want something - will I wear this for the next 5 years? I enforce this even more firmly when it comes to sunglasses.

I wear a lot of colour and a lot of print, often at the same time. I choose sunglasses, the same way I choose jewellery. The more classic the better. They have to go with everything. I guess I could change out my sunglasses to match a look everyday but I barely have the headspace to change bags if I need to. Changing sunglasses everyday sounds like a step too far. Plus, when I feel like an outfit is leaning too heavily into the art teacher arena, some classic pieces help keep it in a lane of polish that personally I prefer. These elements are what create the outfit repetition and consistency that is ultimately my personal style. Bright, but considered.

How do you like your sunglasses? Let’s chat in the comments.

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Whilst I find my feet on mat leave, this newsletter will remain free. After that, it will likely move mostly to a subscription model. If you’re enjoying this content, you can pledge a subscription here - a little monetary motivation never hurt anyone on statutory maternity pay..

Or you could recommend me to a friend! I’ll love you regardless.

Share Clutter to Capsule

*This newsletter contains affiliate links. I can make some small change off of these links if you purchase said good. It’s just another way to support me in my creative endeavours.

Introducing a new arm to Clutter to Capsule. The Monday Minute, a place where I can share something and it take you less than a minute to consume. So as not to waste any more time - let’s talk PJs.

I used to be in the camp of ‘why spend money on something you only sleep in?’ but then I got one bougie pair and just could not stop. Plus I wore nearly all of these right up until my due date and still am living in them now. I just figured I was about to spend a significant amount of time in them and if there were days where I didn’t or couldn’t get dressed, the cuter the PJ, the less it mattered. So see below for my favourites.

Damson Madder - obviously currently sold out because they are stunning but sign up for the restock alerts. It’s how I scored mine. Sign up here.

The last pair in the video above are from Desmond & Dempsey - also sold out but they are now doing these which are… better? I bought this style specifically with breastfeeding in mind but also because I thought I might actually wear them over swimmers in Australia. Works great for both. Available here.

Only not included in the round up above because they were in the wash but a firm favourite and the least expensive in this round up… Nearly always sold out but currently available! Shop here.

I’m actually writing this, wearing these. I’m wearing the large which worked at 9 months pregnant and still do. Available here.

Did you read that in under a minute? Probably not. I’ll work on it.

Want to talk about it?

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Whilst I find my feet on mat leave, this newsletter will remain free. After that, it will likely move mostly to a subscription model. If you’re enjoying this content, you can pledge a subscription here - a little monetary motivation never hurt anyone on statutory maternity pay..

Or you could recommend me to a friend! I’ll love you regardless.

Share Clutter to Capsule

*This newsletter contains affiliate links. This means I can make some small change off of these links if you purchase said good. It’s just another way to support me in my creative endeavours.

There are seemingly options everywhere from high street to high end, until you need to actually add something to cart or try it on. It’s either too small, too expensive or too… sleeveless. I’ve made somewhat of a name for myself on the internet as someone who hates their arms. We’re all a work in progress, right, and as much progress has been made on that front (personal development and in wardrobe purchases), an event where I might line up with all my other gal pals for a pic, is just unlikely to be an event where I’m going to choose to have my arms out. Before I dive into the three part shopping edit below (that my dm’s appear to be screaming for), I want to debrief on what, to me, makes a wedding guest dress ‘worth it’. They do, after all, tend to be the most expensive but least worn items in anyone’s wardrobe.

My most worn event dress

To give Staud, the designer of this dress credit. When I first tried it on, it conveniently came in a shorter length and also a full length version complete with a train. It was the length options that had me commit to it’s higher-than-I-would-like-purchase-price. I made a TikTok about it (here) if you want a further deep dive into how that went but Cliffs Notes - I ended up getting the full length with the train and cutting it to a midi length. I’ve worn this dress to a farmstead wedding in Austin, TX in October, I’ve worn it on Christmas day in Australia with slides and I’ve worn it to a black tie wedding in Melbourne. It’s earned its’ hanger space in my tiny wardrobe. I have a wedding in Barcelona later this year which I’m thinking I might cut to match it’s sister version so that it can do the rounds of a third wedding, but I’m marinating on the idea. It’s not like once I cut it, it can grow back.

The lesson here is this - I LOVED this dress when I first tried it on. I liked the colour, I liked the fit and obviously I rejoiced in the sleeves. But what I liked the most was that it didn’t limit me in terms of what accessories I could wear with it. It didn’t limit me with how I could wear my hair. Dresses like this don’t come up often so buy them when you see them. Even if it means they collect dust for a little while, you’ll thank yourself (and hopefully me) later.

The breastfeeding wedding guest

Yes, you could just buy a button down dress but it’s hard to find one that also feels formal enough? Or a wrap dress that doesn’t feel too similar to what I swear every head teacher I ever had wore… So I raise you a co-ord. When you’re in between sizes or just not wanting to wear something fitting (probably both due to the baby). I find this is what I shop for, mainly because I always need a bigger size in the bottoms than the top. Plus, I am personally finding just lifting up my top or unbottoning a top, a lot simpler that getting a boob the same size as my head out of a dress. If you have smaller melons or just are more flexible than me, I have also thrown some dresses into the mix.

SHOP NOW

The pregnant wedding guest

What a horrid combo. I’m sorry you have been asked to be around a bunch of drunk people when all you probably want to do is be horizontal. I’m also sorry you need to do the mental olympics of finding a dress you don’t feel hideous in. When I was pregnant, I was determined to find something I’d wear again because then I knew I was buying it because I actually liked it, not because I was compromising on style, for size.

SHOP NOW

The young, fun and free wedding guest

If I wasn’t currently re-learning how to use my pelvic floor, I’d wear all of these. I’m also not here to push my own insecurities onto any of you, so a reminder, wear whatever makes you feel like the title of this section. Weddings are long days, be comfy and this feeling will follow.

SHOP NOW

Well, I’m off to order most of the breastfeeding options for two weddings I’ve been avoiding purchasing anything for as I cannot decide how long to persevere with breastfeeding, but I guess better to be safe than sorry. Plus, in lieu of a corporate job I’ve been looking for a reason to buy a good suit. So back to the land of the teething I go. What did you want to see next?

Miss you, love you. Always up for a chat in the comments xxx

Leave a comment

Whilst I find my feet on mat leave, this newsletter will remain free. After that, it will likely move mostly to a subscription model. If you’re enjoying this content, you can pledge a subscription here - a little monetary motivation never hurt anyone on statutory maternity pay..

Or you could recommend me to a friend! I’ll love you regardless.

Share Clutter to Capsule

*This newsletter contains affiliate links. I can make some small change off of these links if you purchase said good. It’s just another way to support me in my creative endeavours.

If you follow me on TikTok you’ll know about the ‘fun shoe shelf’ - the top of my wardrobe where all the wildly impractical, but insanely fun heels reside in their boxes. They are lucky to see the light of day once a year but I love them like my own child - I guess I can say that now and it actually means something…

To me, shoes so clearly fall into 1 of 3 genres - trend led and fun (the ones on the fun shoe shelf), classic or practical. It’s hard to get a cross over but I need a cross over. Sometimes I want a trendy practical shoe - like a ballet flat that isn’t so flat my arches hurt, or a sandal that doesn’t leave my pinky toe wanting to walk itself on the pavement, but they are SO hard to find. So many shoes from so many brands just look the same to me.

I used to always just buy the trend led or fun shoes in black so that at least they could be more versatile with outfits but that kind of killed the overall outfit so now I try and buy the colour when I can, especially in summer when I can’t rely on layering contrasting prints to up the ante of an entire look. A contrasting shoe often just makes a summer dress look more interesting. 

The red shoe edit 

Over the winter, I swapped the green gingham espadrilles for a pair of red Gazelles (more on this shortly). Although I hate the word ‘trend’, a red shoe is definitely ‘trending’ but I’m less offended by red having a moment, I guess because it’s red and, well, to me that’s like telling a Vogue editor who always wears black that black is ‘in’ - it’s red - it never went anywhere. 

I’m on the hunt for another pair of red summer shoes so if you are too, see below 

SHOP NOW

My most worn shoes

If we really get down to the nitty gritty reality of my capsule wardrobe shoe section, there are 3 pairs of shoes I couldn’t actually live without. 

Only 1 pair, I wish were more ‘fun’ but the other 3 fall into the genres (or at least have some crossover) between being on trend and are still practical and/or classical, or so I think. 

The Chanel ballet flat

I bought myself these for my 30th birthday. I actually went into the store to buy a bag but when push came to shove I just could not spend £8,000 on one colour for a bag. I love the idea of only using one handbag but the reality is, I love options more and think you need to be able to swap and change day to day, even if that is practically really annoying. 

Coco Chanel allegedly designed the classic two tone slingback to be skin tone at the heel with a black toe cap because she thought she had short legs and big feet (same babes). The skin tone portion of the shoe creates the illusion of length, with the black cap creating a visual end point making the illusion even more realistic and shortening the appearance of the foot itself. Genius right? Makes me love them even more. It was, however, Karl Lagerfeld who turned this idea from a ballet flat to a slingback but I love the evolution of a good idea. 

Epic historical design details aside, they are made of lambskin so I had little hopes for their longevity, but they are now in their third year. I’ve only had to resole them once (when I first got them - more on this below). They are due for another re-sole but I’ve had a baby etc etc and the upper leather honestly still looks really new. Although spending £800 on shoes is still insane, I’d buy them again given I anticipate they’ve got at least another 3 years left in them and I wear them a couple of times a month. 

Birkenstock Boston clogs

I sometimes wish I didn’t own these, they are the same colour as my skin and sometimes I used to think they gave me mum vibes, long before I had the right to give off mum vibes. Yet, I wear them in winter with socks and in summer without, they somehow go with everything and can make borderline dressy dresses look less twee. They dress things down when you need them to and are the only shoe I’ve ever left at the door. To me this is the highest accolade for a shoe, they have enough street cred that they don’t ruin the aesthetic of the hallway and are practical enough I can bare wearing them on the regular. I feel like they had their real moment on social 2 summers ago and I think my most viral video is of me complaining about the weird toe scrunch they make you do when you haven’t worn them for a while. I’m still wearing them all the time though and 1.3 million people seemed to think it was worth pushing through. I saw they now come in an olive*, now I want the olive too. 

My Birkenstock Arizonas I’ve had since 2011 but I like them less because they expose your toes and then you need a pedi so another Boston Clog summer it is. 

Adidas Gazelles

I’ve already mentioned these but they were more comfortable than I expected, and so I have worn and worn and worn them. They have a tiny arch support so don’t give you flat feet like Vans or Converse do. I can stomp around London in them rain or shine (even though they are suede) and ever since Rishi wore the Samba, Gazelles are my Adidas shoe of choice. 

We’ve already briefly touched upon ‘unexpected red theory’ - the social trend where adding a touch of red makes everything better that I believe is the cause of making red ‘on trend’. I’m just glad everyone else is also vibing it as a neutral. I have red Gazelles which to me means they get to be fun, classical and practical as a shoe - the royal trifecta.  

Maintain

Buy once, buy well. Well if I can, this is my shopping mantra. If I buy things I need them to survive the rain and shine and be worth looking after and repairing. I look at my belongings as something I pay rent for. I also have to love them to warrant such sacrifice. 

I always always waterproof my shoes/leather goods before wearing. I once had someone argue in a TikTok comment section that they thought it was incredibly bad for the environment. I don’t have the answer to this but regularly buying new shoes because you didn’t look after them seems also bad? We can’t win, if you know of a more environmentally friendly option please say so in the comment section. I have always been loyal to Scotchguard* but I think this one is more common in Australia and the US so please - widen my/our horizons! 

Repair

I always resole any new shoes, unless they come with a rubber sole already - luxury shoes never do, they always have a leather sole. Never wear a leather sole outside, unless you have money to burn in my opinion. They last a matter of days before your actual feet are on the pavement. I take mine to the Timpsons on King’s Road. Why? Because rich people are fussy people and honestly finding a good shoe person seems to be a dying art. I figure the richer the area the higher the overall quality of a chain and I assume the good people of Chelsea look after their expensive goods. It’s the best I’ve found in London so far and I guess if you are reading this not in London, you can apply the same logic. 

Just always check that they have the same colour rubber as your sole of shoe. Eg: if the leather on the bottom is tan, make sure they add tan rubber etc etc. 

Ok time to go back to baby land. What category should I do next?

Miss you love you. Always up for a chat in the comments xxx

Leave a comment

Whilst I find my feet on mat leave, this newsletter will remain free. After that, it will likely move mostly to a subscription model. If you’re enjoying this content, you can pledge a subscription here - a little monetary motivation never hurt anyone on statutory maternity pay..

Or you could recommend me to a friend! I’ll love you regardless.

Share Clutter to Capsule

*This newsletter contains affiliate links. I can make some small change off of these links if you purchase said good. It’s just another way to support me in my creative endeavours.

Name a category that can do more? 

I have a lot of shirts. Probably too many to call a ‘capsule’, I could cull some more but I guess I make the rules and my current rules are: stop putting things on Vinted/eBay until you’ve stopped breastfeeding and/or had more sleep. So, below is a category breakdown of the ones I wear the most and why, along with some loose guidance on shopping this category. I’ve used current season stock as examples so that it’s shoppable for you - if you buy anything through these links, I will make a teeny tiny commission, so thank you very much. 

Arket and COS

In my opinion, it is hard to beat these two H&M owned brands on quality and price when it comes to their shirting. It also is consistently the only category I buy from these two brands. From my own extensive personal research/assumption, I think the fit model for both brands is clearly a gorgeous 8 feet tall beanpole - one whom doesn’t even have an outtie belly button to claim she has a curve. However, I do like an oversized and/or slightly longer shirt that covers the butt and these do this more often than not. I’ve included a couple of H&M shirts in this mix too because I do think the quality on their shirting is ‘ok’. The price point for Arket and COS does reflect the higher quality of make and fabrication when compared to their H&M counterpart where shirting is concerned. Generally a factory will be able to produce a shirt to an ok standard because it’s something they’ll be asked to do often for many clients, and they tend to differ not so much between brands, as it’s something they are used to doing. Therefore, I think if you are looking for a lower price point, as long as the materiality of the garment is ok (see below) you should be able to get a lot of wear out of an H&M shirt - not something I would say about their dresses for example.

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Uniqlo

Uniqlo linen is like the summer version of the well known and appreciated Uniqlo cashmere. It’s well priced and very decent quality, yet I do think it’s under-recognised as a whole - probably down to their sub-par styling (sorry Uniqlo but do better). Their online merchandising is so boring that what I’ve shown below are not even the best colours, the imagery was just so offensive I couldn’t bare myself to screengrab, so do bother clicking through the link to my LTK. Linen is supposed to look wrinkled, these are shirts you do not HAVE to iron. I tie them up over skirts, leave them open with sleeves rolled up over swimmers or layer them over dresses or anything else sleeveless - because showing off our arms is a life-long skill I am still working on acquiring (IYKYK). Also, as previously mentioned, don’t assume these are beach only - I have a chocolate brown linen one I wear all the time in London January weather. 

I typically wear both the L and XL (in womens) depending on the level of baggage I’m feeling. I have the white in XL because I’m more likely to wear that one on the beach, but the other shades I have are an L just to give me more flexibility under jumpers etc etc.

My husband, whom we affectionately and publicly call Ken (thank you TikTok team) wears the XL in mens, so if you want really oversized that size works for me too. Plus if you like a stripe, I often think the men’s stripes are better, not always but worth a look none the less.

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Mens vintage/thrifted shirts 

I buy a shirt based on its quality, price, detail and/or colour/print. As I so often wear them undone, it really doesn’t often matter about the silhouette it creates done up so a lot of the best ones I have are mens, and cost me very little from the charity shop. Second-hand Ralph Lauren is always a win but Kiton - a brand whose shirts start at £500 are my personal favourite. No that is not a typo. The quality is insane. Their website literally has ‘you get what you pay for’ written at the bottom of the ‘Kiton quality’ page - I have alerts set for them on Vinted/eBay etc. I discovered them when I once found one for £30 in a charity shop on High Street Ken. I didn’t realise it’s true value and immediately added a ribbon trim. I don’t regret it because I still wear it 8 years later but I’m not sure I would have GLUED it on had I known, I would have bothered to do a nice hand stitch…

Notes on fibre composition

In all the above (with the exception being the linen shirts) I want the fabric contents to be 100% cotton in all my shirts. Cotton is breathable, very machine washable, durable and is a ‘natural fibre’ meaning it ain’t sweaaatyyy. The only difference between cotton and linen here really is in texture - linen is a slubby fibre, not always smooth like cotton. It often dries very crinkly which is why it looks more ‘intentional’ if you cbf with ironing.

If something says 100% cotton but then polyester trims, this often means the thread itself is polyester. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing unless you want to recycle the item or want to dye it. At present, textile recycling most often requires the garment to be 100% natural or 100% manmade in order for it to go through the recycling process. Also if you want to dye something, the reason this matters is because manmade fibres (like polyester) and natural fibres (like cotton and linen) absorb dye differently so they won’t necessarily match if you dye the garment as a whole. I talk more about this in the video here if you haven’t already seen it.

Notes on details

There are a lot of clothes in this world. Obviously too many, we know this. I get asked a lot about how to ‘choose’ pieces and often these questions are framed around ‘how do I know what will be timeless’ or ‘how do I know if something is of quality’. Obviously my background in fashion and still to an extent working within the realm of the industry, culture and beauty means it’s part of my job to understand the trend cycle. This partly answers that first question but mostly I genuinely just go by ‘do I like it?’ I know that sounds airy and isn’t the soundbite or hard and fast rule some of us need and want, but genuinely ask yourself this question: ‘why do I like this?’ and just back yourself. It feels very ‘Parisian Style Guide’ -esque of the mid 2010s but honestly confidence will always reign supreme. That might be the most consistent and global element of personal style there is. The quality question I have hopefully touched upon throughout this short essay, but mostly what I look for is great design details - things I don’t see everywhere or that feel unique. The uniqueness of something is to me what gives it longevity as a piece, it means it’s less likely to be a core part of the current zeitgeist or something I will get bored of because I’m seeing it everywhere else. I value individualism over uniformity. Maybe I’m a wallflower but I hate feeling like a sheep.

Notes on styling 

Maybe you’ve seen some of the viral TikTok’s on this, specifically of the girl that says she doesn’t understand how the ‘cool girls’ make button downs look ‘cool’ and not office-y. We’ve already talked about confidence and honestly, that’s most of it - but I do find there are some consistent elements in my shirts that mean I don’t have to ‘think’ too hard outside just putting the shirt on. Like I do love rolling a sleeve up but if it’s 6.30 am and my call time is at 8, I only care about coffee. If the cuff is ‘longer’ than usual I often think even if I don’t want to wake my husband to do them up, it still feels like a ‘look’ if I leave them undone. Also, if the button placement down the front is ‘interesting’ and it’s too early to think about layering, it’s a ‘as long as it’s already been ironed’ we can chuck it on and go moment.

That’s it! I hope you enjoyed my first ‘proper’ newsletter’. I’ll be back next month with another category. I’d love for this to be a two-way conversation so please leave a comment, chat to me on Instagram or catch up with me on TikTok.

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Whilst I find my feet on mat leave, this newsletter will remain free. After that, it will likely move mostly to a subscription model. If you’re enjoying this content, you can pledge a subscription here - a little monetary motivation never hurt anyone on statutory maternity pay..

Or you could recommend me to a friend! I’ll love you regardless.

Share Clutter to Capsule

*This newsletter contains affiliate links. I can make some small change off of these links if you purchase said good. It’s just another way to support me in my creative endeavours.

When I used to hear ‘capsule wardrobe’ my eyes glazed over and my soul left my body. I think the only ‘capsule’ classifying thing in my wardrobe, judging by just general content creator standards, might be my obsession with a specific white Uniqlo t-shirt*. As fantastic as it is, the size range is limited (I wear the XL which at the time of purchase was the largest size - it has since gone up two further sizes..) and that is something we will talk a lot about here. I’ll try my best to share suggestions that are just more… we could say inclusive, but I’d prefer to say realistic. I’m really, really pregnant so who knows what size I really am, but pre this massive body change I was always between sizes. I always seemed to need the size 13 or 15, depending on how stressed I was with work, how my period was tracking or whether or not it was rosé season. What I’m trying to say is that I get it, but please don’t be mad at me if something stops about 8 sizes short. I’m hoping the more I, and others bang on about it - the more things in the industry might change.

I also think in terms of ‘traditional capsule wardrobes’ my version of mix and match is less black, beige and white, and much more in line with the trending audio 'leopard print is a neutral.’ Capsule does not need to mean boring, and by boring I mean, it doesn’t have to not spark joy. If you are going to have less, it needs to do more and I don’t just mean functionally. Like yes, practically you might need to be able to wear it in more than one scenario, but it should also be something you LOVE. I want it to light you on fire, you don’t want to get sick of it or feel average if you need to wear it more than once every week. 

I’m a millennial who grew up in the era of magazines screaming at me ‘DAY TO NIGHT!’, which is yet to be a scenario that really mattered in my adult life. Yet the last 5 years I’ve continuously felt more and more alienated by magazines and digital publications supposedly ‘aimed at me’. The last time I truly felt seen, might have been when Man Repeller was in its heyday, but since its closure everything else has felt - forgive me, but a little samey? Definitely very ‘investment pieces to buy now’, but investment to me meant something very different than a good trench coat. If it wasn’t for TikTok maybe I would have just given up on shopping for clothes and settled for better homewares instead. But making all these internet friends reignited my fire for personal style which definitely has improved my confidence. In general I just feel more purposeful getting dressed, so I hope with your redefined capsule wardrobe you can too. 

I’ve also been thinking a lot about how hopefully if, I can teach you more about clothes, the more you can appreciate them. I work full-time in the beauty industry (well, obviously at present I am on maternity leave by the time you read this) but what the beauty industry has done a really good job of vs. the fashion industry is product education. If we can teach the everyday person about hyaluronic acid and it’s benefits, I think we can also all get our heads around viscose. Something about the ‘science’ in beauty has been made sexy, but we’ve not quite put the spin on viscose aka a derivative of wood pulp. I’ll do my best guys - it might not be Eva Longoria for L’Oreal sexy but I’ll at least try to make it interesting. 

So welcome, this will be my version of I guess what we can call a curated edit - it’s a what to buy and why. Here and there I’ll share a shopping edit but monthly I will share a new capsule category, kind of like how I filmed the original TikTok series but less clear out, more what remained and why. Hopefully by knowing more, you will buy less, look after and maintain more but ultimately enjoy getting dressed the mostest.

Whilst I find my feet on mat leave, this newsletter will remain free. After that, it will likely move mostly to a subscription model. If you’re enjoying this content, you can pledge a subscription here - a little monetary motivation never hurt anyone on statutory maternity pay..

Or you could recommend me to a friend! I’ll love you regardless.

Share Clutter to Capsule

*This newsletter contains affiliate links. I can make some small change off of these links if you purchase said good. It’s just another way to support me in my creative endeavours.

Subscribe now