Dressing for work can be a hassle and a bore if you work in an office and have to abide by a dress code. Knowing how to dress for your body shape is so important for everyday but sometimes people don't take into account this when they dress for work. I am a pear shape so I have a smaller top half then my bottom half and I have a small waist but bigger hips. Finding office clothes to fit that body shape can be hard when most black trousers look hideous on a big bum and short legs. I've picked out some of my favourite items to wear to an office which look great on pear shape bodies.
Culotte trousers & Cigarette trousers
I love how culotte trousers look on me because they are super smart but don't make me look even more shorter than I am. I have small ankles so I like to show them off and these trousers do that perfectly. They are normally high waist as well so they really highlight my skinny waist but hide my muffin top.
With cigarette trousers as well they fit my short legs perfectly and are tight where you need them to be down your legs. They balance out my body and with a crisp white shirt it looks super smart. I love tucking shirts into these trousers and layering them up with blazers or jumpers to complete my look.
Peplum and Tube Skirts
I have always been a big fan of peplum skirts on a day to day basis so these are a perfect item to have in your work wear rotation. The length of the skirt makes my legs look longer then they actually are so they balance my body out. Again I pair these with a crisp shirt that I tuck in to the waist to highlight my waist and make me look smaller. These are great when it is warm in the office and your skin needs to breath. Your skin isn't covered in loads of layers and you still look smart and respectable.
Tight Dresses and Patterned Skirts
During the summer a smart dress can be a life saver when it is unbearably hot in the office. It is simple, smart, easy to style and looks great with flats and heeled shoes. Finding the right tight dress for a pear shape can be hard so I tend to drift towards the more thinner fabrics so that they hug my body better, I find stiff material dresses don't show off my shape as well.
Pattern skirts are a most for me during the winter season I have always been a mini skirt kind of girl. I pair these skirts with a plain long sleeve black top and black thick tights to make sure I am covered up for work. The only thing you have to watch out for is that you don't go crazy with the pattern skirts that are out in the shops. Stick to muted colours and patterns so the skirt isn't too distracting at work.
Coloured Trousers and Shirts
When shopping for work wear you can fall down the hole of the black and white rabbit hole and end up with a super plan wardrobe. Having a pear shape body means I tend to stay away from patterned or light trousers because they throw off my balance. So to add some colour into your wardrobe stick to darker colours and nothing too nude or skin coloured unless you want to look naked... Pairing any colour bottom with a white shirt again makes the outfit look smart and simple and depending on the season you have the choice of short sleeve or long sleeve.
All images are from Pinterest in my Work Outfit board which you can click the link to go to.
Writing this post has given me a huge urge to go work shopping, too bad i don't like anything in the shops at the moment and i am on a spending ban. Hopefully once the weather changes i might find some nice new pieces to rotate.
Here I am going to go through the 5 stages or questions I ask myself when I am de-cluttering my wardrobe.
1. When was the last time I wore it?
If I haven't wore a item for more than two season I make myself get rid. I am a big horder sometimes and think 'oh I'll wear that if I ever go...' and then I still never wear the item so I know it is just taking up space where something new could live.
2. Is it in good nick?
If anything has any pulls or holes in and I can't fix it (or usually my mother...) I get rid, there is no point in keeping it in my wardrobe for me never to wear again because it looks trampy now.
3. Do I have anything to wear with it/wear it to?
Sometime you can have an amazing top which you love but never wear it because you don't have anything to wear with it, it is too hard to style with other pieces but you don't wan't to let it go. And there is no point keeping a prom dress when you are never going to go to a prom again. Get rid of it if it never leaves the wardrobe so someone else can show it some sunlight!
4. Is it still my style?
My style has changed so much over the years and some of the items I used to wear only a year ago I would never wear now so keeping them is silly. If I don't see myself wearing it now it is a definite throw away!
5. Does it still fit?
The one thing we sometimes can't admit to ourselves, when our most loved pieces are too small for us but it would break our heart to get rid of them. When you have worn a lovely outfit to an occasion you usually want to cherish it forever but when you have 10 of them outfits it can get a little crowded. I think to myself as long as I have photos of the great night, I don't need to keep all these special outfits especially if they don't fit anymore!
Although sorting through and getting rid of old clothes can be a long process, it is also great once it is done as your old clothes can help other people along the way. All the clothes I decide to throw out either go to friends and family or to the charity bins at my nearest supermarket. Sometimes that makes the whole process a little easier to go through.
P.s. No that sadly isn't my wardrobe in the photo, thanks IKEA for taking such great photographs for your website! Click here for the wardrobe!
I love nothing more than putting on some cosy clothing and getting comfy on the sofa with a good book. I bought four books to read over the summer and I thought I would do a round up of them. You will notice that the main jist of all the books is escaping your real life and having an adventure and I'm sure you will agree that after the year I had, I could do with one myself.
Starting off with the first book I finished, A Match Made in Devon by Cathy Bramley.
There are a few different story lines happening within this book and one of the story lines i loved while another bored me a little. The main plot is about an actress from London who has to leave the city and go into hiding as such and ends up in the village where her older brother lives. A few things happen and she ends up helping an old friend who is in a sticky situation, that story line i followed and loved reading more about, then it adds in a boathouse i wasn't that interested in and a love interest who didn't tickle my fancy. The idea of the book was really appealing to me but once the ending to the plot of the story that i liked happened, i wasn't really interested in the last few chapters. It just wasn't my cup of tea but that's just my opinion.
The second book I read was The Greek Escape by Karen Swan which is about a girl called Chloe who has an amazing job working among the filthy rich. The story follows her life with her annoying ex boyfriend who followed her from England to America and the crazy chaos which comes with her job. The story includes small chapters dedicated to a mysterious women who at the end of the story you realised where she fit in. I didn't expect it to be so gripping based on the front of the book but it really surprised me how much was going on, i mean it is no Dan Brown book but it did keep me glued.
The Perfectly Imperfect Women by Milly Johnson
This book caught my eye in Tescos mainly because i thought the illustration on the front was really cute and i thought it would have a cute story behind it. I love books set in quiet villages with old women and this story is about a brilliant women called Lilian who invites a strange to visit the village she owns. Marnie, the said stranger, is running away from her life back in the city and finds a lot of secrets hidden in this small village. The plot of this story is really cute and such an easy read, i definitely want to read more of Milly's books especially The Mother of all Christmases because i love a Christmas love story!
This could change Everything by Jill Mansell
This was the last book i read out of my little summer haul and it didn't disappoint. I love Jill Mansell books so much, i find them so easy to read and become really embedded in the story. The story follows Essie who's life turns upside down after an email circulates of her saying exactly what she thinks of the people around her. I loved reading about Essie, Conor and Lucas and i think you will too. My favourite book by Jill Mansell so far is You and Me, Always which i was recommend to you all. There are too many books to choose my next read.
I thought i would give myself three aims to get my butt in gear.
1. Become at peace with the gym
I joined the gym back in November with the instinct to really hit it hard during the last two months of the year to get me prepared to become fit and healthy in 2019. Its safe to say that didn't work out well but my mission is to make this happen this year. I know a lot of people say they want to become fit every new years but i am not too fussed about being a gym bunny or having a perfect body. I am more interested in becoming more healthy and maybe losing the extra timber around my stomach crossing fingers. Wish me luck! I am already searching the internet for healthy dinner ideas which will hopefully encourage me to keep on track.
2. Use up my makeup / skincare collection
I have said before on twitter and Instagram that i really want to shop my stash this year and use up my never ending collection. I am putting myself on a spending ban until my collection has been reduced significantly, that way i use up all my products instead of letting them go bad in my draws. I only have one face so i don't need a ridiculous amount of products. This will also mean i get to try lots of products which i have forgot about in my collection.
3. Save save save for the wedding!!
It has been a year and a half since Cal and I got engaged and we think it is about time we finally start making plans. This year we are planning to hard core save so hopefully we can plan a day both of us enjoy. We are in no rush to actually walk down the aisle, maybe in the next 5 years before i turn 30. Ideally i would like to have one child before we get married so that we can have the the child as a flower girl/ page boy. I already know Callum and I will last the whole 60 without killing each other so i don't feel like i need the big white wedding before we have kids. So we start saving now and we don't get married for another 5 years then hopefully our savings will be amazing!!
The hardest out of the three aims is definitely the gym but i have some proper gym clothes, some new trainers and a whole load of cute summer dresses i want to feel comfortable in.
What are you planning to do with your year?
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