November 29, 2021

The Best Investments I’ve Made In My Wardrobe This Year

What I’ve worn absolutely non-stop…

This post contains ad affiliate links (denoted by a ‘*’) & gifted items (denoted by ‘ad - gifted). You can read my full disclaimer here.

This year has been a bit of a strange one for me style-wise. I grew a human and my body went through a lot of changes which meant that often style had to take a bit of a backseat in favour for practicality and a whole lot of stretch. But despite that I still feel like I made a few solid purchases that saw me through the summer, are taking me into winter and just all round good investments that I don’t think will be gathering dust anytime soon. So today I’m going to talk you through the items that I purchased (or were kindly gifted), that have made my yearly style highlights…

P.S) As Cyber Week continues there may a discount on some of the items mentioned here below. Check out this post for my round-up of the best deals.

*ARKET Long-Sleeve Pima Cotton T-Shirts. I LIVED in these all summer long and even now they are a brilliant layering piece to have to wear under knits and sweatshirts. I have the cream, the white and the black versions and all three I wore on repeat for the majority of 2021. In fact these are probably my most worn piece out of everything I’ve mentioned here. I wear the M size and they somehow magically managed to fit me for the entirety of my pregnancy and they now fit my postpartum bod too. They are just the right amount of oversized and because the fabric is pretty thin they are great to tuck into trousers too.

*ARKET Oversized Cotton Shirts. Remember this? The brown and white striped shirt that I wore ALL THE TIME. Again this is one of those beautifully oversized pieces that’s miraculously managed to fit me throughout 2021 and I love it now just as much as I did in the summer. Of course during the warmer months this was great to wear on it’s own with shorts or leggings or jeans, but now I wear a tank underneath for extra toastiness (see below), or put it under a crew neck jumper for a preppy vibe.

*ARKET Ribbed Racer Back Tanks. I feel like I have searched my whole life for the perfect tank top and ladies and gents, I have finally found it. This might sound strange but I feel like this shows just the right amount of ‘armpit crease’ without your nipples looking like they are going to make a surprise appearance. I’m here for the ribbed fabric too which just gives it a high-quality feel and appearance and also makes it nice and form fitting to wear.

*RE/DONE High Rise Stove Pipe Jeans. I know I go on about these jeans a hell of a lot but I purchased a pair at the beginning of the year in the January sales in a few sizes bigger than usual to accommodate my bump and postpartum body changes and it was just an all round fab idea. It meant that I still felt like ‘me’ for the early parts of my pregnancy and they’ve been fab for after my baby arrived too. I’ve linked up the comfort-stretch version here, because who doesn’t love denim with just a bit of stretch to it, right?

*Dear Frances Park Boots (ad – gifted). These are hands down the most comfortable boots I have ever owned. You see a leather combat style boot and instantly think that you need to stock up on blister plasters, but let me tell you that these boots are surprisingly as light as a feather and the leather is so darn soft it’s practically butter. I really enjoy that the leather is matte and they are just a solid, classic piece in my wardrobe that goes with whatever I’ve decided to wear on my bottom half.

*Dear Frances Tony Boots (ad – gifted). I cannot tell you what a lifesaver slip on shoes are in my life right now. I’d say that nine times out of ten these are what I reach for when I’m about to dash out of the house. I would recommend sizing up in them as they do come up a little tight, but just like the Park Boots they are far less heavy and way more comfortable than you would expect. I love that the ankle height allows for a bit of sock to peek out under my jeans.

*H&M Wrap Nursing Bras. It’s not exactly a groundbreaking revelation but your boobs do wild things during pregnancy and beyond. I didn’t want to fork out a load for specialist bras, so these have been a great purchase and are just so darn comfortable. Whether you’re planning to nurse or not, they accommodate your ever fluctuating size and are comfy enough to wear to bed too. Plus they fit an Elvie in and are thick enough to disguise the breast pads that you’ve stuffed in there too (tried and tested, baby!).

*Le Bonne Shoppe Socks. Ok, so I think I indulged in the majority of my sock haul at the end of 2020, but I’ve definitely picked up a few pairs this year too and updating my underwear drawer was one of the best things I’ve ever done for my wardrobe – hole-ridden trainer socks are a thing of the past! You can read about my overhaul here, but these socks are just lush. I have at least one of each of every style they do basically and they are all fab. They’ve washed well, keep my feet nice and the best bit? No holes to report as yet.