Today we have a guest blogger while I explore Madrid. Meet Alex, a lovely blogger I met through one of the style blog linkups I participate in each week. She’s fabulous and I hope you enjoy!
Hi! My name is Alex and I write over at Medicated Follower of Fashion. I’m 34, married with two lovely boys and live in the UK. I suppose I really ought to explain my blog name. I started blogging in 2009 after the birth of my eldest son. Very shortly after having my son I was diagnosed with Post Natal Depression and I found blogging a great outlet for me. Something that gave me a great deal of joy and helped me feel more, well, “me” after having a child was clothing, fashion, style and kids clothing too. I’ve always loved dressing myself (sometimes in weird and wacky ways!) and one of the best things, for me, at that very low point, was having someone new to dress. Someone who for quite a long time couldn’t express an opinion!
My blog and my clothes have been a wonderful outlet for me, a great way to express myself. I must admit that I always felt just a little bit better if I’d got dressed and spent a little time making sure it wasn’t just any old thing I’d thrown on.
That brings me on to what I’m going to write about today, actually. As a mum, life is extremely busy. I thought it was busy and hard work when I had just one baby. It was.. but it keeps getting busier and busier, I find. Yes, they sleep better (mostly – Felix is 3 and a half and is only just reaching the point of regularly sleeping through the night!) but they are like whirlwinds of chaos and once they start school/preschool there is so much to organise! Uniforms, packed lunches, school activities, visits to friends houses, after school clubs. It’s mayhem. One of the ways I cope with all this is to be (generally) pretty organised myself. I plan, use my calendar, use schedules, reminders on my phone etc.
But, for me, one of the most important thing I do to set me up for the following day is plan what I’m going to wear. Without fail. I put effort into it too. I check the weather forecast. I consider what my day will entail. And then I take a good look at my wardrobe and decide what to go for! Sometimes it’s a chore, often, when I just want to collapse into bed it’s the last thing I want to do (and often my hubby is desperate for me to turn out the overhead light so he can relax but I’m busy rooting around in my wardrobe! I love my clothes and in particular my dresses. I’m afraid I’m not really a capsule wardrobe person. So it does take a little time. What dress, what tights to go with that, a cardigan? A top underneath?
I really do recommend it as a time saver. In the morning I don’t have to think about it at all, a quick shower and my clothes are already ready for me in the bathroom. It saves on stress on manic school mornings. And I leave the house looking halfway decent!
I found Nina’s blog like I find many, through a linky. It piqued my interest straight away. A world of dresses!! Gosh, if I were naming my blog now, I’d want to go for that! It’s very unusual for me not to be seen in a dress. I think I could probably count on one hand the amount of days this year that I’ve not worn a dress and worn jeans or jeggings instead. It’s not that I’m an overly “girly” girl. I just love dresses. I love how they look. I feel more comfortable in them. Jeans/jeggings/trousers often make me feel restricted. Dresses are comfy. Sometimes I wonder if it’s an insult to my feminist sensibilities but then I think that really, being a feminist is about choices and I choose to wear a dress. I’m not told by society or others in my life to wear one. I want to.
I counted the dresses in my wardrobe earlier this year and I had reached around 70 dresses. Since then I believe I’ve added a few more. It’s entirely possible that I’m close to 80! Is that a lot? I’m not sure. I own nearly 100 pairs of tights to wear with them…. I can’t afford expensive clothing. Much of what I buy is second hand via charity shops or eBay. I like the thrill off finding a surprise gem in a charity shop or getting a 99p bargin on ebay. It adds to the fun!
Do you plan your outfits? Do you buy second hand or is it only current season or even designer for you? I’ve enjoyed writing for Nina today – hopefully you have enjoyed reading! I’d love it if you’d come and visit my little blog and of course you can follow me on Instagram and Twitter!
