Autumn is here!

 Hello I know I haven't been here for quite a while. I have been living under a rock for the last 18 months. I have been working with my husband on our new house, we moved last July.

I have been here and I've gotten to see the end of summer, an Autumn, a Winter and a spring and now we're back to autumn again.

I recently reread a post from 2012, where I was so inspired and enthusiastic to share with you the amazing things I was looking forward to that upcoming autumn.

I thought I would return to that topic, because I love transitional seasons. Right now, I am sat in a delicious deep orange jumper, I found it second hand from a charity shop earlier this year.

There is something about this time of year, that feels magical and fresh, almost like a fresh start.

For me it has been a fresh start, I started a new job after being in my previous one for six years. I admit it was an incredibly scary move to make, but I realised about six months ago I was really burnt out. 

I needed something different in my life that was a bit more structured, so I went back to basics and an environment I know reasonably well. So far it has been ok, it was a massive adjustment but I think overall I'm feeling a lot happier, more energised and I kind of feel more like myself the first time in quite a long time.

Anyway going back to the fashion, I have for the first time probably since I was 19, have a wardrobe of a reasonably normal size. Over the last couple of years especially post pandemic, I have been trying to make significantly more considered choices in what I buy and how I dress. I know that that has been a long-term theme of this blog and of the way that I dress and shop. 

However, I don't believe that I have truly taken stop the amount of stuff that I own. I was still to a point dress for a life I no longer had, rather than acknowledging and dressing for the life I do have.

I appreciate that due to the house renovations, the large majority of my wardrobe has been packed which, has been frustrating because it's easy to forget what you have. (Especially when your memory is shit thanks to FND)

So what I've been doing over the last year, is very steadily going through my wardrobe and then decluttering.

I think in total I've had about eight collections of clothing  picked up from my house by a fantastic service called Icollect.com 

They are a fantastic free service that will arrange to collect clothing books, on behalf of either a charity of your choice from their selection. 

Alternatively they will pick a charity on your behalf. Part of me is honestly ashamed, for the amount of clothing that I had that wasn't being used or worn.

Please note, majority of this clothing has been bought over the years and has been worn previously, overall I generally buy things second hand or in the sale. 

However, due to the pandemic and my health and a change in my circumstances. I no longer work in an office and I'm no longer required to adhere to a smart business casual dress code. 

So earlier this year with the help of Pinterest and really looking at my wardrobe and understanding what I wear and what I like, I have taken the opportunity to appreciate the clothes that reflect where I am in life now and where I want to be in the future. On this basis I made a choice that I truly only want to own things, that I love.

My handbag collection is a perfect example, I spent years collecting vintage tan leather bags. I have only kept a handful of the original collection that I had. Since the beginning of 2020, I have primarily focused on having a variety of unique handbags that encompass things that I love. You'll know from previous posts I've shared that I have a lot of Kate Spade bags with penguins and flamingos on them.

This autumn I am looking forward to being cozy. I want to cuddle up in big chunky jumpers warm corduroy jeans thick socks. Last year I even invested in two pairs of River Island UGG style boots. If you ever want a great alternative to the equivalent of an UGG boots on the high street I'd highly recommend for River Island. The boots are real suede and I live in mine when it's cold.

I have to have calf length and ankle length both in tan Brown I paid less £25 for one pair and £16 for the other. They are both so incredibly comfortable and have been a nice alternative to the trainers  I've been forced to wear constantly due to housing renovations.

I have been steadily building up cozier pieces in my wardrobe in the last three years so thick jumpers, check shirts and chunky old school super dry hoodies.

I've even invested in practical leather footwear. Last year I fell in love with a Christian Dior style pair of combat boots I found via office shoes outlet page offcuts.com. I lived in them last autumn winter. I intend to do the same this year and today I also managed to find, a pair of carvela leather boots. They were six pounds from a charity shop along with two chunky jumpers that are the perfect autumnal colors. One is the color of the cup of tea and the other is a pumpkin spice yellowy orange color.

I am appreciating the gradually changing colours of the garden and using up the vegetables grown over the summer.

I am looking forward to all great things the upcoming months will have. I can't explain how much happier I have recently been. It's like ai found a missing part of myself! The house is slowly coming together, I have a beautiful on suite shower!

I've been enjoying cooking in my new kitchen, building Lego at my dining room table. I even invested in an antique writing desk for work. One of the big projects for next year is my study. I have planned out what I want and I'm slowly getting the pieces together.

I know it's October but I'm also excited for stuff like Christmas!

For now, I'm going to ensure I spend as much time as possible doing things I enjoy, watching home programs, making yummy snacks and staying warm and cozy.

Happy autumn 🥮🍁🍂🎑🌰