The Power of an Understated Outfit

There was a birthday brunch today and the weather forecast was grey and windy. The only concern was not to freeze my gams off so it's a no-brainer to pair the oversized green sweater and black skinny with neon-pink socks and brown brogues. With a couple of armbands thrown in. This is my go-to ensemble of late. Comfortable and tidy, I could wear it everyday.

Then the man remarked, 'Don't you want to dress up?' Rolling my eyes, my very quiet reply was, 'I find this dressy enough!' while he avoided my killer glare. Hahaha...

I didn't feel like fitting in today and his hint that I should slip on a dress was a loud one. Not that I don't like dresses, I love them! But I suspect I am suffering from dress-tights-boots fatigue at the moment. By merging the attire with comfort and plainness, I suppose my brain is signalling me to take a break. I don't intend to abandon my dresses forever. Who knows, I might wear one tomorrow. The point is, keeping it simple is refreshing and assuring. Being dissimilar also provides a sense of freedom to experiment until I come to the epitome called my personal style. In other words, I feel good in my effortless and practical outfit today and therefore I think I must have looked quite alright too. :)

Photo credits: here, here and here

Let's all take a deep breath

I was anticipating an awful day. The little hiccups leading up to the lunch was frustrating. When I woke this morning, the hunch was some were going to cancel on me. Indeed, an email and a SMS confirmed my uncanny intuition. The fact that I couldn't get a much-needed haircut because the hairstylist was fully booked today, of all days, didn't help my mood either.

I took a deep breath and murmured to myself: It is okay. It is really not that bad. I did my best to arrange the lunch. I can have my haircut on another day. I can still live with the overgrown mop for a few more days.

True enough, the day turned out just fine. Just when I needed to tighten my purse strings, someone bought us lunch, received a free coffee from the Starbucks staff because it's a wrong order, paid a few euros lesser for the little one's water bottle due to the store's oversight and because I was honest enough to inform the staff, she waved the blunder away.

Moral of the story: do myself a favour by not getting excessively hung up on little glitches which I have no control over. Sometimes it may not work according to my control-freaky way but things will ulitmately work out somehow and it is not the end of the world. Breathe and move on with a smile.

 

And the search goes on...

We are so sick of the winter that stowing away those cold-weather coats and boots seems such a fantastic idea. So the moment the sun came out to woo us out of the pad, we really didn't need much persuading to get out and bask in the much-missed sunshine. Everyone seemed to be in high-spirits. Children running around the park, squealing in delight. Yes, the long-awaited spring is finally in the air! No more chunky sweaters, thick padded coats, scarves or gloves. A change of wardrobe is in order! For the little one of course. Haha...

With my current obsession with anything parka, olive or camouflage, the search for a little spring jacket is no easy task. It mustn't be too thin (perferably with detachable lining), too thick, must be hardy enough for kindergarten and must have the winning factor. Attaining that perfect jacket is not without its obstacles however. Either the good (and cheap) ones are sold out, cost an arm and leg, or are only available for bigger girls. Oh, the trials and tribulations of being a mother.

Here are some cool jackets which resisted my acquisition:

Zara Camouflage Jacket with Detachable Lining

Zara Parka with Detachable Waistcoat

Scotch R'Belle Parka

 

Scotch R'Belle Parka with Detachable Lining