What to wear at home: Part 2

I'd found a bit of a gap in my wardrobe which I've been working on filling, and it involved what to wear when I was at home, which is most of the time these days.  Now that I am no longer working in our retail store since we sold it at the end of last year, I spend a lot of time in my home office writing/planning/thinking/dreaming, as well as doing all the other daily things such as housework, organising, grocery shopping, going to the library, etc.

My main work uniform was jeans, jeans and more jeans, which I love, however jeans are not the most comfortable thing for hanging out at home in, or sitting and writing in.  No matter what I'm wearing, late afternoon I change into my loungewear, which at this time of year is leggings and a long-sleeve tee-shirt.  I first wrote about what to wear at home here, and it is currently the most popular post on my blog - of all time - so I know it is something that many of you are pondering as well - what the heck do we wear at home?

I know it's hardly finding the answer to world peace, but I know if I am comfortable in an outfit as well as being happy with the way I look, I am more productive and content in my home life.  I also would like these outfits to be low-cost, good quality and easy to take care of, plus suit my personal style.  Yes, I know I am asking a lot of clothes here.

So, with this gap in my wardrobe I took myself off shopping for some new home pieces.  In the past I've had good luck with a few items I bought at K-Mart so I went back there.  Yes, I am a thrifty girl at heart.  What a bounty they had too!  And guess what, it was late Friday afternoon/early evening and there were so many young, hip, slim and stylish people in their homewares section (I drifted over there).  It gave me confidence that I wasn't shopping at the wrong place.  I also thought it would be a fantastic place to meet people if you were young and single.  Maybe K-Mart is the new supermarket fruit and veggie section.

The items in the top photo are both new from K-Mart: black 3/4 length jeggings in a thick twill stretch, and an overlong, loose black and white striped top with cuffed bracelet-length sleeves.  I have never bought jeggings before (and even the name puts me off a little bit, lol) but I am so happy I did.  They are a good in-between for my clingy, fine loungewear leggings, which don't leave the house, and jeans.  I still treat them like leggings though, where the golden rule is 'my bum must never be seen.'  Bottoms don't look the same in leggings as they do in jeans.

Below, is another new pair of pants from K-Mart, and they are a ponte knit with a kind of scratchy pattern on them.  I had the idea to stretch out the wear of my favourite chambray summer dresses and double them up as a tunic.  I actually wore this out to lunch with these heels and was very happy in it.  My husband said I looked hot too, so that's a bonus.

And my second pair of jeggings below, this time full-length, and in a dotty/line print black and white.  They are actually really comfy and cozy, but I am under no illusions.  I know that anything with stretch, even expensive denim or other fabrics, will eventually stretch out.  To counteract this somewhat, I chose fabrics that felt quite firm and of reasonable quality.  Even in a store where everything is inexpensive, you can get a feel (literally, and with your eyes) for what is going to be cheap without looking cheap and at least hold its shape for a little while.

The top with my dotty jeggings is from Zara, and is quite drapey with a deep-V front and back.  I think I wear it back-to-front, well, the label is in the front the way I wear it, otherwise the V is far too cleavegy for my liking but I love it with the deep-V to the back.

And with some ballet flats for a different look, plus a chunky gold/silver chain necklace.

Coming from K-Mart, these pieces were tres inexpensive as you'd imagine.  Between $10 and $15 each.  I am so happy with my little shopping trip.  What I saved in money I invested in time.  I was in the store for at least 1.5 hours, firstly seeing what they had, selecting my pieces to try on then having to try on six at a time because of their security rules.  I think I had close to twenty pieces to try all up (some were multiples of sizes).

I truly believe you don't have to spend a lot of money to look good.  If think if I had to, I could have replaced my entire wardrobe from K-Mart and been happy with it.

Are you a high-low girl or a thrift shopper (I'm both)?  Does the thought of finding a bargain in K-Mart excite you, or maybe it makes you break out in a rash...  I'm the first type, but I know my sister is the second!

Fiona

PS.  If you live in the southern hemisphere like I do, it's coming into winter.  Today it's pouring with rain with no sign of letting up!

I would love to share my book with you, called 'How to be Chic in the Winter: Living slim, happy and stylish during the cold season'.  I wrote this book for myself initially, because I found I kept doing the same unhelpful things over and over each year to cope with the cold weather - eating sweet and stodgy fattening foods, feeling lazy and unmotivated, being grumpy and generally an unfun person.  I started gathering all my thoughts on living an ideal chic winter and this book is a result of that.

Included are my favourite winter recipes, because that was my biggest hurdle - coming up with meals that felt comforting and hearty, but which were also healthy.  They are all very simple to make, but also very importantly they don't take too long to put together.  I like to keep prep time to a minimum because I would rather go for a walk or read a book than spend too long fussing around in the kitchen.

Below is a description and list of all the chapters and recipes so you can get an idea of what's inside.  You probably already know this, but you can preview the book on Amazon by clicking on the cover image, and read the first few pages there (I think they show you approximately 10% of the book).  You can also receive an excerpt from this book and all my others too, by subscribing to my weekly posts by email.  You can do that here, and receive all your free goodies straight away.

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"Late summer heading into early autumn/fall is a such beautiful time of the year. You can feel everything growing still and soft; nature is slowing down and people are getting cozy. The most stunning colours can be found outdoors at this time.

Despite the natural beauty, despite your looking forward to the coziness of winter, you find that a few short months later yes, again, things have gone awry. You have ploughed headlong into winter without design or plan; you are wearing the same clothes as last year because you have not put thought into your wardrobe; you have put on weight from indiscriminate eating and you are complaining in your head, or worse, out loud that ‘it’s cold today’. This was me!

Many warm-blooded creatures hibernate when it is cold out and go with their natural instincts by doing so. They do not enter the spring season stressed out; rather, animals waking up from hibernation are coming to sleepily, well rested and ready for the warmer season; so, why don’t we?

We would not go to sleep for months on end, but perhaps we can take a leaf out of their book and make each winter a mental spa time of rejuvenation, beauty and pleasure.

I decided to write this book as a kind of insurance, to remind me of my exciting winter plans. It is easy to be enthusiastic about the winter season when the leaves are turning. Fall fashions are always fun to look forward to, even for a non-fashionista like me – the September issue of Vogue! I can rekindle my love for the colours of plum, navy and camel at this time of year. But a few months later the novelty has already worn off.

This book is also a toolkit of all the ideas that have worked so well in previous winters, as well as new ideas I want to capture. I started this book in autumn, and am now finishing it up in spring. I am so pleased to have tried all my ideas out in a ‘test’ environment!

Read ‘How to be Chic in the Winter’ to discover my strategy for not just surviving, but thriving this winter; on how to have a chic and beautiful winter season and emerge, like a butterfly ready for a gorgeous spring and summer."

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1. Know that winter is a different season
     Start winter with a goal
     Be ahead of the game
     Look forward to winter

Chapter 2. Create a winter menu plan
     Breakfasts that are warming, filling and healthy
     Lunches for work and home
     Dinners – tweak the winter classics
     Snacks
     Fiona’s favourite winter recipes
        Red Lentil and Tomato soup
        Pumpkin Soup
        Vegetable soup
        Spaghetti Bolognese
        Savoury mince
        Shepherd’s pie
        Roast chicken
        ‘Bangers’ (sausages) and mash
        Parmesan chicken
        Crumbed chicken
        Pasta Bake
        Rice Bake
        Apple and Boysenberry Crumble
        Bliss Balls

Chapter 3. Break up the long winter
     Learn something or have a project to complete
     Keep active
     Be social

Chapter 4. Work on feeling good
     Home as your winter sanctuary
     Dress in clothes that make you feel good
     Be cozy when you are at home
     Take care of your grooming
     Keep well

Chapter 5. Keep your motivation up
     Do things quickly
     If you are a summer person
     Make plans for the next six to twelve months

Chapter 6. Create your ideal chic winter season
     Bonus journal questions
     To finish

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You can order 'How to be Chic in the Winter' here on Amazon.  Thank you for reading down this far!