I’ve been having a little crisis over my hair and wardrobe.
Like many people over the COVID lockdown periods I stopped leaving the house, and thereby stopped caring about my appearance. My clothes were worn for comfort.
Some of this was good. I now only wear comfortable bralettes with no underwire! As a member of the itty-bitty-titty-committee these kind of bras that just have light padding also seem to fit me better than anything with structured cups.
I didn’t even use a hairdryer for about 2 years giving my hair a break from heat damage and leading me to discover that my hair will curl to a natural wave if let to dry by itself! I can’t believe I went 30 years without knowing that!
Hair crisis averted
I did have a little crisis over my hair two weeks ago, and I almost committed to growing out my full fringe into a side fringe and going back to a side parting.. but then when tested blow drying it differently I looked at myself again and came to my senses. I just feel more like myself with a full fringe, it is still working for me for now.
My problem was I got sick of it not sitting right (all the Teams Meetings I have in my new job have really made me confront how my fringe sits!) and fighting the cowlick on the right side of my hair line.
Instead I made two decisions – I have to keep it shorter and get better at trimming it to sit higher above my eyebrows (yes I trim it myself between hair cuts, I’ve had one for a lot of my adult life so I am well practiced!) and get better at drying it to the right shape. Luckily I found this YouTube video which demonstrated how easy it actually is if you use less heat a tight comb instead of a round brush.
Problem solved! My fringe has looked so much better since.
Trousers Problems
My body has gotten bigger. I’ve gone up one dress size (I was around a UK 8-10 and now I’m 10-12) but that is enough to make my wardrobe a depressing experience. My once loved array of Levi’s mile high skinny jeans are a struggle to get over my thighs and most of then are impossible to zip up if they do make it that far, and if I can zip them up my now larger stomach puts me in danger of bifurcation.
Dungarees were a late pandemic revelation. I love the ones from FatFace, they feel flattering, and – because they don’t have a waistband to cut my middle – they’re super comfortable and look like I have made some kind of style choice! I have 3 pairs in different denim and one in black tencel for warmer days that are the most comfy of all!
But dungarees aren’t appropriate for every occasion or even all weather. Sometimes I do need to be wearing trousers with a zip and buttons.
It’s time to accept that if I want to feel comfortable physically and mentally I need to dress for what my body is now, and stop clutching the idea that I’ll lose the weight.
The Levi’s skinnies and everything else too small for my expanded bottom half are being donated, and I’m on a mission to find new alternatives that are comfortable and look good on the body I have now.
Trousers are the sore point. It is so difficult to find trousers that are flattering. I’m a definite pear shape – small on top (barely an A cup) with my weight around my middle and even at my smallest my thighs have always touched!
I hate anything low or mid rise. They dig into my stomach (I’ve never had a flat stomach) and I think they cut across my hips in an unflattering spot that I think makes me look bigger and loses my natural waist. I do have a defined waist so I prefer to show that.
My outfit rotation these days – if I am not in either elasticated pyjama style trousers or dungarees – is high waisted straight leg Levis “mom” or tapered leg style jeans. In particular the two pairs I have in darker thicker denim (grey and black) I think suit me best.
I want a couple of alternatives to those so I’m not wearing one of the same 2 pairs of jeans every time I go out of the house and want to feel good.
After an attempt at research I decided I should try some different styles of trouser. I have never really worn wide leg jeans (aside from a flares phase in the early 2000s when they were last “in”) but apparently I should try them in dark colours.
So now I am on a mission to test that out, starting with Lucy and Yak (I have a mention me 25% off code if anyone is interested). I ordered some different sizes and styles to try on from their Addison and Cole lines. I suspect the tapered leg + amount of fabric at the hip area for the Addison is not going to work on me but we’ll give it a go because they look good on the models and could be a good option for work.
