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Wednesday 22 April 2015

Wearing a little bit of Fat Face to take us into spring....

I will never forget that cold day in January 2008, two weeks after the birth of number 3, when Fat Face came to my rescue. That was the day that I started to cast aside my maternity clothes once and for all. I needed a one stop shop with easy parking, and an easy escape route, for some jeans, a few tops and some knitwear that I could wear until I shrank back to my usual size. When I left the shop that day in my new denim skirt I felt like Cinderella going to the ball.

So when Fat Face approached me to ask whether I would like to write about a couple of pieces of womenswear - which they kindly gifted to me - I was only too pleased to. As well as rescuing me from maternity clothing, I have happy memories of shopping in Fat Face in Guernsey, Padstow and Salcombe - because we all need to check out the shops on holiday don't we? (Or is that just me?!)


With Spring finally on its way, Fat Face are launching the Wardrobe Edit campaign, the aim of which is to encourage us to update our wardrobe by investing in a couple of key pieces that can be styled easily from day to evening.


A neat white shirt is a fantastic wardrobe spring staple and I selected this Ryde Broderie shirt (£28). For a daytime look I wore it with ripped Zara jeans, a Kate Spade bag and Aldo sandals. I like the juxtaposition of something quite pretty with something a little beaten up - plus a little colour and some sparkle always add interest to an outfit.


I chose to play with the blouse a little too, by layering it underneath a jumper. Sometimes there can be too much fabric in a blouse for this to work but because of its neat shape, the blouse and the jumper sat together really well without being uncomfortable, so that opens up whole set of other wardrobe options. Swapping the glittery sandals for pointed floral flats gave the outfit a slightly smarter feel - despite the rips.


For an evening outfit I opted for a monochrome look, with Hush white jeans and &Other Stories shoes plus my favourite star purse from GAP.


Another wardrobe staple is an A-line skirt and with navy and broderie being particular favourites of mine, this Claire broderie skirt (£45) was an obvious choice to make. Skirts can be really tricky to get right - on me at least. For it to be truly versatile, the length has to hit at the right point on the leg. Too short and I feel self conscious, too long and it can only be worn with heels. This one is great with either flats or heels though.


In the above outfit I have styled it semi-smart, semi-casual, with tan Jigsaw heels and a denim shirt. I had a couple of meetings the day that I wore this outfit and it worked well for me. The other great thing about this skirt is that there aren't any gathers around the waistband so it sits lovely and flat - just what's needed after that third baby that I mentioned earlier.


For a more casual look - although arguably the shirts and shoes for both of these outfits are interchangeable, a bit like outfit sudoku, I wore a cream printed silk Warehouse shirt, cobalt blue bag and the Aldo sparkly flats again


It's a while since I've had a chance to take a good look at Fat Face as a) ours is currently closed and b) I haven't been to Guernsey, Padstow or Salcombe for a while. I've always loved Fat Face as a brand for its good price point and great quality so perhaps now is a good time to pay one of my favourite destinations a visit....