Spring Sweaters

With so few glimpses of spring, I've become tired of the same old sweaters, jeans, layering t-shirts and skirts/leggings combinations. After a couple of years of limited options (pregnancy, breastfeeding, post partum figure changes and their aftermath), I'm ready for a spring where I could just enjoy dressing. The few decent days we've had have actually confounded me as my spring clothes are either buried somewhere or still don't fit, so I finally broke down and ordered a few sweaters from Zara. It's always nice when the big boxes arrive, but also sobering when you purchase based on digitally altered images of clothing pinned to size 2 teenage models. I'm currently deciding which of the following items to keep:

I spotted this on Joyce's blog and couldn't resist at the price ($59.99), especially with it being 100% cotton. Alas, it looks like I've borrowed one of my mum's 1980s jumpers. It's probably going back but I just wish I could find a way to make it hang just so rather than being too boxy.

Again, I'm on the shelf. On the plus side, there's some nice detailing and it doesn't look that different in person. But the sleeves are considerably shorter (above the wrist) and it feels like it would work better in a more temperate climate as you could not wear a jacket or coat over the top. I also have a cashmere cardigan that has a similar feel and it tends to fall off my shoulders, something I suspect would happen here. At a penny under $80, I may send this one back.

OK, I really want this one to work. I love this look and how it fits into my imagined personal style. But it is yellow and I'm not sure if it makes my face look too pink (in a bad way) although I feel I can just carry it off. It's nicely detailed with two notches in the back and it's 100% cotton. I think it almost works but it is super heavy (which may be good if winter lasts forever) but it may also be too warm for our very overheated apartment. If I don't wear it soon, it may be too late. If it was in the pink and was a little thinner, it would be a no brainer, but there is something about this one that makes me want to work with it. It's also one of the two pricier pieces at $79.99. Granted, none of them are that pricey but I don't want to waste money on items just because they are cheap.

The keeper. This one I wore today--it's also 100% cotton, quite thick and has beautiful cables. I've been looking for something like this for a while (there is a green in store and I may get that too). It's very good quality for a $60 sweater and is both warm and spring-like. But it's also the easy option and not as daring or on trend as the other two sweaters, so am I just being conservative or am I just aware that some trends are just too ephemeral to invest in? Or is it just that my body is no longer in a fit state to showcase the baggier options without looking like I'm trying to hide the lumps that they effectively highlight more than something more form fitting?

Inspirations

When I was pregnant with our darling little Severin, Evan and I had the greatest difficulty agreeing on names. If he'd been a girl, we'd have had an easier job (we already had a name we could use if we couldn't think of something better that we both liked) but the anatomy scan forced us back into the more difficult territory of mutually liked boy's names. It became the topic we postponed discussing until it couldn't be postponed any longer. I looked everywhere for inspiration, finding it in the most unlikely of settings--a screening of Belle du Jour in my Media and Fashion seminar.

Little did we know that Catherine Deneuve would hear about our lovely little boy from a dear friend--and that she would be pleased about our inspiration. Sometimes it is a very small world.

Adrift

I don't know if it's this interminably long winter, but I'm lost as to what to wear these days. My body isn't at an optimal weight or shape for the clothing I'd like, I don't have the time to shop (not that I really mind too much) and I am not even sure where to shop right now. I know I'd like to have some nice new cashmere sweaters but anything I really like I can't afford (and if it hasn't been reduced now, it's not happening). With near continuous snow and/or cold, I've rotated through the same jeans/trousers/sweaters or leggings/skirts combinations.

I'm even revisiting the items I wore when pregnant, partly because they are warm and forgiving on a figure that's more lumpen than I'd like--but partly, I believe, because I'm nostalgic for those days and yearning for another pregnancy, another baby. It's almost like I want to get back into that skin again.

I'm also sadly aware that I may not look good in the pieces I like. Whether it's simple, pared down winter wear or pretty dresses, I've got used to a disappointing reflection that reveals the combination of sleep deprivation and very limited exercise. But it's increasingly dawning on me that I don't know what's out there, where to go or what to look for. While I've invested in a few pairs of Fiorentini + Baker boots, I'm either wearing too many cut rate bargains or pieces that are beginning to look old and worn. I'm at the point where it's just easier to shop Zara online and return what doesn't work, but I suppose I'm more aware that I jus don't have a clue what's out there apart from the fast fashion chains and the ready to wear collections that are out of my price range.

Off the scale

Not-so-little Severin had his 1 year check up today (although he is 13 months--we were in England for his birthday). He's at the 90th percentile for weight, 93rd for head circumference and "off the scale" for height (when asked, his paediatrician said he's over the 97th percentile).

It's pretty amazing that he's grown 10 inches in just over a year--he was 22.4 inches at birth and is now 32.4. I'm still in awe when I look at this amazing little boy with so much personality who becomes more himself every day. Even if he is technically a baby for another year, it's hard to think of him as anything but a toddler.

We celebrated his clean bill of health with a decaf cappuccino (me) and a bottle (him) and a trip to Target where I bought a Peter Pilotto red long sleeved t shirt. Overall the collection was to be expected--nice designs ruined by appallingly cheap fabrics and poor construction. The dress I wanted wasn't stocked at our Target but virtually everything else was. I'm pretty certain Net-a-Porter is going to have a lot of returns as it's amazing how much worse most pieces looked in person. Target's photographers certainly do a good job making these clothes look more substantial. My t-shirt was quite nice, affordable at $19.99 so if it falls apart in a couple of months, it's not the end of the world. Besides at this life stage, it could have regurgitated toast spat on it, chunks of squished up banana thrown at it or other toddler messes spilled down the front. Severin can't really feed himself but he does try to feed me berries, missing my mouth more often than not, and he's also pretty good at upsetting his food all over the two of us.

Milestones

Now that he's approaching 13 months, little Severin is in the midst of another period of rapid changes. About ten days ago, he stood up unsupported and while these moments were brief and very shaky, they have become more stable and of longer duration. He can now stand for about a minute and has started walking--moving from single shuffles to about eight or nine fairly confident steps. While he's reluctant to feed himself, he will now help himself to blueberries and even pop them in my mouth. His fine motor skills are still developing so more berries miss their mark and end up on the floor or in his high chair, but it's yet another sign of his growing independence. 

With his recent growth spurt, he's now mainly in 18-24 month old clothes so we're getting to the end of baby sizes. As small boys' clothing is often ugly and overly masculine (sports, baby businessmen, ugly combat trousers, yucky logos and slogans), I'm going to have to look even harder for nice items. Frugi and Boden are reliable but a little pricey and Boden's baby items go up to 3 years, which is even better. He's also extremely fortunate in having family friends who knit for him and their hand knits are beautiful.

Boots

After (too) much internet research which took up too much of my very limited spare time, I finally took the plunge and bought a new pair of Fiorentini + Baker boots. It's a risk as they are non-refundable but the price was good (excellent for a brand whose merchandise is rarely reduced) and this style supposedly runs large, just like my current, much loved F + B boots. If I hadn't cracked the leather when my feet swelled up shortly after having Severin, I may not have needed a second pair of boots but I want to extend their life and have something that's waterproof.

These fit the bill--they even have Vibram soles should I need them in the snow (my old Wisconsin winter snow boots have them but the uppers have cracked after many, many years of wear). I like the style and the fact that they're black so they contrast nicely with my other neutral grey-brown pair. Plus I even found a coupon code online and it worked.

Now fingers crossed they'll fit. I'm still coveting a couple of other pairs of F+B ankle boots, the eternity boots and some of their autumn shoes, but as most of these styles never go on sale, I'll just have to be patient.

Some Resolutions

Briefly and belatedly, I'm vowing to try the following this year.

Cut the carbs down to below 100g a day--or lower. With prediabetes a reality, I'm hoping I can still stave off the almost inevitable type 2 diagnosis (thank you, genes). If I can get rid of the extra chub I'm carrying thanks to my poor response to carbs, that's all the better.

Stop buying cheap items at Club Monaco and Zara just because they are on sale and look nice on the size zero model. I've not done this particularly often but it's a habit to curb, particularly if I ever want to replace my Fiorentini + Baker boots that cracked during my postpartum foot swelling last year. They rarely/never go on sale and aren't that cheap but I bet I have spent more on bargain postnatal clothes intended (and needed) for a short, messy time only.

Manage my time better so I can get that second sample chapter and third proposal in and hopefully secure that second and third book contract. I'm so often tired/sleep deprived or playing with my delightful 1 year old but there has to be good and as yet underutilised work time out there.

I've other hopes/plans/dreams for this year but they are somewhat more reliant on others/science/fate/luck whereas these resolutions are a little more under my control.