A Look Back on My Outfits of 2012

2012 is almost over, and 2013 will soon be arriving with a fanfare of fireworks to welcome it in to our lives for the next year.

I can barely believe I've managed to get through what has essentially been the worst and hardest year of my life, and perhaps the hardest year I will ever face. I've spent 2012 in constant pain and the majority of it in bed unable to live a normal existence. It's been difficult and frustrating and lonely at times, but I've accepted my situation for what it is and refused to let it break me.

 I created this blog as a distraction, something to focus on, and I know I would not have gotten through the year without it. This blog has kept my mind busy every day since I wrote that first post back in March. There's always been something to do or something I've wanted to blog about. I've also come a long way on my journey to self-acceptance through blogging about my outfits and finding the fatshion community, and I've loved talking about fashion and beauty with like-minded individuals. Starting my blog is probably one of the best decisions I could have ever made!

So, to get to the point, I wore a lot of outfits in 2012- mostly dresses- and I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and do my first ever round-up post and take a little look back on them...

Here goes!

Spring/Summer

AX Paris // Dorothy Perkins // Dorothy Perkins

New Look Inspire // Dorothy Perkins // Dorothy Perkins

In Summer, I wore so many gorgeous dresses with cropped cardigans and a skinny belt; it was basically my daily uniform. Different day, different dress, but the same outfit formula. I adored wearing these beautiful numbers. Some were recycled from the Summer before, and many new frocks were accumulated- mostly from Dorothy Perkins and AX Paris. My favourites were easily the two amazing flamingo print circle dresses from Dorothy Perkins and the yellow polka dot number; I wore all three repeatedly and loved swishing the full skirts around. The black bird print maxi dress also deserves a mention, because it's an old favourite with great memories attached to it.

Autumn/Winter

Matalan // New Look // Matalan

Dorothy Perkins // Dorothy Perkins // M&Co

From the end of Summer and through to Christmas, I generally just continued to wear dresses with long sleeved cardigans or a jacket with a snood for extra warmth. I never have much money to spare on clothes after September, as it all goes on Christmas presents, so I don't have a winter wardrobe, as such. I've spent most of the last few months living in pyjamas unable to move out of bed, so didn't have many outfits to share. I got a lot of wear from dresses in reds, browns and blacks, and dressed them with pops of colour. I loved my two Christmas outfits (top left and centre), and enjoyed bringing out my two bird print dresses (bottom centre in brown), and brightening up dull days with the red polka dot number. Looking at these photos, all I can see is that I desperately need a hair cut! (It's been a whole year)!

Headless Shots

Dorothy Perkins // AX Paris // ASOS Curve

AX Paris// Dorothy Perkins// AX Paris

When I began blogging back in March, I would only share headless photos of my outfits. It took me many months to find the guts to show my face, and even now I don't really feel completely comfortable with it.

 I've never liked having my photo taken; in fact I would go out of my way to hide from cameras whenever anyone tried to take a photo of me! For that reason, there are few photos of me from my teens until I began this blog. I spent so long hating how I looked in photos, scrutinising every single 'flaw', and hating myself... and for what? Life is far too short. I look like that person in my photos whether I like it or not! I've felt better about my appearance since I injured my back and started this blog, and I guess I've found a sense of peace with life. I will admit I do worry what family or friends would think if they stumbled upon my blog, though...

Out of the outfits above, my favourite looks were the black polka dot dress with purple tights, the white bird cage dress... although I know those shoes were not flattering on my legs, and the crazy mismatch of colours I teamed with the yellow polka dot dress. I would make a few changes to that outfit, but it was fun to wear.

Skirts

Matalan // ASOS Curve // New Look Inspire

I added several new skirts to my wardrobe in 2012. These are just a few of the skirt outfits I wore. One thing I'm lacking in my wardrobe is plain coloured tops, so many of my skirts were worn with simple black vest tops and a cropped cardigan. Boring! I plan to collect more tops to wear with them in 2013. I'm still in love with my latest addition, the New Look velvet skater skirt, which is shorter than I'm used to, but I feel great in. I love that woodland print peplum top, too.

I hope I'll be able to wear skirts more often in 2013, especially with more interesting/fashionable tops.

 If you're wondering about the lack of photos of me wearing trousers... well, that's because I only wore a pair of trousers two or three times all year!

Best Buys

One of my favourite purchases has to be this hummingbird print skirt which I bought from Dorothy Perkins in the summer. It was on sale, and I had some birthday money, so this is an item that didn't cost me a penny of my own money, yet it's one of my most valuable garments. I absolutely love the fit and shape of this floaty skirt on me. It's so pretty and feminine, it's flattering on my figure, and so comfortable to wear. It works with so many different styles of tops, almost every colour, and some patterns, although my favourite look is still pairing it with my simple cobalt blue Matalan cardigan! (Another wardrobe favourite). I feel so good in this skirt that I've even gone out in public a couple of times baring my legs- which many of you know is something I still don't have the confidence to do.

The cobalt blue cardigan from Matalan has been another great buy. I've worn it with so many outfits this Autumn/Winter, and it looks so striking with black. I had to buy the cardigan in three other colours, although none quite live up to this one.

I love the majority of the dresses I bought, and know most of them will be getting wear for years. The best dresses I chose were definitely the flamingo print dresses, the yellow polka dot frock, the red M&CO tea dress, the black polka dot asymmetric dress, and two bird print numbers from Dorothy Perkins.

I felt on a whole, my style was very predictable and a bit stale in 2012, but with a limited income, I couldn't afford to buy the dresses I wanted and the top or trousers I had my eye on... so the dresses always won. I knew I'd wear them more. I can look back on a year of outfits and see that I made the right choices because of the price per wear.

In 2013, I'm planning to mix things up a little, and fill a few gaps in my wardrobe if I can. I want to branch out and wear separates more often, and add more accessories back in to my collection. I guess we'll see where the year takes me... I hope you'll join me and find out!

Thanks for all your support in 2012. I hope you all have a great New Year however you're celebrating it.

Happy new year!