She who wears the trousers

Something dawned on me as I turned on the laptop to create this post. In the four months or so that I've been blogging about my personal style, I've only once worn a pair of trousers!

 I'm quite stunned that I've reached my 100th post without pulling on a pair of jeggings, coloured skinnies, or cropped jeans. And it seems odd that I'm coincidentally wearing trousers for this milestone post. 

Before my injury, my personal style was much more varied. One day I'd be wearing a dress over leggings, and the next I could be in coloured skinnies or cropped jeans paired with a pretty top or an edgier tee and Converse. I dressed accordingly for the weather or the social situation; never afraid of wearing colour or wearing outfits I loved or of just being me. Whatever I wore, dresses were always my signature look, and what I felt most like myself in.

When my injury became apparent last September, I soon found fitted trousers or jeans too constrictive on my lower back where the pain is at it's worst, so I began to wear dresses even more than usual. Dresses are not only something I LOVE and feel work best on my shape, but they're comfortable for lying around in. This is such an important factor as 99% of the last ten months has been spent in bed. Pretty and quirky dresses also brighten my mood much more than a pair of jeans. I do, however, miss the variety.

I'm sure you'll see me wearing trousers a little more this Autumn/Winter when the temperatures drop, and I'll start you off today. You don't need to adjust your screens or get your eyes checked; yes, this is me wearing a pair of trousers!

I'd been admiring these printed trousers all season, but only rescued them last week from the Dorothy Perkins sale. I'd been wanting to try the printed trouser trend for a while, too. They're very comfortable, just like pyjama bottoms, and I made a conscious effort to avoid looking like I'd just rolled out of bed. My top supply is currently limited, and I was a bit uncertain of how to style them, but in the end I came up with a long basic scoop neck tee, and a denim gilet I've had since last summer and have barely worn. I accessorised with a star print scarf, a wolf necklace, and a black hairband with a bow and cameo on it. The trousers are a bit baggy on me, and to avoid them looking hareem-like, I have to wear them so high on the waist- Simon Cowell would be proud! I hope they'll shrink a little in the wash...

A make-up-less me, and the oldest television in the land.

I stuck to a white, black, and grey colour scheme for the accessories to bring everything together. The wolf necklace came yesterday, but you'll hear more about that later. I've had the scarf and hair band for years. I love star prints nearly as much as polka dots and bird prints.

A close up of the print...

I ripped another nail off at the quick yesterday- that's four in just over a week. I can't postpone the inevitable manicure any longer. I'm a little gutted as I'd never had strong, long nails until a few months ago. C'est la vie. This is a peek at the green glitter nail polish I recently bought.

Trousers: Dorothy Perkins

Top: Dorothy Perkins

Denim gilet: New Look

Scarf: Accessorize

Necklace: Maggie Angus

Hairband: Accessorize or Dorothy Perkins... I forget.

Nail Polish: Barry M Green Glitter

Do you like the printed trouser trend? How would you or how do you wear them?

And finally, I know this post is dragging on, but as this is my 100th post, I just wanted to end it with a thank you. Thank you to everybody who follows, reads, and comments on my blog posts. Thank you for your opinions, support, advice, and encouragement! I never thought I'd enjoy blogging so much, but it's my lovely followers who have made it such an enjoyable hobby. All your lovely comments make me want to blog! You've helped to raise my confidence further, and I enjoy chatting about stylish things with people who enjoy them as much as I do. If someone had told me even a year ago that I would be blogging about personal style, I would have thought they were mad, but it's now something I can aim for every day. Long may it continue!

Thanks guys,

My Battle With Self-Confidence

The main purpose of this blog, besides having something to focus on during my injury, is to help myself gain more confidence with my body.

I've always been self-conscious of certain parts of my body, and dress to flatter my figure as much as possible. That means staying clear of certain styles of clothing, and not baring certain body parts. I know us girls all have insecurities about our bodies, and we all have parts we don't like and aren't very confident about showing off. For me, that's my legs, and my upper arms.

My upper arms are always covered when I leave the house. I haven't gone out of the house baring my legs in several years. I spent a week baring them in New York last August as it was just too hot to cover them, and it felt so liberating, but I haven't found that confidence at home in England. I wish I could walk around in the sunshine with a floaty skirt on and no leggings underneath, but I haven't found that confidence yet.

So, posting these photos of today's outfit is a big step for me. They're the kind of shots I wouldn't share with my nearest and dearest. Nobody will have ever seen my upper arms or legs uncovered, apart from my family.

Today was a bad pain day, so i didn't make it out of my bedroom at all, but it didn't stop me from getting dressed and playing around with an outfit for five minutes.

Skirt- Next

T-shirt- Dorothy Perkins

Denim gilet- New Look

Saddle Bag- Accessorize

Necklace- Camden Lock Market (see yesterday's post)

The toucan t-shirt was delivered yesterday. It's a very pale peach/ flesh colour, not the pink in the picture on the website, but i love the motif and the fit of the t-shirt. I'm really pleased with the bag, too. I know i will get a lot of use out of it over the summer, as it works with so many of my dresses.

Does anyone else have a complex with a certain part of their body? Do you care how strangers see you, or do you just go out with your head held high?