May Clothes and Accessories Haul: H&M, Primark, Zara, TFNC and more...

Hi dolls

Back with Part Deux of my May Haul posting, and this time it’s the clothing (plus a few random items I’m terming ‘accessories’).

Usually I order a lot online but this month I made a trip to the high street in my quest for loose, floaty summer casuals and flat sandals that will do double duty as maternity wear.

I’m now 6 months pregnant and have still managed to get away without buying any specific maternity wear.

It just seems like such a waste of money buying stuff that will have a short shelf life. And most maternity wear, even from Topshop and places, is really not appealing – I’ve been shocked at how frumpy it all is.

Instead, I’ve been hunting down loose and comfortable cotton basics that can accommodate my bump now and still be worn afterwards. I may have to give in at some point but at the moment, its working okay.

Online Purchases

Skinnydip ‘Jayne’ iPhone case

I still have my iPhone 5s and I don’t plan on upgrading to a 6 anytime soon as I’m really happy with it, so sometimes I like to get a new case to spruce things up a bit.

My favourite place to get original designs is Skinnydip – they’re sold in Topshop or online. They’re most famous for really heavily jewelled designs, but I loved this slightly more classic white lizard skin finish with gold chrome edging on it.

For a start, cases that don’t allow your phone to lie flat on a table seem to bug me, so this more streamlined design was a good find. It was only £12.00 but I also have my eye on one of their honeycomb and bees designs for a later point.

Travalo Pure Excel atomiser

Another great travel and handbag solution. I favour a smaller bag during the day so I often don’t have the space to carry perfume, and I also hate travelling with expensive glass bottles that are just waiting to break and spill your Chanel all over the place.

This little atomiser can be easily filled up from any perfume bottle and is ultra compact, lightweight and strong.

I’m obsessed with travel storage solutions and this has to be one of the best I’ve come across. They come in ten different colours and are just so useful.

Black jersey midi vest dress – Peaches & Cream

Although a lot of the time I’ve been choosing looser, floatier silhouettes, sometimes I feel like I want to show my bump off, so this stretch jersey midi seemed like the ideal basic to own.

It’s a really simple piece that can be smartened up with blazers and scarves for the office, or paired with a killer necklace and flat sandals for evenings out or holiday wear. It seemed like the kind of basic that I had missing in my wardrobe, and I liked the longer length.

Black cotton maternity leggings – Futuro

Apart from one dress from Topshop, this is my sole concession to maternity clothing so far!

Black leggings are hugely useful as a pregnancy fashion hack. They make loose dresses into tunic tops and can be paired with long shirts and vests easily – plus they can’t be beaten for comfort. But I did need to give in and get a pair that didn’t cut into my bump!

They’ll give my wardrobe a bit of extra mileage, but I can see I’m going to be living out of leggings and dresses for the next few months – trousers are the first things to go when you start expanding!

H&M

Snake print cotton vest top

I hit up H&M in the hope that their maternity selection might be slightly less dire than some other places, but I wasn’t impressed by what I found. Why do otherwise fashionable retailers seem to assume that you lose all sense of your normal style when you get pregnant?

It shouldn’t be impossible to still dress well, but I just feel like the frump factor seems to come through on a lot of maternity clothing. Yet again, I found myself hunting through the regular racks for things with an oversized silhouette I could make do with, and this print vest caught my eye.

I’ve got a couple of really loose vests in black and white that have been very versatile so far, so I liked the fact this was similar with a really baggy hem, but the print adds a bit of interest.

Blush stud pouch

Don’t know what I needed it for, but this really caught my eye in the shop. I love the finish, which is sort of like studs, but they’re embossed into the leather of the pouch itself, and the pretty nude colour as well. I thought this would be useful to hold my documents when I go away on holiday, or possibly as a make-up bag.

Marble print cocoon dress

Another haul, another loose dress! Perhaps it’s a little unoriginal, but I seem to have been collecting these sort of egg-shaped dresses for a while now. This little treasure had to be added to the collection as well – the silhouette is absolutely perfect for accommodating a bump.

They work well with the inescapable leggings underneath or on their own, and I can still wear them post-baby. I liked the v-neckline and monochrome pattern on this one.

Primark

Seamless Bandeaus – navy and white stripe, white

These little bandeaus are really useful in lots of ways. They’re great under a loose vest and they can also help to cover up necklines on low-cut dresses and things when you want to be a bit less revealing, or they can add a splash of colour and contrast under a top.

Seeing as I’ve been buying lots of loose vest tops, I thought these would be useful for layering up. I picked up a plain white one and a navy one with a white stripe as well.

Black embossed snake sunglass pouch

I love these little slimline snap pouches for keeping sunglasses in.

They don’t take up nearly as much space in your bag as other bulky glasses cases, but they keep your sunnies protected and they look pretty sleek as well. I have a navy and white stripe one I’ve been
using for a while, but I have a couple of pairs of sunglasses that don’t have cases, so I thought I’d pick up this sleek black embossed one. I should have gotten a couple more as well really!

Khaki soft denim jeggings

Since my figure’s been changing, I’ve been basically living out of a pair of these black supersoft denim jeggings.

They fit comfortably just under my bump as they have an elasticated waistband and a really shallow rise on them, so they are ideal maternity wear! They are quite snug so I bought a size up just to ensure that they will still fit me if I expand a bit more.

But really, they’re ideal and a much better idea than paying out for special maternity jeans and trousers that will be useless after the baby comes.

The black and this soft khaki colour I can also get away with wearing for work, as they don’t have any rivets, so they do double duty for me. They’re ridiculously comfy as well and they look like a smart fit on.

I pair these with long, loose blouses or vests and blazers with some cute flats. They’re only £7.50 compared to £45 for a pair of Topshop maternity jeans, so even if they get all stretched out I can recycle them afterwards without feeling like I wasted too much money. These have been the best purchase I’ve made for a while so I’m sure by the end of the pregnancy, I’ll have a pair in every colour.

Intarsia mono leopard sweater

Couldn’t resist this light sweater, especially as it was marked down to just £5.00. I love anything leopard print, and this monochrome sweater is a classic take on the theme.

A nice slim fitted sweater pairs well with jeans or tucked into skirts for the office, so its nice and versatile. I was drawn to the print straight away as it actually reminded me of something I’d seen and liked in Whistles a while back, so there was no question this was going into the basket!

Aztec shorts

These little beach shorts were only £5.00 as well, so there were some real bargains to be had on my trip. As they have a nice elasticated waist band, I could still rock them on holiday with my bump.

I loved the Aztec pattern with the hits of neon coral. I’m not going to any festivals this year, but they’d be ideal for that as well.

They’re made of a soft muslin type fabric that’s really light and easy to wear. Because of the dark colourway, you could probably even work these with tights and ankle boots and a leather jacket on chillier days.

Snake print flat sandals

I just fell in love with these when I saw them. They’re really simple, but the cool ankle strap and the snake-print just give them a slight edge. They’d work with shorts as well as little dresses for the summer, and they’re a good option for going out when you can’t be bothered with heels.

I think they look much more expensive than the tiny £6.00 I picked them up for. My summer sandals tend to get ditched quite easily, so its good to get a bargain here and there!

Zara

My favourite shop had so much stunning spring stuff in when I called in, but sadly most of it is out of bounds for me at the moment. I’m already fantasising about raiding Zara for my post-baby, back to work wardrobe! I only found one piece in there that suited me at the moment:

Striped tshirt maxi dress

Maxi dresses aren’t usually my style, but they are a pregnant ladies best friend, so I’ve had to learn to love them! This one appealed to me as its not too floaty and boho. The crisp nautical stripes and t-shirt style of the dress are much more me.

Its made of my other best friend at the moment – soft, stretch jersey material, which means it
fits nicely over the bump, and hopefully I’ll still be able to get some post-baby wear out of it!

TFNC Navy chiffon maxi dress

I know, I know, more maxi dresses! For someone who didn’t own any before, this is getting to be a bit of a habit.

If you’re in the market for an ‘occasion’ maxi, TFNC (available at ASOS and House of Fraser), seem to have cornered the market in flattering silhouettes. They do very classic, beautiful designs.

If you read regularly, you’ll know that I have a big dilemma this year, because my baby is due to make an appearance right around the time of his auntie’s wedding. Talk about bad timing.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to go as I could be in hospital, or if he’s late, I’ll be really pregnant.

What’s a girl to do? Prepare as many outfit options as possible in my case. If he’s born, I’m thinking of the lime Whistles cocoon dress I bought last month – its loose and forgiving enough. If he’s still
waiting to make an appearance (or even if I just want to), I’m going to wear this beautiful midnight blue maxi.

I doubt I’ll be feeling at my most glamorous, but this dress is loose and flowing enough to make
me feel comfortable. I can pair it with flat sandals for ultimate comfort. And I’ll also be wearing it with…

Gold body chain

To dress up the maxi (and draw attention away from my bulging stomach!), I’m planning to pair it with this stunning gold body chain piece I picked up via eBay.

Its like a necklace, but ten times as dramatic. Its also the kind of accessory you can hide behind a bit if you aren’t quite feeling up to it, body-wise. So that sounds like a plan! Something to throw on that gives a bit of wow factor.

And that was my little clothes and accessories haul this month! What have you been buying recently?