Early January I made a little pact with myself. My aim for this year (without calling it a new year’s resolution) was to update myself with a new wardrobe, a new style and in general start to make a bit more effort on a daily basis. Even on days when the only outing may be a trip to the supermarket (you’ll never know who you might bump into or what might happen on the way).

Today is the 22nd March. Only a few days left of the month and the first quarter of 2007 will be gone.

Without having made a structured plan of when or how my style-challenge would take place I realise that very little has happened so far and I find myself putting on my usual uniform of jeans, a t-shirty top and my Converse more and more often. A combination which I swore would only come out every now and then, not on a daily basis. Saying that, on Monday I wore a white long-sleeved ribbed t-shirt, yesterday I wore a black scoop-necked t-shirt and today I am wearing a black v-neck knitted top. And today I also decided to wear my red Converse for a change. Not a complete style-challenge but at least I am trying to vary the look slightly (!?).

I have not visited my hairdresser for some time now and with all my pregnancy-hair growth now falling out by the bunch every time I put a comb through my hair I really need to have something done to my hair-do. What hair-do?

I did have a bit of a clearout of my wardrobe the other day and finally threw out a few things which have not been worn for some time. Felt quite emotional to say goodbye to some old favourites but stayed strong with hope that it will make somebody else happy and that Oxfam would be able to spend the money for good cause. Some relationships just aren’t meant to be forever. My bright cerise hooded zip-up sweater was particularly hard to part with. We go back to about 1995 where we met at Shepherd Bush’s market in West London. I think I paid about £5.00 for it but we became inseparable for the foreseeable future worn as a two-some under my denim-jacket. You might wonder why it is still in my wardrobe (even after about five house-moves)? Well, after the cerise-hooded-sweater-trend was gone (if it was ever there…) I decided it was the perfect nip-down-to-the-gym-top. Bright and colourful, a bit sporty looking and still in good nick. What happened? Well, I just never made it to the gym, and still haven’t… but have kept it in my wardrobe all these years with good intention.

Following clearout I have now got a bit more space in my wardrobe and trust me, I have added a few new pieces to my repertoire this season. I will have to admit I am a bit of a hoarder though. I just don’t like throwing things out until they have seen the end of their shelf life. I just don’t like wasting things whether it being food, clothes or bottles of body lotion. It is the way I was brought up. From dinner-leftovers I make a new meal the next day, old clothes I mend or alter for a new look and always make sure I have used up the last drop of body lotion before tacking in to my new bottle as tempting as it might be. Especially if the new one is some really yummy stuff from e.g. Jo Malone.

As the winter-weather was dragging on I doubt I am the only person with intention to style-challenge myself who managed to forget about my aim. It is only over the past couple of weeks when I suddenly woke up and realised that my body and dress-routine had fallen back into automatic. A bit of sun and warm weather is exactly what I needed to pull my thumbs out and do something. Time to go shopping, booking a hair-dressing appointment, little pampering-treatment (always intended to post-birth-breast-feeding but have not told husband yet), book baby-sitter, buy new lipstick, book table at Rumour winebar (our local) for meal with husband and challenge that style! Yummy mummyhood may not be so far off after all.

Written by Malin Hosie