Absolutely Nothing To Wear : Uzes, a style all of its very own

The danger with buying clothes whilst on holiday, is that you can often find yourself being swayed towards a style you would never normally wear and which never seems to translate terribly well back home.  This is a particular danger in Uzes where they have a style all of their very own – a sort of Marie Antoinette meets shabby sexy hippy kind of look – fabulous on the right person but not at all on the wrong. Let me give you a little example, although this one involves a man but you’ll get the idea – there is a little shop off the main square, which sells beautiful cotton Mousquetaire shirts. They have them in all sizes and on children they can look rather sweet. They are large and billowing and fastened at the neck with a laced ribbon which criss crosses up the front. Think Dartanian, or Dogtanian if, like me, you preferred that version. The father of a friend, who shall remain nameless, came to Uzes a few years ago and bought himself one of these local Mousquetaire fashion blouse / shirts and continued to wear it back home in South London paired with jeans and Crocs for his Sunday lunch at home look. I don’t think I need say any more.

This is quite an extreme example and to be honest, there were about 20 dresses I could have quite happily bought and which at home, worn with a leather jacket and biker boots, would have been rather lovely. This brings me on to perhaps the best shop I have ever visited. L’Atelier Des Ours is located on one of the little side streets a moment away from the main square – for those unfamiliar with Uzes, it is a little like Venice without the canals – and sells all these fabulous Uzes style clothes for women and children. In amongst the swathes of linen and lace and florals and silk, there are vintage tins and toys and signs and glass plates with domes and dolls and all sorts of lovely treasures. It’s a little hard to tell what’s for sale and what isn’t but you have the feeling that the lady would happily sell you anything if you asked…..and had enough pennies. The floor downstairs as you enter is covered in fine sand which somehow makes you feel immediately excited but also quiet and careful. This is not a shop for the children! There’s a delicious ice cream stand at the cafe next door which will keep them amused while you take it all in.

I was so tempted I can’t tell you and even more so watching a customer flouncing around the shop making sharp intakes of breathy excitement as she tried on another layered skirt over her silk floral slip. It’s hard to tell whether it was the surroundings which made me love it all or the clothes themselves. So back home to the English countryside and do I wish I’d indulged myself or am I happy back in my ubiquitous jeans and sweatshirt look? It’s hard to tell. I haven’t returned home particularly longing for anything I saw, apart from the glass cloches, the 1950s school desk, the chalk board, the pretty floral sun dress, the cast iron bath, the vintage signs and tins, the wardrobes, the brown leather laced ankle boots, the 1920s hat box……no, absolutely nothing at all really.

Absolutely Nothing To Wear when you’re pregnant….

Let me start by saying I’m NOT pregnant but have written this for a few fabulous girlfriends who are.

There has to be more to pregnancy fashion than elasticated waists and smock tops. There just has to be. But what? I’ve been through it twice now and remember it oh so very clearly indeed. For someone who loves clothes and adores dressing up in the morning, I was pretty excited at the prospect of finding a whole new style of my own…..that was the first pregnancy, by the second I was sick to the back teeth of it and didn’t really put a huge amount of effort in to the style side of having a baby.

Child number one was conceived and carried and given birth to in London where I was still working and life had to pretty much carry on as normal. I had to be well turned out every single day and although the sample rail was pretty much out of bounds after the first 3 months, I had find a way to dress up and look the part. I always like to look for a style muse at times like these, someone I admire and would quite happily fashionably emulate. My pregnancy muse number 1 was Sofia Coppola. She did a smock, swing and shift dress better than anyone I’d ever seen and always looked chic and neat and stylishly preppy. My ideal look. So that’s what I did. I didn’t buy a single piece of maternity wear, I didn’t go near any skinny jeans with massive elasticated waists – they’ve always terrified me those things – I just decided jeans were out for the next year or so and alternatives had to be found. I wore dresses, every single day. Dresses I already had in my wardrobe paired with tights, or leggings when the sun came out, and all worn with some rather fabulous patent Celine pumps which I bought in 4 colours – pink, yellow, red and cream. PPQ smock dresses proved the best, as did American Retro (I bought two brilliant ones in Paris) and COS was my saviour for long sleeve cotton tees which covered both bump and bottom beautifully and they also do some of the very best oversized but flattering shirts, dresses and sweaters you’re likely to find on the highstreet. The other thing I love about COS, while I’m on the subject again, are the fabrics. Never cheap, always long lasting no matter now many times you wash and superbly comfortable to wear whatever “state” you may be in.

The last few weeks before baby number 1 arrived and I stopped work, I lived in my husbands Intimissimi pants, a pair of his old Levis and enormous t-shirts and vests. Needless to say I didn’t really care anymore I just wanted to get on with it and stop feeling gigantic.

Baby number 2 was a different matter all together. We’d moved to the countryside, I was working part time as a PR consultant whilst looking after my 1 year old, and I felt completely dreadful pretty much all the time. Dresses and patent pumps were no longer necessary – more was the shame – and I found myself in leggings for the most part worn with my faithful COS long sleeved tees and 3 brilliant maternity cardigans from Marks and Spencers. 2 black and 1 dark grey. I think they call them “Waterfall” cardigans, long on the sides and shorter at the back. Marvelous for covering up whilst being surprisingly flattering and incredibly easy to wear. And when it got hot – both my boys were Summer babies – I went kaftan crazy. Wore one every day for the last few weeks and loved every minute of it. So by the time he arrived I was freckled and fat and floating around Oxfordshire, dressed like a very happy hippy indeed.

So in conclusion, my tips for as stylish a pregnancy as possible are as follows – invest in some pretty pumps which you like looking at – even when you can’t see your feet any more, other people can and pretty shoes are important – go to COS and stock up on long sleeve tees, the ones with the thumb holes are the best, and wear dresses as much as you can – you can just belt them when your waistline goes back to normal. Finally get yourself a couple of M&S cardigans to keep everything looking tidy. Oh and leggings are a must I’m afraid. I found American Apparel do the best cotton lycra ones which are long and don’t bag at the knee too prematurely. The last thing you need to be worrying about is baggy knees, it’s enough to spoil the entire day before you’ve even started.

And don’t forget to buy yourself a pretty nightdress or nightshirt for the birth. I bought a white cotton one from Princess Tam Tam at Fenwick. There’s something strangely comforting in knowing you’ve made an effort to look nice even when you’re swearing at the midwife.

Mother’s wardrobe

Having spent the best part of my teenage years borrowing (stealing) clothes out of my Mother’s wardrobe, it was really quite exciting when today she invited me to take a look at some things I might like. Even at the tender age of 36, other people’s clothes, always seem so much nicer than my own. Being given something that you haven’t had to shop for or, lets be honest, pay for is such a lovely treat and quite frankly, I now have some pretty good stuff in my wardrobe thanks to today.  

She’s quite a neat dresser, my Mum, lots of Agnes B and Comptoir Des Cotonniers mixed with a bit of Cos and Zara – really can’t sniff at any of that – and there have been many many times I’ve caught myself feeling rather envious of certain ensembles. She’s always been very good at separates and wears a tailored cotton shirt perfectly and capri pants better than anyone else I know. She bought the most fabulous white tuxedo jacket from Zara recently which I had to really force myself to congratulate whilst being quietly furious not to have seen it first.

So I write this dressed head to toe in my mum’s clothes; Agnes B sleeveless pale blue cotton shirt and Zara skinny white capris, smelling of Coco Chanel, drinking a cup of fresh coffee and flicking idly through the pages of Cote Sud. Today, I am my Mother. How lovely.