Updating My Wardrobe on a Budget

I don't usually buy a lot of clothes for myself, apart from work shoes and occasionally replacing my black abaya's (they seem to rip at the shoulders and get threadbare at the bottom where I tread on them a lot). After a few years of wearing gifted clothes however, I started to feel really dowdy, so I thought I would update my wardrobe a little with things that are to my taste and not blingy, or baggy, or too bright.

When I buy clothes I have to make sure they are comfortable because I am always on the move, semi-smart because we often have people coming and going though the house and I want to look nice for my family and also modest.  They have to also be accommodating for when I make wudhu (ablutions) and do my prayers - so sleeves that are easy to pull up and trousers that are long enough to cover to my ankles when I pray.

My idea of updating my wardrobe is by no means going on a spree, I am on a strict budget.  So I was quite pleased by what I found in the end of sale racks last week.

This dress was from M&S's Autograph range which I really like.  It was reduced from £45 to £18 and has ruching across the stomach to hide some of the baby weight I have yet to shift.  I really like the print of this.

I found these trousers in the same shop reduced from £35 I think to £6.  They are a super comfortable warm fabric with a herringbone print.  I normally never wear prints with prints, but these trousers went really nicely with the dress above.

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These very wide-legged trousers were also from M&S and were reduced from £35 to £7.  They are nice and light for summer with a satin waistband and go with the upcoming trend for shorter tunics and very wide palazzo-style pants that is coming though in Asian clothes.

It has been ages since I bought a new coat.  I have been wearing hand-me-downs from my sisters (which I very much appreciated and didn't mind at all), but they are all slimmer than me, so this is the first coat I have had in about two years which lets me close the buttons - which feels a bit strange (I can stop telling my husband when he asks why I don't shut my buttons, not to worry because it's not that cold).  It's also from M&S and was reduced from £100 to £48 and is a cashmere mix.  It's a little boring, but it is nice and warm and it's kind of  a classic shape.

This week I found this lovely dress which was reduced from £30 to £18 (the website says £20, but I found it cheaper in a local department store).  It's warm and comfortable and I like the houndstooth check print on the sides.

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In the same shop I found this David Jones clutch reduced to £10.  It's quite big (almost the size of my weekend cross-body handbag and I like the colour.  I've never heard of the brand before but there is a black version here for £30.

In all I'm quite pleased with my buys and I have been enjoying wearing my new clothes.  The other little find that I have made that I would share is the hair serums from Hask that I found for £2.50 at Primark.  The Argan oil smells pleasantly of oranges and really helps to make my hair manageable. 

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This is the Keratin Protein version and doesn't have the scent and is very, very light when you pour it out.  If you have slightly dry hair like me, I would definitely recommend these.  There are Macadamia and Monio oil versions too, but I haven't been able to find these.

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