I'm discussing something on the blog today which I don't like to talk about; that metaphorical elephant in the room (and this I how I can feel at times)



I've never been skinny. I've always been an eater and with that comes the inevitable accompanying size. Words such as stocky, chunky and solid have been used by myself and others to describe me and I just accepted it. I don't exercise and I am no longer sticking to a controlled diet. 


Around 4 years ago, I lost over 2.5 stone by attending Slimming World meetings. Over the course of 3 months, I steadily lost weight at a reasonable and attainable rate and thought I had it cracked. It wasn't rocket science; just eat less crap.


I managed to maintain the weight loss for around a year before old habits began to creep back in. I became lazy and stopped preparing food from scratch and I would add the odd chocolate bar (or 2) to my work tea break.
My nice new wardrobe of clothes I had bought in celebration and reflection of my slimmer self became increasingly limited as I had to dig out older pieces from when I was heavier.

Jumping back to present times and I'm currently at the heaviest I've ever been. I've sized up my clothes and with that, lost a lot of interest and spark in my style.

I keep my self-deprecating sense of humour as best as I can as I know I've only myself to blame for my weight gain. I can't seem to keep motive and momentum at the minute to stick to healthy eating and I can't bring myself to engage with the social aspect of something like Slimming World. I am guilty of eating emotionally and eating when I'm bored.
Consciously, my blog & social media photos rarely feature full-length shots unless I have prepped myself with a jacket or adjusted my shirt. I've become a master in cropping and adjusting photos to draw attention away from my belly....

The point of this post is to answer the question:



I'm not encouraging or defending size, but I want to get back to the core statement I wrote when I started my blog.  Finding clothes to express your personality and and clothes to fit and make you feel more confident or comfortable.



My self has changed since I started my blog. It has become more casual and more of a uniform to me; perhaps this is maturity and knowledge in what I know suits me and what I feel I can carry well.
If you know what works for you, you are one of the lucky ones who can dip into and steal from the trends rather than being dictated by them.
I've moved from the dapper/dandy look that was popular a few years ago to one inspired by Japanese and Scandinavian minimalism. Work wear, pared down street wear and iconic menswear classics. A colour palette populated with the versatile shades of navy, grey, beige and khaki.

• Selvedge denim and stretch chinos. My oddly proportioned legs don't suit straight legged trousers so I stick to stretch as they sit better on my frame and look better with my selection of footwear.
• Cotton or flannel shirts; Oxford by preference
• T-shirts are block colour or graphic print. I've abandoned logos and novelty
• Boots and simple trainers. While I still am a huge brogues fan. I wear them more selectively. Simple does not mean boring; while the colours can be bold, the design remains minimal.
• Lightweight jackets have replaced blazers.

At the start of the month, we took a 3 day city break to Warsaw.







I've always had a fascination with the abandonment and dereliction of urban spaces and while these apartments and town houses are still lived in, there's a run-down sadness to their communal spaces.

• Avoid visiting on May Day. Seriously. Nothing is open.
• The ZTM public transport system is great; with unlimited weekend passes from 24PLN (less than a fiver) and operates from 7pm on Friday to 8am on Monday. These tickets are available in most underground stations and allows you on all buses, trams, trains and underground. 
• We stayed in Lea Platinum serviced apartments rather than a hotel. It gave us much more space with a proper living room and kitchen. It would be great for a group getaway.
• Get yourself a Monzo card. I said this in my Berlin blog post and will say it again. It's accepted everywhere and gives you a better rate for cash withdrawal.
• While there are free walking tours available, they weren't worth the price. We joined (and left) 3 tours, either through poor guidance or oversized groups. While you can't blame people for taking advantage of a free tour, we found the guides struggled to engage and manage such group sizes.
• The GBP is pretty strong against the zloty, making food and drink relatively cheap for city prices. If you are heading over for shopping, prices in high street chains are on par.
• We discovered a great restaurant near our apartments called Stixx. A fusion restaurant/bar serving delicious (and amazingly priced) food and a WIDE range of drinks. Be sure to give it a go!

With the weather finally taking a turn for the better, I thought it about time I broke out the SPRIDD products IKEA recently sent me.


SPRIDD is a collaborative limited collection with British designer Kit Neale;  a range of outdoors, home and fashion pieces with a real 90's pop-art feel. 



Living up to the translation of scattered, the collection is a fun mix of practical whimsy; travel mugs, stationery and accessories are given a twist of bold patterns and bright colours.




I really like the mix of monochrome prints and the alternatives repeated in similar patterns but with vibrant clashing summer shades.






The kind team also sent me a wildly patterned 2-man tent; I haven't erected [snigger] this just yet. I'm thinking we save it for a weekend trip away with the dogs later in the summer. However, 2 blokes in a 2-man tent with 2 dogs might be a tight squeeze... 
The more I think about it, I might just have a sleepover in the front garden!