Sunday 7 – Get your Sweat Hygge On

Hello!  This week’s Sunday 7 has been inspired by a recent sweatshirt purchase I made, which has to be the cosiest sweatshirt I’ve worn in a long, long time.

More on that later…

Further inspo for this post came from today’s ‘Hygge’ prompt from the #mystylephotochallenge which I’m taking part in this month over on Instagram; a month’s worth of daily prompt’s which keep me posting to instagram regularly, plus dilute the monotony of my daily outfit posts.

Much has been written about what ‘Hygge’ is exactly, but in a nutshell, it’s this:

So taking that Hygge thought to the everyday… everyday dressing in particular, what’s not to love about the simple pleasure of wearing a cosy, fluffy sweatshirt?

Given it’s tail-end of February, most of us are done with our winter woollies, wearing them out of necessity, and yet… with the first signs of Spring in the air, we feel suffocated by those roll necks, even though we know it’s not yet quite warm enough to shed too many layers just yet.

Que: the sweatshirt.

A perfect and versatile transitional wardrobe staple.

So… let’s get stuck in shall we?

7. Miss Selfridge Coral Stripe Sleeve Sweatshirt (£22)

Loving the pretty shade of pink (which doesn’t look Coral to me?) on this Miss Selfridge sweatshirt and the fact that it’s described as having a ‘brushed back inner’ means it will most definitely be a cosy number to wear.

The sleeve stripes give it a Varsity feel, and the price point of £22 all make it a winner for me.

However, I can see that the cropped length wouldn’t be for everyone – it’s not going to be a problem for a shortie like me, but yeah, it loses points for being cropped which is why it’s my number 7.

6.  Oasis Shimmer Swallow Sweater (£30)

This is described as a sweater on the Oasis site, but looks like a sweatshirt to me!

The colour-way is ‘multi-gold’ though online looks grey & silver?  Anyhow, it’s a lovely cosy looking piece which, with its shimmer detail would add a bit of oomph to your Sunday jeans+sweat’n’sneaks vibe.

5. Espirit Lightweight Appliqué Sweatshirt (£25)

How adorable is this little drawstring, striped number? And a cute *velvet* appliqué heart to boot!

I would size up in this, just to give it some extra slouch… and the only reason this isn’t a contender for my number one spot this week is that it’s a lightweight, layering sweat rather than a fluffy one!

Esprit is always worth a look for reasonably price, good quality sweatshirts which are that tiny bit different as well.

4. ASOS Calvin Klein Jeans Sweatshirt (£90)

So, even though this one is really rather steep at £90 for what is ultimately a basic sweatshirt, I had to include it simply for its retro status.

There are some things which have come round a second (or indeed, if you’re as old as me, a 3rd time round) which are difficult to go back to.

But this logo sweatshirt is, if I had a spare 90 quid, one such thing I *would* happily go back to wearing and re-live a little of my lost youth!

3. ASOS Le Coq Sportif Flocked Logo Sweatshirt (£45)

I know… another grey sweatshirt.

Sorry – there is some colour coming… I promise.

I’ve always loved the Logo for Le Coq Sportif ever since my brother had a pair of their trainers when we were kids.  Being a tomboy, I really, really wanted a pair but I wasn’t allowed any AND they weren’t any small enough.

I love the simplicity of the design of this one, the matt solid greyness and it is another cosy one for sure.  I’m definitely tempted by this, but I’ve been spoilt with a really good price on my recent purchase so this one being £45 still feels a little steep.

Moving onto colour…

2. Topshop Je Suis Sweatshirt (£29)

In the colour of the moment, this happy, bright sweatshirt is in a great colour and a good price and again, most definitely a cosy number.  But more than the front, it’s the back that has won me over:

This is definitely on my wish list… just looking at it makes me happy and the shock of pink is just the colour injection my somewhat safe, and dreary winter wardrobe  is in need of.

And finally… Klaxon please… my number 1 this week:

1. Mango – Message Cotton Sweatshirt (£20)

Here she is!  My new favourite wardrobe piece.

I bought this bargain sweatshirt in Mango last weekend when I was in London.  It was first brought to my attention about a month ago, by one of my Instapals, Shelley as one of her picks of the week.

And with a view to buying it whilst I was in London, the lovely Tracey posted a pic of herself wearing it on the Friday evening, as I arrived in London… and trust me when I tell you, I couldn’t get to a Mango store fast enough on the Saturday morning to pick it up.

It’s the fluffiest, cosiest sweatshirt I’ve owned for a long time.

And it’s warm.

The colour may well be safe, but it’s also so very me.

I wore it for 3 days straight earlier this week, though admittedly, by the time I got dressed on 2 of those days, it was only a half day’s wear on each (I know, I know… but it’s half term, ok?!) and, having washed it, I’ve pulled it straight out of the mountain of clean laundry that has built up over half term and it’s keeping me cosy as I type this.

Not bad for a 20 quid sweatshirt, eh?

The word ‘Libellule’ also carries some personal significance for me: my friend and I stuck some foam dragonfly stickers onto the bottom of drinking glasses and effectively potato stamped my wedding invites using pretty coloured inks as well as a tiny spot of glitter.

It was a messy business, but for the first few years that followed my wedding, I was invariably given at least one birthday or Christmas present a year with some sort of dragonfly influence.

I confess it did wear thin after the first couple of years, but almost 12 years on, and I’ve learnt to embrace the memory of it all.

And so… onto my Stinker of the Week: if Mango came up trumps with this simple Libellule sweatshirt, it’s really missed the mark for me with this one:

This Bow Cotton Sweater is just everything I don’t want in a sweatshirt… it’s just too fussy.

Or at least, too fussy for me.

I mean, I love a bow… a pussy bow blouse for example, but these bows on this sweatshirt seem to be an after thought… just for the sake of it.

I think I would feel like I’d been gift wrapped by a 5 year old if I wore this.

Though again, this may well be due to my super petite frame which mostly doesn’t allow for me to do anything too ruffly or frilly… or fussy.

And my Wild Card of the week?

Well, it’s kinda hard to go too ‘wild’ with a sweatshirt, but I suppose I’d go with this one, primarily because of the colour:

Now first off, I cannot lay claim to coming across this sweatshirt in my own ‘high street’ research for this blog post.

I came across it on the lovely & stylish Cover Mum‘s blog.

But as it’s a favourite colour of mine, it instantly screamed out at me to click on the link and buy.

However, this Claudie Pierlot ‘Travel Pull’ doesn’t come cheap… it’s £135.

And although I am a big, big fan of the colour mustard yellow, and always have a little smattering of it in my wardrobe (and soft furnishings!), I do think it’s a tricky colour to pull off when it’s next to your face.

So how would I style it?

Look 1 – Feminine: Pairing a sweatshirt with a pleated or tulle skirt would be the obvious way to bring a touch of femininity to the look, but this Topshop Gingham Ruffle Skirt has my heart at the moment (even though I’ve not tried it and know it would be too long for me) plus a trusty pair of Adidas Stans.

Look 2 – Preppy: In order to break the yellow up from being against the skin, wearing a collared shirt, like a this simple Gap White Shirt under it, breaks both the colour up and adds a preppy edge.  But I’ve still kept it simple with the some Donna Ida cigarette jeans and some Destiny loafers as ultimately, I’m not a naturally ‘smart smart’ kind of dresser.

Look 3 – Masculine: Ok, this isn’t the most masculine over-all look, but by pairing the sweatshirt with more masculine tailoring (a favourite look of mine) your sweatshirt is instantly smartened –   these Topshop crops would look fab with a yellow (or navy!) sweatshirt.  I’ve opted for a pair of Furry Sliders to finish this look but a sneaker or loafer would work just as well.Just throw on a Blazer or a Biker to finish any of these looks off.

If you are wondering whether you can pair a sweatshirt with heels, you most certainly can – just take a look at the Claudie Pierlot styling above.

So you see, Hygge doesn’t have to be about hunkering down for an evening with a candle lit bath followed by a pamper followed by… Hygge really is about taking pleasure from the very simplest of things.

For me, my Mango sweatshirt, being so cosy and easy to wear has certainly made me get my Hygge on this week:

 

How about you? Are you already a sweatshirt fan like me?  or do they just remind of  you of students / teens?

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Bx