Monkee Genes; A Review

I have wanted a pair jeans from of Monkee Genes for a couple of years - ever since I discovered that such a company existed- but I assumed I would not be able to afford them. 

Monkee Genes makes organic, fairly traded unisex jeans and trousers. 

The Monkee Genes slogan and promise is: 

NO BLOOD

NO SWEAT

NO TEARS

This is exactly what I am looking for when buying fairly traded clothes. A company that cares about every part of the manufacturing process and can honestly say that every person involved in making their clothes is paid a fair wage. Something else I look for is good quality, good looking and comfortable clothes (also ideally not too hippyish). Monkee Genes fit the bill.

My photos don't quite do them justice (my photographer could do with going on a course - or he could buy me a tripod!)

My new jeans are purple, made of bamboo and fit really nicely. The bamboo gives them a nice stretch and a relaxed fit, they stay in shape all day.

Monkee Genes have a big choice of fit and colours. 

Prices range from £50 -£70 which is a reasonable for good quality jeans.

 My pair were a freaking steal! I shopped the sale- naturally. 

I paid £15 and £5 postage. 

I would buy another pair in another colour but I think I should probably wait until Autumn as I don't wear jeans that much over summer.

I got really confused about the sizing because the size is in man sizes, but there is an easy conversion chart on the website, I followed its advice and they fit great.

The only thing I'm not too keen on is the length of the front pockets. I think it's because they are unisex, my phone and change get lost half way down my leg. In the grand scheme of things this is just a niggle.

T-shirt- Wombat, Jeans- Monkee Genes, Pumps- Newlook

I hope that next time you want to buy a pair of jeans you will look at the Monkee Genes website and see if you can find a pair you like. If you are going to spend the money on jeans anyway, why not try Monkee Genes.

First night out - What I Wore

Last Friday I got to go to my Friend Abbie's 30 birthday bash. I couldn't go to all of it because they went for a meal starting at 6.30pm and I had to be home to feed Fred before bed.

I did manage to have time to straighten my hair, put on some make up, choose my outfit and paint my nails. It was luxurious!

It was lovely to get out to see people I haven't seen for a while and do something completely unrelated to Fred. But of course everyone just wanted to talk about him. Its funny people often complain that mums only talk about their children and are very boring, but most people bought the conversation around to him!

Oh well it was still enjoyable, and I got to have a REAL cocktail!

My challenge to myself this year is to only buy fairly traded or second hand clothes. 

This skirt is from People Tree, it was in the sale before Christmas.

 I LOVE IT. 

There are so many good things about the skirt.

 I love where it sits on my waist, that I can manage to fit a cardigan underneath it, that it is the perfect length for picnics, it has lovely deep pockets, and it doesn't need ironing!

We don't have a huge amount of money to spend on clothes, so both Jamie and I try to buy things that we will keep and wear for years to come. 

I don't follow fashion too closely, I just wear clothes that are comfortable and make me feel pretty. 

The cardigan pictured I have had for 7 years (I know that is probably taking it a bit too far) I have had to mend hole in it and re-dye it. Finding the perfect black cardigan is so difficult that I gave up and mended the one I had. 

It has seen better days.

Fairly traded clothes can be expensive, for the obvious reason - everyone in the supply chain is being paid a fair wage. To make my money stretch further I often take advantage of the end of or mid season sales. I have just ordered some Jeans from Monkee Genes that I found in their sale section, they were a steal at £15!

These photos have made me realise I need some new pumps, they are a state.

Top Ten Tips for shopping at Charity shops

My challenge to myself this year is to only buy second hand or fair trade clothes. This is already difficult as all of my clothes are too big! My bum has disappeared so even my smallest pair of jeans are baggy. I never used to like my big bum but now it has gone I miss it!  So I need some more jeans and trousers. Unfortunately I have only bought one successful pair of jeans from a charity shop but I have bought many tops, cardigans and dresses that are now well incorporated in to my wardrobe.

For our day out at the Harry Potter studio tour I wore two of my favourite charity shop finds.

My red jeans I bought from a charity shop in Manchester for £5.99. I was pregnant so it was a bit of a gamble as to whether they would fit me or not. The gamble paid off I LOVE them. They are one of the two pairs of trousers that still look OK on my small butt. My top is my most recent charity shop buy. My friend Jen found it and made me try it on. I wasn't convinced when I saw it on the hanger but it really suits me, it is good for breast feeding and makes me feel a little fancy. It cost £4.99.

I have been shopping in Charity shops for clothes for 8 years now so I have gathered some top tips:

1. Go with an open mind - Every time I shop knowing I need a certain item I come home disappointed, but if I go just to see what I can find I find some lovely things.

2. Try before you buy - too many times I have decided that an item of clothing will fit me without trying it on. Second hand clothes may have been stretched or misshapen and you wont necessarily notice unless you try them on.

3. Set yourself a budget - Just because your spending money in a charity shop doesn't mean you are saving money. I have spent too much before and didn't notice because I was only spending a few pounds in my favourite charity shop every couple of days.

4. Take Cash - Most Charity shops now take cards but it is easier to keep an eye on what you are spending when you use cash.

5. Only buy things you love - It is not worth even a pound if you aren't going to love and wear it regularly.

6. Take a friend - It is good to have a level headed friend who knows your style and size as he / she may spot something that you wouldn't have noticed and they can keep you under control if you get the urge to splurge.

7. Make a day of it - If you have time it is worth taking an afternoon or a day every now and then to properly explore all of the charity shops in your town. 

8. Make friends with the volunteers in your favourite charity shop - Since having Fred it has been so much easier to start conversations with some of the older ladies in one of my favourite charity shops. They are happy to keep an eye on Fred for me while I try things on and they will give me their opinion if I don't have friend with me.

9. If you have the chance it is always worth travelling to a posh town or village and finding their charity shops. They often have better quality, less worn clothes.

10. Donate your own clothes - if people don't keep donating good quality clothes charity shops will not have good things for you to find. I like to think I have some friends that I have never met who are my size and share my style. We are effectively swapping clothes whilst donating money to charity. 

Sale on at People Tree

If you have been reading this blog for a while you will know that I try to shop responsibly, this includes trying to buy clothes that are either from charity shops or are fairly traded. This is sometimes pretty difficult because I have a limited clothes budget and finding particular things you need when charity shop shopping can be almost impossible, so I refuse to beat myself up about shopping in Next or New Look for things every now and then.

When there is a great sale on a People Tree I get excited and go shopping guilt free! People Tree is a pioneer in Fair trade and environmentally friendly fashion. Which can sometimes mean the clothes are a little out of my price range. But they currently have a mega sale, free delivery on orders over £30 AND a cheeky extra 10% off the sale price!

Here are some of my favourite finds...

This really cute cat T-shirt is only £16.20 down from £45! and it has cats on it, what more do you want?

 This dress is more expensive at £43.00 (it was £60) but it is green, has bicycles on it and the model obviously feels sassy.

And look at this sausage dog scarf! perfect for cheering you up on a cold day, only £20.16 reduced from £32.

If you are not a size 10 you can get a goody bag, with 4 items of clothing and an accessory for only £35!

You can't return or exchange the items you get, but after reading the reviews I think it is a good gamble! I would do it in a heart beat but they don't have a pack available in my size : (

Blog Lovin and my favourite outfit at the moment

Just a little note to let you know I have signed up to Blog lovin!

You can follow me HERE

This is my favourite outfit of the moment, comfy, cool and light.

 Also suitable for work!

Pregnancy update

24 Weeks Pregnant.

My belly feels pretty huge some days, although I am aware that I still have some belly growing to do!

I realise the above photo is not very flattering but it does show the belly in its full glory! :)

I bought this skirt soon after I found out I was pregnant it is not maternity, i'm still not wearing many pregnancy clothes. I complained loudly on facebook about the terrible choice of maternity clothes and people gave many opinions and suggestions, in the end I decided I had to work it out my own way.

So far I have bought

   - one dress (which i haven't worn) 

   - one top which I like but is a little baggy

   - a belly band to hide my undone trousers
   - a pair of awesome leggings
   - two maternity / nursing bras
   - some bigger knickers (yes it seems my butt is bigger too! :( )

   - some long strap tops to cover my belly when wearing normal t-shirts

and lots of second hand non maternity clothes at a clothing swap some ladies hosted at church. It was a great evening and I came home with a huge bag of swag!

If you see me around looking inappropriate due to my reluctance to invest in maternity clothes, please do tell me! 

New Hats

I got my wish for a new hat... or two

 I found some lovely wool in hobbycraft (it is unusual for me to visit hobby craft, I find the staff aren't very helpful and it is generally over priced) and I made this hat. 
 

 I am quite proud of myself and I'm really happy to have a new hat to wear that fits my tiny head!

My second hat is for Cambodia, and not exactly suitable for the winter weather.

It will hopefully keep my head cool in the heat of the sun (my freezing hands are so happy to type that!) and shade my face.

Hats

It is cold, and dark and I would like to hibernate... please?

Failing hibernation i would like a new hat, I'm thinking a may knit one, in need of some inspiration i had a little hunt around the internet. Here are some of the best...

This hat is a snip at only £180!!! It is hand knitted but still more than I would spend on a winter coat and some new boots put together. I suppose if hats really are your bag and you have ludicrous amounts of money why not. Don't get me wrong i really like it and I would like one but I haven't got a spare £180 lying around. Find it here

 

I love a novelty item and this hat from Next has it all, pom poms, big eyes aaaaannnd matching gloves! They can both be yours (or mine) for only £18. Find them here.

 

I am also a sucker for an over-sized bobble, I don't know why the model is looking so unhappy, the thought of having that bobble on my head fills me with joy, but alas it is sold out. Probably because it had been reduced to only £3 an absolute bargain. I found it here

 

This hat is also a bargain and I like it a lot. It would be quite a difficult knitting project though as I just want an easy to knit and wear hat adding more colours is just faffy. It is only £5 though so maybe I will buy this and knit myself another one. I do like hats a lot after all... I found it here

Just to make your day I thought I would share possibly the best hat and wearer combo on the internet...

 

Too funny for words and some how pretty cute!

The pug and the photo belong to Elise and I found it on her blog A Beautiful Mess

Happy hat day.

Last week of Skirts and Dresses (30 before 30)

Sorry it's late, but here it is -

my last week of wearing skirts and dresses for July.

Boy am I glad to wear trousers again!

I have worn jeans for the last three days, it feels good.

I have enjoyed this challenge, it has made me think more creatively about what I wear and I have put more effort in to my appearance.

I went to a hen party last weekend, we went mountain-boarding and I even wore a skirt then!

I will share some of the photos from that great weekend soon.

I have now crossed 4 items from my 30 before 30 list.



Skirts and Dresses week 3 (30 before 30)

This weeks outfit posts... I'm still finding it difficult spacing the photos! 

Aggrevating...

Sorry it is two days late, been very busy this week, working lots and doing lots in the evenings too! 

Oh well I am now officailly on HOLIDAY!!!

I do like my job but it is great to have 2 and a half weeks work free stretching out infront of me.

 

 

SO they aren't in the order I wore them but they are sort of lined up!

Only one week left of skirts and dresses!

 To be honest I can't wait. I don't mind wearing them but it does seriously limit my wardrobe. And now that it is SUNNY I would like to be able to frolick (yes I do frolick) without worrying about whether or not my dress is riding up!

Anyway I hope you are all enjoying the sunshine.

 Don't forget to wear suncream!

Skirts and Dresses (30 before 30)

Week 2 of dresses and skirts has presented new challenges, I forgot to take photos for two days this week so I had I recreate those days outfits the next day!

I have enjoyed my friends and work colleagues checking I am wearing a skirt or a dress every day they see me.

 

For some reason I can't get the photos to line up! 

oh well.

 You get the idea.

I am going to have to start repeating outfits now. I considered borrowing skirts and dresses from my Friends, but i have realised that I want to be realistic. I have already changed the way I'm getting dressed (often i would wear the same outfit more than once).

Week one of skirts and dresses

So the first week of skirts and dresses has finished, this is what i wore...

 This challenge started well and I felt really positive about it, but a week on its becoming more difficult because:- 

1. I'm worried i don't have enough clothes to keep this varied

2. I am not enjoying having my picture taken, partially because it has been such bad weather we have had to take every photo inside 

3. Some days I feel self conscious.