The #BrumBloggers Oasis Fashion Event

This is a sponsored post.

We are so lucky in Birmingham! We have such a wonderful community of bloggers in our area, and I absolutely love when I get chance to hang out with my blogging colleagues. Earlier this month, I was invited to a fun fashion-filled evening at Oasis in the Bullring, to check out their new collections and take some much needed advice from their stylists Danni and Anty.

If you’re a Mother reading this, I don’t need to tell you what a struggle it is to get your head around ‘fashion’ after you’ve had a baby. The whole ball game changes. Your body proportions change, so even if you’re lucky enough to fit back into your pre-pregnancy clothes, they just don’t look the same. Add to that the challenge of ensuring every outfit is ‘breastfeeding-friendly’ (a term I hate, by the way), and looking into the wardrobe every morning can be a bit of a frustrating experience. Or maybe it’s just me?

For a long time, it felt like a wasted effort to even bother. I had more important things to worry about – like keeping a tiny human alive – and hey, even if I did wear something nice, it invariably ended up covered in spit-up, poo or milk. Seriously, what was the point? But now, I’ve realised the transformative power of a good outfit. I know how much of a difference it makes to my day, and to Pickle’s day, when I feel confident and empowered. I know it’s worth spending the time, and money, on.

Oasis clothes have been a staple of my wardrobe for a long time. They just suit me, so being able to spend a couple of hours, child free, to browse the store was my idea of heaven. It was a treat. And I couldn’t believe how many pieces I fell in love with (that stripey skirt above is my absolute FAV). Anty, one of the stylists at the Bullring store, was brilliant – she just got me! I think we have very similar tastes in style so she was able to point me in the direction of the things she’d think I like, as well as steer me in some new directions I’d have previously cast aside as ‘not for me’. I still can’t quite make up my mind whether I like the hot pink jumpsuit. As a pastels-loving girl, I think I still need some extra confidence to wear such a bright colour… but the more I look at it, the more it grows on me.

I’ve been constantly checking the Oasis website ever since. Waiting for payday to roll around so I can treat myself to a few new pieces to jazz up my wardrobe and my ‘Mum-style’. We’ve got a few summer weddings around the corner too, and Oasis seems to be the place for wedding guest outfits – I spotted so many Oasis outfits at the wedding we were at last night! Is that a bit sad that I’ve been looking at the website and in store so much that I could recognise them? I’m going to be booking in a proper styling session with the Oasis girls so they can get me sorted. Anyone else feel more of a pressure to not look drab and dowdy when you know you’re going to be with lots of your non-Mum friends? Especially as we’ll be heading to a couple of these weddings toddler-free, I just want to live the dream of sitting elegantly in some kind of beautiful orangery or conservatory, basking in the sunlight surrounded by lots of plants, sipping on cocktails with a sparkle in my eye and a little bit of sass in my walk.

I didn’t know whether to share this either… wondering whether it sounded a bit silly or vain… but I cannot tell you how amazed I was during this event to realise I’d dropped a dress size too. I’ve been doing Slimming World for about a month now and I’ve been loving it. You can read a bit more about why I’m trying to live a healthier lifestyle, and even though I don’t necessarily buy into a number on the sales or hanger determining your beauty or worth, it felt like one step closer to regaining some of my old pre-baby identity back. That said, I couldn’t help but enjoy some of the delicious food treats during the event laid on for us by Bill’s Restaurant at the Bullring – where I’d had breakfast not long before with some of my Johnson’s Baby Ambassador pals.

It was such a treat to see some of the #BrumBloggers lot again – the lovely Sarah Cale and Domanique who I’d met before, and I LOVE seeing Emily’s outfits on her Instagram, so really pleased to have had a chance to say hello – in a gorgeous Joanie Clothing dress, no less! I’m very much hoping to go along to another #BrumBloggers meet up this coming week – Ting does a great job at organising these and I love a good natter, even if it’s sometimes a bit nerve-wracking at first.

Have you had a nose at the Natural History Collection at Oasis yet? What do you make of it?

Disclaimer: this is a sponsored post, but I was not paid by Oasis or BrumBloggers for this coverage or for my attendance of the fashion event at the Bullring in Birmingham. All opinions and views remain my own, and as always, is 100% honest.