Fashion Journey: The Year of the Bump 2017

Hello, hello! We are nearing the end of my Fashion Journey series where I talk about my fashion steps and missteps, social media learnings, and evolution of my blog along the way.

So where are we at now? 2017, the year of the Bump!

I call it that because this was the year when I was expecting my second child and as a result, I featured a lot of maternity looks.  I also call it the year of the bump because I experienced a rise in my social media following. Pods were becoming a thing back then. Curious to find out how they worked, I hopped on to that "pod" train. It actually resulted in my blog/IG platform getting exposed to a wider audience and connecting me to the mom blogger community within Instagram. A bit about pods: They have their pros and cons. As a blogger, they help to build your following and get more exposure. But my advice is to find a group that you genuinely like to follow and/or support. Otherwise, it feels tiresome and inauthentic to have to comment on accounts which don't resonate with you. I have since then moved away from pods because I personally got disenchanted with them but I do believe they have their merit.

So here's a look at the outfits I sported in 2017 in chronological order!

Side note: Finding interesting backdrops and locations continued to be something I aspired to do for my outfit shoots but it got a bit de-prioritized with my pregnancy!

April 2017: I'm about 6 months pregnant here but you can't tell! This ASOS top was a maternity top which was roomy and comfy. When photographed from the front, you could barely tell that I'm preggers! Pic taken on a trip to Hawaii at Waikiki beach. 

April 2017: On that same trip to Hawaii, I got dressed up for a dinner date with my hubby and Krishnav. This was really our last trip as a family of 3. I love this red ASOS dress. It was simple but the color made a statement and it fit so comfortably as a maternity dress. Guess what? I still have the dress! I got it altered to be able to wear it as a regular dress.

April 2017: Wearing this pink dress from Mogra Designs (beautiful selection of clothes with a fusion or ethnic touch, responsibly sourced and made). It's actually not a maternity dress but because it's flowy, I could easily wear it even when I was expecting. I still own this dress and it's great as a fusion wear piece.

May 2017: I was quite heavily pregnant by now at 8 months. This was not a maternity dress (from Island Shop) but I purchased it in a slightly bigger size to be able to wear it.  

May 2017: None of the outfit pieces here are maternity. Just regular jeans (Gap) and a plain white top (Forever 21) which were purchased in a bigger size at the start of the pregnancy to accommodate my expanding belly! I love that bomber jacket of mine - it's from Forever21! 

June 2017: Final month of pregnancy! I can't believe I was still doing outfit shoots. I must have been crazy! This is a cute maxi dress with a turtle design from Linen n' More (a Singapore boutique known for its linen-based outfits, many of which have a resort-wear vibe). I just added a belt to give some definition to my bump and wore pink heels (I still liked to wear heels at this stage!)

Aug 2017: First post-partum look after my delivery in June. I was so happy to step out for an outing for a short bit with my sister who was visiting me at the time. She took this pic for me! I really liked this neoprene floral skirt from SheIn but unfortunately it got worn out so I had to give it up.

Oct 2017: Black faux-leather skirt with a cropped top from Global Desi. I liked this edgy chic look. I still own both these pieces - come to think of it, why haven't I worn this combo recently? I think I should. What do you say?

Oct 2017: This was a white-on-white look along with a scarf styled as a head band. Simple and classic. Add red lipstick for a pop of color! :)

Oct 2017: Purple dress from Urban Revivo (a store based in Singapore with trendy outfits. I quite like their stuff). I took this pic myself using a remote control and camera timer in Emerald Lane, a street known for its quaint homes. This outfit was taken for a post where I talked about why I love blogging - read it here!

My favorite picture from 2017! Taken in Aug during my birthday month with the photographer being my mom who was visiting at the time! I feel like I looked and felt absolutely fabulous, positive, and happy in this picture! And why not? I was enjoying my maternity leave with my newborn baby and relished every bit of this time I had with my kids! Plus, I think I was still sporting a post-delivery glow! Haha... 

So tell me, which one was your favorite look from this whole year?

If you want to see my fashion evolution from the time I started my blog, refer to these posts!

Fashion Journey Series:
The Year of Discovery 2012
The Year of Change 2013
The Quiet Year 2014
The Year of Fresh Starts 2015
The Prolific Year 2016