Interviews / 13 July, 2017 / My Baba

Sassy In The City On Fashion, Blogging And Her Baby Bump

With a following of 29k on Instagram, we just had to speak to fashion and lifestyle blogger Lauren Silvester, the founder of successful luxury blog Sassy In The City to find out her insights on how pregnancy has influenced her fashion and beauty choices.

Lauren – you are renowned for your brilliant and influential fashion sense on Instagram. Where did your passion for all things fashion and beauty begin?

Thank you. Well I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup until I reached about 16, when I certainly made up for lost time! I’d spend hours shopping for Chanel foundation or Clinique lipsticks with my sister and we’d always go home and share our new purchases. In terms of fashion, I feel I’ve only really just found my style having had many a fashion faux pas in the past. Living in London you get quite spoilt with the amount of designer shops on your doorstep so it’s really easy to get carried away – especially in Selfridges!

Motherhood is fast approaching for you! What are you most looking forward to when becoming a mum?

In the beginning of my pregnancy I found the whole mum-to-be thing very daunting. They say you’re never quite ready to have a baby and the anxiety initially sent me in to overdrive. What if I’m not a good mum? What if the baby doesn’t like me? All kinds of concerns! But as I’ve reached the third trimester I’m feeling much more confident about meeting the babe. I’m really looking forward to bath times, seeing my husband become a responsible dad and all the joy a baby will bring us.

How have your fashion choices developed since being pregnant?

I’m way less fussy! I tend to stick to neutral pieces like grey sweaters, skinny jeans, a good Breton… Being pregnant through the summer means I can enjoy some lovely maxi dresses that aren’t necessarily meant for pregnant people. Again they tend to be in blue/white stripe or black and white. I don’t like wearing super loud clothes with a big belly – it makes me feel a bit like “Hello everyone I’ve arrived’, haha.

What is your ‘go to’ item of clothing for both comfort and style whilst pregnant?

Freya have the most amazingly comfortable PJ sets (just go up a few sizes) that I usually put on around 9pm. For the day, it’s always my Mothercare skinny jeans or a nice dress from Jojo Maman Bébé. I’ve a cute short sleeved knitted dress from there that’s quite clingy so you don’t feel like you’re wearing a tent. Their lightweight strap dresses are also worth an investment when you don’t want to wear a lot.

Have you noticed any changes to your skin and hair since becoming pregnant? And if so, what products do you recommend to our readers to combat any pregnancy-related beauty issues?

In the beginning I had the most awful acne flair ups on my chin and jaw line from the waves of hormones. Dermalogica’s MediBac range was by far the best in helping even skin tone, reduce the blemishes and calm the area. I relied on them so much for my wedding in May. I’ve always had ridiculously thick, frizzy hair and pregnancy has meant it doesn’t fall out as much (ladies who have this hair will relate) so it’s a lot more volumised when styled. A good conditioning treatment like the Windle & Moodie intense treatment masque (£32) is great. My sister told me that pregnancy would mean my body would feel dry so I always smother myself in Guinot body cream and coat my belly in Bio Oil or Mama Mio’s Tummy Butter.

What fashion choices do you have in mind for your little baba?

At the moment the wardrobe is mostly grey, cream, white and stripe. Much like mine! I’m a bit obsessed with organic clothing (especially Frugi and Baby Mori). Next have some great cashmere cardi’s in at the moment and AlexandAlexa.com are just fab for designer baby gear. The Stella McCartney and Chloé pieces are expensive but I can’t help myself. Gucci baby is beyond cute and I even saw a Dolce & Gabbana romper that I tried so hard to justify buying! Overall I think as long as you have a mixture of practicality (plenty of basics) and one or two stand out pieces, there’s no need to go out and buy millions of things that baby may only wear once or twice.

Your social media presence is incredibly strong, what tips do you have for our followers who are thinking of starting up their own social accounts?

Like anything, it takes time so be patient. I treat my social media as my blogging business accounts so I try to keep everything as positive as possible. In the past when working for magazines I’ve always been heavily trained on digital and the do’s and don’ts of social media. Hashtags are important, as is being reachable. I always reply to comments on social media and interact with other like-minded people. Essentially you just have to stop agonising over growth and just do what you’re passionate about. Readers in turn will enjoy your content and follow.

When he/she arrives, will your baba feature much on your blog? And will you focus more on blogging parent-related content?

Absolutely, so long as my husband doesn’t have a problem with it! When baby is here it’ll definitely focus a lot more on baby fashion, my challenges and some funny stories. When I set LittleInTheCity.com up I wanted it to be different from SassyInTheCity.com in the sense that it’s much more relatable, honest and humorous. Sassyinthecity.com is edited to show a premium London lifestyle and in turn becomes aspirational and more niche. Littleinthecity.com however is more mass – I want readers to follow my journey rather than being told what to buy or do.

Are you worried about how your work schedule will change once your little one arrives?

I’ve had many moments where the thought of working with a baby has consumed me. I’m not going to deny that maintaining two blogs (plus two new projects that I’m working on) is hard work and very time consuming so throw a baby in to the mix and it’s chaos. My husband is very good at telling me to be realistic. I plan on working around baby nap times and not putting too much pressure on myself. You never get those early months back with your new born!

Finally, how would you sum up your pregnancy journey so far in one sentence?

Tiring, emotional and I’ve learned a lot about myself in terms of how to handle stress and prioritise what’s important!