This week we get to know the beautiful and stylish, expecting mum Amanda Clippingdale. We talk slow fashion & how to source from op-shops, same sex relationships and the logistics of falling pregnant.
Work?
By the seaside at The Pocket espresso bar.
Eat?
Avocado toast & halloumi… for a while there It was Vegemite on pancakes…..
Play?
Beach time… or pottering around home.
Listen?
Podcast: Wise Traditions by Weston A. Price Foundation
Where do you live?
My partner Nelly and I live on the Sunshine Coast by the ocean where we truly do live by the motto ‘play more than you work.’ Very important to us.
We live a slow life spending our days getting around in our old Land cruiser & relaxing at the beach as much as we can before the arrival of our baby boy in October.
A little about yourself..
I moved to the Sunshine Coast over seven years ago from Tasmania and have never looked back. I met my partner through work, we got engaged & decided to start a family here. I started a small online business buying & selling vintage which has been put on hold whilst we start our family.
What does your morning routine look like?
My morning usually starts with a walk (almost a waddle at this stage haha) at sunrise along the beach, followed by breakfast at home on the front deck in the sunshine. I love to potter around my home, slowly organising the house for the baby's arrival. We have just started to set up the nursery which is so exciting!
What are your tips for anyone wanting to start sourcing vintage and selling?
The biggest thing for me was staying true to my style. Buying pieces that I would want to wear myself or have sitting in my own home... which a lot of it I do.
Patience is a huge thing when buying and selling vintage and pre-loved. Some times I would come home with a car full of treasures and then there were days I would come home empty handed after hours of searching. I find it incredibly rewarding finding a piece and seeing it go to a new home to be treasured by someone else.
This is getting me excited to relaunch my website!
Favourite brands for pregnancy
I am super passionate about investing in neutral, quality pieces that I know I will have for years to come. I’m not purchasing maternity clothing as such, but rather wearing pieces that I know will stretch & change with my growing body that i can wear after birth too! My style has always been quite oversized & relaxed so I’ve been able to utilise a lot of what i already had! I am obsessed with Nagnata, Boheme Goods, Deiji studios and St Agni: shopping second hand & I am absolutely eyeing off the By Billie Knit shorts that are in the spring drop! Love!
Ok, time to get personal.. being in a same sex relationship what were the logistics of you falling pregnant?
Nelly & i laugh every time we tell this story as it’s a little unconventional…
Doctors surgeries & clinics aren’t really a place where we feel calm and content so we personally wanted to avoid these places as much as we could. It was really important to us to Start this journey in the least stressful way possible, surrounded by likeminded people.
We found our donor on an app…. Yes you read that correctly.. haha. We got extremely lucky & have been able to form a friendship with the man that helped us on this journey.
Talk to us about pregnancy so far…
We changed my diet dramatically before attempting to fall pregnant. Already eating mainly organic I reintroduced meat after 15 years of vegetarianism & I think the foundation of this diet is the reason I have had a breezy pregnancy. It happened very quickly for us & I have enjoyed every minute of watching & feeling my body stretch & grow. Knowing I am now two is the most beautiful thing in the world to us.
You are home birthing?
Yes! After doing a tonne of research we decided this was the best option for us. We hired a lovely midwife & are preparing to birth at home in our own space where we feel most comfortable & can climb straight into our own bed with baby as soon as he is born.
You feel most beautiful when…
I am spending warm sunny days, salty & sun kissed with Nelly.
Three Instagram muses
@sarahshabacon
@monikh
@yoli_and_otis
Follow amanda on instagram @__.ajc__