It's been quite the month for Millie Mackintosh. First she announced that she and her husband (and fellow Made in Chelsea alum) Hugo Taylor are expecting their first child. Then, on a more/less exciting note depending on whether you're invested in babies or shopping, she revealed that she has teamed up with luxury resale service Cudoni.
As part of her colab with Cudoni, Mackintosh is selling eight exclusive pieces from her wardrobe in aid of cancer charity Maggies. While most of her pieces were snapped up straight away, her Burberry trench coat and Isabel Marant mini dress are still up for grabs.
So, how did Millie feel about stripping back her wardrobe, both to raise money for a good cause, and to keep up with her changing body? As we all know too well, lots of clear-outs start with the best intentions of decluttering, but somehow end in a reel of excuses... ‘I might need this one day,’ when in reality that hot pink boobtube from the noughties will still be in its rightful place, buried in a draw until your next clear-out.
Millie told Grazia Daily, ‘I’ve had fun in all of them [donations] and decided I was ready to part with them. It can be hard to give up your clothes but I try and do a clear out once a year.’
She's not a saint though - Mackintosh has been tempted to use Cudoni to shop, as well as to sell. Her most recent Cudoni purchase? A vintage Chanel bag, ‘I really love it,’ she said, ‘you see people in the street with the most recent bag of the time and everyone else has got a similar bag, but if you go to a vintage shop it’s a bit more unusual.’
‘The main thing with my maternity style is I want to still look like me and feel like me.’
We can't resist asking whether Millie has any top tips for hunting down quality vintage. Millie tells us ‘people often say if you go to charity shops in Chelsea, you’re quite likely to find some great things at low prices … it’s also good when you travel and you’re in other cities.' Gloriously on-brand.
Like any woman experiencing her first pregnancy, Millie is navigating the changes that come with a growing bump. As a lover of all things vintage, and ‘drawn to other eras,’ Millie is adamant that although she’s in her second trimester, her style won’t be compromised because her wardrobe might not fit.
She’s working her way around the bump by opting for smock style dresses with ‘a kind of 70s style, where it’s loose,’ she tells us. ‘The main thing with my maternity style is I want to still look like me and feel like me,’ the mother-to-be said - something that pregnant women all over the UK will understand.
Interestingly, Millie says she has only bought a pair of maternity jeans so far, that she envisions to style this winter with ‘lots of nice cashmere jumpers and comfy boots.’ Likewise, for party season she said, ‘I feel like it would be quite fun to do some sequins, like a short shift dress.’
Millie is enjoying discovering how she wants to dress her bump. She said, ‘sometimes I think it looks nice to wear something loose and comfortable, then other times a bit more fitted, and I can really show it off,’ a similar predicament that she’s having at the moment with what to wear to the British Fashion Awards next Monday. She described having two really great options, but one being more like her traditional style, and the other she said, ‘is a bit more of a risk, it’s quite fashion-forward ... I’ve got to work out if I feel confident enough in it.’ Either way, she’ll be glowing on the night and said, ‘I feel really proud of my bump so I’m excited to show it.'
Cudoni provides a free collection service that makes it effortless and easy to sell your items. Millie chose to donate the profits of each item, in full, to a charity she’s been working closely with, Maggie’s. Maggie’s supports not only people suffering from cancer but their families too, with centres all over the UK. ‘It’s a great way to donate, and for other people to get wear out of your item,’ said Millie.
Sustainable and chic? We can get on board with that.
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