On the Run - Life Begins at 40 (Part 2)

Following on from yesterday's post, in which I looked at some of the items you could include to kick start your wardrobe, today it's the turn of accessories.

For lots of women, accessorising can be tricky.  I think it's really important to love your accessories and for them to make you feel special - because really they are the icing on the cake which is your outfit. It may take a few years to build up a collection of accessories that you like. Some may be inhereited, some coveted and bought in sales, some collected abroad, at vintage shops or immediately that you see them because you just fall in love with them and can't walk away without buying them.

We all have our views on what we can wear and what we like. Some ladies don't like the feel of necklaces and some don't like the feel of chunky bangles.  Others don't feel that they can wear belts and one client told me that the best thing about becoming dis-engaged was taking her ring off because she hated wearing it!

So, here are some items which I think do a great job of pulling your wardrobe, and an outfit, together:

A silk scarf, tied like the one above which is from Jaeger (reduced from £99 to £35) has a modern animal print.  Essentially neutral, it has coral and turquoise in it and will work well with lots of basic colours.  Larger light wool or linen scarves are also a good way of adding interest in to your wardrobe in terms of colour and print but without committing lots of money to them. My favourite shops for scarves are Mango, Zara, Oasis (they usually do a great silk one each season which goes into the sale) Lola Rose and John Lewis.

Sunglasses - the Queen of the sunnies has to be Victoria Beckham. Not only functional, they can give an outfit a whole new look - and also attitude! I can't bring myself to wear them other than on very hot days because I just don't feel right (see above)! Some can carry them off all year round and have that cool sophisticated look to go with them - I just feel as if I am playing dress up!

A statement necklace can bring the most simple outfits together.  What works for you as an individual will depend on lots of things, including bust size, length of neck, width of neck and so on. Some ladies don't like swapping their "proper" jewellery for costume jewellery so it could be a case of finding something which works with a necklace that you wear every day or finding a brand which does jewellery which isn't too "costumey." Stella and Dot, Coast, Hobbs, Jigsaw and Red Online are all good for jewellery - but there are hundreds of brands out there.

Statement cuffs are another way of adding sophistication to a simple outfit. Leather ones are great if they are likely to bash on a desk or if you have young children (Reiss has some nice ones).  Otherwise the bigger the better - if you like that kind of thing. The above one is from Jaeger again.

Bags are another great way of adding some style and colour to your outfit.  The shopper on the left is from Zara and costs £15.99.  The middle one, which is a bowling bag style and which will be a huge style next season, is from Orla Kiely and has been reduced from £380 to £247.  It also comes in several different colours.  The green tote is from Zara reduced from £59.99 to £49.99 it also comes in pink. Bicester is a fantastic place to get a designer bag at a good price. If it is something that you plan on keeping for years, the fact that it may already be a season out of date is neither here nor there.

As an alternative to the Orla Kiely bowling bag, Topshop has this cut out holdall bag for £42.

A final word - when it comes to belts, just keep an eye on their proportions. Wide ones can be hard to wear if you are short bodied or have a very curvy bust. Skinny ones tricky if you are very curvy. If your trousers fit well, a belt can be used as a lovely accessory, rather than as a necessity to keep your trousers up! 

On the Run - Life Begins at 40 (Part 1)

I read a really interesting article at the weekend about the former tennis player, Annabel Croft.  It was about how her daughter, Amber, took control of her Wardrobe, which was stuck in the 1990's.

This is what Annabel said about her clothing:

"For a good 10 years, after I had three kids, I got used to throwing on a uniform....I suppose I went into a bit of a tunnel and a lot my friends did too.  It wasn't until my children started growing up that I discovered I was completely out of the loop with fashion.  I'd forgotten that it could be fun, and I lost faith in my own judgment."

Having worked with so many women who find themselves in this situation, I found her last comment really inciteful. A lot of women have a really good innate sense of style but having not devoted any time to themselves, have just lost confidence. Once we re-ignite that dwindling flame, there's no stopping them!

She also went on to say: "Looking back, I can see that my look had got locked in the 1990s, before I 'd had children. I'd had the same shoes for seven or eight years and wasn't updating them. So, thank God Amber spoke up, or I'd still be wearing my Dynasty suits now."

Once her daughter took control, she taught her Mum how to layer things and to mix high street and designer pieces.  She styles designer pieces with something clever from Topshop or Zara and looks to brands such as Elizabeth and James (designed by the Olsen twins), Acne, LK Bennett, J Brand, Issa (a favourite of Kate Middleton) and All Saints. 

Having the figure of a former tennis player and probably a relatively healthy clothing budget makes it easier for her to look amazing but nonethelss, the point remains the same.

So, where to start if you have reached that stage where you finally have a little bit of brain space, and time, to devote to yourself?

Without wanting to do a "capsule wardrobe post" these are the items that I would look to add to a Wardrobe first to give it a new lease of life:

A good pair of jeans - and by good I mean well fitting, not necessarily pricey. I like these high waisted flared jeans (below) by Jaeger which at £35 in the sale are a great buy. I would also look to Not Your Daughter's Jeans, Hobbs, J Brand at Shopbop or Levi's,  curve ID as all are cut for women's figures.

• A good trench coat. Why? Because it covers a multitude of sins beneath and whilst also looking stylish.  I like this one from Aubin and Wills which is reduced in the sale from £325 to £150.  Made in the UK, it's of great quality and will last for years. It also comes in navy. It isn't too long so will look equally good with jeans and trousers as well as with a dress or skirt.

                             
Shirts or blouses. Why? Because they are so much more forgiving and flattering than T-shirts or clingy tops. Shirts with darts are particularly flattering and ladies with curvier busts will know to avoid breast pockets. Zara always has a great selection. I particularly like this Loas print blouse from Monsoon which is now £22.50 in the sale. It's a blue and turquoise delicate animal print.

I also like this pink Esther shirt also from Monsoon, together with...

this Suzy colour block sandy shirt also from Monsoon.

                                                           

             

Add in a blazer to add a bit of structure such as this NW3 boyfriend jacket reduced from £179 to £89 (and likely to be reduced further).

Zara always has an excellent selection of blazers and if you already own a plain one, then an embellished or tweed blazer is a great option.

                                                     

     

Some wedge shoes such as these Kara 2 strap espadrille reduced from £119 to £59, which also come in navy would be comfortable yet stylish.

  

                                                           
  or these LK Bennett Star Sandals (£45 instead of £125 or Embassy Sandals (£65 instead of £125) Even though they may not be available on line, I have seen plenty in the stores.


                                           


An A-line day time skirt such as this one from Boden reduced from £45 to £33.80 (Cos has similar) would work wonders and is a flattering shape...

and a day time printed dress is always a useful addition to your wardrobe.  This dress, also from Boden will lend itself to being put with lots of different colours.

Everyone's needs and demands will be different, as will their budget and bodyshape. However, with the addition of a few other pieces, such as a couple of knits - I love this one from Orla Kiely reduced from £265 to £132.50 which also comes in navy.

 

a breton top such as this one from Boden...

some day time sparkles and perhaps a lace skirt you would be well on your way to kick starting your wardrobe.

Tomorrow I will look at those all important accessories which will complete your wardrobe, making sure that you are the glamourous 40 something you deserve to be.

On the Run - A plain outfit of Cos, Hobbs and LK Bennett with a statement silk scarf.

You know sometimes you just have those days when you wake up and think "Oh hec, what I am I going to wear today?" Well, I had one of those this morning.

As I knew that I would be in the shops styling all day, flat comfy shoes were a must.  The rain ruled out dresses and skirts, which only really left trousers.

Having worn my spotty trousers yesterday, my Zara textured (for want of a better word) ones the day before and ruling out chinos and jeans on the basis that they weren't smart enough, I headed for my faithful (and now nearly on their last leg) Cos trousers. I swear that they are getting tighter by the day - they must be losing their elasticity. Or something.  

 

Oh flip, so what to put with the trousers. There are several sayings I have in life. The first is: "If in doubt do nothing." It's an absolute gem when it comes to making difficult decisions but doesn't really apply when needing to get dressed in a hurry in the morning.  So, I reverted to another favourite saying of mine: "Keep it simple." Yep, I liked that for today. So it was head to toe navy, including the bag, with the addition of one statement piece, which was a Hobbs silk handpainted scarf.

Impressively, the photos were taken by the munchkin before school. I had to laugh - she holds the phone so near to her eyes when taking a photo that she goes cross-eyed. It's very funny to see.

As for silk scarves, I only have this Hobbs one and the Hermes one that I bought from the Buy My Wardrobe event, but it was really nice to wear for a change.

Our son has returned from his trip to Wales with school, utterly and totally exhaused.  We had one of those special moments when he arrived back. His sister threw her arms around him and said "I love you Fred. Come and see how much my snow [sun]flowers have grown." And she led him by the hand into the conservatory to take a look.

Today's outfit: Cos trousers and top, Hobbs shoes and scarf, LK Bennett bag

On the Run - A tale of two (or three) fishes with some Hobbs for good measure

A few weeks ago I told you how my husband had been out and bought some fish for the children. The three goldfish, Fudge, Cola Cube and Chubbie, cost less than £5 in total.  Last night we worked out that said fish, however, have cost us over £50 - not what Sir Alan would consider a good return on his investment. In fact, it's not a return at all.  

Not one to do things by halves (which is lovely trait of my husband's) he has ensured that these fish are living in 5 star accommodation.  They have already had three different filters, two new buckets for the water changing procedure, coloured gravel, some bizarre plant, things for them to swim through and get this, this weekend he is planning on going to buy them a lighthouse. Our evenings are spent fighting over the iPad - with us both wanting to look at various "nets" my choice being net-a-porter, his choice being fish-net.com. With all the pumps and bizarre looking equipment everywhere, the kitchen looks as though Heston Blumenthal is about to come and conduct some weird experiment.

What any of this has to do with clothes I have no idea - other than the fact that I am sure that I could find an equally meaningful way of spending £50!

I wore this outfit yesterday as I was styling a lady at home with the result that I didn't have to walk too far, so could wear heels.

I like the shape of this look - (not just here but in general, if it suits the body shape). It's quite long and lean and also forgiving, with the wider jeans balancing out hips and the swing cardi disguising a less than lean upper body.

The combination on top isn't that clear but I am wearing a cream sequinned top from Topshop with a Hobbs swing cardi over the top.

As part of my steadfast refusal to wear boots or socks, I am wearing the closed in Hobbs slingbacks which I bought from Bicester a few months ago, which are great for when the weather isn't too warm (such as when I bought them in APRIL!) 

I also decided to use my pink Mulberry, which too was from Bicester. I quite like a bit of a pink and purple mix as long as there isn't too much and there are enough neutrals to break it up.

And now on to the winner of the scarf envy Union Jack scarf - the winner, Pat, caught my eye with this entry:

I deserve to win the scarf as I'm
 

Just   Utterly   British,    Incredibly  Loyal,   Extraordinarily  Eccentric

PS I love your blog, which I discovered through W & H.  In my 60s, I'm hopeless with fashion & style, it's a real help!

Apparently the acronym came to Pat after attending a Jubilee concert at the Albert Hall - so it was all very apt.

I loved Pat's breezy, fun and carefree attitude. Whilst the compliment was lovely, I chose Pat as the winner because I can imagine that she will really enjoy wearing the scarf and that it will make her smile.

On the Run - Nearly, but I just couldn't quite bring myself to do it...

It nearly happened but I bottled it at the last minute.  The plan was to wear a dress or skirt for our street party this afternoon but as the day went on and the sun retreated behind the clouds I, once again, wimped out and wore trousers. 

The plan was to wear red, white and blue but as I don't have any red trousers, I opted for my White Stuff pink ones (note to self: don't have photos in pink clothes taken in front of pink front door), Hobbs NW3 shirt and as a nod to the "golden" part of the celebrations, I wore gold wedges. As you can see, it was all accessorised with a Union Jack.

This was our son's contribution to the street party - a chocolate cake which he always makes all by himself, although I am always under strict instructions to get the exact ingredients that he wants for the topping. This time it was Maltesers. I must admit responsibility for the awesomely awful Union Jack!

So, on to the Union Jack scarf competiton winner! Pat Shergold is the lucky winner and once I have received confirmation from her that she is happy for me to share her entry with you, I will do so. Thank you so much to everyone who entered - it's so lovely to hear from you all and I am only sorry that you couldn't all win.

So, on to some exciting news about Style It Light, a new fashion blog that has been set up with Look Magazine, Marie Claire and InStyle. Along with the guest bloggers from Marie Claire, Look and InStyle, I have been asked to contribute some articles each week.  Apparently I was shortlisted by the Marie Claire team from the blogger awards and invited to get involved.  It's both an exciting and slightly nerve wracking opportunity and I wanted to  thank everyone who voted for me in the Marie Claire fashion blog of the year awards earlier this year, as without you this opportunity wouldn't have come my way. To be honest I am not sure exactly what it entails but I will be sure to keep you posted!

So, now that the jubilee celebrations are well and truly over it's life back to normal. I think we all need to make plans for some further celebrations - I don't know what the reasons for them may be but as far as I am concerned, any excuse will do nicely!

Mum on the Run - Saturday Bliss at Bicester

For the first time, in a very long time, I had a few hours at Bicester Village today and it was bliss! 

The double whammy came from the possibility of being able to buy a couple of pieces from brands which l love but which are a bit pricey for every day - such as Reiss etc and also taking a look at other brands which aren't stocked (or are stocked but only in a small way) in Birmingham - such as Tory Burch, Michael Kors, Rupert Sanderson, Marni - the list goes on.

I figured that it might be drizzling so wore my Zara trench, wide leg jeans from Mango and because they require a heel, red patent KG shoes.  For accessories I wore a statement necklace, LK Bennett bag and Hobbs belt (oh and I appear to be accessorsing with an antennae too).  Here's a closer pic of my necklace, which was from Jigsaw.

And here are the KG shoes - still as shiny as the day I bought them!

Here are a few images of things that I liked at Bicester:

a spotty sheep;

Hobbs NW3 shoes in yellow - which you may have guessed is my current favourite colour;

a pale blue Vivienne Westwood bag which I was told off for photographing (the ridiculousness of fashion never ceases to amaze me!)

a pretty going out shirt from Jigsaw, floaty and flattering.

I didn't buy any of these pieces but I just liked them - and anyway we couldn't have fitted the sheep in the car.

As a result of my shopping techinque our eldest daughter, who was with me, christened me "Ninja Shopper." I don't think that it had anything to do with fighting with other shoppers but I could be wrong.

I think that the sheep deserves it's own picture, so here it is....

Today's outfit - Zara trench, KG shoes, Hobbs belt, Jigsaw necklace, LK Bennett bag.

Hope that you are all having a lovely Easter weekend.

Mum on the Run- holiday day 3

My photo from day 2 has come a bit of a cropper but I will try to post it when I return home.  Today saw us playing on the beach, visiting family and generally faffing about.  The crab consumption remains high and the fruit and vegetables around here are amazing - so we are being fairly healthy.  Even the calvados contains fruit - result!

Our three year old is keeping us amused and has developed some impressive habits - swearing and burping (both ends) with great gusto and great glee.  Her favourite phrase is "Oh, you silly old bugger." We keep trying to explain that none of these habits are really acceptable in polite society but given that we are all trying not to laugh at the time, she doesn't seem to be taking us terribly seriously.

Having not packed a huge amount to take on holiday, today was really a question of wearing something different from the day before, as opposed to anything else.  I have an inordinate amount of striped tops with me so went for plain muted colours today - straight leg jeans, white long sleeve top, lilac top and cream cardigan.  I remained warm and comfortable, it worked on the beach and on the monkey bars at the play area so all was fine by me.

Jeans Gap, White top Topshop, Lilac top Gap, Cardigan Hobbs, Sequin trainers M&S

Mum on the Run - Mother's day outfit

Mother's day could have brought all sorts of clothing dilemmas with it - if I let it.  I started off in tennis things and a swimming costume so that was easy.  After that there wasn't much time to think about what to wear before going out to lunch and everyone seemed to need a piece of me - leaving even less time.  One thing I did know - I felt cold and dressing as if it was summer was only going to make me miserable.  So I opted for some fairly smart navy trousers, Oasis boots (with knee high socks for warmth but don't tell anyone) and a new blouse from Hobbs' NW3 collection.  It has a nehru collar and little gold buttons with a tie at the waist and I thought that it would work equally well with these trousers, jeans and white trousers moving on into summer.

I shortly going to start covering the essential items in your capsule wardrobe - covering one or so item each day.  I consider that there are fifteen essential items, which will be broken down slightly further as we go along.  As the warm weather is on its way, now might be as good a time as any to start thinking about those useful pieces that will work hard for you during the summer months.  If you have any tips, items in your wardrobes or brands that you find particularly useful for you, please do share them with me and I will try to feature them (I say "try" only because I don't know if my technological limitations will prevent me from succeeding - but I am sure that I will get there in the end!)

If you have any friends who you think might be interested then please do get them to drop by and sign up to receive their daily update.  Finally, I will be doing a style slot this Thursday on BBC Radio WM at about 10.30am, should you fancy tuning in!

Mum on the Run - Cadbury's Purple

Today was a bit of a mish mash day - visit to the dentist, trip into Birmingham, bit of work from home, ferrying the children around and so on.  I didn't need to be too smart but given that I was in the shops I didn't want to be too much of a scruff either.  So I resorted to my trusty Cos trousers and then worked in a bit of colour and texture with stripes, a wool jumper (almost the shade of Cadbury's purple - well, we are in Birmingham) and a scarf.   I had a navy coat on for most of the day and the shoes definitely worked better when I had the coat on than when I didn't but carrying two pairs of shoes with me just so that I could change when I took my coat off wasn't going to happen. Ever!

For once I was actually warm - not convinced that I am ready to lose too many layers yet though.  Unlike many, I haven't quite mastered the art of stripping off to strappy tops as soon as the sun shines.

Outfit: Trousers Cos, striped top Gap, jumper Hobbs NW3, shoes Clarks, bag LK Bennett

Mum on the Run day 29 - Not quite monochrome

This started off as a monochrome outfit but didn't end up that way, due to the addition of the bright shoes and teal scarf.  What can I say?  I like a bit of colour here and there.

Today was an unusual day for me as I had some time at home.  I did a quick gym trip, which was followed by a visit to Vintage Beauty to get my nails shaped and polished.  The lovely Kally did it for £5 and it was definitely one of the best £5 that I have ever spent.  You can find her at http://www.vintagebeauty.co/ So, I now have nice bright pink nails for my meeting tomorrow and my Style Party on Saturday night. 

After doing some jobs at home (ie sorting out the rat man to come and sort out our rats - what a glamourous life I lead) Caroline from Caroline's Cake Company http://www.carolinescakecompany.co.uk/ then visited for a cuppa.  If you need a special cake, she is the lady for the job.

This evening I am off to see our eldest in a dance production at school.  With lots of dashing around and four children for dinner tonight, I knew that I wouldn't have time to change .

So, has this outfit done the job for me today?  I reckon so - although I wasn't really demanding that much of it other than being warm, comfortable, casual enough for the day and smart enough to go out this evening - OK, may be I was being quite demanding!

The dress is comfortable and layering a long vest underneath stopped it from being too sheer.  The addition of a black cardi kept me warm whilst the scarf just injected a bit of colour next to my face.  I always like wearing my Reiss biker jacket - it just stops things from being too twee.  It's not my favourite but it was OK.

Outfit: Dress Coast, Cardigan Hobbs, Jacket Reiss, Shoes Kurt Geiger, Bag Marc Jacobs, Scarf Cos

Mum on the Run day 23 - LBD

Apologies about the photo - it has been a really busy day today and I am whacked!  I styled the most lovely lady today- she is Spanish and has come here to learn English, which she is doing incredibly well.   Unfortunately my only Spanish comes from Dora the Explorer.  She made a  much better job of communicating with me than I did with her but we had a fabulous day.  So as to remain true to the philosophy behing the "Mum on the Run" feature, I wore the above shoes all day, as a result of which my feet were killing me at the end of it. 

The styling day was followed by cooking several meals and herein lies the rub - an extraordinarily large gin, made by our daughter - hence the dodgy photo.  No amount of blusher and lipstick could rescue me!

Anyway, having told you about my day - let's get to the outfit:  Jigsaw black jersey dress, Coral French Connection top layered underneath, Black Gap jacket, Jigsaw pendant, Hobbs NW3 shoes, Miu Miu bag.  The outfit looks better than in the photo (or maybe that's just the gin!)

Mum on the Run Day 21 - Pleats please

Today I was talking at the "Women Who" lunch for the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce. I did a presentation on the15 essential items for the work capsule wardrobe.  Everyone was lovely, as were the cakes, yum!

It was nice for me to have a chance to dress up as pretty much every day since I started "Mum on the Run" I have either been off with the children or shopping on my own - neither of which require the same sort of outfit as when I am with clients or doing events.

Today I decided to go with a bit of a nod towards the ballet look (I thought that the full on look might be a tad ridiculous) which is so big at the moment, thanks to Black Swan, and went for a chiffon pleated skirt from TopShop.  I put it with  a black silk blouse, a fitted cardigan, a skinny leopard print belt and court shoes.  It was lovely to have a chance to dress up and to wear a pleated skirt - something that I haven't worn in years.  It felt quite elegant (for once)!  To stop the outfit from looking too twee, I added my chunky Storm digital watch. 

We also did a bit of a Marilyn Monroe look but we were laughing so much that I look a bit weird - I said there would be bad!

Outfit: Skirt and belt Top Shop, Blouse New Look, Cardigan Hobbs, Shoes LK Bennett

Mum on the Run day 14

Today was meant to be the day that I spent a good few hours in town shopping for some forthcoming events.  I had chosen my outfit with one thing only in mind - practicality.  As these events require me to buy lots of clothes the shopping can be hot, hard on the legs and heavy.  It was for that reason that I opted for sensible footwear.  Jeans soon followed in the practical stakes followed by a navy sequin jumper, biker jacket and a striped scarf.  As it was, I largely spent the day at home as our eldest was under the weather but not to worry, there's always tomorrow (or the next day) for shopping.  Can't wait to feast my eyes on all those lovely spring clothes!

Outfit: Jeans: Gap long and lean, Biker boots Hobbs, JumperWarehouse, Scarf Zara, Jacket Oasis.

Mum on the Run day 12 - A dress at last!

The day has finally arrived - I am out of my jeans and into a dress - one which I had actually forgotten that I owned and which I discovered this morning.  A definite bonus for a Sunday morning.

I had previously only worn this knitted purple dress over a pair of jeans - largely because it is a fine knit and therefore a little too see through for my liking - but a black slip taken from another dress soon solved that problem.  A stripey Gap top which I layered underneath the dress, plus thick tights, biker boots and a long pendant completed the look for me for today. 

I was warm and snuggly all day long and the addition of an apron when I was cooking kept the necklace under control and stopped the dress from being ruined.

Outfit: Sweater dress Gap, Striped top Gap, Necklace Jigsaw, Biker boots Hobbs.

Mum on the Run Day 2

This outfit is designed to show you how to wear utility trousers in a more "dressed up" kind of way, rather than just with boots and a T.   I have put them with a white shirt, fine v neck jumper, necklace and heels.  Later on in the day the heels can be replaced with boots.  Utility trousers are a good alternative to jeans and there are many copies of the original J Brand Houlihans out there. 

The day that I wore this outfit I had a business meeting first thing, followed by a trip to Pizza Express for lunch with some friends.  The afternoon was spent doing the usual school and tennis run and it all worked fine.

The trousers are from the Gap, shirt from a boutique, jumper Hobbs NW3 sale, shoes Hobbs NW3 sale, necklace from Jigsaw.