Denim Days | Being Girly Comfy & Casual, Over 40!

Can you really get away with being girly over 40?
Is girliness after 'a certain age' simply sad?
Desperate?
Pathetic?
Slightly nauseating?

Well... I certainly don't think so!

(No surprise there.)

Unless your idea of looking girly is dressing like a school girl, a Disney princess or a Barbie doll then why not?

Come to think of it, if you want to dress up as Barbie, then go for that too!

{Cosplay can be LOADS of fun, but that's a post for another day... Halloween party (costume) ideas maybe?}

Anyway, I digress...

Girliness is not just for the (young) girls.
Us older girls can dabble too!

For me, there is nothing quite as girly as a 'sticky-out' skirt.
Especially if it has some structure to it and a nice rustle to the fabric!

This skirt has that just-stiff-enough structure and complete crinkle appeal.
It rustles as I move and poufs up when I sit down.
How much fun is that?!

It is lacking in one thing though... Pockets.
This skirt would have been perfect if it had just had a couple of nice deep pockets!

Anyone else with me on the pocket front?

The skirt felt SO feminine and girly to me that I had to stop things there.
The skirt was all the girl I needed to be today!

I'm not really a very girly girl at heart.
I LOVE the look but uber-feminine styles are best suited to other people.
However, that doesn't stop me dabbling with the dark side from time to time!

{I'll be wearing tulle before I know it.}

So in order to make this skirt feel 100% me, I kept the rest of the outfit quite simple... and almost androgynous.

A fine knitted jumper in a neutral grey... which goes with everything.
A denim jacket... which goes with everything too.
{I challenge you to find something a denim jacket doesn't look good with 😜.}
Simple flat silver sandals... ditto on the going with everything front.
{I almost wore my white trainers, which also go with everything!}

A pink leather satchel and some silver hoops finished things off nicely.

Girly-enough.
Casual-enough.
And oh so Easy!

More girly skirts you might like...

JACKET: Boden (very old)... this one is nice, but nearly sold out!
SKIRT: Zara (charity shopped)... try this.
JUMPER: Also Zara (on its last legs!)... this one is chic (I need to replace mine)
BAG: Cambridge satchel company
SHOES: American Apparel (old)... these are fab! These are nice... and much cheaper.

GET THE LOOK

Mellow Yellow | Bold Spring Work Look

I love a burst of bold colour, and where better to wear it than at work?!
Workwear can often be so dull and boring.
Black, navy, grey... Zzzzzz.

Injecting some colour is fun and much easier during the warmer months.
Colours seem much more acceptable in the sunshine.

Also, there is something about a smart but colourful look that says "Confident and in Control"
...Even if you're not!
(I love a confidence cheat.)

How to wear a Tea Blouse, over 40.

Tea blouses are so pretty aren't they?

With a nod to the 1940's, and the 1990's!
That feminine and flirty vibe.

Adorable on girls in their teens (and twenties) but frumpy and dumpy on anyone over 35, right?
Tea blouses are probably a trend for the young, impossible to style without looking like an old maid?

Erm?
Don't be daft!

Let's Talk about Specs Baby | Trends for 2018/19

I've got new specs and they're causing a bit of a stir!

(Well, as much of a 'stir' as a pair of glasses can cause.)

I get my eyes tested every two years and never miss it.
Not just because I need my specs to read (a side effect of being over 40) but because my dad has glaucoma.

Glaucoma is a potentially serious condition (you can read more about glaucoma HERE)
Eye tests are also really useful for picking up other health issues.
I'm certainly not going to bore you with a lecture so you can find out more HERE, if you want to.

However, just because I need glasses for reading doesn't mean I don't want them to look nice!
And it certainly doesn't mean I can't follow trends.

Glasses are as much a part of an outfit as earrings or any other accessory.

Social Media Burnout #fakeituntilyoumakeit LINK UP

I'm certainly NOT a lover of social media and I can't pretend otherwise.

{You could have a look at this post about my feeling s towards social and why I think Facebook the worst!}

• 5 Reasons I don't like Social Media.

You could also have a look at...

• 7 things that might surprise you about blogging.

Lazy dressing | Well-Worn Clothes... and People!

Over the past few weeks (and more so over the past few days) I've been feeling like a burst ball.

Over-used.
Deflated.
Exhausted.
In short... rough as a badger's bum!

Maybe it's perimenopause?
Maybe it's the busy time of year?
(It's manic at work and not much better at home!)
Maybe I've picked up a virus?

Whatever the reason, I've been struggling to put the 'normal' amount of zing into my outfits and I've often been reaching for the jeans or even (gulp) joggers!

Yep joggers, and not in a good way!
Awful.
I'm not proud of it.

I am normally a fan of simple outfits that are comfortable, functional and practical but I also love injecting a little fun and plenty of personality.
Joggers, unless worn beautifully, don't register in the style stakes, do they?

Unfortunately, every now and again looking half-decent is all I can manage.

Today's outfit is a good example of trying to look half-decent but still sticking firmly to lazy dressing.

It's an outfit that won't win any style prizes, turn heads or cause a stir.
BUT...
It could help you bluff your way through the day (as it did me).

Bluff your way through!

The easiest way to make a lazy, feeling rough, need to bluff (but can't be bothered) outfit is to use tried and tested pieces.
Items you know you can rely on.
Clothes that have had the job done many times before.

These trousers come out every summer and the cardigan is worn to death all year round.

These two pieces are SO old it's scary... and the quality is completely different from that of modern pieces of the same brand.

You know the details I mean, the ones we all love... and deserve!

• Wide hems that are doubled over and well secured.
• Piped edges.
• Well-finished buttons and pockets.
• Heavy and substantial fabrication.

{See this post about brands that are letting us down}

I hope the items in this outfit never give up the ghost.
I'll struggle to find alternatives if they do.

For now, I'm hanging on to them with my fingernails.

With classic pieces, you can throw them together as I did today:
Comfortable shoes (gutties for me today!).
Blue striped linen.
A little bit of cashmere
A nice bag in a bright colour.
Done.

These clothes are very old and very well worn... and there's nothing wrong with that is there?

{Especially as that is how I'm feeling myself!!}

Do you have any old classics you rely on time and time again?
I'd love to hear about them!

TROUSERS: Boden
CARDIGAN: Boden
TOP: Boden 
SHOES: Adidas
BAG: Bogner... this one looks nice.

GET THE LAZY LOOK!

I Tracked my Food for a Week and This Happened...

Food tracking (or logging) is really popular with some, isn't it?

Whether you're watching your calorie intake in order to lose weight, or you're monitoring your macronutrients with a view to making serious muscle gains.
Food tracking could be the answer.

Whatever your motivation, you can find plenty of apps to guide and inspire you.

{BTW, this post is not sponsored by anyone!}

A little bit of Boho over 40 | Supermarket Shopping

Boho chic never really goes away does it?
It comes back into style every year without fail!
The (nothing) NEW boho trend for summer 2018...
Hmmm?

Barbican Space Inspired Spring Outfit | Grey & Blue

I don't know about you, but there is something I find myself doing a lot recently...

Building an entire outfit around a single item that has caught my eye.
Sometimes the inspiring items are not even fashion related...

• Images in magazines, and life.
• Interiors.
• Colours in nature.
• Even architecture!

Inspiration can come in so many forms, can't it?
Keeping an open mind is always a good idea.

Quite often a pair of shoes will turn my head and get my creative juices flowing.
Call me shallow if you like but I love shoes and often work from the bottom of an outfit up.
But, today a funky necklace is my source of inspiration.

This necklace popped up in the sale a few weeks ago and I snapped it up!

I've had my beady eye on it for a while but, as a seasoned deal-finder, it was more expensive than I wanted.
I suspected it could make its way into the sale... luckily it did.
(Phew!)

I bided my time and voila!

Unfortunately, this necklace is now sold out, but you can see similar space-inspired pieces HERE.

{BTW... I'm not sponsored or affiliated with the brand that makes this necklace. I just love Tatty Devine's designs and have done for years.}

With my space inspired necklace, I wanted to keep things light and spring-like but with that spaced-out futuristic feel.
What better colours than grey and blue?
Just industrial enough.

Super-soft textures were what I needed and these cashmere culottes (plus a silk top) fitted the bill.

Simple chunky sandals finished things off nicely!

Such an easy look to pull together.
Comfortable and easy-going but I still feel 'dressed' and ready for anything.

Do you ever build an entire outfit around an accessory such as a necklace, scarf or bag?

What about inspiration from other sources?
I'd love to hear what's been turning your head this week!

SPACE NECKLACE: Tatty Devine (sold out)... I found it HERE too!! Alternatively, try this one.... or this one!
CASHMERE CULOTTES: c/o JD Williams
LEATHER SANDALS: Vagabond
SILK TOP: Old... similar
PU BAG: French Connection... this one is cool(er) and on sale!

GET THE LOOK

Stop Hiding Behind your Clothes... It Doesn't Work! LINK UP

Good grief people, there are LOADS (and I mean oodles and oodles) of articles, vlogs, blog posts and features dishing out advice on what to wear, aren't they?

• How to look slimmer.
• How to hide your thighs.
• How to cover your belly.
• How to look taller.

{I've even had my tuppence worth with "How to Hide a Bloated Belly" }

• How depressing.

Finally Letting Go... of BAD clothes!

It has come to my attention that I look like a saggy sack of spuds in these trousers!
Don't worry, I'm okay with it, it's just taken a wee while to accept.

There is nothing wrong with the trousers OR my body... we're simply incompatible.