Talking Neutrals, Wardrobe Economics and Rule Breaking

Hi people, me again.  Seems like I've given myself a mini-sabbatical, I've been away from your screens for a whole week! I've been taking pics but just not posting them. 

I think world politics got in the way a bit, sort of took the puff out of my sails.

Do you find this time of year that, if retired, you spend every day in jeans and knitwear?  It all changes come spring.  I guess a key driver of this blog is to incentivise me (hey, that's a word, I thought spellcheck would kick it out!). 

So let's use it again ... Incentivise me to at least bring some smartness to the jeans and knitwear world that is my late-winter uniform.

So on this day some time last week (goodness knows what I was doing!) I tried to inject "smart" into the combo.

Now, here's the thing.  The Fashion Rules state that horizontal lines will widen the visuals of the outfit, draw the eye out.  In plain-speak, make you look fat! But I've noted that The Photographer With A Fashion View has several times observed of late that horizontal stripes have the opposite effect.  A stripey item has a slimming effect, he opines.  And I will join him on that opining!   I think this cardi has a slimming effect.  That's not supposed to happen.  It blows all arty, optical and fashion preconceptions truly out of the water.   Horizontal stripes slim.  How iconoclastic is that?  But you heard it first from The Pout!

To go with my black jeans I fancied resurrecting this cardi (it's coming up for 20 years old!).  It's from M&S so has lasted well. No bobbles.  No loose stitching.  Their knitwear endures.  So much so that you grow tired of it, it gets archived and then years later it comes out as a "new" cardi again!

My top money-saving tip: store things for a while to reinvigorate the lurve.  They feel like new wardrobe items again!

Underneath, I wore the Artigiano sleeveless top, another archived item which I've fallen back in love with recently.  It's sleeveless and made of some man-made combo - so it washes well dries, quickly and the big one, it doesn't need ironing.  Yipppppppeeeee!

I like how if falls.  These little tops are real workhorses.  It's impossible to know how many times we wear them because they slip silently in with so many outfits.  So when you find one you like, get it!

And another workhorse is this Zara leoprint scarf.  If you don't already have one of these, I suggest you think about getting one.  Animal print seems to be considered a "neutral" in the fashion world and it certainly is.  I can wear this scarf with any colour combo and hear I'm mixing my pattern by adding it to the striped cardi.  I think it works - do you?

So, a sleeveless body-skimming easy-care top in a neutral colour like ivory is what I see as a must for a pensioner's wardrobe, because it gets rolled out so often.  And a newer core item to add some neutral zest to your wardrobe is this type of animal print scarf.  Just note how many times you wear these items.   Definitely a good cost-per-wear return for your pensioner pennies.  My CPW on these two babies is reducing with nearly every post at the moment!

Another good investment is this Zara knitted jacket.  Now that spring is creeping in, more and more I find myself drawn towards this wardrobe staple.  I think the ecru colour always looks so rich and it's neutral and a good length, so goes perfectly with absolutely everything, any colour and any type of bottom. So pleased it's joined my clothes family!  CPW is on a pleasingly downward slope.

And you may have noticed that my photowork is back to normal.  We bought a new Nikon bridge camera last week.  We're in training with it at the moment, so expect a fair few scentic shots over the next few weeks!

So what are my tips for today? 

My rule-breaking Horizontal Stripes Slim. 

My cost-saving suggestion that you sometimes archive items to bring them out like new again some years later.  

Spend your pensioner pennies wisely - investing in neutrals like a sleeveless ivory top and a leoprint scarf will give you excellent CPW returns.

Wise words of wardrobeology. You're welcome!

A la perchoine.