A Surprise Pairing

Before I dive into today's post just want to cover a bit of housekeeping.  I know that I said I wasn't going to re-vamp my blog format in my previous post ... but then I did!  Well, it's not really a re-vamp, just a change of colour.  A reader said she struggled to read my white font on purple background.  As I have sight problems, I am sympathetic to others' struggles so I leapt on to my settings to see how I could help.  Talk about a knee-jerk reaction!  Before I took a pause to think what I was doing, I'd changed the colour then realised the white font disappeared on the softer lavender background, so I had to change the font colour and that is where I am right now, peeps.  I'll live with it for a few days then see if I can revert back to my original colouring but with a clearer font.  All of this does take time so I won't leap to change back immediately.

So whilst we're talking about format, are there any improvements I could make that would help your reading experience?  I'd love to hear what you have to say on mine and on website displays generally.

And now on to today's subject matter, the surprise pairing.

Do you sometimes find that you struggle to pair an article of clothing with something that truly works?  Then out of the blue, B A M !  You find your perfect pairing!

This happened to me a couple of days ago.  I've been veering towards an edgier look lately and on a crazy whim ordered a pair of coated biker jeans from Next.  I'm always a bit very late to take up a trend and coated jeans is something I've viewed from a distance for a few years.  I don't know if it was me buying a new biker jacket this year that's taken me in an edgier direction or if it's just me knee-jerking as I head fast and furiously towards my 70s, but either or both are maybe the reason.

The jeans arrived the afternoon I was getting ready to go to one of my two (yeah, just two, really sad!) Christmas meals.  I just couldn't resist a quick try on because I found the idea of something new in my wardrobe too exciting to defer until tomorrow.

I first grabbed a silky satin blouse.  Bingo!

I bought this blouse/tunic (details here) to wear with my brown velvet set but then due to a cold and an outfit re-think, it didn't get an airing.  I've struggled to think of what to team it with since.  It's quite posh so needs a casual bottom half to "drag it down" so that it is wearable for the sort of outings to fit my older lady lifestyle.  I think the edgy-for-me coated jeans bring it down to more smart casual level for a dinner in a smartish restaurant. 

The blouse/tunic is beautifully soft to the touch and it's one of those things you slide over your head (and boy does it slide beautifully) and instantly you feel special. 

Probably a single strand of pearls is all that this baby needs in terms of jewelerisation.

This look is so my jam.  Do you like it?  It's a bit Biker neets New Romantics, eh?

I'm really excited to discover this pairing and plan to team it with a black velvet jacket for one of my two Christmas meals next week.  Watch this space, as they say!

After this successful pairing, I did think to stop there with the try-ons and rest on my laurels.  I couldn't top that look.

But you can't keep a good Pout down, so on I went, squeezing a few more tops on during the few minutes I had before dressing for dinner.

I tried the jeans with my wine fluted sleeve top but the length wasn't quite right.  I quickly learned that biker jeans need true length on top and perhaps that's why the ivory silk top above worked so well.

My pinky coral fluted top had the right length and this would make a great Christmas look, n'est pas?

All black looked a bit severe but could work with a bit more time put into accessorisation.

Next Biker Jeans can be found here.

I'm going to have another try on with these though, as when I did the sit down test in them, they clumped on the leg.  I don't know if this is because they moulded around my abundance of leg blubber. or if this is something coated jeans do on everyone.

So perhaps you can help me.  Do you have coated jeans?  Do they fold in ridges on your legs when you sit down?  Any tips or views on them?

And finally, I think you have just one more post of my dodgy selfies before normal service is reviewed.  The Photographer has returned and proper pics (and Gin & Tonics) will be flowing in Pout Manor once more.  In fact, the winter sun is over the yardarm now so I'm going to tootle downstairs for some  G&T action ... Cheers, m'hearties!

Wishing you a cosy and joyous weekend.

A la perchoine.