3 Ways to Wear Summer's Florals In Autumn

Helloo my lovelies. 

OMG! The last day of October - how did that happen?!

Autumn is well and truly here and most days on the island are chilly and crisp, and the number of dank and cold days are increasing at a ferocious pace.

It's the time of the season when the weather is scratching around for its rightful place.  I find myself wanting a touch of lightness in my dress yet with the security of layering up whilst the weather struggles to find its season.

So a light fabric base of a dress or skirt with warmer additions is ideal for an out-out right now.  And here are three of the umpteen warmer additions.

1.  With a Biker (Moto) Jacket

Here's what I wore recently for a dinner out with friends on a night when the weather had most definitely found its autumn - cold, rainy and very blustery.  Brrr.  So that took me to a tried and tested go-to of pretty skirt, woolly jumper, boots and a biker.

I call this combo my edgy granny look.

Easy silk skirt, ca. 2002

I did debate on whether to to a French tuck of my jumper.

But nah, who wants to see my granny's tum protrusion at dinner eh?!

And to prove the "tried and tested" point, I was wearing something very similar in 2016 in a-spring-in-my-step. HERE

The tried and tested look is seen here, back in February 2016.

More Inspo

Worn with a flowery dress (Pinterest)

2.  With a Blazer

(Pinterest)

3.  With a Cardi

(Pinterest)

It's surprising what can be added to a thin dress or skirt to make it wearable in the chillier months, yet keeping the look stylish rather than bundled up.   Just adding a woolly or jacket, a belt, some warm boots can instantly make light florals wearable right now, whilst still keeping some sense of stylishness.

Is this the sort of transitional  look you wear for a date night or dinner with friends in Autumn?

A la perchoine,

Mary x.

Might As Well Jump

It’s been the sort of week I hope doesn’t get repeated for a while.   

Brakes fixed on the car.  A tooth crowned.  An aging cat in the vet’s for the day.  A new wing mirror.

Grand total, just a few quid short of £2k, thank you!

I don’t think my pensioner’s purse could take many more hits like this!

But, 1st world probs eh?!  So better not to grumble and instead move swiftly on.

To this beaut!

I've seen many bloggers and instas wearing cute summer jumpsuits.  They do look rather fun and appealing so when I saw this baby I thought 🎶 I might as well Jump 🎶 too!

So allow me to introduce you to my fun jumpsuit.

I really like it.  The Photographer, not so much.

 "Talk to the hand!" was my response when he aired his view.

 Because I'm wearing it and its a keeper.  And using this equation:

(£180 flight + £50 rail ticket to Primark) + £15 jumpsuit refund = (£215)

the Cost of Return would be £215 so it just doesn't make financial sense to return it eh?

And if I fill up on bottled water, have a coffee and buy a sandwich along the way, well you get the picture!

So it's a keeper.

My lovely blogger mate Laurie of vanityandmestyle HERE suggested wearing a white T under.  And that makes a lot of sense for cooler days (and an added bonus for me is that it's a sneaky way to hide straying bra straps and unsightly upper arms too!)

So, ways to style it.

1.  On its own, with espadrille wedges (here) or flat sandals.

2.  A cardi, obvs.  I have a cream cardi with rust embroidery that will look sooo cute.

2.  A jean jacket, another obvs.

Can you suggest other ways to style it?

Just as the dress I wore on the previous post, this polka dot jumpsuit invokes a feel of 40s, 50s and 70s fashion styles.  Vintage.  And that's just fine with me, for I am vintage too!

So needless to say, I'm going to have hours of pleasure styling this baby, and many days of pleasure wearing it.

And as I mention in my short video below, this buy was not pre-meditated -  it was a sling-over-the-arm jobbie on the way to the till.  And some of my best buys have come about that way, and many of my worst!

4 minute video

And I might as well Jump with Van Halen too.

So tell me ladies, have you jumped yet? 

Is a fun summer jumpsuit rockin' YOUR world  right now?

A la perchoine,
Mary x.

By the way, I DO love hearing from you and I DO endeavour to reply to your comments, and with more than a “thank you”.  So if you haven’t selected the “notify me” option in the comments box and have been kind enough to leave a comment then please do pop back in a day or two to check my reply. Thank you!

The Elixir of a Eternal Youth - or Mutton?

Hello my sweet flowers! 

It's spring, don't you know?!!

I feel like I'm coming alive now that spring is well and truly here.  Does the coming of warmer months do that to you too?

I'm clearly not a winter person and that manifests in my attitude and niggly health problems in the colder months. Then give me a little run of sunny blue-sky days, a jade sea and a garden filled with chatty birds and I am a totally renewed person.  Body and spirit feel 10 years younger.

You know, I might just stretch that to 40 years younger because I I'm finding myself drawn to fresh summer dresses which are very similar in style to those I wore in the early 70s.

And when I dress the part, I am the part!  I'm 23 again, and feeling that young, free spirit vibe.  

Attitude is a big part of the battle on that long and inevitable slide into old age and if a simple sundress keeps me on a positive high for a few months of the year, well that's just got be better than anything that comes in a blister pack eh?!

I'm even styling my dresses as I did in my early 20s.

I'm finding these rejuvenating dresses in Primark, of all places.  Here's a short video of my initial try on - it's only 4 minutes long and it plots out the beginning of my summer dress journey, so please take a peek at it.

So my latest dress find is this pretty blue and white affair.

Great news.  The Photographer declared this dress a keeper!

And I feel young and fancy-free in it,

so it's a keeper with me too.

I feel like a spring chicken in it, and he gets a "younger" wife - winner winner, spring chicken dinner, YAY !!

Worn with a jean jacket, the essential transitioning item, is just adding to the 70s vibe I'm getting from this dress. 

It's a style that spans the 40s and 50s too, IMO, and these are style decades that I have always been drawn to.

 What do you think of those style eras?

Do you have a style decade that makes your pulse race?!

I teamed my frill-hem sundress with gold sparkle espadrille wedges, a shoe style that also spans the 40s-70s and now back again here in the teensies.  

Heavens, this outfit is like looking at fashion standing still !

The jeans shirt is another overlay I was glued to in my 20s.  However, a denim shacket doesn't work as well as the jacket, as it throws the proportions out of sync, rule of thirds and all that. But you know, if I was racing out the door on a cooler day and my hand felt this on the dark cloakroom clothes rail, I'd have no qualms in going out in this duo either.  Yeah, I know, I'm such a rule-of-thirds-breaking anarchist eh?!

The buttoned sundress is made up in a beautiful soft toile de jouy fabric, a print style always guaranteed to get my heart pit-a-patting.  I like very few prints and toile de jouy is in my top 3.

Oh and the dress is fully lined.

I  shortened the straps for ease of wear, otherwise it would need a camisole or an arsenal of safety pins to keep me decent!

So if you too want to put a 20s spring into your 60s step, then head on down to your nearest Fountain of Youth, a.k.a Primark.

And take £15 with you, for that's the ticket price to turn back time!

Now, you'll see in vid that I bought another summer item on my pilgrimage to the FoY emporium, which I thought I'd slip in at the end of the week, so please pop back on Friday and see what else is making me feel 20 again.

I leave you with a couple of questions.

Is wearing styles that you wore 40+ years ago considered muttonish?

And is it so wrong to want to wear styles you wore back then?

A la perchoine,

Mary x.

My Berry Hearts 💕

Hello my sweet people!  How great is your week going so far?

I'm hoping to have a night free of firework displays pounding away at the first glimpse of dusk.  It's been quite a year for Guy Fawkes firework displays - they've been set off relentlessly from Friday through to last night.  They seem to be bigger, better and more amazing than ever before.  Certainly noisier!
My house is near to many big organised fund-raising displays and I get 360° views from the windows.  Fortunately, Bertie the cat is pretty cool with pyrotechnics.


But let's talk about another firecracker.  My hearted 💕 berry blouse!
Here's how I've been putting it though it's paces.

The sparks have been flying off my hearted 😍 blouse from Primark, so much have I been wearing it.

A bum-covering shirt in an easy care fabric is proving to be the ideal top when wanting something for my upper end of smart casual.  

Especially this time of year.  This type of shirt is perfect for wearing with jeans, and this berry hearts 😘  shirt has already found its bestest friend for the winter, these berry coated leggings from Next.  I cannot sing their praises enough!

My third piece here was a berry cardi, bought last winter - good call, Pout, as the restaurant on this night was a little on the chilly side, and we're not talking AC!

The white hearts 💟 design just about saves me from being one gigantic walking talking berry!

Taupe boots (Jones) claw back some of the berriness too.

On a slightly warmer day,  a jumper and court shoes can be worn.

A daytime smart casual look is achieved with this uber cosy jumper from Primark as the shirt collar and tail pop out from inside the jumper.

The blouse has its edgy moments.

Worn loose.

Or tucked in to black jeans.  This is what I chose for my evening meet up, I think it worked better.

Black biker and chunky heel boots finish my granny-edgy look.

Hopefully I've given you a few ways to put together shirty outfits  for this time of year.  I've also found a way to use up a lot of emojees, by using one every time I mentioned 💗, which is often because that's what this blouse is all about - me wearing my 💖 on my sleeves and on my bodice too!

Do you have a recent autumn purchase that's pulling at your heart 💝 strings right now?

A  la perchoine,

Mary.

Retirement Dressing AW18 - Posher Shirts and Blouses

You should know my attitude towards ironing by now.
Can iron, won't iron.

So all potential fabric purchases get the scrunch test as I drift along the aisles.  And as posher shirts and blouses are invariably of delicate fabric, not many get into my wardrobe.
However, for some unfathomable reason*, I've found myself desirous of a few shirts of late (see my recent plaid shirt acquisitions HERE )  and adding them to my denim shirts makes me feel I've pretty much got AW18's shirtage covered at the casual end of smart.


A few posher shirts in easy-care fabrics definitely do have a place in the retiree's wardrobe.


And I'm pleased to report that more fabric is passing my scrunch test of late.


Given that retirement dressing is pretty much wall-to-wall casual, I've woken up to the upgrade to smart casual that is to be had with a simple switch from jumper to posher shirt.  Smarter end of casual, done!
I'm discovering that a posh shirt fits pretty darn well in a retiree's life.

 Of course, when coming up with posher shirt smart casual looks, you will invariably be wearing them to go out.
So it helps in the planning process if you know where you are likely to be putting smarter casual into action.
Well, socialising, that goes without saying.   For me the socialising involves a meal (brunch,  lunch, afternoon  tea or dinner) or coffee or drinks (and that would more likely be visiting friends these days, rather than a pub).

Let's look at some smart casual looks for socialising where it really is all about the shirt.

Now

Berry hearts print shirt (Primark) worn with Next berry coated leggings (💕) and heels, creating a long sleek line (in my mind!).

 This outfit would be ideal for a date night dinner.

The addition of a chunky jumper instantly creates an outfit for a pub/drinks with friends.

Long sleeved blouses can be another smartener to an outfit at this time of year.

A chiffon top with a strong boho vibe creates another dinner date outfit with with black skinnies and heeled boots.

Switching to blue jeans would give this an instant scale down look more suited for the pub, or drinks with the neighbours, for example.



Next, let's take a look at a pretty print blouse from Zara.
I've said it countless times before but I do so rarely find a print I like and when I do, I fall big time!

So  my heart is still pitter-pattering 💓 when I wear this beaut.

The print and style are reminiscent of the 1940s - well, in my mind anyway!  And I like that.

I also like that a pussy-bow can look pretty serious and lady-like, yet can instantly give off a boho vibe when left to hang loosely, as I did here.

Black skinnies bring balance to the flowing top.

A black cocoon cardi (M&S) is just the light layer this delicate blouse needs.

The old trick of a posh top worn with blue jeans is a perfect teaming for this fabric, maximising on the wearability of the this type of shirt and blouse.

So switching to jeans will give you a more casual-smart vibe.

And add a cardi to the mixed and you're ready to go see your cousin's new home reno, which is what I did wearing this.

And then I took it Halloween shopping - well,  it's a versatile outfit!

Previously on the blog

Inspo

credits above, @jagta8 - check her out on Insta, she's uberstylish.

So, dear readers, although I drifted away from shirts when working, I think perhaps the unfathomable* is that 

I'm finding that easy care fabric and a desire to smarten up my retirement casual have got together and are luring shirts and blouses back into my wardrobe.

And an even posher shirt or blouse can be a life saver for taking an outfit in a more formal direction around the Christmas period.  But I'll save that piece for another time, for I've taken up enough big your time today, dear reader.



And you know, I'd love it if you'd now take up a bit of my time.
Tell me about your posher shirts in the comments below, or about your style change as you move through life, oh tell me about what you had for tea last night cos I love hearing from you!



A la perchoine,
Mary.

Inspo credits, Pinterest and Instagram

Winter Berries On!

Oh how pleased I am to sound like a broken record ... I have seriously 💕-ed our glorious Indian Summer!  And it was yet another warm and sunny day when I wore my berries (it's sooo much colder now 😥).

The sun was warm, the sky was blue,

And I chose to share my berries with you!

Yes, I know it's autumn when I see the first sight of winter berries.  And despite the warm day, I chose to put on my fave fauxs and my berry coated leggings went on for the first time this season.

Berry leggings on - now it's officially autumn in Pout World!  

They're from Next and AW17 but still on the website this season.  Well, why wouldn't they be when they are so fabulously comfy to wear?  Next isn't stupid!

I also spotted something very similar in Primark last week, half the price, but don't know if that makes them half the quality?  But the quality of these Next leggings is top notch and I'm still shell-shocked from the mileage I got out of them last winter, yet they washed a dream and came off the line like new.  And with a zero ironing requirement, I'm pretty much in love with my berries 💕.

I teamed them with a neat print berry top (M&S, £8.50).

I liked this look but why rest on my laurels ...

It's always a good idea to try some new looks with old clothes when you first take them out for the season.

So I tried my berries with the classics, denim jacket (Gap) and faux leather waterfall biker (Peacocks).

I was happy with both but The Photographer With Fashion Views preferred the biker look (well he would, wouldn't he - I'm guessing it's because it's double the leather ... "Tell me about it, Stud!" (do men EVER get over that Sandy moment?!)

It's like when I asked him to choose between Shakira and The Pussy Cat Dolls and he chose the latter, "because there's more of them" !

But hey I'm inconsistent, so I chose neither of the  jackets and instead opted for this supersoft Arran sweater (Primark AW18, £10).

And off I went on my morning constitutional.

But of course the jumper soon came off, it was amazingly hot for this time of year.  Have I mentioned our glorious Indian Summer?   Well, maybe not in the last few paragraphs!

This was the perfect outfit for the weather, for the activity ... and for me!

A la perchoine,

Mary.