Saturday 8 March 2014

My number 1 fashion rule

I hope that you're ready for this? My number one fashion rule is: there are no fashion rules.  Funnily enough, while I was thinking about what to write for this post, several other fashion bloggers came up with a similar theme. 

Fashion is a bit like food in the way that things that are good for you suddenly become bad for you. If you avoid all the "bad" foods, you end up with little or no choice about what to eat. If you discard clothes or accessories once they are deemed to be out of fashion, you may end up with an almost empty wardrobe and little or no choice about what to wear! If you buy only what fashion pundits tell us are essential items ("Your 10 basic wardrobe items" is a popular title) you may have a wardrobe full of clothes that aren't right for you. We are all individuals and what suits me may not suit you, which is why I encourage you to find your own style.

I think I read a long, long time ago that you shouldn't mix patterns, or wear navy with black - but look through the fashion magazines and what do you see now? Exactly. Or how about not wearing jeans over 60, or even over 50? That's one rule I am definitely ignoring at the grand old age of 66, with no plans to retire my faithful denims - ever.
Fashion hit or faux pas?
Double faux pas?
I read a post recently by Janice, one of my favourite bloggers, on The Vivienne Files (click on the link to read it), which really resonated with me. She states that she would never ever tell us that we have to buy anything, but makes a good case for having a core of basic neutral clothes. You can liven up your neutrals with your favourite bright colours if you wish, which is what I tend to do. What do you think?

I have to say that Janice has been a good influence on my wardrobe and I have a lot more neutrals in it than I had a few years ago, which means that I can create far more outfits with my bright, colourful clothes.  On my recent trip to the UK I bought several neutral items: a navy v-necked cashmere jumper when I was in Scotland (what better souvenir of Edinburgh?!); plus a pair of  Clarks black suede brogues and a navy-striped petite jacket while shopping in London. I was bearing my current wardrobe in mind when making these sensible choices, however if I had decided on a bright pink jumper or a pair of red shoes they would also have fitted in. Apparently my new black shoes are trendy, however I bought them because they look smart and are comfortable to wear - so I hope to be wearing them still when they are no longer in fashion.
My "trendy" flatforms from Clarks
Before I bought the jacket shown below I tried on a lovely black one, but decided the navy stripes looked better on me, even though navy striped blazers don't appear on any fashion gurus lists of must-haves. 

This isn't me, in case you're wondering - she's a model!
Here's another interesting article from Already Pretty (a thought-provoking blog that I always enjoy reading) encouraging us to ignore the fashion police, who tell us what to wear as well as what not to wear. I've mentioned in previous posts that the essential little black dress may not be a good choice for many of us over 60s, who would be wise to choose a more flattering colour than black. The dress that I bought to wear for my husband John's 70th birthday celebrations is this deep blue dress from East.


It's as versatile as any LBD would be, but the colour is more flattering for ageing complexions!  It proved suitable for a day-time party in London but can also be dressed up for evening occasions. I received many compliments on the actual dress as well as being told how well I looked and that living in Spain obviously suited me.  I rest my case!



11 comments:

  1. Cute purchases! Hope you had a great time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Juhli. We had a great time and also are expecting to have a great time this evening - when John is having a second party for friends here in Spain. Not surprisingly it will be taking place in a local bodega, with live music from our friend Johnny.

      Delete
  2. Sounds as though you had a nice time. I hope I don't sound school-marm-ish but those look like sensible purchases! At the same time, they look stylish and fun. When you get comments like, living in Spain agrees with you, you KNOW you have the right color/style.

    That blouse I wore to the interview, that you said didn't do much for me? Charity bin. I asked Himself who said, well, you like it so keep it but Sue is right, it does nothing for you. Out it went! So like Janice, you are a positive influence too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh dear, I feel a bit guilty, though at least the charity will benefit! I hope Himself is taking you out to buy a replacement? Looking at my own past purchases that weren't quite right - sometimes I bought things because I loved the style and sometimes because I loved the colour, but to really work for me both the style and the colour need to be spot on. How about that style in one of your best colours? I only saw the top bit so it's hard to judge the style on you, but I'm guessing that style was the element that was spot on.

      Delete
  3. Never retire your denims! From all the years I watched the US version of What Not to Wear, I learned thagt Stacy and Clinton said that jeans were a neutral and thus you could wear anything with then,even black. I completely agree with you about the wearing of black as we age but I have never really been good in black. My neutrals are navy and gray and they go with just about everything. That special occasion blue dress is wonderful! Wear it in good health.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Nancy. I can still wear black, but nowadays I need something bright or sparkly near my face to lighten the effect. Interestingly enough I wore a black dress to a friend's party in January and received many compliments, however it had some black sequins, which helped to lighten the black, plus I wore a pearl statement necklace with it. I was thinking of putting it with some clothes for recycling in the charity bin, but changed my mind after that party! If you click on the link for "Une Femme" you will see that she regularly wears black (admittedly she is about 10 years younger than me!) but usually with a beautiful scarf. I do wear mostly navy and grey as my neutrals now that I'm over 60, with only a couple of black items of clothing.

      Delete
  4. I agree that the old rules about what we should and shouldn't wear have themselves gone out of style (and mostly good riddance!). I've learned to turn the page or scroll to the next article when I see any article declaring that "every woman" should to x or y. Your blue dress is lovely!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment. There are probably one or two rules that are relevant for women of a certain age (not wearing low-cut tops with short skirts seems good advice), but even then there are bound to be exceptions.

      I don't think my blue dress will date and it can be machine washed, which is a bonus! I will be wearing it to John's second party this evening, as nobody here has seen it yet!

      Delete
  5. I couldn't agree more with your take on the LBD, which I love, but needs a bit of tweaking for me, as well, since I am also over 60. You might like the post I did a while ago on the subject, particularly the final few paragraphs: http://thefrenchtouch-m-t.blogspot.com/2011/11/secrets-of-little-black-dress.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks M-T - I'll check it out!

    ReplyDelete


  7. Great thoughts you got there, believe I may possibly try just some of it throughout my daily life.

    Wardrobe Accessories

    ReplyDelete