Winter capsule wardrobe

It's time to start thinking about my winter capsule wardrobe as part of Project 333. For those who don't know, the idea behind Project 333 is to limit yourself to 33 items of clothing each season to cover the 3 months. I've already packed away many of the short-sleeved tops from my Autumn 33 and I've added some long-sleeved tops, including a few new purchases. New additions to my wardrobe are shown in the first picture below. Yes I know that this includes a short-sleeved top, however it's a lace top for winter events when I want to look a bit more dressed up
and when I think that it's going to be warm enough to wear it.

The following tops featured in my autumn 33 and will mix and match well with my bottoms. Living in Spain, we do have some sunny days during the winter months where we don't need to layer up, however they will also go well with my cardigans and jackets on colder days where I need an extra layer.

   

I've included my new red ruched skirt - although I probably won't wear it very often over the next few months - as I think it's going to prove a versatile purchase. I wore it with the beige sparkly jumper when we received our Hypnos award in the theatre before Christmas. I will be wearing it with the new red top shown in the first photo when we go to a dinner dance on 6th January. It will be packed in my case when we go on holiday at the beginning of March, with a selection of tops, for going out in the evening. I'm sure it will score well on the cost per wear ratio!

As well as the three pairs of trousers shown above, I have a grey wool pair as seen in the following photo. These four pairs and the skirt will be rotated throughout the next three months and, with nineteen different tops, plus three cardigans and two jackets, I can create dozens of outfits. Obviously outer layers are very important during the winter months and my capsule includes the burgundy coat, copper trench-coat and beige puffer jacket shown above and the burgundy puffer jacket shown below.

I've mentioned before how it is sensible to build your capsule wardrobe around neutrals, in either warm or cool tones depending on your individual colouring. My neutrals here are mainly brown, camel and beige as well as dark navy jeans and grey trousers. The tops are mostly warm colours, including gold, orange, red and lime green. Accessories have a very important role to play in capsule wardrobes. They can provide contrast if your outfit is too dark and they can provide colour if your outfit is a bit dull. Above all, they will add personality to your outfits. 

The January sales can be very tempting, especially if your capsule consists mainly of neutrals and you love colour as much as I do. Did I mention that red is a neutral in my wardrobe? Just saying! If you're finding it hard to resist the sales, why not look for a colourful scarf, a statement necklace or sparkly earrings instead of yet another "bargain" dress or top that hardly gets worn? Something that will give both you and your wardrobe a lift. As for me, I'm going to try and resist temptation until it's time to start thinking about my Spring wardrobe. After all, with the above 33 items of clothing, I've got more than enough clothes to see me through the winter months.

A very special award

This blog is called "Over 60 and Over Here" for two very good reasons: I'm over 60 (rapidly heading towards over 70!) and I now live in Spain, having moved here after we both retired from our jobs in London. Most of my posts are about fashion and beauty for over 60 women, however this particular one is about living in Jumilla as an immigrant and being accepted by the local people.

Last month I received a message on facebook from a Spanish friend asking for my mobile number. I thought it was a bit strange, as we usually message each other on facebook and can reply from our mobile phones. Later that day I discovered why Andrés had asked for it, when our Mayoress rang me to say that John and I were being given a very special award: a Hypnos Premio, as Embajadores de Jumilla (Ambassadors of Jumilla). What a wonderful surprise!

Each year our town makes several awards to recognise what groups and individuals have done for Jumilla. We were being given our award because I blog and write about what is happening locally, plus we show groups of English-speaking tourists around the old town and castle, as well as arranging visits to Jumilla's wineries and booking meals in local restaurants. We were delighted that we had been nominated for a Hypnos Premio and that they wanted to recognise our work by giving us one of these prestigious awards. It also struck us how welcoming and inclusive Spanish people are and how they now consider us to be Jumillanos, part of their community, rather than just immigrants. I would like to think that Spanish people living in the UK are treated as well as we are here and are also made to feel at home over there.

The above photo shows us on stage at our local theatre, with my daughter and son-in-law to the right of the picture, as well as a few of our British and Spanish friends. I must confess to feeling slightly nervous beforehand, as we had said we would like to say a few words in Spanish when we were given our award. Our good friend Juana María had corrected our speech and listened to us reading it, with a few comments on our accents!

I'm pleased to say that our speech was well received and Juana María told us that people found it funny - deliberate humour, I should add! Afterwards we all went to the Museo del Vino for a three course lunch accompanied by Jumilla wines. Needless to say, it was the perfect finish to our celebrations.