FABruary Style Challenge Wrap

Thanks to Imogen of Inside Out Style for issuing her Style Challenge.  It made February a fabulous, fun month, although it proved extra challenging for me because of several reasons: I have reduced my wardrobe considerably since doing Project 333; I am also doing Colours and Numbers, which involves wearing specific colours on each day; I was on holiday for a week during February, which limited the clothes I had to choose from!

Imogen has done a summary of the challenge, asking the participants several questions, which I have decided to answer below.

What I want to know now is what did you discover?

I discovered that it is fun to try out different combinations and that just because I am over 60, it doesn't mean that I can't try out new trends.

Will you be wearing outfits that you created during the FABruary challenge that you've otherwise not worn before?

I have had many positive comments about the different outfits, and will definitely  be wearing many of them again.

How much of your wardrobe did you use?  How much still didn't get a look in (seasonal items excepted)?

I would say about 80 - 90% of my winter wardrobe, bearing in mind how I've cut back on my winter clothes.

Did it make it easier or harder for you to get dressed each day having a ‘plan’ of sorts?

It wasn't difficult - apart from having to pack for a holiday during February and balance doing the challenge with choosing suitable clothes for my holiday.

How did the people around you react to your style challenge outfits?

I did receive several compliments, and my poor husband occasionally complained about having to be the official photographer every day!

Which was your favourite day?

Day 27 - Sheer.  I had thrown out my few sheer tops when I started Project 333, on the basis that they were the wrong colours for me and didn't look good on an Over 60. My plan was to wear sheer tights on this day, but I went into a shop with my husband the day before and I couldn't resist buying this new top!

Did you enjoy seeing other people’s outfits?

Yes, because it gave me lots of new ideas plus it was fascinating to see how other people interpreted the challenge each day.

The good news is that Imogen plans another challenge for us all in a couple of months' time.  In the meantime, I will continue with Colours and Numbers.  My next task though is to pack for a long weekend in the UK, as I am visiting my family in London for Mother's Day. I think I will be taking my warmest clothes! 

FABruary Style Challenge - Shades of Grey

To be honest, I don't have a lot of grey in my wardrobe, which regular readers will already be aware of, having spotted all colours of the rainbow in the various outfits on my blog.  The last Style Challenge though was Shades of Grey and I had to participate.  There's no point in doing 27 days and failing on the last day is there?

I could have packed my favourite thick grey cardigan, but it would have taken up a lot of room in my suitcase and I was hoping it wouldn't be cold enough to need it.  I also have a grey tweed jacket, but it didn't really go with the rest of my holiday clothes.  What I ended up wearing was a white and grey t-shirt, which does have several shades of grey in it, and a pair of blue and grey trainers for when we went out walking. I also wore grey eye   shadow, in keeping with the theme.

If you look at the sky you will also see several shades of grey, but we can't really complain after five days of sunshine.  My husband, who failed to capture the blue and grey trainers, kindly pointed out that there are some grey hairs too!

FABruary Style Challenge - Sheer folly

I'm one day late, because of internet connection problems in our hotel, however this was a post I didn't expect to make.  The Style Challenge was "sheer", which didn't sound like a good idea for an over 60.  I guess it depends on how you define sheer, as if you have any wobbly bits (which, to be honest, most over 60s have) you don't want to expose them by wearing a sheer top.  If however the top is lacy or patterned and the wobbly bits are safe from critical eyes, then why not wear it?

Having been reassured by reading Imogen's own post, I happened to wander into a fashion shop and spotted a suitable top.  I obviously needed to wear something underneath, and this white and grey t-shirt wasn't necessarily the ideal choice, but it was one of the few items of clothing I had packed that I thought would go well with my new top.  I don't think that it looks as good as it would with the right top and bottoms, especially not with dark coloured trousers. What do you think?  Is this sheer foolishness or is it appropriate wear for a woman of a certain age?

Sheer folly?

FABruary Style Challenge - Going Green

Today's Style Challenge is called "Going Green", which could of course just mean wearing the colour green in some form today, but also it might indicate taking environmental factors into account.  If in doubt, try and meet both criteria, I decided.  However I hadn't really thought this out before packing for my week's holiday.

I had brought a green, yellow and blue striped top with me, which I had bought in my local Aldi.  According to the label it was made in Germany, so that is better than a Far East sweatshop, plus it can be washed at 30 degrees.  Good: fairly green on both scores.  My Wallis jeans were made in Turkey, which hopefully is acceptable, and the label recommended washing them at 30 degrees to save energy.  Perfect!  Finally, my new purchase of a pair of navy shoes has to be a winner and not just because they only cost me 10€.  They were made in Spain, in a town called Elche, which is less than 40 miles away from where we are staying.  How green is that?

FABruary Style Challenge - Stripes and Patterns

I am now on holiday for a week, making the Style Challenge even more challenging.  Today I have to wear stripes and  patterns.  Not so long ago the fashion pundits would have vetoed mixing more than one pattern, but times have changed. I have seen some great outfits combining stripes and other patterns in several fashion magazines and also on fashion blogs however, apart from a couple of floral summer skirts and several  striped tops, I don’t possess a lot of patterned clothes, especially when it comes to skirts and trousers.  Being petite I need to take care when wearing anything with a pattern anyway, especially one that is too large and/or too bold, which can overwhelm me. I am also cautious about floral patterns as I fear that they make me look matronly and old-fashioned. I know!  I'm over 60 so officially elderly, however does it mean that I have to dress that way?

This is where my collection of scarves comes in useful as many of them are patterned, so I tucked a couple in my suitcase.  Today’s outfit, posed on the balcony of our hotel in Albir, combines a striped top with a patterned scarf.  I am sure that the other bloggers taking part in this challenger will be able to produce a much more inspiring outfit, but hey! I’m on holiday!  This as good as it’s going to get.

FABruary Style Challenge - Pants Please!

Today's Style Challenge is Pants Please.  British readers will know what I mean if I say something is "pants", but I don't know whether readers from other parts of the world will understand it in that context, which  is using the word in a derogatory way.  I'm just hoping that none of you thinks my outfit for the day is "pants"!

We Brits usually use the word "pants" when referring to underwear, so my fellow countrywomen (or men) will know why I am changing the name of today's challenge to "Trousers Please", even though it doesn't have the same ring to it.

Although the emphasis should be on the trousers, I have to admit that this top is quite eye-catching. The trousers are black, which isn't a good colour for me, however being on my bottom half it doesn't matter too much. I should point out, for the sake of other petite women, that these trousers were bought from Lands End, so I was able to order the exact length that I wanted.  It's great to be able to buy trousers and not have to turn them up: I now purchase most of my petite trousers from Lands End for that reason.

A quick mention of the top, which I bought at Banana Republic in London.  I love the fact that the sleeves are short enough that I don't have to turn them up and that I can wear my favourite bracelets with it.  I also like the flattering shape, which skims the body, disguising the lack of a waist and the existence of a spare tyre! Anything baggier would only emphasise my bad points, in addition to making me look shorter.  Do any of you have some good tips for flattering your body?

FABruary Style Challenge - Animal Print

A decade or so ago, you wouldn't have found any animal print in my wardrobe, so today's challenge - Animal Print - would have been impossible.  Other Over 60 women will probably know what I mean when I say that leopardskin, for example, was considered slightly down-market.  It was the Bet Lynch effect: Bet Lynch being a character in a popular British soap.  However times have changed and animal print is becoming increasingly popular with many women and no longer considered to be "common".  In fact so much so that I could have chosen a dress or a pair of ballerinas instead of this scarf to meet today's challenge.  As it's winter in Spain, the scarf was the most practical item to wear today.

I haven't worn this combination before, but I noticed a hint of blue in the patterned scarf that toned with my top, so I suspect that I will wear it again.  Do you have any animal prints in your wardrobe?

FABruary Style Challenge - Something Old and Something New

Today's Style Challenge was "Something Old and Something New", which sounded quite straightforward until I read Imogen's post.  We had to take something from our wardrobe that we've had for more than five years and then match it with something that we've had for less than six months.  So much for my great idea that I could take ME for the something old and then match myself with some new clothes!

Virtue definitely doesn't pay in this instance.  I had a purge of my wardrobe five years ago, prior to moving to Spain, and more recently I have taken part in Project 333, getting rid of even more of my older clothes.  Today I had to look in my pared down wardrobe and try to find something that I've had for more than five years, which believe me wasn't easy.  I have a camel coat that must be at least ten years old, but it wasn't really suitable for today's agenda.  I also have a skirt suit and trouser suit that I brought over to Spain, but I was about to show four English tourists around my local town and neither would really suit (sorry for the pun!).  I needed casual comfort this morning, so I eventually settled for the outfit below.

So what are the oldest items - apart from me?!  I have owned this green top for just over 5 years, however the gold watch was a Christmas present from my husband twenty years ago (our first Christmas together - ahh bless!), so it's definitely the oldest thing that I am wearing.  The newest items are the dark green shoes, which I bought earlier this year, and my peachy necklace, which I bought at the end of September last year. This is also a combination that I haven't worn before, which was also part of today's challenge.

Considering I didn't have a lot of time this morning to think about my outfit, I don't think I've done too badly. What do you think?

FABruary Style Challenge - Boot Up

Today's Style Challenge was: Boot Up.  Yesterday would have been a perfect day to wear boots with my outfit, as it was cold and raining.  In fact when I took our dog Lisa out for a walk in the evening I wore a pair of comfortable black boots.

This morning the weather decided to be warm and sunny instead!  I have some lovely furry boots that I bought years ago in Chicago, but it was far too warm to wear them today.  When we moved to Spain five years ago I left several pairs of boots with the local charity shop, counting on it being hot and dry for most of the year over here, which it is - except for the cold and sometimes wet winter months!

My boot wardrobe is limited, partly because of the clear out prior to leaving the UK, and partly because I have difficulty buying boots that are both comfortable and stylish.  We do a lot of walking so heels aren't always practical and most of the stylish boots in the shops have heels that are way too high for me.  I also find that  most knee-high boots are too tall for my short legs.

Flat boots seem to be designed for elderly señoras who only want comfort.  I may be an elderly señora, but I like style as well as comfort.  Luckily the ankle boots that I am wearing today have a sensible heel so they are fine for walking into town to meet friends, though they are not ideal for doing too much walking around.

I should also have mentioned that I have chubby calves, which again limits my choice when I am looking for higher boots. Imogen mentions the fact that knee-high boots are now available with multiple calf widths.  I haven't noticed any in Spain yet, but I will keep my eyes open for a pair as she says that they will make my legs look longer and leaner.  Just what I want!

FABruary Style Challenge - Style a Skirt

Today's Style Challenge was to Style a Skirt.  I had actually thought about my outfit the night before, which is very unusual for me.  I was going to my Sevillanas class and had the perfect swirly purple skirt, so that was what I was going to wear instead of my usual jeans and trainers.  I was sure that our teacher Carolina would be impressed by my outfit!

Then my husband John came back from walking our dog Lisa while I was making breakfast. I was still wearing my dressing gown  - a lovely Spanish tradition that I have adopted!- though I had laid my clothes out on the bed.

"It's trying to rain," he announced "and it's cold out there!"  Plan A was quickly abandoned and I dressed in the top and cardigan that I had put out, but wore them with jeans and trainers instead of the skirt.

I don't think I can truthfully say that I have styled this skirt. It was more a case of getting back home, leaving my umbrella to dry on the landing, and quickly changing from jeans to thick tights and skirt.

Being self critical, I would say that it's not the ideal skirt for a petite to wear, as it falls several inches below my knee, which is why I have worn dark tights with it.  It's flattering for an over 60 though, as the pleats gently disguise any bulges. More importantly it is comfortable to wear, which was a major consideration today as I am trying to fight off a winter cold!

FABruary Style Challenge - Multiple Necklaces

I was very confident this morning when I considered today's FABruary Style Challenge: Multiple Necklaces. "Easy peasy!" I thought.  I have loads of necklaces to choose from, so it's just a case of choosing a couple to wear.

Except it wasn't that easy.  I would put one necklace on and it looked fine, but every time I tried to add another one it then looked a bit silly.  I realised that my necklaces are either totally different so they don't go well with any other necklace, or they look fine together but they are the same length, which obviously wouldn't work.

I considered other options: wear one necklace round my neck then twist a second one round my wrist, or wrap it round my waist (though to be honest, only one was long enough for that!).  However I thought that would be missing the point of the challenge, so regretfully I dismissed that option.

I also considered conveniently "forgetting" to write a post today and hoping that nobody would notice but, tempting though that was, it would have been admitting defeat.  I live in a Spanish town where most shops are closed on Sunday, so I couldn't dash out and buy another necklace that I knew would look good with one of my existing ones.  Here, dear friends, is today's outfit: please don't look too closely!  This was the best that I could come up, so you can only imagine how bad the other combinations were.

FABruary Style Challenge - Scarves

Today's Style Challenge is Scarves, for which I was very grateful.  Partly because it is winter here in Spain so I wear a scarf most days and partly because I have a bit of a sore throat today, so it was lovely to have a good excuse to wrap up warmly.  Today you're in for a treat as I have two photos for you to enjoy!

The first one is my outfit without the extra layers, showing my lightweight scarf.

A couple of style points to make here.  Because I wanted to protect my delicate throat I wrapped the scarf around my neck a couple of times, but as I'm petite it might have been more flattering if I had worn it longer, drawing the eye downwards, which would have had the additional bonus of making me look slimmer.  Scarves are a flattering accessory for over 60s by the way, as they hide our ageing necks! However I love necklaces and have a collection of pretty necklaces that I enjoy wearing, so this usually overrides my vanity.

The second photo shows me wrapped up in one of my favourite scarves, which was a 65th birthday present from my daughters.  It is lightweight, but incredibly warm too.

Right folks - I think that's a wrap!

FABruary Style Challenge - Coloured Shoes

I could claim that I have already met today's challenge (coloured shoes) in an earlier post where I wore some red shoes, however I'm over half-way through the challenge so it's no time to quit.  This time I decided to wear my green shoes, just to prove that I have more than one pair of coloured shoes in my wardrobe.
Like many women, when I was younger my shoes tended to be black, black or black, with an occasional brown or navy pair to break the monotony. I was a bit more adventurous in the summer months, but during winter the dreariness of the weather was usually reflected in the dreariness of the shoes I wore.

Not now though.  Since I retired, I have enjoyed being a bit more adventurous in what I wear. I no longer work in an office with a dress code to adhere to, so I can wear what I want.  Sadly I had to throw out a pair of purple shoes today as they were starting to split, but the sales are still on so I will be looking for a colourful replacement.  In the meantime, here are my green shoes.

I've worn this scarf before during February, and no doubt I will wear it again, as it has so many different colours in it, which helps to make my outfits look a bit more colour coordinated.  As well as the green of my shoes, it contains the exact shade of my top - how lucky is that?!  I just wish that I had a pair of blue suede shoes.....

FABruary Style Challenge - lace

This was one of the Style Challenges that I was dreading: lace.  Looking at Imogen's post was slightly reassuring as she gave examples of using lace that would have been fine on me, if only I possessed those items.  I must confess that I was tempted to cheat and show a picture of me wearing shoes with laces......!  However by going through my summer clothes I found a pretty top that is edged with lace, so here it is. Hopefully you can make out the lace if you peer closely enough at the photo.

This outfit illustrates a point that I have learnt from Imogen's blog: to create a column of colour if you want to look either slimmer or taller.  In my case I want to look slimmer and taller!  I am wearing a navy cardigan and jeans so the column of colour is on the outside.  An alternative way of achieving this is to wear the same colour for your top and trousers or skirt, with a different colour for your cardigan or jacket.

FABruary Style Challenge - Be Blue

What a happy coincidence: today's Style Challenge was "Be Blue" - if you click on the link you can read Imogen's thoughts on the subject and see how she splits blues into warmer and cooler shades of blue.  In the dim and distant past when I had a colour analysis and was told that I was a "winter", I wore lots of cooler blues.  However I now find that warmer tones suit me best, so either the original analysis was wrong or my ageing skin has suddenly become warmer! It may of course be because I live in a sunny climate now and my freckles are showing up more.

Anyway, back to the happy coincidence: as well as the theme for today's Style Challenge being blue, my Personal Day today is 5, which is also blue.  I got quite carried away when getting dressed and I am wearing blue underwear (don't worry, I'm not going to post a photo of me in my undies!) as well as a blue top and navy blue jeans.  I was about to put on my grey and blue trainers when I suddenly remembered the Valentine's challenge and realised that I needed to wear some red too. Spot the touches of red in today's outfit.

Looking at my outfit with a more critical eye, I am wondering if I got too carried away by the idea of wearing all blue and should have chosen different bottoms.  The top is a warm shade and the jeans are a cool tone - what do you think? If only I possessed jeans or trousers in a warmer shade of blue that blended with the top, it would  have had the added benefit of making me look taller and slimmer!

Day 12 - FABruary Style Challenge

At first glance today's Style Challenge was an easy one: layering.  After all it's winter here in Spain and, even though the sun shines most days, there has been a bitterly cold wind in recent weeks and I have been adding layers every day.  The only difficult part was which one to wear today? I have several cardigans, a couple of jackets and a few waistcoats (I think our American friends call them vests?) to choose from. In the end I decided to wear this short-sleeved top over a long-sleeved top. It does come with a belt that I can wrap around myself, but the effect is to highlight my (non-existent!) waist and cut my body in half, emphasising my lack of height. I decided it was a more flattering outfit sans belt.

Sharp-eyed readers may have noticed that I blinked while this was being taken (this happens all the time) and may also have spotted  that I have already worn the bright pink jeans and scarf before. If only I hadn't decided to join Project 333 last year, I might have had more clothes to choose from for this challenge!

When I left the house this morning for my Sevillanas class I added even more layers, putting on my thick winter jacket and wrapping a large scarf around myself.  I decided against posting a photo of myself looking like Michelin Woman though!

Day 10 - FABruary Style Challenge

When I first looked at today's style challenge - "Colour block" - I thought it would be pretty easy. You only have to open the door to my wardrobe to see the mix of colours there.  I like colour, and I have plenty of colours to choose from, but hang on a minute!  I usually choose a lovely bright colour and pair it with a neutral, with maybe an additional touch of colour to link up the outfit and make it look more stylish.  From what I've seen of colour blocking, the idea is to have not one but two bright colours and then produce an outfit that doesn't look as if you selected your clothes with your eyes closed.  Hmm.  Maybe a bit more challenging than I first thought.

As always, Imogen provides some sound advice: Colour Block.  She was brave and chose three bright colours whereas I chose only two - unless you count my gold bracelet. My shoes, by the way, were green as well.  I did add my grey tweed jacket later on as, although the sun was shining, it was another cold winter's day.

Do you like the "Colour Block" trend?  What colours do you like to mix together?

Day 9 - FABruary Style Challenge

I thought that I had Day 9 of the FABruary Style Challenge - Daytime Sparkle - all sussed out.  I have (or had) a lovely sparkly scarf, which would give a flattering glow to my face.  We Over 60s love flattering glows!  I knew where it was hanging up too - only when I went to find it, it wasn't there! Plan B was called for.

As I have gently pointed out to Imogen, I live on the other side of the world to her.  It's winter here in Spain and so I wasn't keen on wearing one of the sleeveless sparkly tops that I possess.  I could have added some warm layers to cover the sleeveless tops, but I think the general idea of today's challenge is to see the sparkles.  My green sparkle top would have been perfect, if it hadn't been in the wash.  Do other bloggers have these sort of problems or are they more organised than me? I had to settle for the grey sequinned top below.  I hope that you can pick out the sparkles as I can only spot one sequin sparkling, but they do pick up the turquoise from my cardigan, which is why I love to wear these two items together.

Some people may think that sequins and other sparkles should only be worn in the evening, but I think that anything that brightens up a cold winter's day has got to be a good idea. I hope that you agree with me.

Day 8 - FABruary Style Challenge

Today's challenge was to wear a Statement Ring.  I couldn't decide which ring to wear, so in the end I compromised.  I have two hands, don't I?  So I decided to wear a ring on each hand.  I attempted to create a look that didn't suggest that I was adding a couple of rings just because I am doing this challenge.  I was wearing a red and white scarf, so one ring was red and the other one was white. If I keep this up, I may become as stylish as the other bloggers that I follow!

Today's outfit consisted of a blue striped top, navy jeans, red shoes, a red and white scarf plus one red ring and one white ring.  Casual, I admit, as my plans for the day were to meet a friend for coffee, do a bit of shopping and walk Lisa our dog.  No need to dress up too much then and, the most important factor when choosing what to wear today, it was bitterly cold again and this top is lovely and warm!

These are the two rings that I decided to wear today.  I don't have long, graceful fingers so, although my rings are bright, they aren't huge statement rings.

Day 7 - FABruary Style Challenge

Today's challenge from Imogen is called "Red Lips".  If only I had thought about it in time - and if only I had a spare £245.00! - I could have sent for this Lulu Guinness clutch.  Don't you love it?

Alas, it was not to be.  I did vaguely think of doing something artistic, like painting red lips on an old white t-shirt, but I'm not really that artistic and it was my turn to make breakfast while John walked our dog Lisa, so I had to get a move on this morning.  Sadly the best I could come up with was me wearing red lipstick.  

First of all, a word of caution for fellow over 60s - bright red lips isn't the best look for women of a certain age.  Think "Ageing Femme Fatale" and you will get my drift. We don't want to look as if we're auditioning for a remake of "Whatever happened to Baby Jane?" do we?

The secret is to choose a red that flatters your colouring. If in doubt, it's worth looking at Imogen's post for guidance. Remember that if you don't look good wearing bright colours in general, bright red lipstick is highly unlikely to suit you. I have two red lipsticks: the first one is lighter and brighter and the second one is deeper and more opaque.  Which one do you prefer?

My 2 red lipsticks - which one to choose?

Lipstick 1

Lipstick 2