Latest trends: Stylist Live Catwalk

Stop press! Hold the front page! I've just returned from a flying visit to the UK to help my brother celebrate his 65th birthday. While I was in London I managed to visit Stylist Live, in order to discover the latest trends to share with my readers. The trends were: intergalactic, velvet goldmine, sportswear, the navy coat and spice world and all outfits are available on the high street plus on-line.

You may feel that over 60 women shouldn't be bothered about looking trendy - and I certainly don't recommend wearing the latest trends head to toe - however a nod to fashion can liven up your basics and (dare I say it?) stop you looking boring.

The catwalk show presented the trends in reverse order, so the first photos show Trend 5: Spice World. I wondered if the clothes were going to be outfits from the Spice Girls (Victoria Beckham?) however they turned out to be spicy colours. This is a great opportunity for those of us who have warmer colouring to go shopping.

 

 

Trend 4: The Navy Coat is good for those over 60s who are finding black a bit too harsh for their complexions. I'm the first one to put my hand up and admit to this! In some of the photos below you can see the navy coats being worn with accessories in warm colours, as navy looks good on people with warm colouring as well as cool colouring.

 

 

Trend 3: Sportswear is one that will appeal to those of us who like wearing casual, comfortable clothes. You probably wouldn't wear these outfits to the office or for going out to dinner, unless it was somewhere very casual, and it might not appeal to everyone. I'm tempted by the Adidas trousers, though knowing my luck they probably won't have them in petite sizes.

 

 

Trend 2: Velvet Goldmine is perfect timing with Christmas only a couple of months away! Why o why did I throw out that green velvet jacket? I'm trying to console myself with the thought that it was probably the wrong shade of green..... Wait! I do have a pair of burgundy velvet trousers, so I can still look trendy at any Christmas parties that I attend. You don't have to buy a velvet trouser suit to look on trend, as there are velvet bags in the shops that add a trendy touch to your outfits without spending too much.

 

Trend 1: Intergalactic isn't one that I'm likely to follow, as it's a bit too shiny for me. I don't need my wrinkles highlighting, thank you very much! I'd be surprised if many women of a certain age will be buying into this trend, though shiny bags and shoes are a good way to add a touch of silver to your outfits.

 

 

     

What about you? Do any of these trends appeal to you? Are you likely to be purchasing any of these outfits? As I've said before, even if you're not particularly interested in looking fashionable and prefer to just look stylish, it is useful to know what the latest trends are, as it provides clues to what you'll find in the shops. If a colour that suits you is trendy, then look for classic styles in that colour so that your clothes don't look outdated the following season. Don't spend a lot of money on something that may look out of date in a year's time.

Making a statement - best foot forward

I've already hinted at it, so I'm sure you're not surprised to discover that this post is about wearing shoes and boots to add some colour to your basic outfit.  I'm using navy and dark grey for my basics, but you could always use brown and cream if you have warmer colouring.

If you wear brightly coloured footwear, which is making a statement in itself, you may want to pick up the colour in a scarf or necklace, but keep it more subtle than the examples in my earlier posts or people won't know where to look! If in doubt, stick to simpler styles in silver or gold as in my example below.

If you enjoy wearing brightly coloured shoes and like a sporty look, you are in luck at the moment as they are fashionable, so snap them up while you can! You probably don't want to spend a lot of money on your new purchase, which may very well look dated by this time next year. You could easily spend well over 100€ on a pair of Kenzo sneakers for example, however all of the shoes shown above cost less than 60€.

If you want to spend a bit more money on your footwear, you're better investing in a pair of good quality shoes in a classic style and in a neutral colour. In the meantime, I'm off to Decathlon sports shop in Murcia tomorrow, hoping to buy some comfortable (and possibly colourful) walking shoes to take me through the summer months. Hmm. Should I buy a pair of ballerinas in silver and pink, or the denim lace-ups or how about the red Skechers? As I do a lot of walking, the decision will have to be based on comfort rather than colour - though I'm hoping that I can combine the two!

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!

A bad look for over 60s?

I've just finished reading the latest post on one of my favourite blogs: Une Femme d'un certain âge, and the first comment on her post made me pause to think. I thought the post was excellent, as usual, and Une Femme's views on trends are very similar to mine. Don't go overboard and risk looking like a fashion victim, but by embracing the latest trend through accessories, for example, you can look modern without being over the top.

One of the trends mentioned is peplums and the person who commented was questioning why middle-aged women would want to add visual weight to that part of their body. Good point, however I am sitting here wearing a peplum top as we speak!  Obviously I immediately rushed to look in the mirror to reassure myself that I didn't look too fat and then I decided to ask for a second opinion.

When I bought this navy top (it was in the sales at Hobbs otherwise I might not have bought it!) I actually thought it gave me a waist and therefore was a flattering look. As a comparison, here is a photo of me in an ordinary top (which happens to be pink: Robin, please note!) so I would be interested in your views.  The jeans, by the way, are also pink - though when I first saw them I thought they were red - so maybe pink is becoming my signature colour.

Which of these two looks is the most flattering, in your opinion?

 

Would you wear this style? Are there any other recent trends that you have followed?

Who would believe it?

British readers will no doubt understand when I say that Marks & Spencer doesn't immediately spring to mind when you are planning to hit the high street for a fashionable outfit. Zara or Mango are the obvious shops to head for, or maybe H & M or Top Shop. M&S (as it is affectionately called by the Brits) tends to be avoided after many years when, quite frankly, it seemed to lose its way. You might go there to buy food or wine, or pop in for new underwear - always its strength - but a new dress, skirt or coat? You've got to be joking!

Imagine my surprise therefore when I opened the "Elle Fashion Book for Autumn/Winter 2013-2014", which came free with my copy of Spanish Elle magazine, to spot eight (yes,eight!) items of clothing from good old M&S in its pages! I was planning to identify some of the trends for the coming season to write about in this blog, so here they are - courtesy of Elle magazine - and all of them are available from Marks and Spencer.

1. Hits Mini & Midi, inspired by the 50s

Marks and Spencer Collection

It looks as if animal print is here to stay, so you may be lucky enough to already have something similar to the skirt above in your wardrobe. Elle also showed a floral lace skirt from M&S, which no doubt will prove popular for winter parties. Petite over 60s need to take care with Midi lengths, which can make us look frumpy, but minis may very well end up falling at exactly the right spot for us.

2.  Autumn garden trend

Marks and Spencer featured here as well, with two different floral dresses being selected. A word of warning to petite over 60s to take care with floral patterns, especially when it is a strong print like the dress below, which could easily overwhelm you.

There was also a photo of an animal print dress from M&S - quelle surprise! - emphasising the continuing popularity of this trend.

3.  Street style - winter coats

If you are looking for a new winter coat, Elle put the spotlight on three different styles at M&S: a pale blue coat in a masculine cut (two trends in one); a long grey fifties-style coat or the long belted coat shown below, which they describe as "código street" style.

It's lucky that I don't need a new winter coat, as long coats don't tend to flatter petites and pale colours don't suit me either.

Coincidentally, I had just ordered a new bra from Marks and Spencer and I was tempted into buying a new top as well, which you can see below. I chose the top because I liked it, not because it was trendy, however flicking through the fashion pages I noticed that grey is in fashion and so are pencil skirts, so I may wear it next time with my grey pencil skirt instead of my jeans. I believe that there's nothing wrong with wanting to look fashionable when you're over 60, so long as you remember that less is more and don't overdo the fashion trends. I definitely won't be wearing a bright floral top, animal print shoes and extra-large clutch with my pencil skirt!

Bought from a trendy store?