New Year's Resolutions - why not?

New Year's Resolutions 

Number 1 ----------? 😊

Number 2 ----------? 😊

Do you believe in making New Year's Resolutions? Are you successful in keeping them? If you've read my previous post, you will know that I prefer having a "Word of the Year" to making resolutions that are - more often than not - doomed to failure. I think one of the reasons for this is that many people either decide to give up something that they enjoy (they stop smoking, give up drinking wine) or set themselves impossible targets (go to the gym 7 times a week). As soon as they slip up, they then give up.

Having said that, I do have a few aims this year, the first one being to blog on a more regular basis. I enjoy writing and love it when readers leave comments, so it shouldn't be too difficult for me. Any suggestions for new topics are always welcome, for times when I lack inspiration.

I also aim to keep up my fitness programme, which again will be easy. I love dancing and catchy music, so my dance exercise classes are great fun rather than a chore. I have a very good Pilates teacher too, so will continue with my Pilates classes.  If your New Year's Resolution is to be fitter, choosing forms of exercise that appeal to you means you are more likely to be successful.

Having mentioned giving up wine (which I can't do, as I live in a Spanish town renowned for its red wine, so I need to support the local economy!) I am going to keep an eye on my overall eating and drinking habits, as my aim is to be as healthy as possible. This doesn't involve trying to diet, but means making healthy choices especially when we dine out. At home it is easier to eat healthily as we can select fresh fish (I don't eat meat), fruit and vegetables in our local shops and markets, and add herbs and spices for flavouring. I do enjoy a glass of red wine with my dinner, but I have been reliably informed that wine in moderation is good for my health! Did I mention chocolate? At home we seldom have desserts, as we usually have fruit at lunch-time, however I have a small piece of dark chocolate after my dinner, for medicinal purposes! Eating out is harder, especially when they have tempting desserts, but I don't believe that an occasional treat does us any harm.

Since starting this blog, I have investigated numerous colour and style resources, which I have shared with you all. My aim has been to learn how to create outfits that flatter me and that I enjoy wearing, which is my aim for this year too. For women over 60 (and especially for those of us who are now over 70!), it becomes more important to choose outfits in colours and styles that flatter us, but many of us are unsure what our best colours and shapes are, as our bodies have changed and our colouring has faded over the years. I can still remember my shocking pink top and purple mini-skirt that (says she modestly) I looked great in when I was in my early twenties. Fifty years later, although I still love bright colours and my favourite bag is bright blue, I choose more muted colours to wear next to my face. As for mini-skirts, as I'm short and my legs are one of my best features (says she modestly again), I do wear skirts on or just above my knees, but not minis, as I don't want to hear the words mutton and lamb being muttered in my presence. Now that I'm retired I tend to wear more casual outfits, such as my "uniform" tops and trousers, preferably in flattering shapes and colours.

Wearing a mini maternity smock when I was 23!

More suitable for a 60+ woman!

This year I will continue to share my journey as I try to become more stylish and especially as I seek to refine my capsule wardrobe. My aim is to restrict my purchases this year to a maximum of 5 pieces per season à la The Vivienne Files. The idea is to build a basic capsule wardrobe that will easily mix and match, then each season you will buy 5 new pieces to update your look, ensuring that they will work with your basic capsule. The new pieces could be a top, cardigan, blouse, scarf and bag, as an example. It's a good opportunity to choose one or two on trend pieces as well as replacing any items that are past their best. If you click on the above link to The Vivienne Files, you will see a great example of how this works. To help you in your own style journey, I have added links to some of my favourite blogs. If you have further recommendations, please let me know.

My final aim, in keeping with my "Word of the Year", is to show more gratitude this year: after all, I have so much to be grateful for.

Are you yin or yang?

I touched on this subject when I wrote about my Style Consultation in January. As part of  my style analysis I completed a questionnaire that revealed the yin and yang aspects of both my appearance and my personality.  Many of us are a mixture of both yin and yang. Even though we may be firmly in one camp, sometimes we may want to appear a bit more yin or a bit more yang.

In my case, being short and youthful (according to the lovely Fiona!) makes me yin, whereas my angular face and body make me yang. My interest in clothes and shoes is yin but my creativity using ideas rather than my hands is yang. My result was ten points for yin, four for yang and six points were half & half.

I thought it might be interesting to look at a few characteristics of both yin and yang in fashion. In a nutshell, yin aspects are softer and more feminine, while yang traits are stronger and more masculine. Imogen of Inside Out Style has written an excellent post about ways to balance your yin and yang.

If your fashion personality is classic, dramatic or athletic, yang clothing will suit you. If you are a natural, romantic or creative, then yin clothing will suit your personality.

Yin vs Yang

Looking at the outfits show above, I think it is obvious which one is more yin and which is more yang. Both jackets are striped, however the one of the left is a paler colour, with less contrast and the lines are softer. The jacket on the right is higher contrast, darker and with a sharper silhouette. Skirts are usually yin whereas trousers tend to be yang: this skirt looks soft and feminine while the trousers are straight and in a brighter shade. Finally both outfits include flats, however the pale blue ballerinas have a rounded toe and the black and white pair have a pointed toe.

Neither of these outfits would be my ideal choice as I prefer straighter skirts on the odd occasion when I wear one and, though I like the outfit on the left, the jacket is too dramatic a style for me. My preference would be to swap the skirt and trousers, then wear the yin outfit.

Are you more yin or yang? Do you prefer yin fashion styles or are you more drawn to yang fashion?

It's not too late to join NoRepeat November!

Regular readers will know that I always enjoy a challenge and especially those set by Imogen of the Inside Out Style blog. Her latest style challenge is Norepeat November, which Imogen hopes will get us out of our style rut and help us to create new outfits. The idea is to declutter your wardrobe at the same time so you only have clothes that work for you.

I know it is 2 November, but it's not too late to join in. Jot down what you wore yesterday and what you're wearing today.  If you're wearing the same outfit, then just change it slightly (add a scarf or some jewellery or wear a different pair of shoes) and you will be on your way. That wasn't too hard, was it? Now you've just got to wear 28 different outfits for the rest of the month!

November 1st

November 2nd

If it sounds a bit daunting, try a simple mathematical test.  How many skirts and trousers do you have in your wardrobe?  Now count the number of different tops that you own, and multiply the total by the number of bottoms. If you only have 8 tops and 4 bottoms that will still give you 32 outfits, which is more than enough.

Currently I have 18 tops and 8 bottoms in my wardrobe (including the ones I am wearing) which potentially gives me up to 144 different combinations. Obviously not every top goes with every bottom and, although I have included three skirts, I only wear skirts occasionally. I'm wearing one today as we went to our friend's house for a celebration lunch.

A couple of my tops are a bit dressy so I will only wear them if I am going out in the evening and a few of them are too thick to be worn at the moment (not that I'm complaining!), however I still have a dozen everyday tops to wear over the next twenty-eight days. I can ring the changes by wearing different scarves and other accessories with them plus I can throw on a cardigan or jacket to alter my look.

If you work full-time, why not plan your outfits for the week ahead ensuring that you have a different outfit each day? If you are going to take part in the challenge too, then please let us know how you are getting on. I will give updates on here, though I may not post photos every day. Good luck everyone!