April Style Challenge - Senior Moment!

There's only one problem with being an over 60 blogger: sometimes we suffer from Senior Moments! It's been challenging enough having to take photos with my mobile phone, due to my camera having been sent off for the lens to be fixed.  But then we met friends for a Spanish-British intercambio on Saturday and somehow (don't ask me!) I left my mobile phone behind.  With photos of me - complete with my accessories  - ready to upload for this post. Doh!

One accessory I have already shown before on this blog, and that is my gold bracelet:

Looking again at this outfit, there were a lot of different accessories, apart from the bracelet.  You can see a necklace, which matches the coral cardigan, plus a green ring and (though not shown here) I also had a green watch. Isn't there a saying that less is more?  In my case, more was more - I think I got slightly carried away here!

In the photo that I can't show you: I wore the bracelet with a purple top this time and a simple gold necklace that didn't distract attention from the bracelet.  I like to think it was a more elegant look, but unfortunately I can't post it for you to agree. I just hope that you have a vivid imagination!

I mentioned my green watch above.  I like watches as they can add a subtle touch of colour to any outfit. I also wore a pale lilac watch with the purple top - though I can't remember whether it can be seen in the photo (short-term memory problems!). Most of my watches are inexpensive.  I recently bought a Spanish magazine for 4.95€, which included a white watch and a perfume sample.  The lilac watch was even cheaper, as it came with a different Spanish magazine that cost me the princely sum of 2€!  I like having a selection of coloured watches to brighten up my basic outfits.

So if you are getting slightly bored with some of your outfits, it doesn't cost a lot to rejuvenate them with accessories. Whether you choose scarves, necklaces, bracelets, watches, bags or shoes is up to personal preference. What is your favourite accessory - and why?

PS If the photo looks ok when uploaded, I will add it to the end of this post and republish.

Spring and Summer Fashion Trends

I thought this was an appropriate time to look at Spring and Summer fashion trends.  After all it's Spring, isn't it? Last weekend we put our clocks forward for Summer Time both here in Spain and also in the UK. I will pause for a moment to look out of the window at the black rain clouds and no doubt UK readers who have been enjoying/complaining about the recent snow will give a hollow laugh.  Still, it's good to look forward to the forthcoming lovely Spring and Summer weather.

Here are some of the Spring-Summer 2013 fashion trends that I have noticed in fashion magazines and also on the internet.  I won't be embracing them all because, frankly, many of them are inadvisable for those of us who are over 60. Also - to be totally honest - many over 50s and even over 40s should take care!

1.  Monochrome

Black and white checks, the bigger and bolder the better, are the first trend.  I will be giving this a miss as it will be too harsh for me and, being petite, big and bold isn't a good look either.  However for larger ladies who look good in black (please be honest with yourself as most women of a certain age don't look good in black), this is a trend that you may want to embrace.

Topshop trousers, as seen on the Telegraph website

2.  60s look

OK.  The general rule is that, if you remember the trend from the first time, then you should ignore it the second time round, as frankly you are too old to carry it off. I am a believer that rules are there to be broken, but short shift dresses are definitely better left for the young. The young in heart and slim over 60 woman may get away with a nod to the trend, but remember that mini skirts and dresses are designed with younger women in mind.

3.  Bomber jackets

Many of us can get away with wearing bomber jackets, so long as they suit our figures.  Be honest with yourself when you try one one. If the jacket ends at your widest point, you might be wise to put it back. It's a good casual look though and if you choose flattering colours it can work for over 60s.  I like the look of this jacket, which is ideal for Spring:

4.  White (especially oversized white shirts and tuxedo jackets)

Please don't wear an oversized white shirt with loose bermudas (another trend apparently), but if you look good in white, and your lifestyle means you won't get it grubby too quickly, then this trend may be a good one for you.  White is far more flattering than black for mature skins. If you want a trendy colour, choose white rather than on-trend neons. I have a white jacket that I love, and I will probably wear it on cooler days, possibly with my striped dress. Which leads me neatly to another trend:

5.  Stripes.

I don't think stripes ever go out of fashion, but stripes were very much in evidence on the catwalks this time.  Horizontal stripes, vertical stripes and diagonal stripes: take your pick, but choose the stripes that flatter you the most.

White jacket - tick.  Stripes - tick.

6.  Lady-like handbags and low-heeled shoes

The fashion gods were obviously smiling down on women of a certain age when these trends were dreamt up!  Search in your wardrobe and you are bound to have at least one handbag that could fit this trend, but take care.  At our age it is only too easy to look old-fashioned rather than trendy: I don't think we are talking Margaret Thatcher bags here.  If you have the money you could buy a bag like this one, but at £1295 it would use up all of my clothing budget for many years!

Anya Hindmarsh bag

Low-heeled shoes - did I imagine this one? Are we really going to be able to buy fashionable but comfortable shoes, instead of having to choose between ridiculously high heels and boring flats?  I think I must be dreaming!

Me Time

Far too many women never think about enjoying themselves, or even looking after themselves, as they are so busy putting their families first.  If they do occasionally pause and wonder about having some time off from their family duties, they are likely to feel guilty.  Why is this?  If they are married or have a male partner, chances are that the man in their life has nights out with "the boys" or plays golf at the weekend or does whatever he wants to do in his spare time.  Spare time?  How many women have any spare time?!

When I was first married, I was one of those women.  I married when I was twenty-two and by the time I was twenty-five I had three children under the age of four.  I returned to a full-time job when I was twenty-nine and worked more or less continuously until I was over sixty.  Did I put my family first?  I like to think so, but over the years I started to realise that I needed to think of myself too, if only to save my sanity.

My husband took a bit of convincing, as he came from a traditional Scottish family where the women were home-makers and the men went out to work. After work the men went to the pub, and that was considered the norm.  However, when I gently pointed out that I would like to go to a Writers' Group just once a month, and that he was able to go to the pub any night of the week that he wanted, he gracefully gave in!

At Newcastle Writers Group I became a writer and wasn't just a working mother . It was a wonderful feeling to meet with like-minded people, who encouraged me with my creative writing.  When the children were in bed, and my husband was out at the pub, I could get on with my writing - though I had a bad habit of waiting to write an article or story until the night before our monthly get-together!  I was thrilled to win the crime story prize in a local writing competition and delighted when I was invited to read out an article on the local radio station.  I even got paid!  I owe that writers group a lot, as they gave me confidence in my own abilities and nurtured my love of writing that today expresses itself mainly through blogging.

I think it is very important for women to keep a sense of their own identity.  It is too easy to fall into the trap of being just "the wife" or "Mum".  Please don't get me wrong, as those are very important roles, but I don't think you should limit yourself.  I find it very sad to hear about women struggling to find their own identity after their children have left home. They have probably given up twenty or more years of their life to their family and forgotten who they were in the process.

You may feel that you don't have any spare time, especially if like me you have a full-time job and children to bring up, but it's a true saying that if you want something doing, you should ask a busy person!  I bet you could find another hour every week for your family if necessary, so why not spend that time on YOU!

If you still aren't convinced, I strongly believe that you actually become a better wife and/or mother through having some time for yourself.  The break from your normal routine will do you good, and you will appreciate your family even more. Even better, if you have an occasional break, they will learn to appreciate all the time that you do spend with them. So go ahead and enjoy your "Me Time": trust me, you deserve it.

April Style Challenge - Accessorize part 2

I mentioned in my previous April Style Challenge post that nowadays I wear a lot of scarves, as they are particularly flattering for those of us who are over 60 and whose necks show our age!  However I do love necklaces, and I still have many that I enjoy wearing, so today's outfit features one of my favourite necklaces.

My outfit is mainly navy, as I didn't want to wear any bright colours that would compete with my necklace for attention.  I think that the navy band at the top of my jumper helps to highlight the necklace, which is in one of my favourite colours, turquoise. This might have been a better look if I had worn a plain navy sweater rather than one with stripes, but my wardrobe isn't that vast! Turquoise is a colour that flatters most women, whether they suit cool or warm shades, so is ideal for those of us who are more mature. The shape of the necklace helps to draw attention away from the neck, which is a good thing too!

I bought this necklace on a trip to Madrid to celebrate my 65th birthday.  My husband had taken his son-in-law to the Santiago Bernabéu stadium where Real Madrid play, so guess what my step-daughter Sarah and I decided to do? Yep, that's right. Sarah and I went shopping and were delighted when we found a tiny shop called Tierra that sold hand-made jewellery.  We spent ages browsing before making our purchases and were even more delighted when we were given a tiny tub of ice-cream with our purchases, just what we needed on a hot day! You can check Tierra out on facebook, where I discovered they have shops in New York and London too.

April Style Challenge - Accessorize

I enjoyed the FABruary Style Challenge so much - though some days proved particularly challenging! - that I was delighted when Imogen decided to have another Style Challenge in April. I was also relieved when I saw that, instead of having to wear something specific each day, there was to be a different theme each week. As you can see from my heading, the theme for the first week is "Accessorize".

When I was younger accessories didn't have a large role to play in my wardrobe.  I suspect that my husband wishes that things hadn't changed, as my shoes keep teetering towards his side of the wardrobe!  As I get older I have realised that too many dark colours don't flatter me, though I know the value of good quality basics that don't date, so I use accessories to brighten up my look.

On Monday I wore my navy trench coat and navy jeans when we went out, which on their own might have looked a bit dull.  However I slung this green satchel over my shoulder and tied a multi-coloured scarf around my neck, which contained green and blue amongst other colours, so the overall effect was brighter and even (dare I say it?) slightly on-trend! I bought the bag last year and was pleased to see that green was to be one of the key colours for Spring, as I have never considered myself to be a trend-setter before!

Today my accessory was a scarf that I have owned for many years and never tire of, as it contains some of my favourite colours.  I decided to make the scarf the focus of today's outfit, so wore a top and some trousers that matched it.  I think that my overall look is improved by wearing this simple scarf, which pulls together an outfit that otherwise would have looked like I had grabbed the first two things that I had come across.

Do you have a favourite accessory that you wear to brighten up your basics?  I think it's a great way for those of us who are over 60 to look more up-to-date without appearing to be fashion victims.

Create your own space

I would like to thank fellow blogger Linda for inspiring me to write this post.  She gave her own post the title Find your sacred space, and I hope that you will read her thoughts on the subject too.

"Doing your own thing" is probably a more accurate summary of my own thoughts, however the title above is an indirect reference to CreateSpace, which allowed me to self-publish a revised version of my book "Retiring the Ole Way" after my original publisher decided to stop handling expat titles.

My "thing", clearly, is creative writing and I do have my own physical space for writing, which is where I am sitting now. However other writers will know what I mean when I say that, even when I'm not sitting in front of a PC or holding a pen in my hand, I am creating characters and plots in my head. I don't really need my own space to create, though it is good discipline as a writer to have somewhere to sit down and write and to do so on a regular basis.

My husband John has his own space too - sitting in his chair watching football on Spanish TV or encouraging fellow Scot Andy Murray, as he was doing yesterday!  However he isn't a couch potato, as he also enjoys walking our dog Lisa in the countryside near our house, which gives him some time on his own as well as keeping him fit.

We are both retired so spend most of the day together as do other retired couples, and fortunately we have many shared interests. However I think a sign of a healthy relationship is to enjoy doing your own thing as well and encouraging each other in your separate activities.  I love dancing, so I often put on a Zumba DVD while John is out with Lisa, plus I go to a Sevillanas class with my friend Juana María once a week.

It is easy to see which space is mine and which space is John's when you look into our bedroom. John's bedside table is fairly uncluttered, with a few manly toiletries, a watch and a rugby souvenir that his son gave him.  Mine is crammed full of female toiletries, a silver box with rings in it, a mug stand with my necklaces hanging from it and a pretty box containing the rest of my jewellery.  I guess the space we each have in the bedroom is a good reflection of our individual personalities.

My jewellery box

Do you have your own space?  Some place where you can be yourself and do whatever you enjoy, whether it is writing, reading, painting, sewing, watching sport, listening to music or something completely different. If not, why don't you create one now?

My Spring 33: Project 333

Spring has officially arrived, though temperatures here in Spain have been a bit up and down.  On Saturday we went to the Semana Santa wine fair with friends: I only needed a light jacket, even though we were outside for several hours.  On Sunday I was wearing a winter coat, gloves and scarf for a brisk walk round town. No matter what the weather is doing, it is time to think of my 33 items of clothing for the next 3 months, which is almost impossible when you live in Spain.  I am still wearing jeans, long-sleeved tops and a coat or jacket, however I know that over the next couple of months it will become too hot to wear them.

For any new readers, the idea of Project 333 is that you cut down your wardrobe to just 33 items of clothing that you will wear over 3 months.  This should include bags, shoes and accessories, but that would be a step too far for me at the moment, so I have bent the rules slightly!  You don't have to include exercise clothes (if you only wear them for work outs), underwear, lounge wear or sleep wear. I may keep some of my winter 33 items to begin with, however by the time June arrives they will be consigned to the boxes under my bed, and the rest of my summer clothes will be hanging up in my wardrobe.

I have included two dresses, as I will be going to my niece's wedding at the beginning of June, plus a couple of evening events later in the month, and hopefully more invitations will be forthcoming.  The dresses will replace the winter coat and thick jacket that will remain in my wardrobe until temperatures start rising!  The long-sleeved tops, cardigans and other warm items will hopefully have been put away by the end of May and replaced by summer clothes.

For those of you who may think I won't have enough variety with just 33 items, I have worked out that my 18 tops will go with at least 4 different bottoms, creating a minimum of 72 different outfits.  If you add the two long-sleeved cardigans, one short-sleeved cardigan and the waistcoat into the equation (and I haven't even mentioned the dresses, trouser suit and two jackets), it is clear that I will be able to wear a different outfit every day over the next three months. As I have craftily excluded accessories, I will be able to add other touches to make each outfit unique.

The black in my wardrobe has now been replaced by navy, grey and dark brown, which are more flattering neutrals for most of us who are over 60 - supermodels excepted!  I have been trying to create a more structured wardrobe, with no more than six accent colours.  If you look at my selection above you will see that, apart from my neutrals, the colours are coral, green, blue, yellow, deep pink and red.  I think I'm slowly getting there!