Spring holiday capsule: touches of blue and red

My final holiday capsule is based on neutrals of navy and grey, however this time I have livened it up with both red and blue. I have created this especially for Robin after her comments on my previous post, so I'm looking forward to seeing what she says!

I don't have many clothes like these in my wardrobe, but I would be quite happy to pack any of them for my Spring holiday. If you take a look at my Polyvore set by clicking on the link, you will see that most of these items aren't particularly expensive, as I know from experience how frustrating it can be to spot items on a blog that I love - only to discover that they are way over my budget!

Can you guess which is the most expensive item in this holiday capsule?  No, it's not the Mango grey blazer, as that only costs €48 from John Lewis, which means it's even cheaper than the red striped t-shirt from Gap at €50. The navy Nine West kitten heels are also a bargain at €38, having been reduced by €19, so it's not them either.  The most expensive item - at a price of €190 - is the Radley Aldgate leather handbag. If I was going to take this capsule on holiday I wouldn't splash out on the handbag though.  Instead I would use the money to buy all six tops plus the blue open front blazer, taking me slightly over budget at €196.64.

My reasoning is that I already have a perfectly good grey and navy satchel that would go well with the above capsule, as well as bags in different colours that would match the other holiday capsules that I have been considering. If it wasn't for that I might seriously consider buying the handbag,: it is worth spending more money on good quality accessories in neutral colours that won't date and that should last you for several years.

If this was my holiday capsule I would throw in a couple of scarves, but I know from her comments that Robin wouldn't do so. She might like to consider adding a couple of necklaces or bracelets though, especially if going out for dinner in the evening.  Nowadays, even in cities, women can usually get away with wearing trousers in the evening, especially with a dressy top and a pair of heels. However, if I was going to pack this capsule for my forthcoming Spring holiday, I would probably add my new blue dress in case we decide to dine out in a particularly smart restaurant. When we go on holiday, we usually like to have at least one occasion where we dress up a bit.

Spring holiday capsule - staying neutral

If I'm still dithering when I have to pack for my Spring holiday, I guess that I'll settle for neutrals. This will be a lot easier that it used to be, as I have been gradually building a more coordinated wardrobe since starting this blog, inspired by other bloggers such as Janice of "The Vivienne Files" and Tish of "A Femme d'un Certain Âge".

The beauty of a neutral wardrobe for a lover of bright colours like me is that I can pack lots of colourful scarves and other accessories to change the look of my outfits according to the mood of each day. If I have packed pinks, blues, greens or another dominant colour, then I have to live with my choice for the duration of my holiday. However if I have packed a rainbow of scarves and other accessories I can wear a different colour each day.

With so many colourful accessories to choose from I would probably pack a neutral dress for going out to dinner, so that my evening look could be as different as my daytime look.

A younger, blonder version of me!

This dress can be worn with pink accessories, or maybe blue or green - in fact, I could choose any colour of the rainbow to give it a pop of colour.

Alternatively, I could take my neutral bottoms and jacket then wear them with a host of different coloured tops. That sounds like more fun to me - what do you think?

Spring holiday capsule - evergreens

The third colour option for my Spring holiday capsule is green, which was one of my favourite colours when I was younger and which is gradually working itself back into my favour. Green always makes me think of Spring, with green buds appearing, and it will go well with my navy jeans and charcoal trousers.  I used Polyvore to put together this capsule, so some of the items shown aren't mine but are very similar.  You will probably realise that there are warm greens here as well as cooler shades, which of course means that you should be able to find a green that will suit you, whether you have warm or cool colouring.

If the forecast looks promising when I'm packing in June, I may take some linen trousers instead of jeans and replace the long-sleeved tops with short-sleeved ones.

I don't have any green dresses to wear in the evening, however I have a green and gold top that might be suitable worn with a black skirt and a pair of heels. I have a lovely gold cuff that would go well with this too.

On the other hand, none of this is set in stone - and I might just decide to take my new blue dress as seen in the previous post!

Spring holiday capsule: singing the blues

Of course I may have become bored with pink by the time June arrives, so I thought I would look at other holiday capsule options for our late Spring holiday.  How about using blue? The jeans and one of the tops are navy by the way, as is the striped jacket, while the other pair of trousers is dark grey.

If you have cool colouring, blue can be a very flattering colour close to your face, especially once you are over 60. I have received many compliments recently when wearing some of my blue tops and in particular my new blue dress, which is shown below

The clothes shown above are the same or similar to ones that I have in my existing wardrobe - except for the blue and black shoes on the right.  My navy slip ons need replacing, so I am hoping to find another pair of shoes similar to the ones shown.

I will probably need to dress smartly for dinner on our holiday, so guess what I will be wearing in the evenings? I will pack my double strand pearl necklace too, plus a pair of (comfortable!) heels.

If June in northern Spain turns out to be hot, I will swap some sleeveless or short-sleeved tops for the long-sleeved ones and pack linen trousers instead of jeans.

Does this holiday capsule make you feel like singing the blues?

Spring holiday capsule: in the pink

On Wednesday I revealed my Spring 33 - the 33 items of clothing that will (hopefully!) take me through the next 3 months without feeling the urge to buy new clothes. I do have one item in reserve though, which I am planning to be a pair of white jeans or white linen trousers and which will also form part of my Summer 33.

John and I have a holiday booked in June, which is going to be a luxury train journey in northern Spain (I can't wait!), so I thought it might be fun to work out a couple of possible travel capsules using my Spring 33. I hope that this will inspire you to look at your own wardrobe and see the potential you have to create various capsules.

I have used Polyvore to put together this capsule, so some of the items shown aren't exactly the same as mine, but I think it is close enough to illustrate how I can mix and match my existing clothes to make many different outfits.

You don't have to be a mathematical genius to see that with the five tops and two bottoms shown above, all of which will go with each other, I have ten possible outfits. By adding the jacket I can make any outfit look smarter, as well as creating more permutations, and with two different coloured scarves and bags I can ring the changes whenever I want.

As this is a luxury train trip, I suspect that my usual casual chic style that is based on smart trousers might not be enough for going out to dinner, even if I add a statement necklace and other jewellery. I have decided therefore to include a skirt, a pair of heels and a clutch bag for dining out.

Obviously I will need to check the weather forecast before actually packing for our holiday, however northern Spain is usually cooler than the region of Murcia where we live. If it looks as if the weather is going to be hotter than usual, I will of course pack lighter trousers and replace the long-sleeved top. I do have other options though, using different colours from my Spring 33, so my next post will look at an alternative holiday capsule.

Spring is almost here!

According to my diary, Spring will be arriving on Thursday. The last couple of days the weather has been so lovely that I've started sorting out my Spring 33, however my husband (being a pessimist at times) thinks that's a bit premature and is muttering about lower temperatures next week. Needless to say I'm ignoring my DH and continuing with the planning of my Spring wardrobe.

For any new readers who are wondering what "Spring 33" is referring to, take a look at last year's post about my Spring 33. Briefly, I am taking part in Project 333, the idea of which is to have a wardrobe of 33 items of clothing to last you for three months. This year's selection is shown below.

I have been doing some shopping for the warmer weather and, in line with my recent burst of being sensible, I bought three short-sleeved t-shirts from Gap's on-line store in neutral tones: heather grey, navy and black. Shock horror! They will go nicely with my bright pink jeans and my cranberry skirt, in case you're worried that I've totally changed my style. As part of Project 333, I will have to throw out three tops from last year to make way for my new ones.

As you can see, I have included a good sprinkling of brighter tops from last year, with just a few neutrals. My neutrals are grey, navy and black, with different shades of blue, green, pink and purple to liven things up, and a pop of red. I haven't included accessories in my 33 however these will be used to prevent my neutral outfits from looking too boring. I think that bright (but not too bright) colours near my face are more flattering now that I'm over 60, so I will use colourful scarves or necklaces with my neutral tops

Because I have to admit that John is sometimes right - even in Spain we get occasional cold and wet days in Spring - I am keeping my navy down jacket and navy trench-coat in my wardrobe for a while. I have included two dresses for smarter evening dos over the next couple of months, plus two skirts. I will probably swap a few lighter summery tops and dresses for a couple of these once the weather becomes warmer.

If you are mathematically inclined, you will realise that there are only 32 items of clothing here.  So what will my extra item be? I'll let you into a secret: for the moment it's a pair of black jeans, however I am hoping to find a white pair of jeans or, failing that, white linen trousers for the warmer months. Watch this space!       

Over here - fiesta de cumpleaños

John and I have been living in Spain for almost six years and, in spite of our limited language skills, we are proud to say that we have made many Spanish friends in our local town of Jumilla.

John celebrated his 70th birthday party on 1 March with friends and family in London, however he decided to have another party in a local bodega (winery) back home in Spain the following weekend. As well as prolonging his birthday celebrations, John wanted to say thank you to all our Spanish friends for welcoming two foreigners, who hardly spoke a word of Spanish, into their community.

Our neighbours are very patient when we try to speak to them in Spanish, which is of course essential when you live in a mainly Spanish-speaking town. They have seen our ability to speak their language improve slowly over the years that we have been living here though, being over 65 (in my case) and over 70 now (in John's), we often forget or mispronounce words.  If only we had been taught Spanish when we were at school.....!

Me with Andrés Junior

One thing that I love about Spanish people is how generous they are with their compliments: everyone greeted me with "guapa" when they arrived, which as you can imagine was very much appreciated! They were very generous with their presents too, though I have to say that my favourite one was the picture that our friend Angel had painted.

I'm happy to report that everyone seemed to be having a great time, partly because of the delicious food and drinks provided by Pascual, from one of our favourite bar/restaurants Bar Paraiso, as well as from Bodega Viña Campanero, where the party was held. Partly because our good friend Johnny Sax entertained us with his great music, which had everyone up and dancing. Oh yeah!! But mainly because Spanish people know how to enjoy themselves, which is one of the joys of living here  in Spain. I'm already looking forward to the next fiesta.

Spanish friends at the party