Seasonal colours

Have you been inundated with emails offering you sales discounts from 10% to 80% like I have? Have you been tempted? If you're not tempted first time round, you may even get another email offering you a last chance special discount! Of course if you have any gaps in your wardrobe or are looking for something new to pack for your holiday, it may make sense to look at these summer sales. Just make sure that any purchases will either fill a gap in your existing wardrobe or will fit into your holiday capsule and work with your other clothes.

I have been a fan of Kettlewell colours for a long while, so I often take advantage of their sales. They allow you to shop by seasonal colours, plus they show tonal directions too if you feel you don't quite fit into the seasonal slots. Alternatively, just look for your favourite colours! You can read about their policies and practices on the Kettlewell website: about us. I am trying to avoid fast fashion and shop more ethically, so feel this is an important point. If you know of any other on-line retailers who are both ethical and have a good range of colours, please add a comment below.

As I live in Spain, I tend to wear a lot of bright colours during the summer months, with red and orange featuring strongly in my wardrobe. Come to think of it, red and orange feature strongly in my winter wardrobe too! Although I did buy the orange and pebble stripe top shown below (50% off, so how could I resist?) I decided that a different accent colour would liven up my wardrobe, starting with the linen top in the first picture, which I am wearing today.

I always read the reviews on the Kettlewell website before I make a final decision, which proved fortuitous. One reviewer of the sea blue spotty top mentioned the matching skirt, saying that together they make a really pretty dress, so I decided to try it for myself as you can see below. What do you think? I'll probably wear it with a dressier shoe rather than the chunky sandals shown.

Of course I realise that the striped top and spotty skirt don't go together, however I have several pairs of lightweight neutral trousers, including those shown here, so I have plenty of options. I wore the spotty top with white trousers when I went out with friends for lunch yesterday.

Do you wear lighter and brighter colours in the summer months then change your colour palette when Autumn arrives? I 've heard that some Americans will wear white clother throughout the summer, then put them away after Labor Day. However I suspect that most modern day women (including those who are over 60) totally disregard this old-fashioned rule!

21 Steps to a More Stylish You: conclusion

This has been a long journey and, to be quite honest with you, it's not really over yet. The course was very intense and, even though I completed it last month, I feel that I need to revisit a couple of the many steps as there was so much information to absorb. I have to smile when I remember the days when we thought that the only secret to style was learning which colours suited us. Apart from the fact that we've moved on from 4 seasons to 18 colour groups (at the last time of looking), we also consider body shape, colour and value contrast, lifestyle, style personality and many other factors. Putting all this into practice isn't easy. If you'd like to find out more, take a look at Sylvia's blog 40+ Style by clicking on this link.

Since my last post, I've had a trip to Paris and London, where I was able to trial some of the spring outfits in my travel capsule. My aim is to gradually introduce more neutrals, while still indulging in my love of colour. This was the capsule for my trip.

Beige trousers and shoes

Navy trousers, jeans and accessories

As you can see above, I chose neutral trousers and accessories as the basis for my capsule, but you will spot that I also added splashes of colour, including red shoes and a bag that smartened up my outfits in the evening.

Below are the other tops that I packed in my case. Originally I had planned to take just lightweight short-sleeved tops, but a quick check of the weather forecast the day before my holiday meant that I decided to swap some of them for heavier long-sleeved tops. 

Layering also helps when you're travelling and the weather is changeable. Of course I packed my trusty umbrella plus I wore a long cardigan and carried my copper trench-coat onto the plane, as I had decided not to take a large suitcase. Trust me, I was grateful for that trench-coat in Paris as it rained on several days. The best day weather-wise was when my friend Sandra and I visited Versailles, but I still decided to wear it and the umbrella was in my bag!

Enjoying the sunshine in Versailles

You may have noticed the scarf I'm wearing in the above photo, which I purchased in the Marché Vernaison flea market in Paris. I had taken a couple of scarves plus some jewellery, which luckily could be tucked inside the bag that I packed, however I thought this one went really well with my outfit so I couldn't resist it.

As stated above I took a smaller case, plus a rucksack, even though I was away for two weeks. I just didn't fancy trying to negotiate all the steps in the Metro stations with a large case! I used packing cubes, and rolled my clothes before fitting them into the cubes, which really helped me pack more. I now have to confess that I had deliberately only packed 11 tops for my 14 day holiday: I was wearing one for travelling of course, but I also bought two new ones while I was in Paris!

Since I returned from my trip I've been sorting out my summer wardrobe, which is still in progress. Some of the tops shown above will be included, plus my latest purchases. All will be revealed in my next post, but it's definitely going to include a lot of colour!

21 Steps to a More Stylish You

Regular readers will know how much I enjoy doing style courses in the hope that one day I will become super stylish! My latest attempt has been the most intensive yet, as it contains 21 steps. At the time of writing I'm on step 15: prints and texture.

The topics covered so far include style personality, lifestyle and age, colour, levels of refinement, style goals, the golden ratio and the ideal silhouette. The on-line course is being run by Sylvia of 40+ Style along with Ruth, who is a UK based stylist. If you click on the link you will find many helpful articles as well as information about joining the Style Club.

Most of us know about colour analysis and have some idea whether we have warm or cool, soft or bright and deep or light colouring. Or do we? Having been told in the past that I was a Winter, more recently the consensus has been that I have warm colouring! I won't mention the make-up consultation that I had on a recent trip to London though, where I was told that I have cool colouring....! Putting that on one side (I'm guessing that I'm a border-line case) my lifestyle is clear, as is my age and body shape. My style personality when I did a style analysis was Natural Gamine, and my own interpretation is colourful casual chic. I think the photo below sums me up well: definitely colourful, obviously casual and hopefully chic.

My lifestyle is very casual as I'm retired, plus I spend a lot of time walking my dog Lisa, going to exercise classes and sitting at my PC writing blog posts, as well as reading other blogs. I do go to the theatre sometimes, as well as dining out with friends, so occasionally I dress up a bit more. I found the step on levels of refinement very helpful, as it described the types of clothes that fit into the five levels. Most of my wardrobe is level two (very casual or sports clothing) and level three (casual or smart casual), with a smattering of level four (very smart daywear or evening wear). 

Another helpful topic was the golden ratio, which is particularly relevant to those of us who are vertically challenged! Even when I buy petite tops, I have to take care that they don't cut me in half, giving me a 50-50 ratio, which can make me look wider and shorter. I often resort to wearing long cardigans or waistcoats (vests) to give me a more flattering silhouette.

The above photo highlights the use of a longer cardigan, plus a column of colour, to create a more flattering shape. I am also using a touch of my favourite red in the scarf plus my bag.

I am in the process of going through my spring and summer wardrobe and already it has become apparent that I have lots of colourful tops and mainly neutral trousers. Not exactly a surprise to those who know me. At the same time, I will be going back to step 13 (closet edit) and step 14 (what's missing?).  All of this has to be completed over the next few weeks, ready for a trip to Paris and London at the beginning of May, with the aim of blending in with all those super stylish Parisians and Londoners!

Blue Monday? No way!

I've been considering writing a post about my Word of the Year, however I have been distracted by all the on-line comments about Blue Monday! Apparently today is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year, however I for one have had an enjoyable day. What about you? Do you have anything to be seriously depressed about? Me neither.

Today has admittedly been very cold, but I am lucky enough to live in a modern apartment and, although I don't have central heating, I have electric fires that heat my home very efficiently. I also have plenty of food in the fridge so I won't go hungry and enough money to go shopping when supplies get low. This morning I took my dog Lisa to one of my local cafés for coffee and a croissant, which only cost me 2 euros, and we were able to sit outside in the sun (and sheltered from the cold wind.)

I am fortunate that I don't have any health problems at the moment - I do hope that I'm not tempting fate! - so I am able to enjoy a fairly active lifestyle. This morning I went to a dance exercise class near my house and this evening I enjoyed a Flamenco style class at a different dance studio. Apart from going for a coffee this morning with Lisa, I have obviously had to walk her several times over the course of the day. Each time I was well wrapped up, particularly for the early and late walks of the day. I am lucky to have her company in the house, which stops me feeling lonely. I am fortunate in having many good friends too, both here in Spain and also in the UK and other parts of the world.

Regular readers of this blog know that my 2018 wasn't the best of years (in fact you could say it was my annus horribilis), however there were many good moments too, including a very special wedding in Florence, birthday celebrations with my family in London and a lovely holiday with my daughters in Ljubljana.

I am determined that 2019 will be my annus mirabilis, which is why I wasn't going to allow a Blue Monday to spoil it. I'm a great believer in positive thinking and take the view that if you have negative thoughts you are more likely to have negative experiences in life. Think positive and the chances are that you will have a more positive life.

So what is my Word of the Year going to be? If you haven't already guessed, it is Positive. I have already outlined above some of the many reasons I have for being positive. My next trip to the UK will be in March, when I will be attending a friend's 75th birthday party as well as being spoilt by my three children on Mother's Day (in the UK it will be on Sunday March 31st). I also have another exciting holiday planned: I will be meeting a friend, who now lives in Australia, in Paris in early May. I can't wait! The picture above is from a trip to Paris in 2012, just to whet my appetite.

I'm hoping that as 2019 unfolds there will be other positive experiences, and my wish is for all of you to have a positive year as well. In case you are wondering about New Year's resolutions by the way, I have only made one: to stay positive throughout the year.

31 Days of Gifts

Whether the build up to Christmas makes you slightly stressed or you count down the days joyfully, you might still enjoy having an Advent Calendar, with the fun of opening a box every day that contains a small gift. Today I'd like to introduce you to an Advent Calendar with a difference, one that doesn't cost you a small fortune: it's the 31 Days of Gifts You so Deserve, which is an Advent Calendar for your Inbox. It will certainly make a welcome change from your Inbox overflowing with dozens of emails about Black Friday and Cyber Monday! If you click on the link above you can find out more.

I've taken part in previous years and have loved the recipes, playlists, inspiration and other themes for each day. If you decide to sign up for it, I'm sure you will enjoy the gifts as much as I have. Courtney Carver, who is the creator of 31 Days of Gifts, is also the inspiration behind Project 333. Don't worry if you don't sign up until after December 1st, as Courtney will make sure you don't miss out. At the end of each email there will be links to the previous gifts.

Decléor Advent Calendar

I should now confess that I've also treated myself to the Decléor Advent Calendar as shown above! I know that I will use all the products that it contains and the smaller sizes are ideal when travelling with hand luggage only. In previous years I have bought Beauty Advent Calendars and discovered that many of the products weren't ones that I would use.  I'm now wary of spending lots of money to buy products that in theory would cost a lot more, giving me great savings, but in practice aren't ones that I would normally buy. It means that I'm wasting my money rather than saving it. This time at least I know that I will be getting value for my money.

However I still suspect that I will get as much pleasure from my daily gifts from Courtney as from the more expensive Decleor products. If you decide to sign up for the 31 Days of Gifts too, I hope that you will enjoy them. Please let me know in the comments below what you think of this or any other Advent Calendar that you decide to purchase.

Black Friday - in the red Monday?

                        

It's oh so tempting, isn't it? All these incredible offers that are causing our inboxes to overflow and popping up on Facebook to lure us onto their websites. Even if you manage to resist them, no doubt your local shops have huge signs in their windows that you can't avoid seeing when you go out.

 Yes, even in Spain I'm being inundated with exclusive offers!

If you haven't already succumbed, I would suggest taking a look in your wardrobe before maxing on your credit card to see if you really need anything new. If your winter coat is looking a bit shabby and you've been thinking of replacing it, maybe this would be a good opportunity to do so - unless of course you already have six other winter coats that are still looking good! Will this new jumper that you're about to purchase go with at least three other items in your wardrobe, or will you need a new skirt and pair of shoes to go with it? That dress is definitely in one of this season's on-trend colours, but will that colour actually suit you?

If I haven't managed to put you off making some impulsive purchases, I have a final suggestion. Make a list of what you need first, then please consider making your purchases from an ethical company like People Tree, who are having a Fair Friday instead of a Black Friday. Click on the following link to find out more: People Tree.

My Autumn 33 piece wardrobe

I know that we're well into autumn, and winter is fast approaching, but isn't the old saying "Better late than never"? This is my Autumn 33 piece capsule wardrobe, which is in the spirit of Project 333, though I confess that I don't follow it to the letter. The idea behind Project 333 is to have a capsule wardrobe of 33 items or less to last you for 3 months. Many people include accessories, however I restrict myself to items of clothing. You may recognise the first 8 items, as they are the pieces that I chose for the 10 x 10 challenge.

My regular readers know how much I love colour, though I am trying to include more neutrals in my wardrobe as I know that will make it more versatile. As well as the brown trousers and navy jeans shown above, I have included bottoms in camel, dark grey, burgundy and another navy pair. There's a navy cardigan, a bronze belted cardigan, a brown tweed jacket plus a navy and grey striped jacket. My outerwear consists of a short burgundy jacket, a longer beige puffer jacket and a navy wool coat. I do hope that you're suitably impressed!

Did somebody mention that there's a red skirt shown below with a matching top? Well spotted! In my defence, we are approaching the party season, so I have added those two pieces as they can be worn together or separately and are ideal for Christmas time.

My accents colours are shades of red, orange, green and blue. If my outfit of the day is one of the navy striped tops with the navy cardigan and bottoms, I'll probably add my red bag or other red accessories to brighten it up.

I am also trying to include as many of my Autumn palette colours as possible, although I'm not going to throw out every piece of clothing that I possess that is in a "wrong" colour!

Let's finish with the mathematics. In my Autumn 33 piece wardrobe there are seven bottoms if you include the skirt, though it will probably only be worn for parties. I have seventeen tops and I may very well wear the red top shown beside the skirt with a pair of  trousers in the daytime. If I multiply 7 by 17 it will give me a total of 119 possible combinations, which is more than enough to give me a different outfit each day during the next three months. 

However some of the combinations won't really look that good, so I worked out how many of them were outfits I would actually wear and the figure was eighty, which I think is still pretty impressive. I haven't even mentioned adding one of the two jackets or two cardigans. Let's not forget the outerwear, which I'm already wearing now that it's becoming colder in Spain and will definitely need when I'm in the UK.

Talking about mathematics, I do know that I'm only showing 32 pieces of clothing here and it is proof that you don't need a huge wardrobe to create lots of different outfits, but I reserve the right to add a final piece when I go to London next month to spend Christmas with my family! 

Of the pieces shown above, only six items have been added since last year, and they have replaced clothing that has been taken to the recycling bins. "Be more with less" is the name of Courtney's website where you'll find out about Project 333. I think it's a motto that we should all adopt. What do you think? 

PS Exciting news: I am taking part in the UK Blog Awards for the first time! If you'd like to vote for me (pretty please!) click on the following link. I'm under the category Fashion, and I'd love it if you clicked on my heart!  https://blogawardsuk.co.uk/vote-entry-categories/