Dear friends. I'm back after a brief blogging hiatus, and full of inspiration for new posts. Join me again for topics including: toned arms for sleeveless tops, best trends from the fashion shows, more book reviews and more beauty products with honest reviews.
Today I'm sharing a few of my every day outfits. Now that Spring seems to have arrived my thoughts turn even more to the bright colours that suit me best.
I was thrilled to find this stunning Kettlewell tartan dress, dating from 2018, on Vinted.
Dear friends. Today I'm examining the Pantone Colour of the Year, Mocha Mousse. Pantone describes it as: "A warming, brown hue imbued with richness. It nurtures us with its suggestion of the delectable qualities of chocolate and coffee, answering our desire for comfort."
It often takes a good while for the Colour of the Year to make an impact in retail, and it doesn't always happen. But Mocha Mousse, in its various nuances, does seem to be hitting the spot. If you search for it on Asos, you'll get a lot of results for shades ranging from chocolate, tan and taupe.
You don't have to wear exactly the same shade. In colour analysis terms colours are either warm or cool. Mocha Mousse is on the warm side, but in a different incarnation, such as Kettlewell's Mole, it is a neutral shade that every season except Spring can wear (and of course Springs can wear Mole too, but it will look better with Spring colours brightening it up).
I don't have a lot of brown in my wardrobe, apart from trousers and a skirt. I look at brown as an extremely useful neutral that replaces black or navy. On my top half I prefer to wear my brighter, lighter spring colours. But I was keen to get on the Mocha Mousse bandwagon so I was thrilled to buy, preloved from Vinted, a Kettlewell Roxy jacket in shade Coffee.
I styled it in two different colourways. Red is perhaps an unexpected pairing with brown, but the bright shade of my tee (Salsa Red from Kettlewell) looks good with Coffee, and the blue from my jeggings adds another splash of contrast. Yes, I do still wear skinny jeans and jeggings. I have a few pairs of bootcut now, which are OK, but wide legs and wide flares make me look short and stumpy, in my view.
Scarf is from Shelley Faye Lazar. Boots, old, Office.
Next I tried Coffee with Coral. I'm wearing the Roxy jacket with Celtic chinos in Coral, an antique white tee from Kettlewell, and new gold flats from Oliver Bonas. The scarf is a fabulous shade of warm pink, from Sarah Lonergan.
For any of you still sceptical about colour analysis, this selfie shot is a good example of how the right colours accentuate our eyes and make our skin look more alive. I'm wearing lipstick English Rose by Max Factor.
Are you minded to have a bit of a play with Mocha Mousse, and similar shades? Or are you turned off by this colour? Do tell in the comments.
Gifted Fashion
Dear friends. A striped knitted dress is your best friend, when you find the right one. That's an important caveat, because they're often a fine, clingy knit that highlights the lumps and bumps. I don't know about you, but I've got to an age now where I refuse to wear "control pants."
I'm glad to say I've found the perfect striped knitted dress, and it's from Damart.
.jpg "Look Great in Scarves")
Dear friends. A lot of you are big fans of scarves, and they're a key part of your look. Today I'm exploring which types of scarves work for which body shape and style personality, and how to tie them.
Dear friends. One trend so far from the Is This Mutton 2023 survey so far (scroll down if you haven't taken it yet) is that most of us don't organise our wardrobe in any way, and buying duplicate garments is quite common.
Speaking from my own experience, I probably wear 40% of my clothes. But let me introduce you to a woman who's on a mission to make our wardrobes joyful again, and reduce the waste from garments, both financial and environmental, from clothes never worn.
Clare Smythson from Redhill in Surrey has started a new business, Zero Waste Wardrobe, and hopes to leave clients invigorated and inspired to have fun again with their clothes.
