Midlife – as your family moves on, so does your life

By |2023-07-28T17:24:15+01:00July 28th, 2023|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

And so, as you'll know if you follow my Instagram feed, there was a big day for our family a couple of weeks ago. It was the middle one's graduation, a day I found myself completely unprepared for in terms of impact. It was a bit like pregnancy when you find yourself so focused on the birth that it's almost a shock when you have to take the baby home with you afterwards and you realise that in the [...]

Emerging brands run by midlife women – and a catch-up

By |2023-04-21T18:28:29+01:00April 21st, 2023|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Style, Work life balance|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Well hello! As promised it's a bit of a catch-up today and then I have a lovely cornucopia of emerging brands run by midlife women for you. With work and the boys coming home and the various bits of travelling we've been doing, 2023's felt a bit like a bobsleigh ride so far and I have all kinds of things I've been meaning to talk about here. I'm warning you now that this is quite a long one, in [...]

Love & marriage – the joy of a simple wedding

By |2022-07-29T18:25:27+01:00July 29th, 2022|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

This week and next for me are all about tinsel and baubles. It's officially my 30th year in retail and 'Christmas in July'... I've been doing this for a long time! Going in and out of Christmas events on hot London days does leave you somewhat confused - it's like the feeling you get when you wake up in a hotel somewhere exotic knowing that you'll end the day back in your own bed. However, as the boys would say, [...]

Midlife Lately – Making summer weekends count

By |2022-07-21T15:01:20+01:00July 15th, 2022|Categories: Family, Relationships, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Well hello and a huge thank you for all of your comments last week - I think it's a record. Just as I was beginning to wonder if you'd stopped reading you astounded me. I usually reply to everybody individually but I have a lengthy corporate identity document to complete so instead I'm going to spend any spare blog time I have collating each comment into a report. I'll add 'noted' under each one so you know that your feedback [...]

Clothing to combat hot weather & midlife lately

By |2022-07-21T15:03:57+01:00June 17th, 2022|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

My goodness these weeks roll around quickly when the sun's out don't they? We have a lot going on on the domestic front at the moment and I'll tell you more about that at the end so it's a catch-up post today. I'm going to start with a run through of what I've been doing and wearing, move on to clothing to combat hot weather (I think you need it more desperately in the South than we do up here) [...]

SS22 dresses for weddings, graduations and special occasions

By |2022-04-29T16:59:39+01:00April 29th, 2022|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I've had more questions about special occasion dressing than ever before this year. I suspect it's because we're all so glad that we can celebrate again and when it comes to weddings, some are so long awaited that they really do deserve an extra special effort. It's great to have an excuse to dress up again too isn't it? But can we remember how to do it? And with the growing creep of casualisation has occasion dressing changed? These are [...]

On growing older contentedly – and bold SS22 looks

By |2023-10-10T15:23:22+01:00April 8th, 2022|Categories: Midlife, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

It's a bit of a different post today, it includes clothes (of course) but it's also about growing older contentedly. When I was down in London a couple of weeks ago I met up with Nayna McIntosh from Hope and after we'd looked through the glorious new season pieces that I'll show you in a few minutes, we got chatting about things like the true markers of success as we approach the end of this phase we call midlife. You [...]

What I’ve been wearing and doing this week – pre-Christmas outfits

By |2021-12-15T17:13:19+00:00December 15th, 2021|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

And hello - as promised a Wednesday post which throws things out a bit but life has been going at a gallop and it's the only time I can find to fit one in. Today all I have for you are snaps of what I've been wearing and doing this week - pre-Christmas outfits. Photos are never very good at this time of year when it barely seems to be light before it gets dark again, we've had miserable grey [...]

The joy of a Christmas outfit trying-on session

By |2021-11-17T16:53:49+00:00November 17th, 2021|Categories: Christmas, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Ah the joy of a Christmas outfit trying-on session at John Lewis & Partners - I loved every minute of it and I'm hoping I have a little something for everyone today because there are so many different ideas. But before we go on, let's recap. In my first post about dressing for Christmas this year, we talked about how the approach is changing; lots of retailers and consumers are trying to be more thoughtful about creating capsules that will [...]

What to wear for a wedding over 50 – and other outfits

By |2021-09-03T16:20:05+01:00September 3rd, 2021|Categories: Relationships, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Over the weekend I realised how many outfit pictures I have clogging up my camera roll so it's time for a catch up. Of course the highlight of my weekend was the wedding we went to so today's post is a mixed bag of summer and autumn outfits cumulating with what to wear for a wedding over 50. You see the last few weeks for us have felt a little more like life before lockdown especially as far as work [...]

12 days of Christmas Dressing – dressed up or dressed down?

By |2020-11-18T16:38:08+00:00November 18th, 2020|Categories: Christmas, Gift ideas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

As promised, an extra post from me this week focusing on the 12 days of Christmas dressing - dressed up or dressed down? Today I'm working with John Lewis & Partners and I've decided to look specifically at the retail approach that they've taken to the tricky proposition of Christmas 2020. As you no doubt know, when lockdown hit us all so suddenly in March retailers were pretty much at the point where they'd usually have Christmas all planned out. [...]

Midlife lately and SS20 at home outfit ideas

By |2020-05-27T16:51:17+01:00May 27th, 2020|Categories: Family, Midlife, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Hello, I'm out of sync at the moment because I had two days off for my birthday last week and then tunnelled into the Bank Holiday. It means I'm behind with the comments (and everything else) but I'll crack on with them after this. First of all though, a catch-up, starting with midlife lately and then I'll move on to some SS20 at home outfit ideas because a few new drops have landed this week and they'll be the last [...]

A Christmas midlife lately – outfits and happenings

By |2019-12-13T16:58:43+00:00December 13th, 2019|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

It's all spinning a bit too fast at the moment, despite the fact that I declined the blogger invitations that came my way. We haven't had a Christmas as busy as this one for a long time so I haven't had time to come up with a post... all I can do today is take you along with me virtually. Allons-y! Christmas midlife lately - ordinary work day This was last Thursday (I think) when for once I had a [...]

What I’ve been wearing – for work, rest and play

By |2019-12-03T16:38:49+00:00December 3rd, 2019|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Hello, it's a short post today because I doubt any of us has a lot of spare time for reading and writing. I've turned down all Christmas blogging jollies this year because we have so much going on here - there are two more busy weeks of work lunches and dinners ahead before it all starts to quieten down a bit and become more family and friend focused. So, I'm doing my best to snap outfits as we go along [...]

A Christmas what to wear – Boden edit

By |2019-11-19T16:50:12+00:00November 19th, 2019|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

It's the last of my Christmas 'what to wear' posts today and I'm pleased to be working with Boden, bringing you my edit of their current collection. The great news is that in celebration of their 28th birthday, they're offering 28% off almost everything including the pieces I've featured in here until Thursday 21st November with code 6T2C so hopefully I'm bringing you these ideas at just the right time. I'm operating within the Four Pillars of Festive Style that [...]

Festive dressing ideas and an evening at John Lewis & Partners

By |2019-11-15T16:47:03+00:00November 15th, 2019|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

A love letter to Leeds Well what a fabulous time I had last Friday talking about festive dressing ideas at John Lewis & Partners, I hope that those of you who joined me did too. I've been on a high all week, replaying our conversations in my head and just wishing there had been more time for us all to chat. For those of you who couldn't come, let me see if I can make you feel as though you [...]

Here, there and everywhere – a week of Midlifechic!

By |2019-05-03T16:33:47+01:00May 3rd, 2019|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

It's been a hectic week - I really wanted to bring you a nice shopping post for the Bank Holiday weekend but I just haven't had time to put it together so I'm going to whizz through what I've been doing instead. After this weekend I'm refusing to move from my desk for a while so next week I'll be going into full summer wardrobe planning mode with holiday packing posts, summer workwear and all kinds of other things in [...]

Spotlight on John Lewis & Partners own label collections SS19

By |2019-04-09T17:13:08+01:00April 9th, 2019|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

It's lovely to be working with John Lewis & Partners again. Rather than write a general new season review, I thought I'd have a look at their own label collections and define what each brand stands for. Then I'll move on to a show-and-tell as I try some of the pieces myself and tell you what I think. It makes sense for John Lewis & Partners to continue developing their own ranges. Traditionally, department stores have operated as a 'house [...]

Outfit ideas for graduations, weddings and summer occasions 2019

By |2019-04-03T16:57:37+01:00April 3rd, 2019|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , |

I usually do a special occasions post later in the season but I've been so overwhelmed by requests this year that I've pulled it forward. It's the things we have in common that draw us together and this year it seems that one of those things is graduation ceremonies. My friends started asking me what I was going to wear for the eldest's on New Year's Day. The ceremony isn't until July so I'd imagined thinking about it in June [...]

Christmas outfits – what I’ve been wearing and doing this week

By |2018-12-14T17:20:22+00:00December 14th, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

It's a quick post from me today because as always when we're approaching a break, I have a desk full of projects that have suddenly come in. One of them is particularly interesting and so I foolishly put my hand up for it. It's a timeline covering 1000 years of history and I've really enjoyed researching it but as a woman of many words, I'm finding it almost impossible to condense it down into a few soundbites. There are just [...]

Midlife Lately – what I’ve been doing, wearing and thinking

By |2018-12-07T17:52:15+00:00December 7th, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Family, Midlife, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It's been a while hasn't it and some of you have written in to ask why I haven't been doing Midlife Lately. The thing is that for me, this is not a job. As I've always said, I started Midlifechic primarily as a personal journal so that I could leave a record that my future great grandchildren might read. I was inspired to start writing after reading through boxes of family letters that I discovered after my mum died. For [...]

New Christmas outfit ideas from M&S (and the one I’m wearing)

By |2019-03-27T11:15:47+00:00December 4th, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Happy December everyone. Before I go on with this post I just want to say to everyone who's been asking for a Midlife Lately - it's coming on Friday. There's a reason why I haven't been doing it and I'll explain why then. In the meantime, last week Marks & Spencer challenged me to look through their partywear and put together an outfit for one of my early Christmas events. The first party in my diary was a work related [...]

10 Christmas gifts for men (and three other ideas)

By |2022-08-03T15:22:11+01:00November 20th, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

So here we go, it's clear that thanks to Black Friday, this has become the key Christmas shopping week in the UK. It's been interesting because last year there was a retail revolt as a number of store groups stood together and refused to run with Black Friday. However this year has seen consistently subdued sales figures. Retailers can usually rely on 'organised mums' to start their Christmas shopping as soon as the schools return after half term but even [...]

Midlifechic edit – partywear from JD Williams

By |2018-11-13T18:28:20+00:00November 13th, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , |

Well we're in full party mode chez Midlifechic. In fact as we were getting ready for yet another black-tie event on Friday, Mr MC and I concluded that it must be a sign of northern frugality that our dressiest events of the year seem to fall in October and November i.e. before venues start to add their seasonal levy! So, it seems appropriate that today's post is all about a strong northern brand that seems to be bucking the trend by [...]

Christmas Party Wardrobe Planning

By |2018-11-09T17:02:25+00:00November 9th, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

So, continuing on from this week's quick post about party tops, today I'm going to have a longer look at Christmas party wardrobe planning. Thank you for your response to my post on Sunday, it's great to know that so many people are being selective about where they shop. The high street looks very different this year however, there is one big store group that we can always rely on to do the right thing and that's John Lewis & [...]

Brands that give back – Specsavers and Kidscape

By |2018-11-02T12:45:56+00:00November 1st, 2018|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

I mentioned last week that I'm thinking carefully about how I can make Midlifechic count. Without changing things too much, I'm going to work more with charities, find brands that have good environmental and social policies and also help support small companies, particularly those run by women over 40. Today's post ticks off two of these criteria because I want to you to tell you all about what went on at a charity fundraising event that I went to last [...]

Midlife lately and amazing women over 50

By |2018-10-23T17:18:21+01:00October 23rd, 2018|Categories: Midlife, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Ok, I promised we'd have a catch up and I have so much to tell you - October has been a blur but let's start where I left you last time, just before the funeral. Newcastle It was, as you can imagine, heartbreaking. When you're inside a family, you never really see the impact that your relative has beyond your immediate enclave until something like this happens. As we arrived at the crematorium, we were overwhelmed by the sheer size [...]

A week of two halves at Midlifechic

By |2018-10-05T17:12:20+01:00October 5th, 2018|Categories: Family, Interiors, Midlife, Relationships|Tags: , , , , |

Hello, its a post of two halves today because this week has taken an unexpected turn. I'll move onto that later but I want to start by telling you about the dinner party that I mentioned we were hosting last weekend. You see a little while ago I was contacted by a company called La Belle Assiette. I hadn't heard of them before but they're an online chef service. Their website covers most of the UK and it enables you [...]

The best swimwear for your body shape after 40 – and a hunt for a dress

By |2018-05-25T17:00:57+01:00May 25th, 2018|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , |

Wait! Before you go any further you're going to need a pot of tea. This is a long post but I'm going to be disappearing for a bit so I thought I'd leave you with plenty to think about while I'm away. Today we're having another wander round John Lewis, this time with holidays in mind. I particularly wanted to look at how to find the best swimwear for your body shape after 40. So, a couple of weekends ago [...]

Working in London – what to wear & The UK Blog Awards 2018

By |2018-04-26T12:17:21+01:00April 24th, 2018|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Hello, it's good to be back - I feel as though I haven't blogged for ages so I'm going to make up for it with a long post. As you know, I spent a few days in London last week so I thought I'd do a "working in London - what to wear" post and of course tell you all about the UK Blog Awards 2018. By the way none of this trip is sponsored but I'm going to add [...]

Winter Florals: a Midlifechic edit with John Lewis

By |2017-12-14T12:07:04+00:00December 12th, 2017|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It's an exciting day for our Midlifechic community - we have come to the attention of John Lewis. Because of my day job, I don't have much time to pursue relationships with brands but I have been hoping and wondering all year if they would spot us... and they have! So it is with a feeling of great honour that I have taken my first challenge from them - to create a post about Winter Florals. Knowing me as you [...]

Best Christmas dresses for women over 40: cuts, cloth and colour

By |2017-11-22T12:11:29+00:00November 15th, 2017|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Phew - I've reached the halfway point of this week's blogging marathon! I hope you're not getting sick of me, we'll be back to normal posting next week. Today I'm looking at the best Christmas dresses for women over 40 but I've chosen ones that won't expire on New Year's Eve. Bear in mind the new silhouette that I keep banging on about. The trend for modest dressing is continuing as far ahead as we can see on the catwalks [...]

A party dressing project – what to wear for different types of occasions

By |2017-11-03T21:11:49+00:00November 3rd, 2017|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Although I am currently enjoying the sunny skies of Marrakech, I've been working on Christmas for a while. Can you believe that I had to put some of our Christmas lights and a Christmas tree up in our house at the beginning of October? All I could think about were the problems it would have caused if the boys were still little! However, now that we're into November it feels like it's time to talk about partywear. I'm going to [...]

A spectacular evening in London at the Spectacle Wearer of the Year Awards

By |2017-10-13T17:39:07+01:00October 13th, 2017|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

As you know, I've been down in London again this week and I thought you might like to join me at the rather glamorous party I went to. Specsavers invited me to attend the Spectacle Wearer of the Year awards ceremony so that I could learn more about the fundraising they do for the anti-bullying charity Kidscape. Kidscape is an amazing organisation dedicated to helping children and teenagers who are being bullied whilst supporting their parents and teachers too. Kidscape - preventing [...]

Side stripe trousers, a great solution… and a midlife wedding

By |2017-10-06T17:26:24+01:00October 6th, 2017|Categories: Health, Midlife, Project Happier, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I'm following on from my post about leather leggings with a focus on a different type of trouser. You see when I was down in London last week, I gambled on not having to stand up too much in my consultancy sessions. For once, I travelled light without 'street shoes' in my bag. It misfired. I was working with a larger team than expected and so I had to stand to enable everyone to hear (and see) me. We were [...]

Spotlight on the relaunch of Issa at House of Fraser

By |2017-09-14T10:33:17+01:00September 12th, 2017|Categories: Accessories, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

So, as you will already know if you follow me on Instagram, last week I was invited to celebrate relaunch of Issa at House of Fraser. The venue was Kensington Palace which, of course, is where William, Kate and Harry all live. It was an especially auspicious time to go there because it was the day that Kate's third pregnancy was announced. Our event was in the Orangery but I couldn't help looking across at the Palace and feeling sorry [...]

A summer garden party – what to wear?

By |2017-06-20T16:34:23+01:00June 20th, 2017|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Now, regular readers will know that there is an important annual event in my work diary. It is a summer garden party that is hosted in the shadow of Lancaster's ancient castle by one of the oldest law firms in the North. Why there? Lancaster Castle has a busy Crown Court where famous trials from the Lancashire Witches to the Birmingham Six have taken place. So, as you can imagine, a thriving legal scene surrounds it and people from the [...]

A day at Chelsea Flower Show with a brand I didn’t know before

By |2018-03-02T09:46:24+00:00June 2nd, 2017|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that I spent some of last week down in London with my blogger friends from the Over40Collective. Enticing invitations have been coming thick and fast this season and if I had the time, I could have spent the summer wafting from one fabulous event to another. Sadly whenever one arrives, I have to grit my teeth and remember that I have a day job to do and an agency to run. In the end [...]

Simple 50th birthday celebrations

By |2018-01-08T17:02:44+00:00May 23rd, 2017|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

Hello everyone. I'm just dropping in to share my simple 50th birthday celebrations with you but, before I do, I want to say a huge thank you for every single one of your kind wishes. I felt buffeted by love from every angle on Friday. Whenever I checked my phone there were new messages from different sources and I read every single one. It was absolutely wonderful and I'm so grateful to everyone who took the time to share a moment of the day [...]

Welcoming Springtime with a dress…or two

By |2017-05-03T19:33:20+01:00May 3rd, 2017|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , |

May has always been my favourite month. I suspect that when I was younger it was because it is my birthday month. I anticipate birthdays a little less eagerly now but I still love May. For us, being rurally based it's the month when everything wakes up. The trees bud, the flowers bloom and people re-emerge from their houses after the dark days of Winter. Every weekend there is a fete in a different village - the time of eating of [...]

What it’s like to be a finalist at the UK Blog Awards

By |2018-03-02T09:51:23+00:00April 25th, 2017|Categories: Accessories, Hair & Beauty, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I'm sure you remember the mad week before Christmas. You were desperately trying to finish your Christmas shopping and I was pestering you to vote for me in the UK Blog Awards "readers' round." Well, as you know, your kindness won me a place in the finals and the big event was last weekend. Like most people, I have been to lots of Awards ceremonies. A lot of them were during my years at Selfridges when we were in the process [...]

Elegant dresses that are not just for Christmas

By |2017-03-19T17:38:06+00:00November 15th, 2016|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , |

It's all well and good having a Cinderella moment and turning up to a party in a sparkling gown wearing glass slippers but the reality is that most of us prefer to invest in a dress that will give us cost per wear. It's a wonderful thing to have a dress or two in your wardrobe that can cover all occasions. Women will always wear these dresses better than girls because they require a certain earned elegance to pull them [...]

What to wear for a formal party – women over 40

By |2019-08-09T16:59:13+01:00November 8th, 2016|Categories: Christmas, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Well hello everybody and happy November. There's no avoiding it any longer, we're on the Christmas countdown. I'm diving in head first with another party dressing feature (there will be a few). This time we're looking at what to wear for a formal party. So let me give you a bit of background. We've had a 'save the date' in our diary for a long time. A client who has become a friend is having a special celebration in a [...]

Black Tie for Women over 40 – moving it on

By |2019-08-09T16:48:03+01:00October 18th, 2016|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

It's the time of year when invitations start coming in. I'll be covering party dressing and black tie for women over 40 in more detail in a few weeks' time but I thought I'd show you what I chose to wear to a Black Tie event last Friday. I'd been thinking about what I was going to wear for a while. I kept looking through the barely worn cocktail dresses that hang in my dressing room, not wanting to wear [...]

A sassy look for an evening in Paris

By |2016-05-30T09:17:09+01:00May 28th, 2016|Categories: Project Happier, Retail Review, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , |

As I looked around the plane on the way to Paris, I could see lots of excited little girls dressed as princesses on their way to EuroDisney. I don't think we ever grow out of that fairytale dress dream - although perhaps our tastes become a little more sophisticated and I had the same flame of excitement burning inside me knowing that I had two special dresses in my suitcase. I am now quite often approached with offers of clothing (and [...]

New Spring fashion for women over 40 from John Lewis

By |2016-03-18T22:27:36+00:00March 18th, 2016|Categories: Retail Review, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

We've had bright sunshine all week in the Lake District. The daffodils are out, the lambs are gambolling and it feels as though a new season is finally rolling in. This always makes me feel as though I have nothing to wear. Suddenly the core wardrobe of camel and grey that I've loved all winter feels dark and dull so I'm very much in the mood for some new season shopping. Last Autumn I focused on specific retailers which you seemed [...]

Mother of the Groom Outfit Ideas and Special Occasions

By |2016-03-08T14:19:07+00:00March 8th, 2016|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , |

I was very excited to be approached with my first 'style challenge' last week. Gina Bacconi asked me to look at their luxury occasionwear selection and style 3 outfits my way with Mother of the Bride /Groom in mind. Now this was good timing because I've had lots of requests from you for help with outfits for weddings, race days and even a garden party at Buckingham Palace. However, the thing that made me really want to accept the challenge [...]

Hero beauty products for women over 40

By |2017-03-18T15:09:08+00:00December 5th, 2015|Categories: Christmas, Hair & Beauty, Retail Review|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I don't often do beauty posts but there are a few things I've been using recently that I wanted to share with you. I don't know about you but I'm feeling like the very cliché of a midlife woman at the moment: exhausted. Work has been relentless since I came back from holiday in August. Because my department is new, there is no path to follow, so I never know what is coming next. My new girl enthusiasm has meant [...]

Relaxed Christmas party dressing

By |2017-03-18T15:14:11+00:00November 13th, 2015|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Last week we looked at formal dresses for the lucky people who have glam parties ahead. I don't know about you but my Christmas events tend to be more low key - popping out for a meal with friends, drinks at people's houses, and a couple of trips to the theatre so I really don't need an extravagant frock. Over the last year I've developed an easy shortcut for this kind of going out and I always feel casually glam. [...]

Christmas party dresses for women over 40

By |2015-11-06T15:32:16+00:00November 6th, 2015|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I've had a few different emails about Christmas party wear this week which made me realise that I haven't given any thought to my own Christmas party either. I also spoke to one of my friends who works in the head office of one of our favourite store groups. When I asked her how sales were going she said that the usual trend had reversed - gifting and outerwear is down (presumably because of Black Friday and the mild weather) but [...]

Back to my old life of London chic

By |2014-11-26T18:37:33+00:00November 26th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Well I'm back from my fab few days of London chic and I feel as though I've been time travelling. It's so strange to step back into your old life for a little while and see what's been happening there. Let me give you a little bit of context. As you know, the main reason for my trip was to go to a Selfridges reunion. In 1993, I was one of the first recruits into what they called the masterplan [...]

Party outfits for women over 40

By |2014-11-21T18:57:35+00:00November 21st, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Surprise! I know I said there wouldn't be a post today but I was sent a request by somebody who has a jumpsuit but feels she has worn it too often recently so I've put together a couple of alternatives which of course, I now want to buy. In each set I've created an option for a more casual Christmas Day / Boxing Day drinks look along with a full on party look. In the same way that dressing for [...]

Midlifechic clothes, food, interiors and accessories – all in one post!!

By |2014-07-15T18:52:22+01:00July 15th, 2014|Categories: Interiors, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The plan was that this was going to be the epitome of a hot, sunny post but it's all gone a bit wrong again thanks to our bizarre weather. If you're a regular reader you'll remember the post when I was feeling sad about our friends (J&R) who are moving. These are the friends who, for 10 years, have lived just around the corner and, even though they're moving to a village nearby, it won't be quite the same. R [...]

Black Tie Chic – what I wore for last night’s awards do

By |2014-07-11T19:21:48+01:00July 11th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Well as you know, last night we went to the HEIST education marketing awards. They are held in a different city each year and, conveniently for us, last night they were in Manchester at the very splendid Palace Hotel. As you can imagine, I started thinking about black tie chic when I knew we'd got through the elimination rounds in April. Like everyone I have various cocktail dresses that I've only worn a handful of times but with the slender [...]

Vintage chic – a dress that means so much to me

By |2014-07-11T19:19:14+01:00July 8th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Today I'm going to show you the most beautiful piece of clothing I've ever worn and it's vintage chic. Our village school is a C of E school and each year the children have the choice to be confirmed. Along with lots of his school friends, the small one decided that he would take part and Sunday was his big day. It was a really lovely occasion and a good excuse to invite lots of great aunties and godparents, my [...]

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