Another quick hello from me. I hope there are signs of spring in the UK – we’re moving to hotter and hotter territory so I’ll try and waft some sunshine your way. My toughest decision today has been which bikini to choose but I know you’re probably not facing the same dilemma so, one more styling post to keep you going. This time it’s a recap on 2 easy midlife outfit styling tricks for days when you’re feeling uninspired. As I said last week, sometimes just knowing that you dressed with intention makes all the difference to how you feel about what you’re wearing as winter drags on.
2 easy midlife outfit styling tricks for when you’re uninspired
Easy midlife outfit styling trick 1
Column dressing
- Do this on a day when you want to feel tall, slim and understated
- Why? It creates the lengthening vertical line that I’m always rattling on about
- And it’s easy to do from pieces you already have in your wardrobe: navy jeans and jumper/black jeans and jumper/ivory skirt and ivory jumper
- Try to keep shoes the same colour unless you’re using them as your third article – remember that? No? More on it further down…
First let’s look at some stylish women pulling off column dressing with aplomb…
So you can see how easy it is to do column dressing with all of the pieces you already have in your wardrobe. Let's move it on now to a more advanced level. Jazz it up by remembering to add a Third Article – something that will 'pop' and stand out… and when I was looking for inspiration who should appear but our very own blog friend and regular commenter Greetje. If you ever want colour inspiration her No Fear Of Fashion blog is a treat for the eye and the home of good storytelling about midlife in and around Amsterdam. Here she is showing us how to do the Third Article with her column dressing lifted up by pops of red. Now imagine throwing a red coat over the top – kapow!
Great Third Article accessories to lift your winter into spring outfits
A pop of colour is a great way to add a Third Article but texture can work just as well too. Here are some simple ways of doing it, buys that you'll use for the rest of your days to bring a simple outfit to life.
Snake is a key texture for the season ahead, it's the animal print that works best in summer because the tones are light and the texture is noticeable… but not winter furry.
Zebra is great for working in with a bold colour or a neutral. I often use it with a block of strong red or green because it's a less harsh contrast than solid black (none of the 80s Athena poster vibe) but it's just as dramatic.
Thinking about spring and lighter colours again, these have a hint of leopard but they're not as deep in tone…
… although leopard, as we know, was declared a neutral years ago.
And never forget the power of a good metallic. If you want to wear something a bit funkier than a classic ballet flat then this is the soft shape you're looking for this seaon.
Great value at 60% off in the winter sale and this converts to a clutch bag so it's great for travel
Soft sheepskin ballet flats with an integrated airlift sole – it's great to see so many high street brands working comfort into their shoes
Architectural jewellery is also an easy way of introducing a Third Article into your outfit. This organic shape threaded on a cord is great value and also available in silver. Think how easily it would change something as simple as jeans and a white tee to an intentional look.
Corded pendant (also in silver)
Look at the stunning use of jewellery here with a very simple column outfit
You may have noticed cuffs being worn over jumpers a lot at the moment, they're usually silver but this walnut is an expensive looking alternative
And I just want to show you this little accessory that had me feeling unfeasibly excited when I saw it – a cinch pin. If you're sick of trying to tuck things that are a bit shapeless int the back of your jeans, use one of these and make a feature at the back. They come in four different finishes and they're a bargain in my view. You could probably try them with trousers that are a bit big too.
Let’s move on, still working with the use of colour but adding deliberate contrast into outfits this time.
Easy midlife outfit styling trick 2
Sandwich dressing
Think bread | filling | bread
- dark | light | dark
- or colour | contrast | colour
- or light | dark | light
It’s all about balance just like last week’s post where we moved volume around, this time we’re doing something similar with outfit architecture but using colour. You’re looking at visual weight distribution and colour can help with that. So minimise areas using dark and maximise using light.
Sandwich dressing is a trick I use all the time but it’s surprisingly difficult to find images of it online, it’s an underused hack. Here are some great examples of use of sandwiching colour. I’m not suggesting ripped jeans – but if you like them, you do you.
As you can see it's easier to do it with brights in summer than in winter. However this is why I always have some bold footwear in my wardrobe – nothing brightens up a plain navy outfit better than sandwiching it with something as easy as red. If you shy away from brights this is also an easier way to integrate them into your every day.
It was only September here but if it had been a bit chillier a red triangle scarf would have worked really well with this outfit.
More red sandwiching
You can just see the tip of my tan suede boots here that pick up the tan of the jacket.
Red popping out from a column of brown
Top and toeing with brown shades here over a column of blue
Brown over a column of black – not a shade I often wear but if I can warm it up, it works
In warmer days doing it with silver
And silver/grey on colder days with some green sandwiching going on too
And on it goes. I think one of the biggest style mistakes that midlife women make is not having enough fun with their accessories. Think about your bags, belts and especially footwear – are they working hard enough for you? It's such an easy way to make a style statement without feeling too OTT. And if you build on your accessories collection you can have just a few simple but great quality pieces in your wardrobe – the shoes/belts/bags do the hard work across the board.
With those 2 easy midlife outfit styling tricks for when you're uninspired, that's it from me today. I'll be landing back home next Thursday so there may or may not be a post next Friday, it'll depend on jet lag and workload. However normal service will be resumed soon and the comments will be switched back on – March is nearly here with its longer days… it'll be so good to see everything (and everyone) springing to life again.
