I have more new season ideas for you today – ways of updating your look as style starts to move on a little as well as some classic summer brights that are perfect for the summer months ahead. When I took these photos I had a sense of my worlds colliding because it was just as we were waiting for the last Midlifechic Retreat to begin. As readers started to gather in the sunshine they had a ringside view of me tiptoeing through the mud to get to Mal’s chosen spot! The great thing was that it was the very first day of truly warm sunshine up here, it didn’t last long but it felt like a tiny taste of happy days to come. So today I’m going to show you which style updates I picked for this month’s Boden edit – and why.
A recap of emerging trends
Before I do though, let’s have a quick chat about the trends that have made the transition from the catwalks to the high street this season. It’s always fascinating when the main collections drop and you start to see the most wearable looks coming through. And we’ve already touched on it a bit. We talked about the conflict that arose as the fashion editors and designers rejected Pantone’s greyish white ‘cloud dancer’ predictions and went for glorious technicolour instead.
You won’t be surprised to see colour continuing to come through strongly at Boden, they are the home of brights after all. However what you will notice is that they’re expanding on their commitment to cater for both cool and warm skintones. For a long time those of you with cooler colouring have felt that they didn’t cater for you – but now they very much are. As such there are a lot of ice pinks, khakis, petrol blues, darker reds and browns in the latest drop in addition to their usual warm summer colours. Unsurprisingly I haven’t picked what for me are ‘off shades’ here because my warm colouring can’t show them at their best but if you have a cool base, go and take a look.
However there’s a fabulous neutral palette coming through that can work for us all. It isn’t the sappy stuff that was around a couple of years ago in the stealth wealth era. It’s a much stronger neutral and it’s often matched with a good contrast – so a richer stone colour is worn with black or deep reds and it comes from… the 90s revival. We discussed that last week and it’s continuing to make me skip towards new season. So let’s look at some outfits from both the bright and neutral sides of the spectrum.
Style updates – the new neutrals
This fireplace will be very familiar to some of you now, it’s at the heart of our retreat space and it’s been the background warmth to an outpouring of hearts as well as a lot of laughs over the last few months. At well over 100 years old it must have seen the coming and going of a lot of trends and here I’m introducing a bit of old/new. So what have we got?
Well the key thing is the re-emergence of the chino… but not the crumpled cotton chino, instead it’s the chic chino that we knew in the 90s… the one that has shape and stretch and enough elastane to keep it smooth. Do you remember how new lycra was back then? And how great it felt as it was worked into trousers and jeans for the first time? Boden are calling these jeans but I’m saying they’re the best chinos I’ve come across so far. A great way of moving towards a 2026 version of the 90s revival.
As you can see they have a flattering flare to the bottom of the leg and this cut combined with the cloth makes them move really well. They make a nice change from jeans and of course they’ll work with most things you already have. It isn’t a big move on in terms of proportion from what we’ve all been wearing and I’m looking forward to pairing them with black, navy and all of my other summer tops. However if you add one with a touch of the 90s then you’re aligned with the trend of the season.
You’re going to see a lot of these slightly halterneck cuts on dresses and tops, they’re this year’s version of the racer tee that’s been so big for the last few seasons. That’s still around this year but this strappy halter is the move on. It’s easier to wear than one of the classic halterneck tops that has a fully exposed back – and better suited to the British weather. However thanks to the 45 degree slant it has the same flattering, sculpting effect on the shoulders.
I love the crochet trim which adds polish and interest and you’ll see I’ve used a soft, woven leather belt in a reddish tone with cream whipstitching to echo it. Remember how we talk about the ‘red thread’? The technique of pulling just a 10% hint of a different colour through an outfit to make it feel more finished? It’s a great way to make this year’s neutrals work a bit harder. The red polish on my toes and the pink on my fingernails were the perfect wrap-up in terms of tonality, bringing through the two colours on the trim. It’s subtle but these are the details that lift neutral outfits.
You’ll see I’ve finished it all off with a raffia bag. I didn’t go for colour because that would have taken away from the 10%. However just the introduction of a lighter bag makes ordinary outfits feel summery. I often find if something isn’t working as we move into spring it’s because I have a leather or suede bag and if I swap it with something that has texture, it does the trick. I like the fact that this is effectively a clutch but it has a handle so you don’t get the arm ache that you have when you’re gripping your bag all of the time. It also has a magnetic closure along the handles which is really satisfying.
Trousers; Halter crochet top; Raffia Bag; Woven belt
Here I’ve added another layer and look how it gives you a vertical line down the front – the trick we’re always looking for to draw the eye down an outfit rather than across. The halter top comes in a cooler toned lilac with khaki and deep red trim and there’s a green co-ordinating cardigan that picks out the trim in a contrasting way.
Sizing:
- Chinos 12R, true to size and the right length for me with flats, a bit short for heels
- Top and cardigan 12, true to size
- Belt M true to size
Style updates – black, the ultimate neutral
You know I’m finding black to be a bit of a palette cleanser this season and as I said last week, it’s the nostalgia of the 90s revival that’s rekindled my interest. I’ll still predominantly wear colour but I can see black slipping in as a style update on summer days when I’m feeling in a sophisticated mood. The reason it works for me at this time of year and not in winter is that it’s paired with the ultimate neutral – bare skin – so it doesn’t weigh me down as much as it would in winter. I think a lot of colour lovers understand that subliminally and so enjoy playing around with monochrome at this time of year.
This is a jumpsuit and I love, love, love it. Boden please do this in bright colours too as well as the current olive alternative. It’s a perfect capsule piece for holidays – cheesecloth so it has that light and airy feel but unlike plain cotton or linen, it doesn’t crease. You can pull it out of your suitcase, wear it all day and still look fresh and tidy at the end of it.
Black cheesecloth jumpsuit; raffia clutch; Hammered teardrop hoops
It comes with its own matching black belt but as it has Boden’s leg lengthening high positioned waist, I’ve made the most of the cut by adding a gold belt instead. It’s an old belt from Boden but they have an even better woven gold option on offer this year which would add an extra layer of texture and interest.
Note the slim halter strap detail again on the shoulderline – the style update that makes it so 2026 and this picture shows you the wide legs. Obviously I’ve dressed it up for a more evening look with the clutch again but I can just as easily see it worn over a bikini on the way to the beach or for a day of sightseeing. When it’s cut in the right way, cheesecloth can be very elegant and this is an example of how it can look sophisticated rather than the playful iteration that you often see in beachwear.
Sizing:
Jumpsuit – size 12R, true to size and a great length but it also comes in petite and tall
Spring colours – pink jeans
It might take you a moment to adjust but… brightly coloured jeans are back. It’s been quite a while hasn’t it? I don’t think I’ve worn them since the boys were little. If there’s a colour that you wear a lot though then they”re a style update that will really extend your summer wardrobe. I already have a lot of bubblegum pink and so by adding these jeans, the t-shirts and blouses that I usually wear with blue or white jeans now have a third life in them.
You’ll see they have a column leg cut which is another thing that I haven’t worn for a long time. We all know that straight leg jeans like this have been the alternative for those who don’t like the barrel cut for a while and those of you who don’t get on with crops will be pleased to know that the trend is for full length. As always with jeans it’s about finding the cuts that work with your proportions and the key thing is understanding whether you’re long or short bodied. That tells you whether you need to do any visual adjustment when it comes to the rise and the leg length. If pink isn’t for you there are seven colourways in the column jeans including classic blue washes.
Pink jeans; Lace blouse; Striped tote
I’m wearing them with a lace blouse; it was hard to decide whether to pair this with the chinos instead and add the crochet trim tops in the first picture with these pink jeans. So many Boden pieces are playing nicely together this season. This blouse was a big hit with readers who saw it at the retreat, it’s very like the Sezane Chlo but it doesn’t have the asymmetry on the placket which a lot of people find annoying. And everyone loved the paisley in the design which makes the lace a little less girly. I’m sure you won’t have missed the bag that I’m carrying. Once again it’s in raffia so it’s great for making outfits look a bit more seasonal.
Sizing:
- Jeans 29R as recommended by the Boden sizing app. True to size and it’s interesting that I’m a 27 in Me+Em – I suspect this tells us that they do vanity sizing whereas Boden is more accurate!
- Blouse 12 – true to size. The cuff on the sleeve is quite neat, I’ve had an injured shoulder so my arms aren’t as toned as they were last year- I don’t know if that’s why.
Spring colours – sky blue
And this last look is all about seasonal joy for me, the polo shirt I’m going to show you is like summer in a top. Stripes of any kind are big this season and I love the thickness of these which adds so much more impact to an outfit than the thinner band of a breton. The pink tipping is gorgeous and once again I could have mixed and matched this top with any of the trousers in this post.
Polo top; Hammered teardrop hoops
This photo helps you to see the earrings I've been wearing a bit more closely although they're so delicate that they're hard to pick up on camera so here's a detail.
One of the best things that my friend Claudia taught me is to wear hoops with an added drop of some kind. That's because I have a round-square face and so in the same way that a pendant necklace creates a vertical line downwards and is therefore more flattering than a round one, an earring that falls lower than the chin and points down is kinder to the shape of the face. Vertical lines are where the magic lies!
This gives you a better idea of how the top sits with jeans. It isn’t cropped and you can see that if you didn’t want to tuck it in it would sit neatly at the waistband with the pink detail at the hem skimming across any overspill. Note how deep the placket is so even if you wear it buttoned up, you have yet another slimming, deep vertical line detail to pull the eye down – thank you Boden – please do this with all of your tops and dresses.
Polo top; Hammered teardrop hoops; Gold shoes
And here’s a closer shot of the shoes I’m wearing. After last week’s post a few people told me they prefer not to wear sandals because they don’t like to have their toes on show so these are the perfect alternative for that. They’re flat so they’re easy to walk in, the slingback strap has an adjustable buckle for fit and there’s a wide toe box so they won’t pinch. Sometimes woven shoes like this can rub your toes but these are a softer leather weave so they’re comfortable. The gold will work with all of the outfits that you have and add a summer glow.
Sizing:
- Polo top M – true to size
- Shoes – true to size and adjustable
Sizing:
- Polo top M – true to size
- Shoes – true to size and adjustable
Midlife Lately
Just a quick one because we’ve just landed back from our dip into the middle one’s life in Logroño, Spain. It was so good to spend a few days with all three boys and it gave us the chance to get to know the eldest’s very special new girlfriend. I’ll tell you more about it soon but this was last night in my happiest place… which is anywhere at all as long as I have my most loved people around me. As you can imagine I’m feeling a bit flat right now but I’m reminding myself that I’m lucky to have people I love so much that it’s painful saying goodbye.
As the generation below us blossoms, the one above us is struggling. Over the last two weeks mum-in-law has had a couple of serious falls resulting in a fractured eye socket and cheekbone so there won’t be a post next Friday. We’re heading to Newcastle because Mal needs to get together with his side of the family and find safe solutions as she’s becoming increasingly frail. I’ll be supporting where I can and also travelling up and down to London from there so I won’t have much writing time. I will catch up with your comments next week though and I’ll be on Instagram on Tuesday as I’m doing something a bit special. So I’ll either see you there or back here on Friday 24th – until then thank you, as always, for still being here, I do appreciate you.
