As we reach the tail-end of the summer sales, stocks are running low and autumn styles are suddenly appearing. There are only a few brands you can turn to if you still want to buy a late summer holiday capsule and one is JD Williams. I’ve been working with them for a year now as a member of their Colour Council which means that every so often, I pop up on their website with a few style ideas. During this time I’ve got to know them and their ranges well. I would say that they are at the forefront of a new retail scene that is starting to emerge specifically for midlife women. They invest more heavily in midlife focused market research than any other retailer I know. Their findings are published and are now being used by lots of different store groups as well as retail industry thought leaders.
You may have heard that they’ve coined the term ‘midster’ for midlifer. They use midlife models in their advertising campaigns and they take all of the factors that affect changing midlife bodies into account when they’re designing their ranges. So when they asked me to show you some styles from their current collection, I was happy to do a post with them. We worked together on the selection and some of the pieces were suggested by them, others were jewels that I unearthed knowing that you would probably like them. Our theme was ‘last minute holiday’ and let me show you what we put together.
Outfit 1 – shorts and a t-shirt
These were pieces suggested by the JD Williams team so as always, it was interesting to try something new. The shorts are from the ‘looks for less’ range and are particularly good if you only wear shorts on holiday and so don’t want to spend a lot. They’re 100% viscose and the fabric is crinkled which makes them good to pack because they won’t crease.
They have a shirred waist which is one of the considerations that JD Williams design into a lot of their clothes. It works well if you feel your waist is disappearing because it gives it a bit more definition which is hard to achieve with a solid waistband. It also means that you can position it at the point that suits your body best so if you’re long bodied you can wear the shorts higher to make your legs look longer and if you’re short bodied you can sit it lower down on your hips. This pair is the colour that they call aubergine – it’s a purpley blue. They also come in black or coral.
The t-shirt is a linen mix with a wide rather than deep v-neck. It’s a loose cut so you could wear it over jeans or tuck it in as I have here.
Crinkle shorts; V-neck t-shirt; red and white stripe espadrilles
The espadrilles were my addition. I really resent paying a lot of money for espadrilles and these are good value because they’re also part of the ‘looks for less’ collection. They come in a blue and white stripe too but I chose the red for contrast and with the simple ankle ties they work really well.
Red and white stripe espadrilles
Outfit 2 – a simple linen dress
My turn to choose this time, this linen mix dress is new in but it’s selling fast and it isn’t surprising because as with all of these pieces, it’s such a great price. As soon as I saw it I had to try it. I like the simplicity of its cut, the detail at the back of the neck, the soft jersey lining and the fact that it has pockets.
Linen A-line dress; red and white stripe espadrilles
It’s a dress that works equally well for day as for night. We caught the sun just as it was setting here hence the rosy glow. With the weather we’re having, every day feels like a holiday… who needs Marbella when you have Morecambe in the sunshine?!
Linen A-line dress; red and white stripe espadrilles
This is the detail at the back that I mentioned. It isn’t a bow that you have to tie yourself, it’s stitched. The dress has a side zip so you simply pull it on over your head and you’re done.
Outfit 3 – a formal evening dress
Now our holidays tend to be pretty relaxed affairs but if we were going on a cruise or to a smart hotel, this would be a lovely dress to take. It’s currently half price in the sale and so a great buy too. The halterneck is flattering and the back isn’t cut too low so you can still easily wear a strapless bra.
I’ve dressed it down as I would wear it if I took it away with me with flat metallic sandals and a straw clutch. However you could just as easily dress it up with heels and a more serious clutch for a formal occasion.
Outfit 4 – wide legged trousers and a sparkly top
And here’s another evening look. JD Williams suggested the beaded top and I chose the trousers and espadrilles to go with it. The top is a loose cut so you could wear it over skinny jeans but as this outfit had width at the bottom, I tucked it in.
Beaded cami; wide legged linen mix trousers (also available in black); gold sequinned espadrilles (also available in black or silver); sequin clutch (also available in rose gold or silver)
The gently scooped neckline makes this top easier to wear that your average spaghetti strapped cami – the straps start a little higher than they would if the neckline was straight across which camouflages the area at the top of the bust that can be a bit crepey. The straps are also set a little wider than usual which means that they don’t cut the clavicle in half.
The trousers are brilliant. I’ve been looking for some slouchy linen trousers and I’ve returned lots of more expensive pairs than this because they crease so quickly. And I know that that’s just how linen behaves but I don’t like feeling like a hot crumpled mess. These are a viscose, cotton and linen mix. They look and feel like linen but they don’t crease as badly. They also have the same soft shirred waist as the shorts so they’ll look great with anything you tuck in and you can also position them at the right point on your body. I’m wearing the regular length but they also come in petite and long. Oh and you can buy them in black too.
The gold sequinned espadrilles are another reasonably priced pair. They’re an E fit so they were a little wide for me but they’re great if you have broad feet.
gold sequinned espadrilles (also available in black or silver)
I added the gold sequinned clutch that I bought for the UK Blog Awards ceremony.
sequin clutch (also available in rose gold or silver)
Of course there’s lots more on the JD Williams website – you’ll need to make a big cup of tea before you go in because there’s so much to choose from. And just to make you smile, the red dress is particularly versatile. I didn’t realise until afterwards but the first time we photographed it, I was wearing it the wrong way round and because it’s an A-line cut it felt fine… see… one way round…
… and then the other…
Two dresses for the price of one perchance? Have a lovely weekend – I’ll be back on Tuesday.
Disclosure: ‘A late summer holiday capsule’ is in collaboration with JD Williams and we chose the outfits that would be featured together. All words, thoughts and photographs are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help me to keep this blog going.
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