From the comments last week it sounds as though the Christmas spirit is slowly catching light in our midlife world. It’s always more fun thinking about the what to wear bit than the sprouts and bread sauce though isn’t it? So today I have a little more on that note, not just partywear but winter dressing in general as I bring the latest Boden drop to life. At this time of year I like to find an hour on a quiet Sunday afternoon and spend some time mapping out what my Christmas will look like in real life rather than the Cinderella fantasy version. As you’ve seen over the years I like to add something a little extra to my outfits every day in December, just for the personal pleasure of it but I need to be realistic – Ted has no respect for my desire to sparkle and the daily dog walks don’t stop just because I want to wear sequins. So although I’d have loved to focus purely on the beautiful party clothes for my Boden edit, I’ve held myself back and made it a practical one. But I’ve also thought each option through carefully and added some midlife winter outfit tricks .
When I sat down on Sunday and thought all of this through, this is how my Christmas outfit requirements panned out. My parties are all in November, plenty of dancing and I really don’t need anything new for that. I have a festive 60th birthday party with very special old London friends that I haven’t seen for ages and that will need a touch of chic. There are lunches – both business and fun, a couple of meals out with friends in the evening but the rest of it is home based family get togethers, winter walks and drinks in the pub. Sound familiar? So it’s outfits for these kind of events that I’m going to chat through today, adding a few midlife winter outfit tricks as I go.
Midlife winter outfit tricks
1. Don’t lose sight of colour
So… midlife winter outfit tricks… let’s start with colour. When you think about colours for Christmas your mind goes straight to red and green and black and metallics but it doesn’t have to be like that. They’re all fabulous colours but when you imagine the fresh new start of January, they probably aren’t the ones you’ll be wanting to wear then and so you end up having a chunk of your wardrobe that only works for one winter month. On top of that, there’s the fact that they can be harsh on a winter skintone so if forest green isn’t something you’d look to wear in March or June or September, there’s no reason why it should suddenly feel right because it’s Christmas.
When I was thinking about winter walks, I knew I had a wardrobe gap for a warm, soft jumper and I wanted a fair isle one but with longevity in mind I decided to bypass the festive colours and go for this wintry ice blue. And it isn’t just ice blue which on its own would be too cool for me, it contains all of the colours that work best for my skintone which loves purples, pinks and bright greens. The beauty of the mix of a cool blue with these warmer colours means it works across the board whether you’re a warm, a cool or a neutral.
And as a gift that keeps on giving, it works tonally with jeans giving you that column effect that not only looks polished but helps you to look taller and slimmer. Plus… if your stars align like mine did last weekend, the coffee huts and cups will fall in line and match your outfit!
This jumper is supremely soft, not remotely itchy but quite oversized – I’m wearing a size S here and it’s just right. Even though it’s roomy it isn’t too long so it’s a good choice for wearing with wide/barrel trousers or skirts. It was so warm on Saturday night that I went to the bonfire without a coat and a few women stopped me to ask me where it was from. The ice blue is such a lovely colour but if you prefer something deeper it’s also available in red and navy or a deep green version which is in the sale.
When you’re wearing an outfit based around mid-tone rather than deep colours, you want your accessories to be mid-tone too so once I was away from the wet leaves I added these suede boots. They’re the perfect Parisian style with a gently pointed toe and a low kitten heel. The great thing about this style is that it goes with all cuts of trousers/ jeans including wide legs, flares, barrel leg and straight leg so for something like a shopping trip or a pub lunch they’re a great, year-round choice.
Outfit sizing: jumper size S – it’s a boxy style so this feels right on me as a size 12; boots – size up, Boden are usually TTS for me but these came up a little small
2. Mix your opacities
Remember last week when we were talking about Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu and how well she represents the French midlifer who is in touch with her sensuality? Unfortunately in the UK we're often far more prudish and come over all Kenneth Williams when we see a hint of transparency.
And yet a little transparency is one of the strongest midlife winter outfit tricks. In an age where women are supposed to be strong, powerful individuals who dress to make themselves happy I don't understand why there's this Victorian hangover. Some people will start talking about British reserve but I think that's nonsense in an age where midlife women wear things like miniskirts, leather trousers and sleeveless tops. Admittedly I wouldn't go for the full on naked dressing trend that's around this season where a sheer gown reveals everything but if I saw another midlife woman enjoying it, I'd cheer her on. A glimpse of skin through dense lace like this is alluring on any woman, regardless of age or dress size.
The hint of transparency also means that the top isn't solid black and so if you find like I do that dense black leeches the colour from your complexion, it won't in a top like this. I loved this blouse as soon as I saw it and I'm so pleased that Boden have included it in their collection – as we discussed on Friday older women need a bit of mischief like this in their outfits. If we wear a traditional, lined lace blouse we'll just look… traditional. I'm wearing it with a black bra underneath for a bit of night out pizazz but I've opted for a lace one rather than a solid one so that it isn't a heavy outline, I feel that the bra dominates if it's too much of a block. During the day I'd wear a nude bra and if I had a work meeting I'd add a camisole.
You'll notice that there's a detachable tie, you could wear it tied in a pussy bow but I liked it draped as a scarf which also gives a little more coverage over the bust area.
Black lace top; black trousers
And here's a back detail for you.
You could wear this top with jeans or a midi-skirt (a mini might be a bit OTT but you do you)… you're looking for a textural contrast so velvet or leather trousers would also work well. I've decided to balance the impact of the top half of this outfit with dramatically voluminous trousers for a high/low effect. These trousers are so stunning, they're made from a fluid fabric that moves with you and from some angles looks like a full skirt. I was so sad that I missed them in the ivory over the summer. They're so unusually impactful that you could wear them for a black tie event or just for drinks in the pub with a soft jumper. And surprisingly for something that can look so dressy, they're machine washable.
Outfit sizing: top TTS; trousers TTS
3. Work on your outerwear
A lot of people spend their money on multiple pieces for their wardrobe and then put the same old black or navy coat over the top, all winter long. But one of the key midlife winter outfit tricks is to keep your core pieces simple and let your outerwear do the heavy lifting. So, the thing that drew me to this jacket immediately was the fact that it has a strong navy going through the check as well as a mid-blue. That means it will work with all of my core basics – different washes of jeans and also the navy skirts and trousers that I have. The accent colours include my favourites – pink, orange and purple so I have different tops that will pick those colours out when I feel like being really bright.
I’ve had a few requests for jeans outfits from people who don’t get on with my usual preference for wide leg jeans worn with cropped jackets so I’m adding this in to complement the barrel leg outfits that I did a few weeks ago. These are classic straight jeans that I’ve had in my wardrobe for years and a lean, longline blazer like this is exactly what I’d wear with them. I like the trend for oversized blazers but it doesn’t like me, my shoulders are too wide for that cutesy ‘gamine drowning in her boyfriend’s jacket’ sort of look. So this is the outfit that I put together when I thought about a shopping afternoon that I have with one of my friends. Anyone who knows me well is aware that I have a short, efficient timeframe for shopping in store (I last for about 90 minutes) and I can’t bear lugging a coat around with me so this jacket is perfect. Plus it would feel just right for the more interesting bit which is the chat over a couple of glasses of wine afterwards.
And just a quick note on the belt which is a past season one but they do a version every year. Belts are a really key detail at the moment but if you’re as pernickety as me, you won’t like wearing a belt with a gold buckle when you want to wear silver jewellery. Boden always have one that’s completely neutral, this year it’s woven and it saves the need for having two belts with different buckles.
Checked blazer; Denim blouse; Belt (this year’s version); Boots; Boden suede bag (past season)
I’m always on the lookout for good stand-collar blouses like this because they’re more flattering on a shorter neck than shirt collars. The problem I find is that retailers tend to add a frill to a stand-collar which is never my favourite, especially with denim. So I was pleased to find this one with its unfussy collar and a bit of detail with the ties. You could arrange them in a pussy bow style or just keep them loose as I have for a more casual effect that also has the benefit of occluding the midriff – in other words it’s a trick that makes you look thinner!
Outfit sizing: jacket TTS; blouse TTS; boots size up
Checked blazer; Denim blouse; Belt (this year’s version); Boots; Boden suede bag (past season)
4. Use texture contrast
You’ll remember that last week we talked about the midlife winter outfit tricks of adding disruption to going out outfits. Why do this? Because it subverts classic, and classic, as we’ve established, is a fast track to an ageing outfit (remember the ‘golf do’ look?). So, I haven’t added a party top to this party skirt, instead the disruption comes from pairing satin with a warm cashmere jumper – the textures are high/low, one has shine, the other has softness.
This outfit is what I think of as Jilly Cooper style – the sort of thing that her characters need to wear in their slightly shabby manors where the heating’s always on the blink. Or on a lesser scale I could say that it’s the right option for Christmas Day in an old house in the north of England with a 310 year-old roof and windows – i.e my place. This satin skirt is another piece that I’ve been eyeing for a while and when you try it, it’s so much more beautiful than it looks online. Boden have described the colour as Port and that’s exactly how it feels, like wearing liquid Port. It swirls as you walk like a wine with ‘good legs.’ As you know I take a regular length in anything from Boden and this is described as a maxi so I wasn’t sure how it would work but actually I’d say it’s a midaxi – it falls to your ankle. That makes it perfect for wearing with party shoes like this but with boots too, in fact with boots you could add warm tights and they wouldn’t show.
I’ve been wearing satin skirts since the 90s and this is the best fit I’ve ever found. It’s bias cut but because it doesn’t have an elasticated waist there’s no extra fabric at the top which gives it a really sleek finish. It’s another Boden piece that says ‘woman’ to me and I really hope they keep bringing these sophisticated styles through.
Cashmere nep jumper; satin skirt; mistletoe earrings
The jumper is a nep cashmere – nep referring to the woven in flecks of colour that add a little extra interest. The deep ribbing at the neck makes it more flattering than a standard crew and it’s exactly the right length for wearing with a skirt like this – or wide leg trousers. It’s a mid-weight cashmere, not so heavy that it feels like merino, it still has softness but plenty of warmth. The cut is boxy so I sized down to a small which feels right although it’s worth bearing in mind that the sleeves are neat so if you prefer them looser stick to your usual size.
Cashmere nep jumper; satin skirt; mistletoe earrings
You can see the detail of the nep here, it looks as though it’s been sprinkled with confetti and it makes it far more interesting to pair with reds, greens and blues than it would if it was just a solid cream knit. I’m wearing Boden’s Christmas mistletoe earrings as well, they have a holly version of these too but I felt the ivory beads were more versatile. If you found yourself heading out in a navy jumper and jeans in December you could just add these and you’d have a festive look in a flash.
Outfit sizing: jumper – I sized down for a shrunken fit but I’d say it’s TTS; Skirt TTS
Cashmere nep jumper; mistletoe earrings
And so that’s me with my Christmas outfits thought through which is a good thing because we had our first celebration in Manchester last night so I’m feeling a bit weary today. I’ll tell you about it in the next Midlife Lately but it involved one of the original 1970s disco bands (well as original as they get at their age now) and an evening of high romance that took us on a trip down memory lane. Nostalgia is high and I’m already filled to the brim with festive spirit!
