Out with the old and in with the new at Hush - and other things

Another week has flown by and I didn’t have time to post on Tuesday so I’m bringing you a cornucopia today. Let’s start with Hush. I meant to cover the sale on Tuesday but didn’t because I was actually down with Hush in London. They invited a small group of over-40 bloggers for a sneak preview of the Autumn / Winter collection. We met at The Ned, the new and most talked about hotel opening in London. What a fantastic hotel it is – if you have a chance, do go while it’s still new and buzzing. It’s just next to Bank station and it is the very definition of vibrant opulence.

So, it was lovely to get to know a few bloggers that I follow such as Kat from DoesMyBumLook40 and Joanne from The Stylist and The Wardrobe. I already knew Fran from The FashionLift so it was good to see her again and I also met a lovely lady called Natasha from wearandwhere whose blog I didn’t know but would now recommend.

The Hush team had pulled together the items they thought our readers would like and it’s a good collection. As well as Hush’s signature flowing numbers, there are quite a few pieces with good structure.The leopard coats and block heeled ankle boots are the best I’ve seen anywhere. There are also some punk inspired graphics that I think you’ll like – trust me, I’ll show you as soon as I can! I went on to have a late supper with the eldest son who was in London for his internship induction. When I arrived, he told me sternly that he thought I may have had one glass of wine too many – how the tables have turned!

The Hush sale

So, that’s why I didn’t launch a guide to the Hush sale which is a shame because it’s a big one with a lot of stock from summer 2016 as well as this year. However I’ve had a look through to see what is left and there are a few gems that people have missed. Here are my top picks.

1. Lina Cardi

How is this still available for £45?! It is my staple garment from October until May – I have it in grey too. This is the lovely warm shade of camel that Hush call ‘brown sugar’and it is ultra-flattering to the complexion. It does pill at first because it is a luxurious knit but you simply need to shave it with a wool razor until it settles down.

Lina Cardi

2. The wrap top

Again these wrap tops are wardrobe staples from the 2016 collection and I was really sad when Hush didn’t repeat them this year. They’re great to wear with jeans for a chic look. Smaller sizes are still available in cobalt and navy – size down though.

Wrap top

3. The glitter v-neck

My much loved glitter v-neck is still available in some sizes. I have the blush and these photos don’t do justice to the subtle shimmer; it comes up true to size. I’ve tried it in grey and that’s a lovely shade too – it would be great to wear at Christmas (sorry – I can’t believe I mentioned Christmas but I did)!

Glitter v-neck

4. Gold frayed top

I have ordered this soft linen top with frayed edges and a gold sheen. Again it’s from last summer’s collection and I have the version that they did as a dress in blue (small sizes left here) – I wore it constantly on holiday. I’m thinking that it will be great with shorts as worn here but also dressed up with a maxi skirt for relaxed evenings.

Frayed metallic top

5. Tassel bag charm

This tassel bag charm is the other thing I have ordered so that I can pimp my beach bag (which isn’t this one but it’s similar). I use my beach bag as a day bag too so the tassel just dresses it up a bit – the details make all the difference. It’s also available in green and blue.

Bag tassel

6. The Western Boot

Always a classic, the Western style boot is coming back in a big way this Autumn in the form of the cowboy boot. I have never liked cowboy boots so I’m hovering over these as an alternative. They are available in various colours – I think I’ll wait and see if they go down a bit further but they could be a clever buy.

The Thornton boot

So, those are the items I’ve found that still have good stock levels available and that I can personally recommend. Of course there are lots of other pieces so it’s worth having a good look around the site. I think their summer collection was really strong last year so I was pleased to see that some of the items were still available. I’m looking forward to the look book arriving so that I can show you some of the new styles that are due to arrive, I think I can already tell what will sell out so I’ll make sure you have plenty of notice.

A hair adventure

Moving on, those of you who follow me on Instagram will know that I’ve been having a bit of a hair adventure. I went for my usual appointment last Friday and my two hairdressers were very excited because they had spent the previous weekend at a colour cocktail course. This is where they learn how to do bespoke formulations for clients and they were keen to test it on me. We had a quick chat and I explained that I was fed up with the fact that my colour is always a bit brassy by the time my appointment comes round. They suggested embracing the grey that is coming through and making it more of an ash blonde which sounded fine by me. I then became engrossed in answering your comments which is how I usually spend my time at the hairdressers.

By the time I looked up again it was definitely ashy – in fact it looked as though someone had emptied an ashtray onto my head. They reassured me that it was very on trend but when I got home and saw Mr MC’s face, I could tell it wasn’t good. These pictures were taken on Saturday on the way to a friend’s barbecue and they give you some idea.

Navy leather jacket

Cold shoulder top (now 50% off); Jeans; Sandals

So, to cut a long story short, I lived with it for a week and then went back yesterday and asked them to warm it up and make it less grey. This was the result.

It’s caused quite a bit of debate on Instagram and with people emailing me directly about whether you should let the grey in your hair show through and if so, at what age – so I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts. I definitely didn’t like version one but I quite like this shade which is less golden than my usual colour. In the end it’s just hair, it grows – but it does make a difference to how you feel about yourself.

Elicce jewellery

Last week I showed you the silver and dry sapphire necklace that was sent to me by Parisian brand Elicce. When they first contacted me, they invited me to choose two pieces and this is my absolute favourite. You know by now that I like my jewellery to have meaning so when I saw this set of five rings that are designed to be worn together, it made my heart beat faster because, of course, there are five of us in our family. I haven’t taken them off since they arrived.

The set consists of five separate gold plated rings so you could wear them singly too. The band of each ring has a slightly different textured finish. The stones that I chose are amethysts, a black pearl, a white pearl and rose quartz but there is a blue and green colourway too. Elicce’s summer sale has started with reductions of up to 35% and this particular ring has 20% off at the moment. There are options in silver too so do go and have a look. Of course chez Midlifechic there is now an ongoing debate about which stone represents each boy – they all seem to hanker after the black pearl, I suspect Pirates of The Caribbean has something to do with it.

Maryse rings

And that’s it from me today – I hope you have a good weekend. I am ridiculously excited because we are stepping back into our old London lives for the weekend. One of our friends is having his 50th birthday party so we have booked into the hotel that is near the first house we owned together – where the boys were born. This group of friends is the one I met when I arrived in London for the first time as a graduate and we’ve been close ever since. As soon as we get together, we regress to our 20-year-old selves. Regular readers will remember that as a result of dancing non-stop at a party with them last year, I ended up losing my toenails. I will definitely make sure that I don’t do that again however I will still dance…and I may have just one glass of wine too many… and the boys will all be with us so there could be stern faces again!

PS – I have sent the email with the details of the orange leather bucket bag to everyone who has said they are interested today. As always, I found quite a few of your messages in my SPAM so if you haven’t heard from me, do get in touch again (nikki@midlifechic.co.uk). It costs £200 and I’m taking orders on a first come first served basis so I do apologise to anyone who is disappointed but I think there will be a limit to the number I can bring back through customs. Here’s a picture of it just to remind you.