It’s just struck me that we’re almost at the end of April – the late Easter this year has confused my body clock. It means of course that we’re in a retail hiatus because the big summer drops usually arrive in the first week of May. So, there are some good retail offers as they clear stock to make space for the new arrivals. I’ll cover those later in the post but first, a round-up of spring sunshine outfits from the spectacular Easter weekend we’ve just had.

Spring sunshine outfits

Good Friday

We awoke on Good Friday to discover that all three boys had things planned for the day. The youngest was tired of revising on his own so he went into school for some revision sessions. I must praise the dedication of the staff who’d sacrificed their Easter weekend – his school is known for its league table performance so I hope they weren’t there under duress.

The middle boy was on duty at Primark and the eldest had already left for the university library so we needed a plan. As you know I had a really bad back and was supposed to be spending a lot of time in a prone position but… the sun was shining and the idea of a long lunch with wine seemed just as theraputic. It made sense to head off for a pub lunch à deux.

And in fact we stayed for quite a while as you can see from my relaxed face and the fact that the sun’s rays were already quite low in this picture.

Outfit ideas women over 40

T-shirt (details coming soon); Trousers; Sunglasses (gifted as part of my Specsavers ambassadorship); Finery earrings (SS2016); Boden slingbacks (SS04)

Easter Saturday

Easter Saturday was more mundane. You may have seen me post this on Instagram just to provide a counterbalance to the exotic locations that everyone else seemed to be enjoying -after all who wants to be in a bikini on a beach when they can be in Sainsbury’s car park in the sunshine? I was buying supplies for the boys in an effort to keep their spirits up. Exam years are never fun but this triple whammy of GCSEs, A Levels and University finals is a killer.

Spring outfit ideas for women over 40

T-shirt (size down 2 sizes, I’m wearing an 8); Jeans (gifted SS19); Jigsaw sandals SS18, Sunglasses

I’m looking longingly at my white cropped jeans above. Do you remember me saying that they sparked joy when I got them two weeks ago? What you can’t see in this photo is the shopping list in my back pocket written on a fluorescent green post-it. Did I remember to throw it away when I got home? No… and then I put them in the washing machine. I know neon’s in fashion but even I can’t convince myself that a fluoro green back pocket is a good look. I’ve tried every kind of stain remover and have now resorted to a bucket of bleach because they’re currently sold out. Moving on…

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday was the middle son’s only day off and we assumed that none of our boys would make an appearance before 10am. However he came despondently into our room at nine, moaning that “life gets less fun every day – even the Easter Bunny doesn’t come any more”. We shared our suspicion that said bunny had probably erred on the safe side because of the warm sun – and also our resident chocolate-loving squirrel that you may remember from our Easter morning disaster a few years ago.

Anyway, by the time I called them down for breakfast, the situation had been miraculously resolved to the delight of the younger two (their elder brother was unrousable).

Spring sunshine outfits

Who’d have thought that at 17 this one would be getting as much pleasure from an Easter egg hunt as he did at the age of 7? You’ll notice that he’s paying no attention to the brand new lawnmower that Mr MC had bought the previous day and left out in the hope that a new gadget might appeal to boys who were bored of revising. They failed to notice – even with a chocolate egg lying on top of it.

Easter egg hunt

Friends had invited us over for Easter lunch so we walked there in an attempt to get my back moving. Like a proper ‘influencer’ I even managed to get a cherry blossom shot. Let me tell you about my outfit because it’s my April selection from Boden – and don’t forget that they have 25% off everything this weekend with code T7N1.

So, these are the trousers that I’m wearing in the pub garden above. I absolutely love them – how they haven’t sold out I don’t know because everyone’s giving them great reviews. The only thing to bear in mind is that they come up big – I’m wearing a size 10.

The trouble with navy trousers is that they can look very mundane, maybe because they’re so often worn as part of a uniform. They need to be elevated with detail and texture which these are.

Spring sunshine outfits women over 40

Here’s a better picture. You see they have a seam down the front for leg lengthening effect. They also have stitched pocket detail which nods to this season’s cargo / utility trouser trend but importantly doesn’t add the bulk of a cargo pocket. They’re made from soft cotton with a touch of viscose and elastane so that they don’t crease. I’ve worn them a lot since they arrived – for both work and weekends.

The short sleeved jumper has been perfect for cooler spring days, it’s warmer than a t-shirt but better than a long sleeved knit. I like the extra level of ribbing on the neckline which makes it more interesting than a standard crew neck.

The shoes are just so comfortable. Boden have always had a real knack for making pointed toe shoes that somehow don’t squash your toes which is why I still have pairs of them that are fifteen years old. These have a cushioned sole too which adds to the comfort and the crossover strap means that they stay on your feet better than an ordinary slingback making them easier to walk in.

So, this month’s selection was a big hit with me. If my white jeans ever recover, I’m looking forward to wearing the jumper with them… and bracing myself for the inevitable fried egg repartee.

yellow and navy casual outfit idea - women over 40

Yellow short sleeved jumper; Navy trousers; Yellow shoes; Watch; Yellow and navy statement earrings

All Boden items gifted as part of my April selection.

Retail offers

So, a lot of retailers are preparing for their summer drops next week with special offers, here are the best I’ve seen. Boden as mentioned are running 25% off everything full price until midnight on Sunday (28th) with code T7N1. I’ve been looking at this skirt for a while but by the time I got to the checkout it had sold out in my size. I love the structure of it – I’m tired of droopy midi-dresses so I’m planning to make strong skirts a feature of my summer wardrobe.

Spring sunshine outfits

Structured midi-skirt

So, having missed that, I did a search on ‘cobalt’ and this dress popped up (I know it’s an unstructured midi but it’s a bit different to the ubiquitous Rixo lookalike). Somehow I’d missed it before, probably because it’s jersey but anyway it looks like a lovely holiday dress – and you could wear it at home too if the sunshine comes back. It’s currently 50% off so I’ve ordered it in the regular and the long to try – by the way it’s also available in red, conker brown or black.

Spring sunshine outfits

Jersey midi-dress

John Lewis & Partners Holiday Heroes

I’m not sure why but John Lewis are being very quiet about this – maybe it’s just arrived early and they’ll be promoting it soon. I found it on their site the other day when I was buying yet another Mac Lady Danger lipstick – I seem to lose one every time I go out. Anyway, it’s free if you spend £100 on beauty so I ended up adding a few extra things that I needed to my basket and now that it’s arrived, it’s as good as I hoped. It contains really well thought through make-up and beauty editions in the right sizes for a two-week holiday. The only thing that I found a bit disappointing was the Ultrasun – not that there’s anything wrong with it but I’d have thought JL&P could have added a more interesting sun cream. Anyway, I suspect it will sell out quickly when they start to promote it – you can find it here.

Spring sunshine outfits

Holiday Hero Beauty Box

Jigsaw 30% off summer edit

Jigsaw seems to have lost its way a bit recently but there are core products that have been in their range for years that are consistently brilliant. The good news is that a lot of them are included in their current Summer Edit which has 30% off at the moment.

Just to give you an idea, it includes their double faced jersey tops, their lovely modal lace vests and these Pima cotton tees which are such a good cut and available in lots of colours.

Spring sunshine outfits

Pima cotton tee

When I had a meeting with them last year, they explained that their shoes and accessories are their strongest sellers which doesn’t surprise me. I love the easy chic of these Bensimon style plimsolls and with the 30% off they’re great value for something that’s such good quality. Lots of colours available.

new retail offers

Canvas plimsolls

Ribbon tie espadrilles are always lovely for summer evenings and Jigsaw are one of the few places I’ve found them this season, also available in navy or ivory.

new retail offers

Ribbon tie espadrilles

Anyway that gives you a few of the highlights and you can see the full summer edit with 30% off here.

Sézane – new collection preview opportunity

new retail offers

If it’s French chic you’re after, here’s some advance warning. The new collection from Sézane goes live on Sunday morning. As so many of you discovered last time, a lot of it will be gone by lunchtime so if you’d like to get ahead, you can browse the lookbook here to see if there’s anything you like.

Hush – new Summer collection

And finally Hush has beaten everyone to it by launching their Summer collection first. There’s been such a lot of change at Hush over the last twelve months with an almost completely new team and I sense that the range is changing. They haven’t held any press preview days this year and so you’ll probably notice they aren’t getting much coverage. However I notice that they’re using more natural fabrics and they seem to have lowered the pricepoint slightly on some of the entry level products.

The thing that used to work really well was that it was run by a mixed age team and everyone had input into the design process which I think has always been a factor in their universal appeal. It’s going to be interesting to see how things develop. I’m not sure that they’re quite as on point with their graphics and slogans as they were but we’ll see. In the meantime, here are a few new dresses that caught my eye.

This is really lovely and very wearable but – at 100% cotton voile will it crease terribly?

new retail offers

Cotton voile shirtdress

It’s more expensive but I wonder if Sezane’s linen / cotton blend will wear better. I may have to order them to compare.

new retail offers

Long cotton/linen shirtdress

This would be a great holiday dress though – you could wear it over a swimsuit and in the evening…

new retail offers

Viscose sundress

…and this one too with its on trend 70s ruffle.

new retail offers

Cotton sun dress

You can view the rest of the new summer collection here.

And that’s everything from me for today. I’m now heading off for a weekend with Greetje from No Fear of Fashion who often comments here. We’ve been meaning to spend some time together for ages so now we’re finally doing it. You’ll be able to see what we’re up to on Instagram – she’s very funny so I’m anticipating a bit of a mad time.

After that I’m heading down to London because Tuesday evening is the night of the Performance Marketing Awards. You may remember that I’ve been shortlisted along with John Lewis & Partners and Awin for the work we did together last year. It’s a serious event with lots of big players so don’t worry, I’m not anticipating a win, it will just be lovely to be part of something that is so professionally prestigious. Again I’ll be posting to Instagram on the night @midlifechic.

All of this, along with the funeral of an elderly relative will probably mean I’ll only have time to post once next week and I’m not sure on which day but – I’ll be back with all of the news. In the meantime, have a lovely weekend.

Disclosure: ‘Spring sunshine outfits & new retail offers’ is not a sponsored post

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