Spring wardrobe lifts that work now

By |2024-02-16T16:21:21+00:00February 16th, 2024|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

It's a bit of a cornucopia today - I don't know about you but I'm starting to feel the winter blues so I'm looking for spring wardrobe lifts that work now. Starting with clothes, I'm not ready to think about buying anything major yet in terms of outfits. The new collections won't arrive for a while but having seen the trends and some of the retail previews, I have a good idea of what I'm hoping to wear this year. [...]

A midwinter midlife lately

By |2024-02-09T20:46:43+00:00February 9th, 2024|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

It feels as though the year is slowly opening its eyes doesn't it? My grandma was an incurable romantic and she insisted that Valentine's Day was the day when every bird found its mate. Obviously nature isn't quite as well programmed as that but some are pairing off already - the owls in our garden have been busy for ages and now the herons on the canal are catching up. It does feel as if hope is there, even if [...]

A surprise trip to Amsterdam & goodbye to 2023

By |2023-12-19T16:46:20+00:00December 19th, 2023|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Last week I left you just before we went away for the surprise break that Mal had planned. We set off very early on the Thursday to get to Manchester airport and had a rather anxious drive there because the motorway traffic was awful so it was a rush to the gate... and just as we got there the flight was cancelled. Sudden bad weather over Europe was causing chaos. Of the many travel disruptions we've experienced this [...]

Midlife lately – and first thoughts on the Zoe Programme

By |2023-12-15T16:56:27+00:00December 15th, 2023|Categories: Health, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

At last, I'm breathing out a bit - looking back through Mal's camera roll I realise we haven't had a Midlife lately for ages so let's have a catch-up (and I warn you it's a long pot of tea/glass of wine one). There are times when I really don't feel like having my photograph taken but in the long run, it's great that he snaps away when we're out and about because it gives me a record of ordinary times [...]

Boden review – retailer spotlight

By |2023-11-17T14:41:21+00:00November 14th, 2023|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

So many of you have said you've enjoyed the retail spotlight posts that I'm bringing you one more for 2023. After this, they'll be on pause until January while we focus on Christmas and all of the prep that it entails. So today as well as doing my monthly edit, it's a Boden review - retailer spotlight. Let me bring you up to date with what's going on there. Boden - brand background in a [...]

Midlife lately – October catch-up

By |2023-10-27T17:59:56+01:00October 27th, 2023|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

Well hello, I promised a midlife lately - October catch-up today and as I start to type I'm wondering what I'm going to talk about because life since Greece has been all about work so it's going to be a bit rough and ready. I know from the survey that there are a few of you who don't like midlife lately posts, that you'd prefer me to focus purely on clothes and retail - I do understand so I [...]

Using texture with winter outfits

By |2023-10-20T17:33:54+01:00October 20th, 2023|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I'm continuing with my series of easy style tips today - in last Friday's post we talked about using accessories to add new life to outfits, this week I want to look a little more at using texture with winter outfits. You see texture is a tool that you can't use as well in summer but at this time of year it comes into its own. Before we get into it though, as I go on to talk about [...]

Easy AW23 outfit updates

By |2023-10-14T17:05:57+01:00October 13th, 2023|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

I'm moving on with the highly requested style tips today. In the survey, 85% of you said that you were looking for advice on how to add a bit of oomph to the more relaxed end of your wardrobe. It was no surprise to hear that 49% of you are buying fewer clothes and trying to find ways of working with what you already have, adding updates here and there. Today I'm looking at easy AW23 outfit updates from [...]

Stepping into Autumn 23 – new wardrobe additions

By |2023-09-15T19:17:44+01:00September 15th, 2023|Categories: Product review, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

And so as summer's last gasp starts to recede, it's time to think about a more autumnal look and that's where I'm beginning with this month's Boden edit which is all about stepping into Autumn 23 - new wardrobe additions. If you read last week's post about the AW23 trends, you'll see I'm working them in little ways as I think carefully about how to expand the outfits that I already have and love. Boden's first big Autumn drop landed [...]

A midlife weekend in Porto with friends

By |2023-09-01T17:52:56+01:00September 1st, 2023|Categories: Project Happier, Relationships, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Well hello, I hope you had a lovely bank holiday weekend. As you know we spent ours in the sunshine with Gillian and Stephen who started off as Midlifechic readers (well perhaps not Stephen) but have now become firm friends. With disrupted travel it's been a hectic week since we got home so I'm inviting you to join us for what will have to be a whistlestop tour of our midlife weekend in Porto. A midlife weekend in Porto -  [...]

Midlife lately August – simple summer moments

By |2023-08-11T15:24:04+01:00August 11th, 2023|Categories: Family, Midlife, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

What should we talk about today? It can't be clothes because I seem to be living in jumpers and jeans so I think it has to be a midlife lately - August. I know that lots of you are on holiday, as are we usually. In fact this is the first August since 1997 that I haven't been away somewhere or other and it feels strange. We spent May, June and July constantly on the move, mostly for work or [...]

A relaxing weekend in Cornwall’s Daphne du Maurier country

By |2023-08-05T10:45:18+01:00August 4th, 2023|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , |

We spent the weekend before last in Cornwall, as you know. We hadn't been there for 20 years, in fact the last time was in August 2003 when the youngest was only days old. Back then I'd booked a lovely cottage in St Ives with space for both sets of grandparents, thinking that it would be a good way of keeping the older two entertained while I was getting used to having three to juggle. You see I was [...]

High summer outfit ideas – ageless style

By |2023-07-21T17:34:34+01:00July 21st, 2023|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Now I realise there's some irony to high summer outfit ideas if you're in the UK at the moment because summer seems to be having a holiday of its own and focusing all of its power on Europe. It can't be easy if you're over there in the intense heat but isn't it crazy that such a short distance away we're living through days of high winds, torrential rain and even hail? It's made it a bit tricky deciding what [...]

A midlife week in Amsterdam – empty nest adventures

By |2023-07-07T16:44:45+01:00July 7th, 2023|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I'm opening this post with an apology because I said that while we were away last week I'd be over on Instagram - but sometimes you have to put the key people in your life first and we needed a complete break. Life since Christmas has felt pretty non-stop for us. I've mentioned a few times that I didn't think we were going to have the chance for any kind of proper holiday until the autumn... and I know we [...]

Capsule wardrobe sale buys & midlife lately

By |2023-06-16T16:46:27+01:00June 16th, 2023|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

And so, as I warned you last week, we're heading towards the close of the SS23 collections so today I'm going to flag up some capsule wardrobe sale buys because some of the best brands are diving into summer sale already. It's been an extremely tough season for retailers; with the cost of living crisis and also the unnaturally cold weather lasting up until the end of May, people just haven't been buying many clothes. From a consumer perspective [...]

Boden’s high summer drop – a try-on & midlife lately

By |2023-06-16T15:25:33+01:00June 9th, 2023|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

A Boden outfit try-on today and it's always the one that gives me a bit of a lump in my throat because we've arrived at the last of the high summer drops. After the June deliveries, retailers will be moving into sale and then season transition which brings more autumnal colours and a change of mood. Anyway let's not think about that until we have to, for now we've reached the apex of clothes for warm sunshine and amazingly [...]

Geneva to Dijon road trip – what I wore and did

By |2023-06-02T17:13:57+01:00June 2nd, 2023|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Today I'm going to tell you about our little French adventure. As you know we took a few days off a couple of weeks ago to go and see the youngest who is living in Dijon, studying at l'Université de Bourgogne. Of all the French unis he could have chosen, he opted for the one that's the most difficult to get to from here and with the little bit of time we could carve out from work there were [...]

Summer holiday outfit ideas – ageless style

By |2023-05-26T18:39:59+01:00May 26th, 2023|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Ah summer holiday time. Those of you who follow my Instagram account know that we had a very busy but very lovely few days in France last week. I'll tell you all about it when I've had time to go through the photos but today let's think about summer and what we might wear now that the days are softening and trips away are in sight. With different kinds of holidays in mind I'm looking at what John Lewis have [...]

Summer outfits for different occasions

By |2023-05-13T13:18:45+01:00May 12th, 2023|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Do we dare say it? Has the weather finally turned? This has been the coldest spring I can remember but last Saturday, after a morning of heavy rain, the sun suddenly appeared. And it was hot which was lucky because we needed to take photographs of Boden's latest summer drop while we were out and about and I'd been anticipating shivering in between the showers. At the moment we don't have a big summer holiday booked, work permitting we might [...]

How to update your midlife wardrobe for Summer 23

By |2023-05-05T17:20:07+01:00May 5th, 2023|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

My goodness, another bank holiday, it's a surfeit of the sweetest things for anyone who's busy at work at the moment isn't it? I wonder how many of you have coronation plans. It seems to be very low key here, nobody we know is doing any kind of royal celebration which seems a shame and I wonder if we've just had so much pomp and ceremony over the last few years that it's lost its edge - or maybe it's [...]

How I packed light for a week on Kenya’s coast

By |2023-04-28T16:45:16+01:00April 28th, 2023|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , |

My week has been completely railroaded by work projects I'm afraid. I had to go down to London and then over to Newcastle for meetings which means I haven't had time to put the cornucopia together that I wanted to do. I had two choices - I could either not post at all or show you the photos from our final week in Kenya. I'm hoping it might help you to get into the mood for sunnier days and times [...]

Emerging brands run by midlife women – and a catch-up

By |2023-04-21T18:28:29+01:00April 21st, 2023|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Style, Work life balance|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Well hello! As promised it's a bit of a catch-up today and then I have a lovely cornucopia of emerging brands run by midlife women for you. With work and the boys coming home and the various bits of travelling we've been doing, 2023's felt a bit like a bobsleigh ride so far and I have all kinds of things I've been meaning to talk about here. I'm warning you now that this is quite a long one, in [...]

A Spring 23 wardrobe capsule and try-on

By |2023-04-14T16:59:33+01:00April 14th, 2023|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Despite the arctic blasts that are ripping through the garden outside my window I'm full of the joys of Spring 23 again today, this time with a look at Boden. With sustainability in mind they have a focus on 'buy less and wear more' this season and they've pulled together a useful section on their site that they're calling Spring Uniform - an edit of everyday clothes that work together and are easy to wear repeatedly. It fits with the [...]

Easy ways to update your wardrobe for Spring 2023

By |2023-03-24T16:42:03+00:00March 24th, 2023|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , |

At last, it's officially Spring (although the weather gods still seem to have their ear muffs on). Within the next month we'll have that first glorious day when you can feel the good times coming. So, let's talk about clothes again and easy ways to update your wardrobe for Spring 2023. With an eye on sustainability I've been keeping quiet on the shopping front for a while. I don't feel it's right to keep pushing ill considered purchases with the [...]

Kenya safari – what to expect & what to pack (part 1)

By |2023-03-13T16:56:17+00:00March 3rd, 2023|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , |

I don't know how I'm going to encapsulate our Kenya safari trip but since I've started writing one thing's become clear - even though it was only a week it's going to take two posts! I talked about some of the lessons learned in last Friday's post and I have some absolutely stunning photos because Mal was in his element. But I have to face the fact that scenic pics, however beautiful, are boring for anyone who wasn't there. [...]

Midlife lately – a January catch up

By |2023-01-27T10:59:23+00:00January 27th, 2023|Categories: Midlife, Style, Work life balance|Tags: , , , , , , |

I'm posting early because I have an exciting afternoon ahead - it's our NW reader meet-up and I'm so glad it's here to bring light into January. So how's your month going? Chilly isn't it? I think I'd rather have it this way than just damp and grey though. There's something special about this time of year when the earth seems to be sleeping until you look more closely and see the shoots starting to come through, signs that soon [...]

Wishing you a cosy Christmas – 2022 over and out!

By |2023-01-12T13:30:58+00:00December 16th, 2022|Categories: Christmas, Midlife, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

So here we are with my final post of the year, wishing you a cosy Christmas. I don't know about you but we're limping towards it. We both came back from our week of work travel full of cold and I'm running on a single cylinder so I'm signing off earlier than planned. Before I go though, let's have one last catch-up. I confess photos haven't been on my mind so I've had to scrabble about to put this [...]

Midlife lately – behind the scenes

By |2022-12-09T16:35:25+00:00December 9th, 2022|Categories: Christmas, Midlife, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Well I said I'd do a catch-up today and it shows how focused on Christmas prep I've been when I have photos and moments going all the way back to the end of October. As you know, I like this blog to be a reflection of a real midlife and while I've been busy getting everything ready for what will hopefully be a fun-filled Christmas, everyday stuff has been going on - as it always does. November, in particular, was [...]

Christmassy outfits that are not just for Christmas

By |2022-11-11T20:43:25+00:00November 11th, 2022|Categories: Christmas, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

As we're getting into the swing of Christmas now, for my last Boden edit of the year it made sense to look at what we might wear when we're in the mood to look festive. Every year, at the end of November ( for me anyway) there comes a morning where I suddenly want to move away from my autumn clothes and add a little touch of something extra to my outfits. And that's what today's post is going [...]

Early Christmas moments – savouring November

By |2022-11-07T09:42:02+00:00November 4th, 2022|Categories: Christmas, Interiors, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

It's always a bit of a shock isn't it? Over the last few years life has started to tip straight from Autumn and Halloween into Christmas. This year it's worth being organised though because we're all watching our budgets and nothing makes you overspend as much as a bout of unplanned, late and therefore frenzy driven shopping. So today I'm going to break you gently into a little bit of early Christmas prep with John Lewis and Partners by [...]

Great British Boltholes – a bijou hotel in North Yorkshire

By |2022-10-28T13:28:13+01:00October 28th, 2022|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , |

I have a really lovely little find to share with you today. I haven't added to my Great British Boltholes series of good places to escape to since before lockdown but now I want to tell you about a bijou hotel in North Yorkshire. It's the one we stayed in last weekend and when I say bijou, I mean it's small and personal and family run. So, I'm going to talk a little bit about it and its surroundings [...]

AW22 everyday edits – Boden

By |2022-10-27T19:12:50+01:00October 21st, 2022|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

It's the last of my AW22 everyday edits today and I'm as pleased as ever to be working with one of my all time favourite brands, Boden. As always with them there are lots of tempting statement outfits but I'm sticking to my pledge to focus on long-lasting wardrobe workhorses this season as I suspect most of us are squeezing our budgets hard. It really has been a case of sitting on my hands, especially when I saw pieces [...]

Autumn midlife lately – time for a catch-up

By |2022-10-14T17:05:45+01:00October 14th, 2022|Categories: Family, Health, Midlife, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

The weeks seem to be flying past at the moment so I thought it was time to take a mid-season pause and have a catch up with an autumn midlife lately. I've found random photos of various moments on our camera rolls so here's what's been going on in the background while I've been talking about travel and new season clothes. Autumn midlife lately - empty nesting Towards the end of September it was finally time for the youngest [...]

Easy ways to build a colourful winter wardrobe

By |2022-10-07T17:14:16+01:00October 7th, 2022|Categories: Accessories, Style, Style Seminars|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Today we're continuing with AW22 and I'm bringing you more ideas for making your wardrobe work hard. I think for all of us it's a season for being realistic; very few people are going to be buying into the 'everything new' mentality - instead it's a time to be savvy. So when it comes to new season, it doesn't feel right for me to just bring you a whole load of 'what's new' posts. Rather [...]

Edging into A/W22 with White Stuff

By |2022-09-30T17:42:52+01:00September 30th, 2022|Categories: Product review, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

And so I can't hold it off any longer, Autumn is most definitely here and I can't believe how suddenly it's arrived this year. September is often the warmest month of the season for us up here and yet I've already found myself digging out gloves for my walks with Ted. So today you find me edging into A/W22 with White Stuff . I'm bringing you my personal edit from their new collection and to go with it, you'll see [...]

When your family moves on and expands – welcoming partners into the mix

By |2022-09-11T13:31:26+01:00September 11th, 2022|Categories: Family, Relationships, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Pre-script Since I wrote this we've travelled to St Lucia and on the flight over we heard the sad news that the Queen had died. It felt right not to publish this the following day but a few people have been in touch saying that they'd be grateful for a break in the sad news that surrounds them. So I hope I won't upset any of you by sending this live now. It's difficult being away and not feeling part [...]

Holidaying with your adult children – a time of adjustment

By |2022-09-02T17:41:02+01:00September 2nd, 2022|Categories: Family, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Well how lovely it is to be chatting to you again. It's odd but life feels as though it slips through my fingers when I'm not blogging; time's tendrils gather round me and without being logged, the memories evanesce. So my next two posts will be an indulgence for me - I need to squirrel away our happy Kalkan times because the boys' lives are really moving on and I can't see us the five of us having the opportunity [...]

City trips to London and Glasgow – what I did and wore

By |2022-08-05T15:04:09+01:00August 5th, 2022|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , |

We're in August already - the only problem with planning a summer to remember is that time goes really fast! I feel as if I'm on a bit of a one-legged hobble now, finally on the run-up to our holiday so it's a quick Midlife Lately today. I'm whizzing through my camera roll and not exactly jetsetting but last week I had city trips to London and Glasgow and now I'm in Newcastle but I'll save that for next week's [...]

Midlife Lately – Making summer weekends count

By |2022-07-21T15:01:20+01:00July 15th, 2022|Categories: Family, Relationships, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Well hello and a huge thank you for all of your comments last week - I think it's a record. Just as I was beginning to wonder if you'd stopped reading you astounded me. I usually reply to everybody individually but I have a lengthy corporate identity document to complete so instead I'm going to spend any spare blog time I have collating each comment into a report. I'll add 'noted' under each one so you know that your feedback [...]

Summer cornucopia – outfits, travel & The Telegraph!

By |2022-08-01T12:21:36+01:00July 7th, 2022|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

I'm popping up on strange days again - I'm early this week because we have a family wedding tomorrow which is exciting and I think it might be slightly haphazard all summer but I'll get back into a regular routine when autumn comes. As you know, retail is in full sale so rather than a focused post, it's a summer cornucopia with outfits, travel & The Telegraph. So let's get going. Welcome to new readers I'm starting with something quite [...]

Clothing to combat hot weather & midlife lately

By |2022-07-21T15:03:57+01:00June 17th, 2022|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

My goodness these weeks roll around quickly when the sun's out don't they? We have a lot going on on the domestic front at the moment and I'll tell you more about that at the end so it's a catch-up post today. I'm going to start with a run through of what I've been doing and wearing, move on to clothing to combat hot weather (I think you need it more desperately in the South than we do up here) [...]

What I’m wearing at home and abroad

By |2022-05-27T17:00:12+01:00May 27th, 2022|Categories: Family, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

As promised it's a catch up today with a bit of an outfit round-up. I know you've seen snippets of our short break in Lanzarote but I'll tell you a little more about that and then talk about what we did for my surprise birthday weekend. So without coming over all Foreign Office, today's post is all about what I'm wearing at home and abroad. There are a lot of pictures and I've tried to keep the writing as short [...]

New summer basics from ANYDAY – home, fashion and a try-on

By |2022-05-20T11:07:02+01:00May 20th, 2022|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Well hello, I hope you're enjoying this week's wonderful sunshine - dare I say that spring has sprung at last? It nearly always shines on my birthday week... as long as I haven't planned some kind of outdoor party that is and then it rains! Today I'm going back to basics and bringing you an update on some of the new arrivals from John Lewis & Partners' ANYDAY range as it heads into its first summer season. I think we're [...]

Ageless style – summer holiday looks and birthday thoughts

By |2022-05-13T18:11:03+01:00May 13th, 2022|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

We're back from our week in the sunshine and I'm so glad that we took the time while we could because we're heading into another busy few months of work. It continues to be an interesting time in retail as everyone tries to second guess the zeitgeist for AW22 - it's looking as though it's going to be a bumpy ride so I don't know about you but I'm determined to make the most of every moment as spring and [...]

Bright colours to lift spring outfits – at reasonable prices too

By |2022-05-03T12:45:18+01:00May 3rd, 2022|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

I wonder if you can tell that I was in holiday mode when I put this post together. Our decision to head to the sunshine after the last few full-on months prompted a bit of a panic in terms of finding time to pack. And, as our departure date grew closer the weather forecast wasn't looking as good as I hoped - it was more akin to a British summer than one a four and a half hour flight away. [...]

Easter style and beauty – dresses, trousers, tees and tools

By |2022-08-08T15:45:54+01:00April 14th, 2022|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Well hello and Happy Easter! Isn't it great to have a long weekend ahead? I haven't actually been looking forward to it because we had meetings booked in (retailers have no sympathy with Bank Holidays) but happily they've now been moved to next week so we have an unexpected break and an almost empty diary so we're just going to enjoy the last weekend of the boys being home. It's a bit of a mishmash today, I have some try-ons [...]

A midlife catch-up – what I’ve been doing and wearing

By |2022-04-01T17:10:30+01:00April 1st, 2022|Categories: Exhibitions, Family, Midlife, Style, Work life balance|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

And here we are on 1st April which means we're a quarter of the way through the year already. I'm not bringing you the post about getting older that I was hoping to because I just haven't had time to do it properly. Instead, when I was looking back at my camera roll trying to make sense of the fact that the year's going so quickly I realised that there were lots of photos on there that I haven't even [...]

SS22 wardrobe refreshes – defining your own style

By |2022-03-25T15:06:42+00:00March 18th, 2022|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I've been dipping in and out of new season but I think it's time to declare that Spring's arrived. There are hosts of golden daffodils in the Lake District and over in Newcastle this week we've been watching the kittiwakes returning to nest at The Baltic. After two muted summers living under the shadow of Covid I'm looking forward to updating the outfits that I have in my wardrobe and being out and about again. So I thought now would [...]

Edgar House review – a British bolthole for large groups

By |2022-03-11T17:20:48+00:00March 11th, 2022|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It's time for a catch-up and to log how much the world has changed (yet again) in such a short space of time. So before I move on to talking about a very special family weekend away, I want to acknowledge it. As you know, I write this blog as a form of diary so for the sake of record it's now two weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine sending Europe and the rest of the world into a state of [...]

Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo SS22 launches today – a quick try-on

By |2022-03-03T14:22:25+00:00March 3rd, 2022|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

I have to say I was getting worried - my favourite Uniqlo collab usually comes out at the end of January and this year there was no sign of it but of course everything in retail has been upended and at last here it is - Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo SS22. This year's inspiration comes from Marrakech and we see the introduction of a red rose print along with cotton pieces with easy box pleats, designed to feel [...]

White Stuff review – a brand with renewed direction

By |2022-02-28T16:56:09+00:00February 28th, 2022|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Today I'm focusing on a brand I haven't covered before with a White Stuff review. I've had to think hard about why I've so rarely included their clothes on here and I think it's because for a very long time I haven't felt as if I'm their customer. However, a little while ago I was contacted by the new team there which I was thrilled to see now includes some great people I know who've moved over from other brands [...]

How to make necklines work for your body

By |2022-02-11T16:57:45+00:00February 11th, 2022|Categories: Style, Style Seminars|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Thank you for all of your lovely blog birthday wishes last week. I'm writing this in a bit of a time-warp on Tuesday night because we've decided to act on our empty-nesters' ability to be spontaneous and head off for a few days to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We're not going very far at all, certainly not to the exotic climes that we should have been enjoying right now but we've realised that with a new project looming this might [...]

How to make winter outfits look pulled together

By |2022-02-04T16:27:58+00:00February 4th, 2022|Categories: Style, Style Seminars|Tags: , , , , , , |

I'm going to talk about how to make winter outfits look pulled together today but first I just want to say how nice it is when a post falls on Midlifechic's actual birthday - my blog is 8 years old today. This is post number 655 and what a journey it's been. As always I've been flicking through my early pictures and my first thought is how tired I look but then I think about how busy life was with [...]

How to pack the right clothes for a weekend break

By |2022-01-28T14:23:08+00:00January 28th, 2022|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

And it's a back to normal post today with 'How to pack the right clothes for a weekend break'. But first I just want to thank everyone who commented on last week's post about spiking. I've read every one but I haven't replied because keeping on going over it isn't doing me any good. However I have a call scheduled with the Inquiry Manager for the Home Affairs Committee on Monday so I'm hoping to fight back and do what [...]

So that was Christmas! Hello 2022…

By |2022-01-14T14:21:57+00:00January 14th, 2022|Categories: Christmas, Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

So that was Christmas! Hello 2022 - I'm wishing a rather belated Happy New Year to you. As you'll have gathered if you follow my Instagram account, our Christmas was lovely but not quite the one we expected because along with so many others, I went down with Covid. It meant that I took last week off to recoup some of my lost time with the boys before they went back - and to recover a bit. So there aren't [...]

My best winter buys & 2021 over and out!

By |2021-12-22T16:59:28+00:00December 22nd, 2021|Categories: Christmas, Midlife, Sale, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

I can't believe this is the last post of the year - I'm running out of time and there's lots I want to say to you so I'm going to crack on. I'm starting with a quick catch-up of the last few days, then moving on to a round-up of my best winter buys & 2021 over and out! Christmassy days out So let's start over in Newcastle. We had a whirlwind visit to take mum-in-law out for the day [...]

What I’ve been wearing and doing this week – pre-Christmas outfits

By |2021-12-15T17:13:19+00:00December 15th, 2021|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

And hello - as promised a Wednesday post which throws things out a bit but life has been going at a gallop and it's the only time I can find to fit one in. Today all I have for you are snaps of what I've been wearing and doing this week - pre-Christmas outfits. Photos are never very good at this time of year when it barely seems to be light before it gets dark again, we've had miserable grey [...]

Winter outfits as we build up to Christmas – women over 50

By |2021-12-03T18:34:23+00:00December 3rd, 2021|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Hello and Happy Friday everyone. With the last few posts focusing on Christmas gifts it feels like a while since we've had a catch-up so today I bring you an assortment of outfit pictures with a bit of chat in between. It's a funny old time again isn't it? Just a week ago we went to our first Christmas party, marvelling at how normal everything felt and then within a few days there's a new named variant and we're all [...]

A different way of dressing for Christmas 2021

By |2021-11-09T17:07:24+00:00November 9th, 2021|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

This is a gentler opening of my Christmas posts than I imagined back in the summer months when I first started planning my calendar with the retailers who do so much to support this blog. You see we're all going to find the landscape quite different at the upper end of the high street this year as we start to think about what to wear over the festive season. A lot of retailers are giving us a different way of [...]

Midlife ups and downs – and what I’ve been wearing

By |2021-11-05T17:14:34+00:00November 5th, 2021|Categories: Family, Midlife, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

After playing catch-up on our Greek trip for the last few weeks it feels good to be talking to you in real time again. We've had lots going on and I'm going to write this post the opposite way round to usual because it has some sadness and I don't want to leave you on a downer on a Friday. So I'm starting with some midlife ups and downs and then I'll move on to happier events and what I've [...]

Midlife Guide To Greek Island Hopping 3 – Mykonos

By |2021-10-29T15:55:19+01:00October 29th, 2021|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Midlife Guide To Greek Island Hopping 3 - Mykonos Today I have the final instalment of my Midlife Guide To Greek Island Hopping and I'm going to keep it as short as I can because I sense you've had enough of it all now. After six very laid-back days in Ios it was time to move on; the island was closing and anyway, we'd spent enough time there. We were feeling rested and ready for somewhere with a bit of [...]

Outfit ideas & 5 minute make-up for women over 50

By |2021-10-26T17:05:57+01:00October 26th, 2021|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

And just in case you didn't already think this year's whizzing past, today I bring you the last of the new Autumn drops. After this it will just be what I've been wearing and then, very soon we'll be moving into the sparkly season. So if you haven't worked out how you're going to dress most days from now until (let's face it) April - it's time. Today I'm working with John Lewis & Partners and I've put together a [...]

Midlife Guide To Greek Island Hopping 2 – Ios

By |2021-10-19T17:29:11+01:00October 19th, 2021|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Midlife Guide To Greek Island Hopping 2 - Ios As promised, here's the next instalment of our Greek Island hopping adventure, moving on to a very different spot, Ios. I have a mixed up week ahead because I have to go down to London for longer than originally planned so I won't have time to write a post on Friday. I thought I'd let you know now because lots of you tell me that you read my Friday night post [...]

Trying on Boden’s latest AW21 collection

By |2021-10-17T19:08:00+01:00October 15th, 2021|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Last Monday Boden's biggest Autumn drop arrived and there I was shading my screen from the Mykonos sunshine, trying to think ahead to what life might be like for us all at home over the months to come. As you know, before we went away I'd already categorised the principle lifestyle areas that I need to focus on this season: working from home with the occasional client meeting; casual weekends and relaxed nights out. I know I keep banging on [...]

Midlife guide to Greek Island Hopping Part 1 – Crete

By |2021-10-12T17:07:49+01:00October 12th, 2021|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , |

And, rather regretfully, we're back. What an incredibly reinvigorating time we've had Greek Island Hopping. I knew the work would have piled up for our return and so I wouldn't have much time to write about it but so many of you have asked for tips and information that I've been putting notes together as we've gone along. It means that this post might be a little less lyrical than I'd like it to be and I'll have to spilt [...]

A new range of simple, sustainable basics for fashion and home

By |2021-10-08T09:51:28+01:00October 8th, 2021|Categories: Interiors, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

A new range of simple, sustainable basics for fashion As I type this Mr MC is busy filling in our passenger locator forms and we're forcing ourselves to think about leaving the Mykonos sunshine to come home. At this particular moment Autumn feels like a million miles away but I know that in just over 24 hours it will be a reality. However at least we won't be going home to an empty nest quite yet; the eldest has been [...]

Autumn wardrobe planning – a new start for a new way of life

By |2021-09-17T16:59:57+01:00September 17th, 2021|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Autumn wardrobe planning - a new start for a new way of life I might be a bit later than the back to schoolers but I certainly have a feeling of new term butterflies in my tummy this week - a mix of worry and excitement about what lies ahead. Of course for us this season (and this weekend in particular) really is a new start as we empty nest but I'm sensing that lots of people are feeling the [...]

AW21 trends and easy ways to wear them

By |2021-09-10T16:59:54+01:00September 10th, 2021|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

AW21 trends and easy ways to wear them Trends - do they even matter any more? Whereas designers and glossy magazine editors used to dominate the world of fashion and dictate what we'd wear every season, since the arrival of the internet and social media in particular there's been a real change in the balance of power. Now pretty much any style goes if you own it and wear it with confidence. So I almost decided against doing this new [...]

What to wear for a wedding over 50 – and other outfits

By |2021-09-03T16:20:05+01:00September 3rd, 2021|Categories: Relationships, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Over the weekend I realised how many outfit pictures I have clogging up my camera roll so it's time for a catch up. Of course the highlight of my weekend was the wedding we went to so today's post is a mixed bag of summer and autumn outfits cumulating with what to wear for a wedding over 50. You see the last few weeks for us have felt a little more like life before lockdown especially as far as work [...]

Exclusive – trying on Inès de la Fressange at Uniqlo AW21

By |2021-08-26T15:46:55+01:00August 26th, 2021|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

And so here we are with the first post of the Autumn season and it's an exclusive - trying on Inès de la Fressange at Uniqlo AW21. I'm so sorry that it's late, the samples just didn't arrive and so today we've had a mad trip to the Manchester store to try the pieces I wanted to show you so that we could photograph them and send this post live. It's been a crazy day in hot sunshine and I [...]

British City Staycation – Newcastle Part 2

By |2021-08-20T19:29:56+01:00August 20th, 2021|Categories: Midlife, Relationships, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Happy Friday! Although it already feels like an age ago, today I'm bringing you my British City Staycation - Newcastle Part 2. I left you last week as we were hit with the news of Mum-in-law's diagnosis and everyone in the family was reeling. I'm grateful to all of you who've sent advice and links to the various organisations you recommend. The doctors have told us that the most urgent thing for now is to get the LPAs in [...]

British City Staycation – Newcastle Part 1

By |2021-08-13T16:24:51+01:00August 13th, 2021|Categories: Family, Midlife, Relationships, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Well hello, it's good to be back and talking to you after our two weeks away. I'm wondering how this post is going to work because a few of you will already have seen the photos on Instagram but of course there was no space on there to give you the full story behind them so I hope it will still be interesting for you. As you know after various holiday cancellations we decided to spend two weeks over at [...]

Midlife lately – Covid finally hits us

By |2021-07-09T13:35:36+01:00July 9th, 2021|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Midlife lately - Covid finally hits us I feel as though I've been holding my breath over the last few posts. Covid finally reached our doorstep and I felt incredibly superstitious about mentioning it until I knew we were all through to the other side. So that's the reason behind the lack of 'midlife lately' recently - you see I've found that whenever I say what a lovely summer we're having up here it starts to rain so I was [...]

Recent midlife summer outfits – what I’ve been wearing

By |2021-06-22T17:33:55+01:00June 22nd, 2021|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I've found time for an extra post this week, just a quick one because when I did a real life outfits post a couple of weeks ago a lot of you asked for more of them so I've been trying to remember to take quick outfit shots as we've gone along. My phone's filling up so let's have a catch up with some recent midlife summer outfits - what I've been wearing and doing. Midlife summer outfits - a trip [...]

Summer staycation in Newcastle – trying our new life for size

By |2021-06-11T14:21:51+01:00June 11th, 2021|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Well I have a funny old post for you today, you see I was hoping to show you the pictures of our completed apartment but at the very last minute there was a delay on the curtains which means we're having to go over again tonight to finish things off. As you can imagine this week's been a busy one catching up with work and I haven't had time to come up with any other ideas so I'm just going [...]

Style cornucopia – new brands & old favourites

By |2021-05-28T16:03:22+01:00May 28th, 2021|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , |

Well here we are with a Bank Holiday weekend ahead of us in the UK and as I type this (on Thursday) it's warm and sunny - could it be that the weather has finally caught up with the date? I'm taking next week off because we're going to be in Newcastle for the final push, hopefully getting the apartment finished so I'm signing off for a while with a style cornucopia - new brands & old favourites. Style cornucopia [...]

Summer outfit building blocks & midlife lately

By |2021-05-21T15:33:48+01:00May 21st, 2021|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

It's that cruel point in the season when the sun's barely started shining and yet it's time to start wrapping up wardrobe posts about Summer drops. Already the new season previews are starting and I find myself peeping reluctantly through my fingers at Autumn clothes. This is the last of my SS21 posts with Boden and I've been thinking hard about how to approach it because I'd usually be talking about packing for Summer holidays with wafty beach dresses and [...]

Summer 2021 ahead – the gentle lifting of lockdown

By |2021-06-03T15:04:16+01:00May 14th, 2021|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Slowly, slowly the warmer days are creeping in as the temperature starts to rise. We've been feeling impatient for it and when you think about it we were all spoilt by last year's glorious Spring because it's usually still a bit chilly in May. I know when the boys were little I always used to refuse to go camping before 1st June because although they didn't care, I wasn't keen on sleeping in a woolly hat and hiking socks, it [...]

Cornucopia: style, menopause, hot sauce & books!

By |2021-05-11T16:56:46+01:00May 11th, 2021|Categories: Midlife, Product review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Style, menopause, hot sauce & books - how's that for a lead in?! A surprise mini post today because there are a few things I've been meaning to mention and one in particular that I need to flag before Friday. I do like posting on a Tuesday again though - even if it's just a quick 'hello' it helps me to feel as though life's getting back to normal which it is in a way. I had my second jab [...]

The latest SS21 drop at John Lewis & Partners

By |2021-04-27T17:03:59+01:00April 27th, 2021|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Well hello, how nice it is to be back on a Tuesday for a change. It's just a quick post today to tell you about the latest SS21 drop at John Lewis & Partners. As we discussed last month they're going through a style evolution on their fashion floor and we're now moving into stage 2 as more small labels arrive to augment their already established collection of brands. Their vision is to have a foundation of good capsule pieces [...]

What I’ve been wearing as we emerge from lockdown

By |2021-04-23T15:48:03+01:00April 23rd, 2021|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It's one of those 'conversations with a friend' posts today because I had a panicky text from one who'd been told rather suddenly that her office is going to reopen for three days a week and she was dumbfounded. "It's going to mean going to bed and getting up at regular times again... and setting an alarm... and packing lunch... and getting dressed - I know you've been getting dressed all through this so tell me what to wear?!" Well [...]

March cornucopia & what to wear for outdoor meet-ups

By |2021-03-26T16:13:00+00:00March 26th, 2021|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

It's time for a March cornucopia because there are a few things I've been meaning to mention. Let's start with clothes because change is afoot in the UK with groups of six being allowed to meet outside from Monday - and of course this will soon be followed by pubs opening their outdoor seating areas on 12th April so we need to think about what to wear for outdoor meet-ups. This week I've noticed that lots of pubs are busy [...]

What’s going on at John Lewis & Partners?

By |2021-03-23T13:53:46+00:00March 19th, 2021|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Thank goodness - on Sunday we'll reach the Spring equinox and then in a week's time the clocks go forward. These are the little things that mean such a lot at the moment because they'll make a significant difference to the lives we're living. Today's post is all about new season, this time with a focus on more everyday outfits that will take us from lockdown to beyond. I'm pleased to be working with one of my favourite retailers again [...]

Cornucopia – new outfits, food and Midlife Lately

By |2021-02-27T17:02:49+00:00February 26th, 2021|Categories: Family, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Well hello, how are you? Feeling buoyed by Boris's roadmap or not? I've noticed that this week has been an emotional one for a lot of people. Everyone I've spoken to seems to be swinging between elation at having a hairdresser's appointment in the diary and despair at still having weeks of limbo ahead. I feel the same and I'll have a go at encapsulating it in Midlife Lately at the end of this post because I'll be fascinated to [...]

7 years of Midlifechic – looking back – and ahead

By |2021-02-05T16:46:00+00:00February 5th, 2021|Categories: Midlife, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

And here we are in February, a month I like because it takes us swiftly out of winter and into the beginning of spring. It's a month of love in our house because not only do we have Valentine's Day but also our wedding anniversary. First though comes Midlifechic's birthday. Yesterday this little blog of mine reached the grand old age of seven and of course in the context of the lives that we've lived, that doesn't seem very old. [...]

Refreshing the now – winter lockdown style

By |2021-01-25T13:42:46+00:00January 15th, 2021|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Ah your responses to last Friday's post were so interesting - if you haven't had time yet, go back and read through the comments because they give really good insight into the myriad ways we're all living and feeling at the moment. They showed me that although we remain on the same wavelength, we're all having completely different experiences of lockdown, particularly this time around. I'm going to be holding that in my mind as I write my posts over [...]

‘Twas the week before Christmas – what I wore and a festive appeal

By |2020-12-16T09:54:58+00:00December 15th, 2020|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Well how are you? Full of beans and ready for the Christmas break or limping and just desperate to get there? I confess that I'm in the latter camp. I woke up yesterday wondering what on earth was wrong with me because I felt as though every last ounce of energy had left my body. I had a flu jab on Saturday so at first I thought it must be that but then I mentioned how I was feeling in [...]

Midlife lately and what I wore in November

By |2020-12-04T21:16:24+00:00December 4th, 2020|Categories: Christmas, Midlife, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

It's been a while since we had a midlife lately catch up because I've been so busy with everything Christmas but it's starting to feel as though most of the planning is done now so I can come up for air. Wasn't November a funny old month? Even more of a nothingness than November usually is so I'm not sure how interesting this post is going to be but I suppose we're all in the same boat. As always, ours [...]

Easy Christmas chic – what to wear for Christmas 2020

By |2020-11-09T13:26:48+00:00November 6th, 2020|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

And we're off, I'm officially launching Christmas 2020 on Midlifechic with 'easy Christmas chic'. Yes it's going to feel different... but isn't that great? After all, I think a lot of us have been guilty in past years of muttering "here we go again..." as soon as November comes round. The thing about Christmas in midlife is that we often find ourselves in the position of family matriarch and as such, a lot of Christmas falls on our shoulders... [...]

Midlife lately – catching up after half term

By |2020-11-03T16:50:23+00:00November 3rd, 2020|Categories: Accessories, Christmas, Family, Midlife|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Hello again - as you probably realised I ended up taking the whole of last week off. Thank you to everyone who sent a little message checking up on me, it showed me that you notice when I'm not here so perhaps I do bring some value with this blog... which is something I often wonder about. Of course we 'should' have been in Paris but as it happened I had a nasty chest infection anyway (not Covid, I did [...]

A Baukjen AW20 try-on – and new bags

By |2020-10-23T17:04:12+01:00October 23rd, 2020|Categories: Accessories, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Well the clocks go back here this weekend so we'll be officially saying goodbye to British Summer Time. Today I'm doing a Baukjen AW20 try-on, showcasing a few pieces from this tiny British brand that has continued to shine ethically throughout this difficult year. And at the end of the post I'll show you my tiny collection of new bags that have finally arrived after the hard work we did in the summer. New readers often ask me how Baukjen [...]

Staycationing in London and Newcastle post Covid 19

By |2020-07-24T18:50:10+01:00July 24th, 2020|Categories: Family, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Hello, how are you... it's been a while. As you know I've been away from my desk for the last week staycationing in London and Newcastle which means today's post is going to be a catch-up (and it's a bit of a long one so pour yourself a drink). So what was it like to go away just as the lockdown began to lift? Staycationing in London post Covid 19 London Thursday We started our journey on a very quiet [...]

What to wear for a UK staycation & great summer reads

By |2020-07-15T16:59:58+01:00July 15th, 2020|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

I'm early this week because today's post includes quite a few pieces that have just gone into the sale and I wanted to get them to you before they all sell out. I'm heading down to London in the morning, Friday will finally be haircut day for me and Mr MC is coming too (to London, not the hairdressers). We'll be making the most of a couple of nights away because I want to be able to walk everywhere rather [...]

Slowly moving out of lockdown, summer 2020

By |2020-07-10T19:41:21+01:00July 10th, 2020|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Hello everyone. Well another week has gone by, the first one of relative freedom and it was interesting to read how some of you were slowly moving out of lockdown in the comments after my last post. As so many people said, it's clear that everybody has a different attitude to risk and the good thing is that so far, most people seem to be able to live alongside each other without judging. Mr MC and I are finding that [...]

What I’ve been wearing and learning the lessons of lockdown

By |2020-06-23T16:29:38+01:00June 23rd, 2020|Categories: Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Well (and I say this cautiously) it's starting to feel as though we're coming through to the other side of the great coronavirus lockdown. I hope you've had a good weekend and that you've managed to start meeting some of the people you've missed so much. We've caught up with a few friends and clients now (although the weather hasn't been great here so some conversations have suddenly been cut short by torrential downpours) even so, it's felt good to [...]

The zeitgeist and what to wear for the weekend

By |2020-06-12T16:43:09+01:00June 12th, 2020|Categories: Midlife, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

The zeitgeist and what to wear for the weekend Has anyone else found this week to be a tough one? For me it's been by far the most challenging of lockdown, not for any particular reason other than the new monotony. As I've said before I've realised how much I rely on forward goals to keep me going and with the endless uncertainty that seems to surround us in the UK in particular, it's still impossible to implement any. Of [...]

Women over 40 tell me – how is it for you? And a catch up.

By |2020-06-10T13:24:00+01:00June 9th, 2020|Categories: Family, Health, Style, Surveys|Tags: , , , , , , |

Hello and happy Tuesday everyone. I'm back after a couple of days off last week when as you might remember, Mr MC and I intended to make a plan for the next few months. We wanted to focus mostly on our business but of course like most people's, our work and life is so closely interwoven that we needed to consider everything else as well. So, we sat down with coffee and notepads and after some drumming of fingers we [...]

Midlife lately and SS20 at home outfit ideas

By |2020-05-27T16:51:17+01:00May 27th, 2020|Categories: Family, Midlife, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Hello, I'm out of sync at the moment because I had two days off for my birthday last week and then tunnelled into the Bank Holiday. It means I'm behind with the comments (and everything else) but I'll crack on with them after this. First of all though, a catch-up, starting with midlife lately and then I'll move on to some SS20 at home outfit ideas because a few new drops have landed this week and they'll be the last [...]

Cornucopia – beauty, books and weekend ideas

By |2020-05-15T16:09:36+01:00May 15th, 2020|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Happy Friday everyone - yes it is Friday if you've lost track of the days. Actually I've had a really busy week this week, things suddenly seem to have taken off again although I don't know for how long and I'm not complaining - but actually I am a bit, I'd got used to having an empty Inbox! While we're on the subject of complaining I'm just going to do the thing I keep telling my boys not to by [...]

Quarantine – as the days roll on – Coronavirus 2020

By |2020-05-12T16:45:42+01:00May 12th, 2020|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Quarantine - as the days roll on - Coronavirus 2020 How are you getting on? I have to admit that today is the first day when I've felt a bit fed up of all of this so I'm glad it's a blogging day. With the possibility that somebody has happened upon this post few years on from now, let me just apply some context. We're now in the eighth week of quarantine and in Boris Johnson's broadcast on Sunday evening [...]

Trying on pieces for summer at home 2020

By |2020-04-24T13:11:57+01:00April 24th, 2020|Categories: Product review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Hello and happy Friday everyone. As promised I'm taking a break from coronavirus today and thinking about clothes instead. You see as this long spell of sunny weather continues (and I realise I've probably jinxed it now), I'm finding I don't have a lot of options in my wardrobe. I know that's hard to believe but when I thought it through I realised that my summer clothing budget usually goes in two particular directions. You see at this time of [...]

Midlife lately – quarantine days and nights

By |2020-04-21T15:11:30+01:00April 21st, 2020|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Hello everyone, I'm back from my 'week off.' I hope you've all been settling into this new way of living, I thought we'd have a quick Midlife lately quarantine catch up today and then perhaps go on to look at some clothes on Friday. As this spell of good weather continues (she says, touching wood), I'm starting to think about a wardrobe for a summer that is largely, if not completely, going to be spent at home. Before that though [...]

Midlife in the time of coronavirus – more diaries

By |2020-04-10T12:54:44+01:00April 10th, 2020|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

We're coming to the end of the third week of lockdown and so I thought I'd do another simple diary. As readers you will of course know what it's like to go shopping at the moment but I'm recording it here for legacy purposes. I hope that soon we'll be looking back with disbelief and I don't want to forget how extraordinary this time was. So today do please add in the comments anything that's struck you as you've tried [...]

My capsule wardrobe for the week – smart casual

By |2020-04-09T15:39:48+01:00April 7th, 2020|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

I thought we'd take a break from discussing the virus today and settle back into our happy zone of what to wear. I'm keeping it relevant because this is a personal project. On Sunday I sat down as usual to think about the week ahead and with no complex projects ahead, it struck me that this is an opportunity for a quasi-clinical test on the smart casual element of my wardrobe. So I set myself a test to build a [...]

Lockdown outfits – keeping spirits high

By |2020-04-03T12:13:41+01:00March 31st, 2020|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Hello everyone - are you still hanging on in there? I'm delighted to be bringing you some lockdown outfits today because I'm determined we'll stay chic, even if we're all at home. I'd like to say a huge thank you to Boden who are working with me today and are the only large brand to have honoured their commitment. Occasional posts like this will enable me to keep Midlifechic going so if you want this blog to survive they're a [...]

Coronavirus diaries – lockdown week 1

By |2020-03-28T12:27:35+00:00March 27th, 2020|Categories: Health, Midlife, Project Happier|Tags: , , , , , |

Hello everybody, I hope hope you're all ok out there. We'd never have imagined a week like the one we've just had would we and who knows where we go from here? For now, I'm going to try to keep up with a weekly coronavirus update even if it's just as a kind of social diary to log how this bolt from the blue affected an ordinary family. So here we go - Coronavirus diaries - lockdown week 1. Coronavirus [...]

Supporting small brands through difficult times

By |2020-03-24T17:05:30+00:00March 24th, 2020|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Supporting small brands through difficult times Every time I start a post the world seems a little stranger and today I feel as though I'm broadcasting from a bunker. It's a concept that's quite vivid in my imagination because I've always been a bit of a living history geek. When I was at Selfridges I seemed to be the only person other than the archivist who was interested in the store's story. Sensing a kindred spirit he used to allow [...]

Easy spring looks from M&S and a try-on

By |2020-03-13T16:48:32+00:00March 13th, 2020|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Easy spring looks from M&S and a try-on Spring's going to be here any minute - really it is and so for my latest Marks and Spencer edit, I thought I'd look ahead to warmer days. It's been a struggle to get my head in the right place because we've had gales blowing here every day but today the sun finally shone through and I managed to get some pictures outside for the first time in months. As I searched [...]

A casual midlife lately – winter draws to a close

By |2020-03-03T16:35:26+00:00March 3rd, 2020|Categories: Midlife, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

A casual midlife lately Hello, it's time for a quick catch up I think with a casual midlife lately. Wasn't February grim? It really seemed to drag, I think everyone in the UK is feeling battered by the weather. We usually go away for our wedding anniversary early in the month and I really missed it - thank goodness it's March. We're surrounded by signs of spring up here - the daffodils are out, there are lambs in the fields [...]

What to look for when you’re buying jeans & a try-on

By |2020-02-25T17:05:28+00:00February 25th, 2020|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

What to look for when you're buying jeans It's another denim try-on today, this time I'm working with John Lewis & Partners, looking at their And/Or range which is good because last time I did this, I found the jeans that have been my go-to pair for the last two years. When I asked in the reader survey which looks were most relevant to your lifestyle, smart casual (jeans with a blazer) and relaxed casual (jeans with trainers) scored 82% [...]

What to wear with jeans now, SS20

By |2020-02-18T17:10:09+00:00February 18th, 2020|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Repeat after me "I won't complain about the weather..." Grim isn't it? It's actually appropriate that my inbox is full of London Fashion Week for Autumn 2020 because spring feels a long way away. As always I've been busy saving the information that I'll need when we come round to discussing AW20 in September but actually, there are details we can take from it in advance. It's going to be a while until we start casting off layers so we [...]

What I’ve been wearing and doing in February

By |2020-02-11T16:40:03+00:00February 11th, 2020|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

What I've been wearing and doing in February Hello, I hope you're sitting somewhere warm away from the storm - crazy out there isn't it? I'm still busy poring through the survey results - it takes quite a while to read through 3000 sets of comments but as I said last week, it's fascinating. One of the most common requests that's coming up is for more general outfit shots of what I've been wearing when I've been doing everyday things [...]

What I wear in January, outfit ideas women over 40

By |2020-01-22T15:58:26+00:00January 21st, 2020|Categories: Midlife, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

What I wear in January, outfit ideas women over 40 Today's post is the first of a new series that I'm aiming to include every month featuring a compilation of outfits that I've been wearing for work and weekends. These posts will show you what I wear day in, day out and they should contrast nicely with the new season try-ons that I do with some of our favourite high street brands. I'm not going to patronise you by saying [...]

A Christmas what to wear – Boden edit

By |2019-11-19T16:50:12+00:00November 19th, 2019|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

It's the last of my Christmas 'what to wear' posts today and I'm pleased to be working with Boden, bringing you my edit of their current collection. The great news is that in celebration of their 28th birthday, they're offering 28% off almost everything including the pieces I've featured in here until Thursday 21st November with code 6T2C so hopefully I'm bringing you these ideas at just the right time. I'm operating within the Four Pillars of Festive Style that [...]

Relaxed winter chic for women over 40

By |2019-11-12T16:40:45+00:00November 12th, 2019|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

I'm pleased to say that today's post has been prompted directly by you. You see I had the pleasure of chatting to lots of readers at the John Lewis & Partners event on Friday and one topic was requested more than any other: 'relaxed winter chic for women over 40.' So, before we launch headlong into the whirlwind of Christmas, I thought I'd recap on the basics of elevating your winter look. What's coming up on Midlifechic? But first I [...]

British brands – three you should know

By |2019-10-29T17:48:18+00:00October 29th, 2019|Categories: Interiors, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Something a bit different for you today because thinking we were going to be almost through to the other side of Brexit, I planned a British brand focus. As it happens we're not (why am I surprised?) but I'm going to talk about three of them anyway. Before I start though, I have an apology. One of the enquiry forms on Darryll and Bettina's website for The D'Azur failed on Saturday and so all of the enquiries that you sent [...]

A Midlifechic reader weekend at The D’Azur

By |2019-10-25T17:23:50+01:00October 25th, 2019|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

And so my first proper get together with readers finally happened last weekend in the particularly glamorous surroundings of the French Riviera. A lot of new readers have joined us recently so I'm just going to backtrack a little to explain how it all came about. Earlier this year, friends in London introduced us to Darryll and Bettina and they invited both us and the boys to stay with them at The D'Azur, their villa in the South of France. [...]

What’s going on at hush and an AW19 try-on

By |2019-10-22T16:24:26+01:00October 22nd, 2019|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

It's been a while since I've worked with them and a few of you have been asking me what's going on at hush. It's a small company that has found itself growing so fast that it's suddenly had to switch its focus towards gearing up for growth in a big way. Everybody here of course has known and loved hush for a long time, but two years ago when they launched at John Lewis & Partners, they were introduced to [...]

Bumper Boden edit – Autumn 2019 (and a try-on)

By |2019-10-01T16:58:25+01:00October 1st, 2019|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Today I'm really pleased to be bringing you a bumper Boden edit - Autumn 2019. Longstanding readers will know that I've been trying to open a dialogue with Boden for years. As you've seen, since spring we've been getting to know each other by doing a small monthly edit - and during that time, from your feedback and comments they've learned a bit more about you too. For this post I've had a chance to go [...]

Ordinary outfits for an ordinary working week – season transition

By |2019-09-24T16:50:34+01:00September 24th, 2019|Categories: Style, Work life balance|Tags: , , , , , |

Hello, I'm breathing a small sigh of relief this week because the North West business exhibition that we've been managing is finally over. It meant that I didn't have much time for Midlifechic last week so why I thought it would be a good time to do the sale I don't know. As some of you gathered, there were technical gremlins galore on Friday night and I was stuck in the office on my own unable to get through to [...]

Road trip to Brighton – summer’s last gasp

By |2019-09-17T18:17:22+01:00September 17th, 2019|Categories: Family, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , |

As I mentioned last week, I have one last chapter of our 'summer of last hurrahs' to tell you about. When we got back from our teen FOMO-riddled two weeks in Turkey, I was puzzling over how to approach future holidays with the boys when Travelodge got in touch to ask if they could help me with a summer post. Immediately the idea of a road trip sprang to mind and so they suggested we [...]

Summer holiday destinations with teens – Turkey #2

By |2019-08-16T17:32:31+01:00August 16th, 2019|Categories: Family, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , |

Hasn't the weather been awful this week? Let's go back to Turkey! Join me in the sunshine for the second half of our holiday - there are a lot of photos so I'll try to let them tell the story without too much rattling on. At the end of the last post, I left off when just six weeks before we were due to depart, I discovered that we had nowhere to stay for the second week. Thanks to the [...]

Family holidays with teens – Turkey 2019 #1

By |2019-08-09T21:24:05+01:00August 9th, 2019|Categories: Family, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , |

Well hello... it's been a while so I hope you're still there. We're back from the longest of our summer trips this year which was a fortnight in Kalkan on Turkey's Turquoise Coast. As you know it's the place where we find we can completely switch off. We first went there in 2000 when the eldest was just a toddler so we've seen it change over the years. This time I have to say it was very, very busy. Kalkan [...]

A long weekend with teens in the French Riviera

By |2019-07-05T17:06:08+01:00July 5th, 2019|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , |

At last I’ve had a chance to go through the photos from our long weekend with teens in the French Riviera - we took so many that it’s going to be better for me to let the pictures do most of the talking or this will go on forever. A long weekend with teens in the French Riviera - Friday As I mentioned when I was busy planning what to pack, we were invited to stay with Darryll and Bettina [...]

The Lake District with teenagers: The Swan Hotel & Nests

By |2019-06-20T17:13:10+01:00June 20th, 2019|Categories: Family, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , |

After months of toil and tension, the exams have ended and this week our summer of last hurrahs began with the first of the trips you saw me planning - a few days in the Lake District with teenagers. We were invited to stay at The Swan Hotel and Spa at Newby Bridge which is in my favourite part of the Lakes, the Western Peninsula. The Swan has always been one of my top five hotels in the Lakes but [...]

What to pack for a chic weekend in the countryside

By |2019-07-14T16:38:54+01:00June 4th, 2019|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

What to pack for a chic weekend in the countryside can be a far harder challenge than preparing for hot sunshine. While the rest of the country barbecued from dawn until dusk last weekend, we had a band of incessant rain in the Lake District with cold winds too - I had to stop looking at Instagram because it just wasn't fair. However, we plough on and this post is, in fact, me planning for the first of our 'summer [...]

Linen mix collection from JD Williams, Summer 2019

By |2019-07-14T16:30:13+01:00May 31st, 2019|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , |

I often receive emails from readers who tell me that they love the outfits that I put together on Midlifechic but don't have the budget for a lot of the things I feature. It gives me a real quandary because I want this blog to be relevant to all women, regardless of age or spend. However I'm also increasingly trying to steer it towards social, ethical and environmental shopping which tends to carry a higher price tag. An interesting conversation [...]

Packing for a hot beach holiday – women over 40

By |2019-05-24T18:01:13+01:00May 24th, 2019|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , |

I'm starting to think I may have been a bit ambitious with my adventure planning this year. Summer is usually a quiet time for our business but I don't think anything's running its usual course in the UK is it? I'm definitely not complaining, I'm seeing it as a positive sign that the country is ploughing on regardless - nonostante tutto! I'm just going to have to be very organised and it may mean that I do shorter blog posts [...]

What to pack for a long weekend in the French Riviera

By |2019-05-17T12:13:18+01:00May 17th, 2019|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , |

What to pack for a long weekend in the French Riviera: I'm killing two birds with one stone today because as I mentioned on Tuesday, as soon as the exams finish we have a few different breaks planned so I need to be organised. We're having some little adventures because I've realised it's the last time I'll be able to plan these things for sure. The middle son is hoping to go travelling next summer and I've no idea where [...]

Swimwear, beach and holiday packing with John Lewis & Partners

By |2019-05-14T16:47:47+01:00May 14th, 2019|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , |

Who's looking forward to a holiday? I certainly am. As soon as the dreaded exams are over, we've decided to have a summer of fun with the boys so I have a few different things to plan for. We're aware that with one finishing school and the other graduating there may not be another stretch of unplanned time like this so we're going to make the most of it. In the meantime though it feels like eat, sleep, revise, repeat [...]

Here, there and everywhere – a week of Midlifechic!

By |2019-05-03T16:33:47+01:00May 3rd, 2019|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

It's been a hectic week - I really wanted to bring you a nice shopping post for the Bank Holiday weekend but I just haven't had time to put it together so I'm going to whizz through what I've been doing instead. After this weekend I'm refusing to move from my desk for a while so next week I'll be going into full summer wardrobe planning mode with holiday packing posts, summer workwear and all kinds of other things in [...]

Spring sunshine outfits & new retail offers

By |2019-07-14T16:20:54+01:00April 26th, 2019|Categories: Sale, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

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 [...]

SS19 – what to wear now and midlife lately

By |2019-07-14T16:14:21+01:00April 18th, 2019|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Happy Easter! I hope this post finds you at the beginning of a long break either at home or away. We aren't going anywhere - the boys are in revision lockdown so it's a very serious house at the moment. I am also on enforced rest. I'm going to have to rename this blog MidlifeCrock because I've now hurt my back. All I did was bend over to pick up a pizza that had slipped out of my shopping bag [...]

A JD Williams edit SS19 – casual, night out and swimwear

By |2019-03-19T16:18:58+00:00March 19th, 2019|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Hello and happy Tuesday, apologies for there being no post last Friday but as I mentioned I'm juggling madly at the moment. Anyway I have a retailer focus for you today. It's time for my JD Williams edit SS19 and this time I decided to look through their current collection for some outfits that I'd wear for my usual tasks of working from home, weekend and night out. As you know, I enjoy working with JD Williams (this post was [...]

Early spring outfits of the day – what I’ve been wearing

By |2019-03-08T09:50:30+00:00March 8th, 2019|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Hello and Happy Friday! One of the most common requests from the survey feedback was for more pictures of everyday outfits so that you can see how I recycle things. I've been doing my best to remember to get them - it means they're all just iPhone shots so maybe not the best quality (although I'm sure Apple would disagree). So here you go, a few early spring outfits of the day. Liver bird This is from a couple of [...]

5 easy ways to update your wardrobe – SS19

By |2019-03-05T17:29:46+00:00March 5th, 2019|Categories: Accessories, Style, Style Seminars|Tags: , , , , , , , |

At last we're heading into my favourite time of year - Spring - and it's time to look at what's going on in the dizzy world of fashion. But actually I'm not going to do a full blown analysis of the trends for SS19. Why? Because for the first time in 26 years of absorbing trends and then trying to reiterate them in a way that's accessible, I've thrown my hands in the air. It isn't that I can't do [...]

A cornucopia: clothes, food, beauty, thoughts and good news!

By |2019-02-28T16:59:21+00:00February 28th, 2019|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I know I don't usually post on a Thursday but my schedule's a bit topsy turvy at the moment. I have some heavy marketing projects that are keeping me busy and given that we're running a business in the shadow of Brexit (or are we?) I'm not complaining! I'm also halfway through reading all of the feedback to the reader survey so in addition to feeling buoyed by lots of heart-lifting comments (thank you so much), I have some conflicting [...]

Marks and Spencer trying-on session – Spring 2019

By |2019-02-26T16:30:10+00:00February 26th, 2019|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

The sun is shining, in fact the tabloids are calling it the Moroccan Melt so to everyone who asked me to bring the weather back with me from Marrakech, you're welcome! It means that for once, the new Spring collections that are arriving feel timely. It's usually hard to imagine spring in February but this week retail sales have been booming as everyone casts off their winter layers. I'm sure we'll have another stretch of jumpers and boots next week [...]

Exclusive: Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo SS19 review

By |2019-02-21T07:01:03+00:00February 21st, 2019|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

At last we're moving into Spring and once again I'm delighted to bring you the exclusive on the new collection from Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo. As I say every time, Inès is my ultimate style icon so it's a huge honour when Uniqlo give me this opportunity to be her English counterpart. The collection launches here today at 7am in the UK and here in the US. Sorry Australian readers - I couldn't get any info for you [...]

A return to Marrakech – what I packed (and what we did)

By |2019-03-27T11:16:30+00:00February 15th, 2019|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Let me take you to Marrakech for a blast of warmth and downtime... it's a long post but there's a lot to say. As you know, for the Christmas before last Mr MC gave me a jar of money and a promise of time away together in 2018. We'd hoped to go somewhere in October but with the sad news of his brother, it wasn't to be. And so we made a plan to head off for our wedding anniversary in [...]

My best high street winter buys – prepping for the sales

By |2018-12-18T16:58:47+00:00December 18th, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Sale, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

And just like that the A/W season's over and the sales are beginning. As retailers start to announce profit warnings it's clearer than ever that it's been one of the worst trading periods on record and so there are going to be some dazzling markdowns. While I've been having a clearout, I've made a point of looking at the pieces I wear on repeat and asking myself why. As part of this process, I've been struck by the fact that [...]

Midlife Lately – what I’ve been doing, wearing and thinking

By |2018-12-07T17:52:15+00:00December 7th, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Family, Midlife, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It's been a while hasn't it and some of you have written in to ask why I haven't been doing Midlife Lately. The thing is that for me, this is not a job. As I've always said, I started Midlifechic primarily as a personal journal so that I could leave a record that my future great grandchildren might read. I was inspired to start writing after reading through boxes of family letters that I discovered after my mum died. For [...]

Small British brands run by women like us

By |2018-11-07T09:28:56+00:00November 4th, 2018|Categories: Accessories, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I'm hoping to make this a monthly feature in 2019 because I really want to start focusing on small British brands run by women like us. Why? Well of course it fits perfectly with the Midlifechic ethos that this stage of our lives is just the beginning - especially for women who have arrived at the magical age of 50. If you're younger, keep going - your best time is still to come. However my other reason for doing this [...]

Coats, knits and boots from JD Williams

By |2018-10-02T18:58:39+01:00October 2nd, 2018|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , |

A new brand edit for you today - I'm bringing you a selection of winter warmers with an edit of coats, knits and boots from JD Williams. As always this season, they have a selection that spans a wide range of price points and, of course, sizing as they continue to champion midlife women across the board. For AW18 they've asked me to focus on coats, knitwear and boots which, let's face it, is probably the most relevant field for [...]

Midlifechic edit – Marks & Spencer AW18

By |2018-09-21T16:48:12+01:00September 21st, 2018|Categories: Retail Review, Shoes, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

One of the things that I often hear people say about Marks & Spencer fashion is that there's just too much of it, that it's too hard to know where to begin. So I've spent some time going through the current collection identifying the particular strengths that I can see at the moment. Of course it makes sense to look at what I see as being their hero areas, however they're pretty strong on some of the new season trends [...]

What I’ve been wearing and a midlife lately catch up

By |2018-09-18T17:00:15+01:00September 18th, 2018|Categories: Family, Midlife, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I thought I'd take a breather from the madness of new season so that we can have a quick catch up. Today I'm bringing you a post of recent outfits, try-ons and a midlife lately catch up which has ended up being more introspective than I intended but that's what happens when I have something on my mind. So, as far as the weather is concerned, we seem to be sliding quickly into Autumn here but every so often, summer [...]

How to wear Hush when you don’t do slouchy

By |2018-09-04T16:58:58+01:00September 4th, 2018|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

I'm really pleased that so many of you said you enjoyed my edit of the Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo collection because I have a few more reviews of individual retailer collections planned over the next few weeks. Today I'm looking at Hush and I'm working in exactly the same way, in a collaboration where I'm free to style the clothes as I want to and talk to you about how they feel to wear. I know quite a [...]

Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo Autumn 2018 Review

By |2018-08-31T11:00:15+01:00August 30th, 2018|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

It's time - I'm excited to bring you my Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo Autumn 2018 Review. Yet again they've identified Midlifechic readers as their core audience and so I've had the chance to examine some of the pieces early - I can't tell you how happy this makes me. For US readers it should be going live for you today too. Just in case you're a new reader, what's so great about this Uniqlo collection? It consists of a [...]

A weekend at Thoresby Hall, what we did (and what I wore)

By |2018-07-31T15:06:45+01:00July 31st, 2018|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , |

So you may remember that a few weekends ago I mentioned that Mr MC and I were heading off for a couple of nights on our own. We'd been invited by Warner Hotels to spend a weekend at Thoresby Hall and it was a real treat. As you know, I've been travelling up and down to London a lot recently and so we've haven't seen much of each other. At times like these we fall back on the well oiled [...]

Heatwave – what I’ve been wearing in and out of the office

By |2018-07-06T09:49:58+01:00July 6th, 2018|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , |

It's a quick catch up on recent outfits today before Mr MC and I head off for a weekend à deux. Isn't this weather great? I know some people are getting tired of the heat but I love it. I don't know about you but my childhood summers always seemed to be like this one. I probably have 1976 on a permanent loop in my mind but for me this is how it should be. Of course after a few [...]

Midlife and the turning of the generations – plus what I’ve been wearing

By |2018-06-26T18:39:50+01:00June 26th, 2018|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

And so the world of style blogging is hitting its summer lull. As the sales are in full swing and the storybook sunshine goes on, I can feel my mind turning away from its usual fascination with retail towards the things that matter more. I'm very aware that for our family, this will be our last calm summer for a while. We have no important exam results to anticipate and when autumn comes, our status quo will continue with everyone [...]

New bags in the Midlifechic Boutique

By |2018-06-22T16:38:43+01:00June 15th, 2018|Categories: Accessories, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Hello and Happy Friday - we had a surprise parcel from Turkey this morning so I'm talking bags today. This will be the last delivery for the Midlifechic Boutique for a while because my factory have had all of their capacity taken over by one of the big Bond Street brands who have high demand for their Autumn collection. It means I can't have any more made until August but I don't mind because working for this iconic luxury label [...]

Summer t-shirts, skincare and a garden party

By |2018-06-08T17:10:20+01:00June 8th, 2018|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Interiors, Style|Tags: , , , , |

I realise that Wednesday's post was a long one so I won't take up too much of your time today. As the sun keeps shining down on us (I'm typing with my fingers crossed), I've actually got over my usual mania for madly wearing dresses before the clouds come back. This week I've found myself veering towards summer t-shirts, worn with shorts if I'm working from home and wide crops or a skirt if I'm in the office. Now this [...]

City break with teenagers – 4 days in Valencia

By |2018-06-06T17:29:13+01:00June 6th, 2018|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Relationships, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Hello, I'm back. My schedule is still slightly disrupted but it's good to be blogging again. Let me tell you all about our trip to Valencia which turned out to be very simple and very relaxed - just what we all needed. This is one of those posts that is a bit of a personal journal as well as a midlife style blog. As you know, one of the reasons I write is for any future great, great grandchildren of [...]

The happiest of 51st birthday weekends

By |2018-05-21T16:39:26+01:00May 21st, 2018|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

This morning I am feeling every one of my 51 years which could have something to do with the fact that I decided to party like a 15 year-old in celebration of my 51st birthday. I haven't stopped all weekend and my brain is dead so I'm going to let the pictures do the talking and share a bit of my birthday joy with you. It all started on Friday night when my sister and brother-in-law popped over with presents. [...]

A capsule summer city wardrobe, what I’ve been wearing and a blogger sale

By |2018-05-11T17:20:39+01:00May 11th, 2018|Categories: Sale, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I have a few different things to talk to you about today. Firstly a capsule summer city wardrobe challenge - can I create a chic wardrobe for a month in just fifteen pieces? Then a few outfits of the day and finally, full details of the blogger sale that will open on Sunday morning 13th May at 11am (British Summer Time). Please read the details carefully to avoid any misunderstanding or disappointment. Capsule summer city wardrobe challenge I get all [...]

What to wear for a festival over 40 (or just relaxed summer dressing)

By |2018-05-04T16:56:20+01:00May 4th, 2018|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Yes you've guessed it, we have a festival coming up so I'm thinking out loud again. Luckily for us it isn't a wet wipes / queue for revolting loos / lose your tent kind of festival. It's a taxi ride away from home so we can go along until whatever time we please and then return to the comfort of our own bed each night. So of course I'm now thinking about what to wear and imagining that it's going [...]

Indigo jeans try-on and what I’ve been wearing

By |2018-04-13T17:33:12+01:00April 13th, 2018|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Well first of all let me start by thanking you for the overwhelming response to the survey on Tuesday. I've switched it off now because there were many more replies than I expected and it was getting expensive but it was worth every penny. I'm currently going through all of the data and comment fields. I will get back to you on some of the points that popped up repeatedly over the next few weeks and I'll answer the first [...]

Spotlight on John Lewis – a virtual afternoon in store

By |2018-04-06T10:40:27+01:00April 6th, 2018|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Interiors, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Please note that this is a sponsored post in collaboration with John Lewis. As such, links are affiliated and upon purchase, a small commission may be paid to Midlifechic. The retailer pays so this costs nothing to readers but it enables me to continue bringing you two posts a week. Now that Midlifechic is being viewed over half a million times a month, It costs into the thousands of pounds to keep it running and loading smoothly. I thank you [...]

A great weekend break and the new drop at Hush

By |2018-03-27T10:40:31+01:00March 27th, 2018|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Hello, before I go on I must thank you for all of the fascinating feedback on my last post - it's been interesting to hear so many different thoughts about Boden. I will be replying but I'm having a crazy week (again) so please do bear with me. In the meantime, we've just had such a great weekend break that I thought I'd share it with you. Plus there's a new drop arriving at Hush today so I've shortlisted some [...]

Trying on my Boden order – SS18 keepers and returns

By |2018-03-23T16:52:00+00:00March 23rd, 2018|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Right everyone - the clocks go forward this weekend, it's officially spring (whatever the weather thinks) and I have barely done any shopping this season. You rely on me to keep the inspiration coming so I've given myself a kick up the bum by doing an old Midlifechic favourite - the Boden order try on. Before I start I must point out that this is not a sponsored post or collaboration with Boden in any way. They still refuse to [...]

A Spring smörgasbord – gelato colours

By |2018-03-20T16:17:17+00:00March 20th, 2018|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

I'm short on time today, we have a pre-Easter rush on in the office and it's all hands on deck. So I'm bringing you a spring smörgasbord - small new season treats that will begin the journey towards warmer weather (I'm convinced it's just around the corner). I'm starting with gelato colours which, along with their bolder Crayola colour counterparts, are dominating the new collections. If you're worried about looking like a fondant fancy, the best way to incorporate the [...]

Reasons to be cheerful and more outfits of the week

By |2018-03-16T17:01:25+00:00March 16th, 2018|Categories: Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I confess that as we head into another weekend with a forecast of bitter weather, I'm beginning to feel at a bit of a loss as to what to write about. It seems that we're living in Narnia's perpetual winter. Spring has completely stalled up here, the birds are quiet, buds are barely showing on the trees and the skies are many shades of grey. Even I don't feel like shopping when every day is just another jumper day. So [...]

Casual basics – Spring / Summer 18 jeans

By |2018-03-13T19:46:29+00:00March 13th, 2018|Categories: Sale, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

I'm planning to do some capsule wardrobe collections over the next few weeks in the hope that Spring will at some point show its face. Jeans of course are always the lynchpin of a casual wardrobe and so I thought we should focus on where they have settled as the transition from skinnies continues. As we've already discussed, a key shape for Spring / Summer 18 jeans is the wide leg crop. I'm enjoying wearing my dark denim ones but I'm [...]

What I’ve been wearing… and how I carved out a whole extra day in my week

By |2018-03-09T17:48:19+00:00March 9th, 2018|Categories: Project Happier, Style, Work life balance|Tags: , , , , , , , |

I've had a great week and it's all thanks to you and the very first post that I wrote this year when I was looking for a better way to manage 2018. If you remember, I was feeling as though I was being pulled in too many different directions and not doing anything well. Since then I've been spring cleaning my life whilst incorporating some of the tips you shared and at last I'm starting to see the difference. Lots [...]

Thoughts on Mother’s Day as your children grow older

By |2018-03-08T13:39:43+00:00March 6th, 2018|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Relationships, Shoes, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

(Note to confused overseas readers - Mother's Day or Mothering Sunday is on 11th March in the UK) I've always maintained that Mother's Day is my favourite day of the year. It's better than a birthday because you don't get any older and it's a celebration of the incredible task that we undertake as we help our children grow into decent human beings. For the last 20 years I've been lucky. On Mother's Day my nest has been full and [...]

11 spring pick-me-ups: brightening the dark days

By |2018-03-02T16:37:42+00:00March 2nd, 2018|Categories: Gift ideas, Interiors, Shoes, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Wow - what can you say about the weather that hasn't already been said across every news channel?! As I type, Storm Emma is blowing in from the sea. There is nothing to shelter us from the coastline and so the winds are whistling around us like something from a horror movie. In all of the years that I have lived here, I have never known the snow to fall so incessantly. So, I decided it was time for one [...]

5 things to do in The Lake District when the weather’s bad – Central Lakes

By |2018-02-26T17:15:05+00:00February 26th, 2018|Categories: Travel|Tags: , , , |

At last I have the opportunity to write one of my most requested posts - a local's guide for when the weather is iffy in the Lake District. People often get in touch to say that they love the Lakes but hesitate to come because of the rain... or that they love the scenery but feel there isn't much to do for non-walkers. So, when an interesting brief popped into my Inbox I knew this was my chance to share [...]

Spotlight on Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo SS18 – EXCLUSIVE

By |2018-02-15T08:42:52+00:00February 15th, 2018|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

At last it feels as though Spring is really on its way. As always it's heralded by one of my favourite posts of the season - Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo SS18. We've been given an exclusive preview again. Before I show you the clothes, remember that with this collection you have to be quick. The online allocation tends to sell out by midday. Just because something is in your basket doesn't mean it's yours. If someone else checks [...]

Midlife adventures – The Ice Hotel Transylvania review

By |2018-02-13T17:31:19+00:00February 13th, 2018|Categories: Project Happier, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

I've finally managed to plough through the hundreds (yes honestly) of photos we took on our midlife adventure in Transylvania. There's just so much to show you that even after some serious culling there are a lot of them. So I'm going to try to make sure this Ice Hotel Transylvania review isn't too wordy. Join us virtually through the pictures... and even the occasional video. Before I start though, I just want to say that I have two pieces of fashion [...]

Capsule packing for a winter city break – a midlife adventure

By |2018-02-02T10:16:15+00:00February 2nd, 2018|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , |

Capsule packing for a winter city break. In my last post I mentioned that Mr MC and I are heading off for a winter adventure. You may remember that back in October we went to a formal dinner with friends. At the end of the meal, there was an auction in aid of our local homeless charity. Having had a few glasses of wine, I found myself momentarily inspired to bid for a weekend in Transylvania, fully expecting lots of [...]

January casual wardrobe updates – new in

By |2018-01-19T17:25:52+00:00January 19th, 2018|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

To celebrate the end of what is allegedly the most miserable week of the year, I thought we'd indulge in a spot of retail therapy with some January casual wardrobe updates. Before we do, I just wanted to say thank you for all of your kind and very touching words after my last post. It was a difficult one to write because I just don't know how many people read my blog locally and I don't want to make anyone [...]

Great British Boltholes – The Pentonbridge Inn, Cumbria

By |2018-01-17T17:21:30+00:00January 12th, 2018|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , |

A little while ago I mentioned that just before Christmas, I was invited to review the newly refurbished Pentonbridge Inn in Cumbria. I don't know about you but I'm busy plotting things to look forward to - so I thought I'd give you the lowdown on why this place is worth a visit. It's close to home for us but we'd travelled from one end of the country to the other because we arrived straight from spending two days in London [...]

Midlife lately – winter outfits and events

By |2018-01-09T16:45:58+00:00January 9th, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Family, Midlife, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

We have some catching up to do. Forgive me for the fact that this includes Christmas, luckily there aren't many sequins because we did most of our partying earlier in the month. When I left you in 2017, it was the eldest's 21st birthday and he was due to arrive home from London late that night. So, we're picking the story up as we arrived at the railway station to meet him. The 21st birthday Poor boy, I don't think [...]

Winter sale edit and a Christmassy Midlife lately

By |2018-01-08T16:38:15+00:00December 19th, 2017|Categories: Christmas, Project Happier, Sale, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

T'was the week before Christmas... and I looked at my diary only to realise that I have blithely arranged for an awful lot of festive gatherings to take place... all through our house. I'm not quite sure how that happened but I have some serious food prepping to do. So, as I will shortly be mutating from Midlifechic to Midlifechef, my last post will have to be a quick one. I'm starting with a quick winter sale edit because if [...]

Chic Buys of 2017 – and the Midlifechic brand of the year

By |2018-01-08T16:40:00+00:00December 15th, 2017|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

It's hard to believe but we've arrived at the post where I reflect on my chic buys of 2017- the pieces that I've worn over and over again. It's trickier this year because I've been experimenting more. As you know when a brand gets in touch with a gifting opportunity, I try to step outside my comfort zone and play with a look that I wouldn't risk my own budget on. This means that there has been less of an opportunity [...]

Winter Florals: a Midlifechic edit with John Lewis

By |2017-12-14T12:07:04+00:00December 12th, 2017|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It's an exciting day for our Midlifechic community - we have come to the attention of John Lewis. Because of my day job, I don't have much time to pursue relationships with brands but I have been hoping and wondering all year if they would spot us... and they have! So it is with a feeling of great honour that I have taken my first challenge from them - to create a post about Winter Florals. Knowing me as you [...]

Christmas finishing touches: making it extra special

By |2017-12-08T15:02:40+00:00December 8th, 2017|Categories: Christmas, Interiors, Style|Tags: , , , , |

Christmas has felt a bit chaotic in our house this year. When I had more time on my hands I used to shop very methodically, starting with everything planned out on spreadsheets as soon as October half term finished. Now I seem to shop from my own posts as I go along and so deliveries have been piling up in my office. It's only today that I've unpacked all of the parcels to see where I've got to! I'm just [...]

Winter outfits of the day – what I’ve been wearing in November

By |2017-12-05T09:34:14+00:00December 1st, 2017|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

So today I thought we'd take a break from Christmas because I have a few random winter outfits of the day that have been sitting on my desktop. There is no particular theme or order, they're just things I've been wearing for work and weekends. Before I start though, some of you may be aware of questions that have been raised recently on various forums (can't help thinking the plural should be fora) and social media channels about bloggers and [...]

Relaxed Christmas Party Outfit Ideas – women over 40

By |2017-11-24T06:12:47+00:00November 17th, 2017|Categories: Accessories, Christmas, Shoes, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Relaxed Christmas party outfit ideas. If you're anything like me, you may have one or two dressy events lined up but the rest of your Christmas will be a more relaxed affair. I think some of the best times are the spontaneous ones when someone calls and asks if you fancy popping over for a drink... which inevitably turns into three or four. So today I'm bringing you outfit ideas for when this happens. Looks that say you've made an [...]

Hush Christmas Edit – join me for a virtual evening at John Lewis

By |2018-01-08T16:46:57+00:00November 10th, 2017|Categories: Christmas, Product review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Hush Christmas Edit. Christmas started for me with a bang this week when I went to do a talk for Hush at the “My John Lewis” shopping evening on Wednesday. My brief was to pull out my favourite Hush pieces and discuss them. So, I took lots of lovely ladies through five specific capsules that I’d created for days that are likely to crop up in our Christmas calendar. At the end so many of them came to tell me that they'd [...]

Marrakech in 3 days with teenagers

By |2017-11-22T12:15:16+00:00November 7th, 2017|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Marrakech in 3 days with teenagers. Before we dive fully into Christmas madness, I thought you might like to join me for a few days of sunshine. As you know, we had a little trip to Marrakech last week. It was a plan that we came up with back in the spring when we realised that my 50th birthday was going to be somewhat subdued because it fell, as it has done all of my life, in exam season. Why [...]

A palette inspired by toffee apples … remember, remember the fifth of November!

By |2017-10-24T17:34:50+01:00October 24th, 2017|Categories: Shoes, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

We've talked about the dominance of vivid scarlet in this autumn's colour palette but there is another seasonal theme coming through and it reminds me of the colour of toffee apples. Reds and greens are often associated with Christmas but if you think about it, they feel right now too, as we approach bonfire night. I've put together a selection of easy pieces to inspire you (and me - when I tried to put an outfit together to show you, [...]

An autumn capsule wardrobe – women over 40

By |2018-01-08T16:50:46+00:00October 17th, 2017|Categories: Shoes, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Now that we're well and truly into autumn, I think we're starting to get used to the new silhouette that has come in. The midi length hemline and the move to the straight leg jean are two of the easiest styles to adopt and I've been really enjoying wearing them as you'll see from some examples below. The other key focus of course, is colour. I really like the bright scarlet that is everywhere but a lot of people have [...]

Side stripe trousers, a great solution… and a midlife wedding

By |2017-10-06T17:26:24+01:00October 6th, 2017|Categories: Health, Midlife, Project Happier, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I'm following on from my post about leather leggings with a focus on a different type of trouser. You see when I was down in London last week, I gambled on not having to stand up too much in my consultancy sessions. For once, I travelled light without 'street shoes' in my bag. It misfired. I was working with a larger team than expected and so I had to stand to enable everyone to hear (and see) me. We were [...]

Wearing leather leggings after 40 – is it ok with the demise of the skinny?

By |2017-10-03T16:51:10+01:00October 3rd, 2017|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Wearing leather leggings after 40 - this is one of those posts that specifically addresses an email from a distressed reader. When I published my autumn trends post a few weeks ago, Victoria emailed to say "I can cope with the demise of skinny jeans but what about the expensive leather leggings that I've invested in - am I going to look stupid if I carry on wearing them?" The short answer is no. All you have to do is [...]

A cornucopia of recent outfits – women over 40

By |2017-09-26T16:18:11+01:00September 26th, 2017|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It's time for a catch up. I have a few random outfit photos that are cluttering up my desktop so I'm posting some everyday looks from the last few weeks. Before I do though, I just need to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported the launch of the Midlifechic Boutique. Each sale, thought or note of encouragement has really helped me to have confidence in this new venture. It has gone better than I could ever have [...]

How many pairs of shoes do you actually need?

By |2017-09-15T17:30:32+01:00September 15th, 2017|Categories: Shoes, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

At a business lunch recently, I was sitting next to a lady who was returning to her career after spending ten years at home with her children. We chatted about how it was going as you do, bemoaning the perpetual juggle of the work life balance. After a while our conversation turned to our sense of identity and how much clothes matter. At this point I mentioned that I write a blog about such things and her eyes lit up. [...]

Hush Autumn 17 – a Midlifechic road test

By |2017-09-08T16:27:59+01:00September 8th, 2017|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

You may remember that back in June, I had a lovely evening at The Ned in London with some other over 40 bloggers where we were shown the forthcoming Hush Autumn 17 collection. I have to say that one of the things I like most about Hush is that they are actively nurturing their over 40 customers. For a brand that feels very youthful, I believe that they genuinely want to see women of our age wearing their clothes. It [...]

Spotlight on Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo AW17 – for women and men

By |2017-08-31T09:50:16+01:00August 31st, 2017|Categories: Family, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

So we're kicking off Autumn 2017 with my favourite post of the season - the launch of Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo AW17. It is live now in the UK and launches at 9pm ET in the US (although be prepared - it launched an hour earlier than advertised in the UK). I think everybody who reads Midlifechic knows that Inès is my ultimate style icon. Other than Helen Mirren, I don't think there is anyone like her in terms of [...]

Autumn 2017 trends for women over 40: colours and styles

By |2018-03-02T09:41:07+00:00August 25th, 2017|Categories: Shoes, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It feels too early to be doing this. I made a quiet pledge not to complain about the weather but really - 2017 has been the year that summer forgot. So, I've been finding myself looking ahead to Autumn without feeling guilty. After all these are the clothes that we wear for about nine months of the year. Style-wise there is more change afoot than there has been for quite a few years so I thought I'd kick off with [...]

A family holiday in Kalkan and what mattered most

By |2017-08-18T17:23:36+01:00August 18th, 2017|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Hello, I'm back! It's always a bit strange starting the first post after a holiday. It reminds me of the first day of term when you used to feel a bit nervous about going back to school even though you were going to be reunited with all of your friends. I hope you've had a good few weeks. I'm just going to write one post about our family holiday in Kalkan this time because I'm going away again next week [...]

Summer clothes to buy now – for home and away

By |2017-07-14T19:58:21+01:00July 14th, 2017|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , |

I've been very organised with planning my holiday packing this year but there are just a couple of spaces that I need to fill. Plus the weather forecasters are saying that we have another heatwave on the way so I've been scouting around for summer clothes to buy now - by which I mean ranges that are not in the sale. This is what I've found. Good for changeable weather Baukjen released a small new collection this month and I've [...]

Hope sale – and revisiting my past

By |2017-07-07T17:05:33+01:00July 7th, 2017|Categories: Family, Midlife, Relationships, Sale, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I have a late addition to the summer sales for you. Hope will be opening their sale tomorrow (Saturday 8th July) and I have a VIP preview which means you can go onto the site and snap up the bargains before everyone else. In preparation for the new stock arriving, they are having a huge clearout from past seasons and a lot of items are 70% off. It's a great opportunity to buy something of high quality at an amazing price. Here [...]

Summer outfits of the day… and great sale offers

By |2017-06-23T14:49:02+01:00June 23rd, 2017|Categories: Accessories, Sale, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Let's have a quick catch up today. I say quick because I lost a whole day's work this week thanks to lightning striking the local substation. It meant that we had no electricity on Wednesday from 11am until nearly midnight. The schools were closed and, as always, at first it was fun. We played boardgames and then lit the barbecue so that we could munch our way through the melting freezer food. By 9pm though, when we had reached the [...]

Spotlight on Baukjen – sunny days and nights

By |2017-05-16T14:58:27+01:00May 16th, 2017|Categories: Retail Review, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I'm very pleased to be working with Baukjen again today. You may remember that they were the first of my brand Spotlight Posts back in February and this time they've sent some of their Spring / Summer 17 collection for me to review. As always, when I work on a Spotlight post I like to assess whether a range can work hard for me by covering my key wardrobe requirements: work, weekend and evenings out. Baukjen Spring / Summer working wardrobe Starting with workwear, [...]

10 Things Tuesday – an early Summer edit

By |2017-05-09T18:04:03+01:00May 9th, 2017|Categories: Accessories, Shoes, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Well a huge thank you from me to everybody who supported the sale on Saturday. I had no idea it would be quite so manic, nearly everything sold out in 20 minutes (the last few pieces will be live here until Friday when it closes). I have finished wrapping and dispatching everything and so it is all on its way. I apologise in advance if it smells very strongly of roses. The youngest was keen to be involved so I [...]

Looking at Boden and Hush plus Bank Holiday discounts

By |2018-01-08T17:03:30+00:00April 28th, 2017|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , |

So, as you know, yesterday I went down to the Boden press show to see their Autumn collection. I'll tell you a bit more about that at the end of this post and show you a few pictures. Before I set off though, I thought I'd better have a look at their site so that I was up to date with their current collection. There were a few things I hadn't seen before and I ended up placing an order [...]

What it’s like to be a finalist at the UK Blog Awards

By |2018-03-02T09:51:23+00:00April 25th, 2017|Categories: Accessories, Hair & Beauty, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I'm sure you remember the mad week before Christmas. You were desperately trying to finish your Christmas shopping and I was pestering you to vote for me in the UK Blog Awards "readers' round." Well, as you know, your kindness won me a place in the finals and the big event was last weekend. Like most people, I have been to lots of Awards ceremonies. A lot of them were during my years at Selfridges when we were in the process [...]

Easter weekend – what I wore (and did)

By |2018-01-08T16:55:33+00:00April 21st, 2017|Categories: Shoes, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Just a quick hello from me today because after being preened and pampered, I am now heading down to London for the finals of the UK Blog Awards. I'm going to have a relaxing train journey and catch up with all of your recent comments. In the meantime, here's a quick 'What I Wore' from the Easter weekend. Girls night out outfit This was last Wednesday, my friends had broken up early for the Bank Holiday and were keen to celebrate over a bottle [...]

Spotlight on linen and denim at Uniqlo

By |2017-05-16T15:50:18+01:00April 7th, 2017|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Happy Friday everyone. As we count down to the Easter weekend I'm hoping you can feel that Spring is in the air. Today I'm reviewing Uniqlo's new collection. As you already know, Uniqlo is a brand that I rate very highly. One of the the things I like most about them is the balance of their retail mix. They launch limited edition collections which are collaborations with brands and people ranging from Inès de La Fressange to Miffy. This means there is always something new to see. [...]

Sézane and Kitri – 2 young brands you should know

By |2018-01-08T17:04:07+00:00March 30th, 2017|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

As you can imagine I spend a lot of time looking at the websites of our favourite brands at Midlifechic and sometimes I find myself yearning for something new. Today I'm bringing you two new ones that are on my radar - Sézane and Kitri. Before I start I should say that I have no connection to either brand and I haven't tried their clothes yet but I suspect that as usual, I will end up shopping my own post! [...]

Twelve things for Tuesday – and Mother’s Day weekend

By |2017-03-28T16:46:27+01:00March 28th, 2017|Categories: Family, Midlife, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Happy Tuesday everyone. It looks as though I will be spending a disproportionate amount of time driving this week as I have meetings that range from the Scottish Border right down to the Midlands. So I am putting together a quick post with a few of the things that I have spotted recently that I think you'll like and I'm finishing off with a round up of Mother's Day weekend. Easter This is probably the last stretch of time that we [...]

Capsule wardrobe updates for women over 40 – Spring 2017

By |2019-08-09T16:31:13+01:00March 24th, 2017|Categories: Accessories, Shoes, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

My most read wardrobe posts are always the ones that focus on creating an edited collection so I thought it was time for another one. I've been working on my own wardrobe for Spring as I'm having a huge clearout and so I'm using my own plan as a basis for this post on capsule wardrobe updates for women over 40. I'm going to start with jeans because they are increasingly becoming acceptable for working wardrobes as well as weekend looks. [...]

Spotlight on Pure Collection – brand review

By |2019-08-09T16:34:13+01:00March 17th, 2017|Categories: Accessories, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

So it is with great pleasure that I bring you the second of my spotlight posts which, as you will remember are the posts where I focus in greater depth on a single brand. Today I am looking at Pure Collection. I will be honest and say that when they first got in touch with me before Christmas, I told them that I wasn't convinced that they were the right fit for Midlifechic readers. Although I knew that they made great cashmere, I didn't [...]

Spring 17 wardrobe updates for women over 40

By |2017-03-07T14:56:58+00:00March 7th, 2017|Categories: Accessories, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I'm bringing you some quick Spring 17 wardrobe updates for women over 40 today. I spent the weekend happily packing away my winter colours (I'm tired of burgundy and dark green) and now I want to add some more vibrant accents to my wardrobe. So, let's start with casual. We've already talked about the new looser jeans shape and I'm sure that everybody is starting to see it come through into the mainstream. The dominant colour for Spring and Summer is going to be [...]

Midlife loneliness – a follow up

By |2018-05-17T14:58:47+01:00March 3rd, 2017|Categories: Midlife, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Wow that was quite a response to the last post on midlife loneliness! As I said at the outset, when I receive a cluster of emails on a particular topic, it suggests that something is going on at a wider level. I knew I could count on you to rally around Anna but what I didn't anticipate was the wonderful outpouring of empathy. I'm not going to write a long post today, partly because a power cut has wiped five hours off my [...]

Night and day – new February outfits…and a book!

By |2018-01-08T17:05:24+00:00February 20th, 2017|Categories: Accessories, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

So you may remember me saying that I had a couple of other new February outfits to show you from last week's deliveries. I was waiting to get some slightly more exciting photos than a trying on session because we were going to the opening of a new play. We are 'critical friends' of the local theatre and every so often they invite us along to see something they have been working on and get our feedback. This was a one woman [...]

Trying it on – Boden, Finery, M&S…and Hush SS17

By |2017-02-21T10:38:31+00:00February 17th, 2017|Categories: Family, Shoes, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Hello. We haven't had a 'trying it on' post for ages so today I thought I'd show you some of the things I've been ordering. It's half term here and I've been doing my best to work from home and spend some time with the boys because I know these days are trickling through my fingers. In fact I only have 4 more February half terms left in my life. So, join me in the chaos. In the pictures below, you can see [...]

Spotlight on Baukjen… and midlife love

By |2018-01-08T17:06:04+00:00February 14th, 2017|Categories: Midlife, Product review, Project Happier, Retail Review, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I am very pleased to bring you the first of the spotlight posts. It's a big thank you to Baukjen for being the first brand to come on board as part of this series and I'm particularly pleased to be working with someone that I haven't featured before. I have only one Baukjen piece in my wardrobe and it is a jumpsuit that I bought in a hurry after seeing it featured in a magazine last year. For some reason [...]

Style seminar – the ultimate breton top

By |2018-01-17T12:05:34+00:00February 9th, 2017|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , |

This is going to be the first of a series of occasional posts where I am going to revisit the cornerstones of our wardrobes - the unsung heroes that are the building blocks of our everyday style. I'm starting with the ultimate breton top because when I was writing my Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo post last week, I caught myself saying that I wasn't looking forward to wearing breton tops this Spring. If I'm honest I've been unenthusiastic about [...]

Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo Spring 17 launch

By |2017-03-18T21:47:24+00:00February 2nd, 2017|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

So, I am proud (very proud) to be the first blogger to bring you the new collection from Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo. As I have said many times before, if I could align Midlifechic with any woman in the world, it would be Inès. I have been eagerly (and rather nervously) awaiting the launch of the Spring range. Why nervously? Because I didn't feel that SS16 was as strong as the Autumn ranges and I hoped that wouldn't [...]

What I’ve been wearing… and thinking about midlife

By |2017-03-18T22:37:47+00:00January 30th, 2017|Categories: Midlife, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

Boo! I'm surprising you with a Monday post because after my two days in London everything feels out of sync - plus I have something special to bring you on Thursday. So today I'm going to start with some rather random recent outfit shots and then move on to the thoughts I had when I read your midlife comments as they came in whilst I was on the train. What I've been wearing Now, this was over a week ago on [...]

What to wear in January and end of sale bargains

By |2018-01-08T17:07:37+00:00January 13th, 2017|Categories: Accessories, Sale, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I confess that I have always struggled with the month of January. So much so that we set our wedding date for 10th February so that I would have something to keep looking forward to during the darkest month. Although I love living where I do, the absence of bright city lights is something that I really notice at this time of year. The usually stunning vista of wide open skies is bleak and grey. Now that I've been blogging [...]

Chic buys of the year 2016 – the Midlifechic Awards!

By |2017-03-18T22:54:46+00:00December 16th, 2016|Categories: Sale, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The end of year sales are starting so it's time for my annual Awards, defining my chic buys of the year 2016. Being an analytical person I like to reflect on where I've spent my budget and whether it was worth it. The surprise difference for me since I started blogging has been my changing history with Boden. I've transitioned from spending most of my budget there in 2014 to spending a lot in 2015 and returning about 50% of it, to barely [...]

Christmas Party outfits for women over 40 and a Christmas tree farm

By |2018-01-08T17:10:29+00:00December 13th, 2016|Categories: Christmas, Family, Interiors, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It's getting closer....Our weekend was a rush of decorating and entertaining. Here's how it went. Festive Friday I was working at home for the day but then had to go to a client's drinks party. Although they were all wearing suits because they'd gone straight from the office, I felt fine wearing a jumpsuit. It's such a saviour for things like this...not too smart, not too casual, not too dressy... Jumpsuit - this year's version; Jigsaw ponyskin heels (past season); Necklace; Earrings [...]

Christmas outfits of the day & The UK Blog Awards

By |2018-01-08T17:11:04+00:00December 5th, 2016|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Hello, I hope you had a great weekend. I don't know about you but I'm getting a bit tired of reading Christmas gift articles so I thought I'd do another post on one of my real life weekends and share some of my Christmas outfits of the day. Christmas outfits of the day - Friday night So, on Friday night we had to go to a business event: the mayor's Christmas party. It was one of those occasions when I should really [...]

Casual outfits of the week for women over 40

By |2019-08-09T17:00:51+01:00October 28th, 2016|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Hello and Happy Friday! It's ages since I've done a casual outfits of the week post but we're now in the hiatus between new season and everything sparkly so here's a dose of real life! It's been a much calmer week. For once I haven't been travelling, so I've been able to opt for a low key wardrobe as I've either been home or office based. Half term finally begins here tonight and I've been trying to get things wrapped up so [...]

Chic layering using Uniqlo technical clothing

By |2019-08-09T16:57:20+01:00October 26th, 2016|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

You may remember that when I went to Paris in May, one of the things I commented on was that lots of Parisians were demonstrating the art of chic layering by wearing a Uniqlo quilt underneath their coat. I have since discovered that Uniqlo is a big thing in France. When they opened a new store in Bordeaux recently, the police had to be called in to control the excited crowd. Of course I'd just like to add that living in the frozen North, [...]

Hush Flash Sale – Be Quick

By |2019-08-09T16:50:16+01:00October 25th, 2016|Categories: Sale, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

Just a quick extra post today on the Hush Flash Sale. It starts today and finishes on Sunday 30th. It includes a number of items from both this season and last Winter, here are the things that I think are the best buys. Hush Flash Sale - last year's stock These pieces have the biggest discounts Cashmere crew neck jumper in cloud 44% off Annabelle dress/tunic in atlantic blue 45% off 2015 jumpsuit in black or burgundy 33% off - these [...]

New boots and old friends – a great week!

By |2016-09-28T16:37:57+01:00September 27th, 2016|Categories: Project Happier, Shoes, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Today I am pleased to be introducing you to Lotus, a small UK based shoe brand. Until they got in touch with me, I wasn't aware of them. As you know, at the moment I tend to rely on Boden, Marks and Spencer and occasionally Clarks for my everyday shoes and Jigsaw for the special ones. It's always good to add a new brand to your arsenal, especially when it's an affordable one. A little while ago we talked about [...]

Boden’s latest collection – and new slippers!

By |2016-09-26T09:53:07+01:00September 23rd, 2016|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

I can't bring you any insight at all on Boden. It isn't just me, they don't communicate with anyone I know in the over 40 blogger world. They do seem to feature 20 and 30 something bloggers quite regularly on their site but that's as far as it goes. This means that I don't cover them as often as you might like me to however, I do have a few favourites amongst Boden's latest collection. Boden's latest collection - working wardrobe The hero [...]

The new Autumn collection from Hope Fashion

By |2016-09-20T16:38:19+01:00September 20th, 2016|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Hopefully you remember that back in July, just before the schools broke up, I went down to see the new Autumn collection from Hope Fashion and spend a day with the team shooting their 'real women' campaign. There was no point in me telling you about the clothes then because they weren't available online. You can now see photos of the day on their website and they have just released the Autumn collection so it's time for me to show you how [...]

48 hours of Hush – from work to weekend

By |2016-09-19T14:37:19+01:00September 13th, 2016|Categories: Product review, Relationships, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Today I'm talking about Hush, another of our favourite Midlifechic brands. I've been trying to meet the team there for a while and it has become almost a running joke between us that whenever one of us suggests a date in London, the other can't make it. In the end serendipity played a part when I went down to London for the John Lewis 'Christmas in July' event. I'll tell you more about that soon but the important thing for today [...]

Inès de la Fressange at Uniqlo – Autumn 2016

By |2016-09-10T07:43:05+01:00September 8th, 2016|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I'll come straight out and say it - this is my biggest blogging high to date. Uniqlo has selected our community at Midlifechic to be the first to see their new Inès de La Fressange collection. I feel so proud that we are being recognised by brands as a group of intelligent, vocal women who deserve their attention. They are beginning to realise that just because we are over 40, we have not given up on style and Uniqlo is [...]

Autumn 2016 at The White Company – a review

By |2016-09-07T13:18:52+01:00September 7th, 2016|Categories: Fragrance, Product review, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

A mystery package arrived this week and it was lovely to open it and find that The White Company had sent me their new Autumn candle to review. As you know, Home Fragrance is really important to me and you could say that it was a brave move to send it to someone who spent last year working as a certified 'nose' for the UK's biggest home fragrance manufacturer! Industry knowledge means that I know quite a lot about The White [...]

A holiday in Kefalonia with teenagers – Part One

By |2017-06-09T16:10:53+01:00August 25th, 2016|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Relationships, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Hello - I'm back, it feels like a long time since I've posted. So - as a lot of you guessed, our mystery destination was Kefalonia in the Ionian Islands. I managed to keep it a secret until a few days before we left when I had to give the boys a small clue in case they read my last post. As it was with you, the one I chose was too easy - Hellas. In an instant they knew [...]

My capsule holiday wardrobe – what I’ve packed

By |2016-07-30T13:24:27+01:00July 30th, 2016|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , |

There is tumbleweed blowing through the streets of our village. Everyone we know seems to have packed up and gone away for the Summer... except us. When I booked our holiday, it was such a relief that for the first time in ages our dates weren't dictated by the dreaded exam results day that I planned it for later than usual. We're doing our best to have fun in the Lakes which, after all, is a holiday destination for lots of [...]

48 hours in Birmingham – British Shopping Cities

By |2016-07-22T15:35:05+01:00July 22nd, 2016|Categories: Project Happier, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Despite the fact that it is the UK's second city, until now my view of Birmingham has always been rather negative. The boys know it as the obstacle we have to pass before Mr MC will agree to stop on our journeys to London. I relate it to hellish exhibitions at the NEC - and to the time I got lost in my old banger on the way back to uni and ended up stuck in an endless loop of Spaghetti Junction (I was [...]

Over 40 style blogger challenge – white shirt & denim

By |2017-03-18T22:16:43+00:00July 19th, 2016|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I was chatting to my blogger friends in the Over 40 Collective recently about how difficult it is to know what to blog about during this fallow period when the sales are on, especially when the weather is as mixed as it has been. We talked about paring things back to simplicity and from there an over 40 style blogger challenge arose - styling a white shirt with denim. Of course the sale period was a problem until somebody suggested Marks and [...]

Playing chicken with the Hush sale

By |2016-06-30T12:13:22+01:00June 29th, 2016|Categories: Retail Review, Sale|Tags: , , , , , |

As you probably know, there is 20% off at Hush until midnight (Thursday 30th June) with code SMILE, so my hunch was that the Hush sale would start on Friday, however I have now heard that it will be Tuesday 5th July. Looking through the site, many of the items are already sold out or in a low stock position. I've been through what I think are the best buys, assessed the stock levels and I'm having a little wager [...]

The high street sales & Father’s Day thoughts

By |2016-06-29T16:30:49+01:00June 17th, 2016|Categories: Family, Relationships, Sale|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

So the sales have started early. Because the weather has been bad there is a glut of clothing that retailers need to offload and temptation is everywhere. I've been through a number of stores and picked out what I think are the best bargains but before we start, let's make sure we set off on the right track. 12 things to remember when you hit the summer sales Don't forget that high summer clothing only needs to be a very small percentage of [...]

Two days in Paris, the city of love

By |2016-10-26T10:21:32+01:00May 27th, 2016|Categories: Project Happier, Relationships, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , |

Paris is always a good idea - you'll be pleased to know that our trip was good. So good in fact that I've had to break it up into 3 consecutive posts, Paris by day followed by 2 Parisian nights. So, how do you spend two days in Paris when you already know the city well? You revisit a few of your favourite places and make the rest up as you go along. This was our weekend... When we woke up on [...]

Simple summer broderie collection from Uniqlo

By |2017-01-02T13:26:30+00:00May 7th, 2016|Categories: Accessories, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Now that the sun has finally appeared, I imagine everyone will be shopping frantically so I just wanted to show you this simple summer broderie collection from Uniqlo. Why? Because the pieces are less than half the price of broderie from some of our favourite retailers. I really resent paying £60 for a little white cotton top. Maybe it's just my laundry skills but I find that they only last one summer before they go chewing gum coloured and need replacing. These [...]

Hope Fashion London – a career opportunity for you?

By |2016-05-04T16:13:17+01:00May 3rd, 2016|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

As you know, I'm really keen for my blog to help other midlife women to succeed in the second half of their lives. As such, there are certain brands that capture my imagination because they are run by women like us who have put everything on the line to follow their dreams. They include Finery, Winser, RachelWears, Baukjen, M+EM and Hope. Today I want to talk to you about the baby of the group, Hope Fashion. I introduced you to [...]

Best tailored cropped trousers for women over 40

By |2016-04-22T00:40:49+01:00April 15th, 2016|Categories: Product review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I've been searching for the best tailored cropped trousers for women over 40 and this is what Marie Kondo has done to me - made me super fussy. As you may know, she has developed a fascinating process known as the Konmari method and some of you have been in touch to tell me just how truly life-changing it has been for you. The interesting thing about the process is handling each item to see whether it sparks joy and if not, [...]

Fashion for women over 40, looking at Mango and The White Company

By |2016-04-22T00:44:19+01:00April 7th, 2016|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Last weekend I finally achieved my Marie Kondo session and decluttered my dressing room. I had felt a bit cynical  about the book's title "The life-changing magic of tidying" but in fact it is gradually feeling a bit life changing. Our bedroom is now very minimalist and I'm finding I'm sleeping better as a result. I sent ten bin bags of clothes to the hospice that cared so well for my mum and dad in the last weeks of their lives. [...]

Over 40 style – the British preppy look

By |2016-04-22T00:43:16+01:00March 31st, 2016|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

With Easter having fallen so early this year it feels as though we should be in full throes of Spring outfits but it's just a bit too chilly. This is usually the time when I fall back on a jersey breton and a pea coat but for some reason I'm just not feeling much love for them this year. I was struggling for inspiration until I received a Jack Wills email. Jack Wills are well known for the the British preppy [...]

Chic Basics For Women Over 40 and new friends

By |2018-03-02T09:48:13+00:00March 3rd, 2016|Categories: Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

One of the interesting things that my new site has shown me is which have been my most popular posts over the last 2 years. Top of the leaderboard is 'chic basics for women over 40'. Unfortunately because it is now so old, most of the products are no longer stocked so today I'm giving it an update. Here are my capsule pieces for a simple Spring wardrobe, the no brainer items that enable you to look perpetually well put [...]

A tough midlife career decision – and a stealthy M&S discount

By |2017-03-18T15:07:33+00:00February 21st, 2016|Categories: Family, Midlife, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , |

I'm very late blogging this week (again) but I have news on my work life balance and a tough midlife career decision that I can finally share with you. One Sunday night a few weeks ago, I was sitting at the dinner table with my head in my hands dreading the madness of the week to come, feeling that I was living in a very small but very fast hamster wheel. Mr MC looked across at me and asked me what [...]

Chilling out with my boys – Project Happier

By |2016-02-06T20:29:29+00:00February 6th, 2016|Categories: Family|Tags: , , , , , |

Just a very quick hello from me to say that after another hectic week I'm unplugging this weekend and spending some time with my boys including the prodigal son who has returned for the weekend.   (wearing Boden cashmere v neck, Jigsaw dark denim shirt, Claudia Bradbury necklace and for the eagle eyed, the only reason I don't have my wedding ring on is because I've been to the gym and it's still in my bag, fear not)! No fatted [...]

Uniqlo Spring 2016 review and Project Happier #4

By |2016-01-30T17:38:22+00:00January 30th, 2016|Categories: Project Happier, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

We've nearly made it to the end of January which has to be the toughest month. Actually it would have been tougher for me if I hadn't been doing Project Happier - although I've stumbled at times, it's kept me focused. Today is my first day of not working for 12 days and I apologise if you were looking out for my adventure with my reader Sarah on Instagram on Thursday but all my plans had to be changed at the last [...]

Next, Boden and Jaeger – great new season & sale buys

By |2018-01-23T16:37:33+00:00January 22nd, 2016|Categories: Sale, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Everyone I speak to seems to have had 'one of those weeks.' It makes you wonder whether all the media hype about Blue Monday brings it to fruition. I knew it was coming but my work week has been tougher than I anticipated. We have a number of big exhibitions and launches coming up on top of our usual workload and these are the times when I really miss my days of working for big corporations with large teams. As Head [...]

Sparking Joy – Project Happier #3 and new season buys

By |2017-03-18T15:08:45+00:00January 16th, 2016|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Reading your comments I realise you're way ahead of me on this one, Mari Kondo's 'Life Changing Magic of Tidying' arrived last week along with 'Spark Joy' but they're still sitting in their unopened packaging. I had intended to start reading them on the way back from London but I'm still ploughing through Gretchen Rubin's 'Better Than Before'. However, even though I know spark joy is a tool to use in a decluttering sense, the words have been floating around my [...]

Creating good habits – Project Happier #2

By |2017-03-18T15:08:51+00:00January 11th, 2016|Categories: Health, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Well I'm delighted that so many of you are embracing Project Happier - everyone I talk to seems to like the idea of making small improvements rather than huge changes. The trouble is that it's hard to keep change going. We're only in the second week of January and I can already feel myself being pulled into the Slough of Despond - not the literal Pilgrim's Progress sense of guilt for my sins (I don't have much time to sin) but [...]

6 great pieces in the Hush January 2016 sale

By |2017-03-18T15:08:58+00:00January 5th, 2016|Categories: Retail Review, Sale, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

A quick post from me because it's a school night and I'm helping the boys with their homework which requires more and more concentration these days. However, with one eye I'm perusing the Hush January 2016 sale which started this morning and I thought I'd tip you off with what I think are the best buys. This wrap shirt is my favourite and I've ordered it to replace the Mango one that I wore over Christmas because the cleavage on [...]

Happy Twixmas one and all

By |2015-12-28T17:39:35+00:00December 28th, 2015|Categories: Christmas, Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Hello everyone - I've found a quiet moment whilst my brood are in a post Christmas lull. It feels like ages since I've had time to post so here's a quick catch up with some activities (and outfits) from the crazy Christmas period. Those of you who follow me on Instagram will know that the fun began for us on Friday 17th, in fact this photo sums up the mood of our Christmas. We've all been so pleased to be together again and [...]

My best chic buys 2015 – the sales are starting!

By |2015-12-28T17:48:55+00:00December 14th, 2015|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Two posts from me in two days - the sales are starting all around us so I thought I should quickly cover off my best chic buys 2015 (there are lots more but obviously I'm only going to feature things that are still available to buy). Sometimes you make mistakes when you shop and sometimes you strike wardrobe gold. This is a recap of the style staples that I've bought and worn consistently (as you will know if you're a regular reader). Most are already [...]

Winter outfits and a bit of Christmas sparkle

By |2017-03-18T15:08:58+00:00December 13th, 2015|Categories: Christmas, Family, Interiors, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Well what a week we've had in the aftermath of Storm Desmond. We were stranded at home until Wednesday (much to the delight of the boys) as the schools and the roads were closed. We finally switched over from the emergency generators to the mains supply last night so life is just starting to get back to normal. It has been a strange, dark time, dark because everybody has had to conserve the little bit of power we had, so [...]

The best Christmas jumpers on the high street 2015

By |2017-03-18T15:10:30+00:00November 27th, 2015|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , |

As the Christmas jumper continues to grow in popularity, I've had to overcome my frugal Northern ways and devise a method of getting value for money out of something so seasonal. I am therefore declaring Christmas jumpers to be fair game from 1st December along with sequins, feathers and glitter. Although it isn't officially Christmas jumper day until 18th December, if you want one you need to choose quickly because they're selling out fast. (By the way, if you're wondering about the post [...]

Christmas gift ideas for women over 40

By |2022-09-23T21:55:45+01:00November 23rd, 2015|Categories: Christmas, Family, Style|Tags: , , , , |

I had wondered about doing a 'gift ideas for men' post but I've been lucky to have the opportunity to chat to all kinds of women over the last few days. As part of my research, I've been asking them what they are buying for their husbands and they all seemed to have it planned. So I then asked them what they were hoping for themselves and the stock answer was 'oh I haven't got time to think.' And actually [...]

Outfits for days of autumn sunshine

By |2016-11-30T18:47:04+00:00October 9th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Hello friends. It's been a very busy week - I feel as though I haven't stopped talking - presentations, long shared car journeys, meetings and dinners. It will all start again on Monday (yes I'm working on Monday again - the 3 day week isn't happening)!  I need to retreat into some peace and quiet to recharge my batteries for a bit. So - not as many words as usual today - I know you'll understand. Instead I'm treating you [...]

Kin by John Lewis Autumn 15 – a review

By |2015-10-02T19:22:36+01:00October 2nd, 2015|Categories: Accessories, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the supportive emails and comments after my last post about the end of days, every single one has lifted my spirits. Even Mr MC came out of hiding and posted his first comment - who knew he reads my blog - not me - until now! Because we moved to the North from London when my eldest was 7, my everyday friends here are the ones that I made via the younger [...]

A Top Shop and IDLF at Uniqlo review

By |2015-09-27T21:21:13+01:00September 25th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

It's a quick post from me today because we are on the final countdown to dropping the eldest off at university tomorrow. I'm not going to talk about how I'm feeling now because I suspect I will be offloading on you when it's all over. Suffice to say that the letting go is yet another bit of motherhood that no-one prepares you for and boy does it hurt. In the meantime, I've had a week off; I've been doing shoulder rehab [...]

Reviewing my Autograph by Marks and Spencer delivery

By |2015-09-11T20:21:19+01:00September 11th, 2015|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

So, we've looked at Boden and Hush, so today I thought I'd share a Marks and Spencer order with you. I can only apologise for the photos - my photographer arrived home late from school after a week that has been filled with rugby trials and endless homework. He was tired and most definitely not in the mood to play David Bailey but he gamely did his best. So here is a rather dark try on of my M&S delivery [...]

My Hush Autumn Winter 2015 Order

By |2018-01-15T16:56:15+00:00September 4th, 2015|Categories: Fragrance, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I've given up - although the sun is shining in these photos, the Indian Summer doesn't seem to be showing any signs of arriving so I've been busy placing Autumn orders. My Hush parcel arrived today. I like Hush but it doesn't usually suit me. Even though I love their look, I think I'm too much of a neat freak for their clothes to work on me. However this season I received an email saying they'd been paying more attention [...]

Autumn 2015 style for women over 40 and work life balance

By |2015-09-07T19:02:35+01:00August 28th, 2015|Categories: Family, Health, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I hope you've had a good week, it's going to be a post of two parts today. First of all a style fix for those who prefer this part of my blog and then we'll move on to the next instalment of the work life balance discussion that we've been having over the last few months. At last I'm  starting to get my head around Autumn 2015 style for women over 40. There's no doubt that skinny jeans and tailored crops [...]

A review of Boden Autumn 2015 and a new necklace

By |2015-08-21T21:39:55+01:00August 21st, 2015|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Hello, here I am as promised with the first of my new season posts. Going forward I'm planning to look at specific categories - jeans will be one of the first because shapes are changing. I'm going to spend a day on my own in Manchester tomorrow doing a serious recce of the shops, but this week I thought I'd do a review of Boden autumn 2015, showing you my try on of the things I ordered from the new collection. For [...]

A holiday in Kalkan plus should women over 40 wear bikinis?

By |2017-06-09T16:19:35+01:00August 14th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Hello dear friends - it's been a while but we're back from our holiday in Kalkan. The daily grind has resumed and before the glow wears off, let me take you with me to Turkey for a whirlwind tour of our lazy days and nights. Before we get on to outfits I must remind you that my life was so very hectic in the weeks before we went away that, unlike last year when I shopped and planned outfits for [...]

Midlifechic…off to the land of Eastern Promise

By |2015-07-24T21:31:02+01:00July 24th, 2015|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Oh it feels as though it's been a long week. Here's a quick update on what I've been doing. As you know, last weekend we went down to London to undertake the task of sorting through the belongings of my friend who died a couple of months ago. It was a very strange thing to do. If you've ever had to do this sort of thing, you'll know that you go into a very operational mode. I think it's a [...]

Midlifechic learns all about developing fragrance

By |2015-07-12T17:25:54+01:00July 12th, 2015|Categories: Fragrance, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

Hello, I'm late posting this week, I know...and I haven't been very good at taking outfit shots but I thought I'd tell you all about the fragrance training I've been doing which, given the weather and the lack of opportunity to wear anything very Summery, is far more interesting. So, as you'll remember, I had my 'nose' tested a few weeks ago and it transpired that I have a relatively good sense of smell. This means that I've been given the [...]

Not so midlifechic – we’re going camping in the rain!

By |2015-06-26T15:27:48+01:00June 26th, 2015|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

A very quick post from me today because despite the wind...and the rain...and the cold of this non-existent Summer that we're having in the UK, we're going camping. I'm not feeling very excited about it but it's a trip that we go on every year with the same friends and I'm aware that it could be the last time that our eldest wants to come with us. We need to make some memories. We're very close to these particular friends [...]

A Boden review Spring / Summer 2015

By |2015-06-19T18:17:18+01:00June 19th, 2015|Categories: Family, Product review, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

You might want to make a cup of tea - I've got lots to talk about this week! First of all it's been very exciting to be approached by Boden. Lots of you have been commenting on their growing relationship with bloggers and how they seem to have been focusing on the younger 20-somethings who, realistically, have never been their core audience. There have been  a few threads discussing it on Mumsnet with women noting that whereas most brands are making [...]

Midlife clubbing and concerts – what to wear??

By |2019-02-18T13:38:55+00:00May 30th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Well I'm amazed by how much correspondence my impending Pete Tong night triggered last week (I have yet to answer the emails but I will, I promise). It seems that you were either horrified or intrigued by the thought of it and lots of you wanted to know why I was still up for a night that started at 10pm and went on into the small hours. There are two reasons. Firstly, as I've mentioned before, Mr MC, being slightly younger [...]

A week of chic extremes

By |2015-05-24T12:34:09+01:00May 24th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Hello, hope you're all having a lovely weekend, especially everyone in the UK as it's the last Bank Holiday for a while. Lots to tell you about this week so I'm going to dive straight in - I've reluctantly promised to do some planting today so the garden centre is calling. I always thought that I would find my gardening mojo when I was grown up and had a big garden. Well I have the big garden but the mojo still [...]

A week of midlife chic

By |2015-09-27T21:28:23+01:00May 16th, 2015|Categories: Interiors, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Another week gone already - before we know it we'll be halfway through the year. It's been an interesting week for me, as you know my day job includes the creative direction of the products that we develop and this week I've had two days out of the office devoted to beautiful things which has to be good for the soul. On Monday I was down in London at a trade show where  the small, creative companies release their concepts for [...]

Casual outfits for a Bank Holiday weekend

By |2015-05-08T13:48:24+01:00May 8th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Happy Friday everyone, I hope you had a lovely Bank Holiday weekend and a good week. It's my favourite month, everyone around here starts to emerge from their Winter sleep and in celebration of the Spring, each village holds a special event. Sadly the dreadful Bank Holiday weather spoiled the first two that we'd planned to go to last weekend and we ended up spending Saturday hunkering down on the sofa with the boys having a popcorn and movie extravaganza. [...]

New Spring fashion for women over 40

By |2015-05-08T13:35:03+01:00May 2nd, 2015|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Boo! I thought I'd surprise you with an early post this week. It's actually because I'm heading off to the funeral shortly and so I'll be mostly offline for a few days. I will however be able to spend some time answering emails on the train - I do apologise to those of you who have sent messages and haven't had a reply, I'm catching up slowly. So, the nice thing about this week has been that the Spring has [...]

A midlifechic brush with stardom

By |2017-03-18T15:13:50+00:00April 17th, 2015|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Well there's lots to tell you about this week and the eagle-eyed Instagrammers amongst you will know why: yesterday I was working with the BBC Breakfast show - not as Midlifechic but in a professional capacity. They've been travelling around the UK talking to businesses that have had an interesting journey out of the recession, so yesterday they came to Cumbria to talk to us and I thought you might like to know a bit about how it all goes behind the [...]

Easter Week Chic

By |2015-04-10T09:45:19+01:00April 10th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Another week over already, it’s been tough going to work and leaving everyone at home snoozing and I’ve missed the usual fun I’d be having with the boys but it's been an uneventful week and given the way things have been going recently, I'm utterly grateful for that. Thank you for all of your lovely comments and emails last week, the funeral isn't for another fortnight so I've been trying not to think about it. Before I go on to [...]

It’s all spinning a bit too fast….!

By |2015-03-27T09:55:30+00:00March 27th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Hello dear friends - what a week it's been, but this is effectively the start of the weekend for me. Here's my update, starting with last Saturday when I had to do all the boring things like taking the car for a service that I would previously have tucked into the week. Happily before I set off, a mystery parcel arrived from the lovely Rachel at RachelWears. I had no idea what was inside but it turned out to be [...]

Mother’s Day Weekend Chic

By |2015-03-16T17:13:21+00:00March 16th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , |

Tomorrow is D Day for me and I'll be starting my new job so I thought I'd try a new superfast post to cover off a bit of weekend chic. This might be the sort of post I have to do for a while until I settle into my new routine. Quite a few of your survey responses (yes I have read and analysed every single one - thank you so much for your time and enthusiasm) have asked me to [...]

Boghopping with Berghaus

By |2015-03-12T18:26:04+00:00March 10th, 2015|Categories: Family, Product review, Style|Tags: , , , , |

I had a surprise delivery last week. A little while ago Berghaus asked me if I would review one of their new season jackets and then I didn't hear from them for a little while so I forgot all about it. When a parcel in a black bin bag came through the letterbox I assumed that the boys and been buying from Ebay again until I saw it was addressed to me and inside was a bright Berghaus Paclite III [...]

A wintry weekend in Liverpool

By |2015-03-03T17:42:53+00:00March 3rd, 2015|Categories: Family, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

So, whilst we wait for some of the new things I've ordered to arrive, I thought I'd take you on a trip to Liverpool. If you remember, Mr MC had booked us in to stay in the city overnight after his meeting last Friday although it very nearly didn't happen. Our youngest woke up that morning with tonsillitis and if it hadn't been for my lovely sister quickly rearranging her plans, we wouldn't have been able to go. I can't [...]

Half term in Edinburgh and a special new necklace

By |2015-02-20T15:45:38+00:00February 20th, 2015|Categories: Family|Tags: , , , , |

It's been a busy week at Midlifechic. I forgot to tell you that I was heading off for a few days on a 'Mums and Sons' trip to Edinburgh with one of my best friends so forgive me for being slower than ever to answer your comments. I really want to tell you about this lovely new Spring necklace that I'm wearing today But here's a quick round up of our trip to Edinburgh first. We've been really looking forward to our [...]

Finding flares for women over 40

By |2015-02-15T12:54:38+00:00February 15th, 2015|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

So now that you've had time to recover from culottes, I've found another look that's filtering through to mainstream from the rarified heights of the fashion cognoscenti. Flares. The fashion forward have been wearing them for a couple of years now but this is the first season that I've really noticed them in all the high street retailers which means they're officially going to be a 'thing.' Skinnies have dominated for so long and of course, they will still be [...]

A real midlife fairytale #ItsOnUs

By |2017-02-13T12:20:19+00:00February 10th, 2015|Categories: Midlife, Project Happier, Relationships|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

It's a happy day in our house today - it's our wedding anniversary. I have more reason to celebrate than most because my life now is my very own happy ending. As with all good fairytales though, I had to go through a struggle to reach it... ...Shall I tell you the story? Are You sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin... Once upon a time there was a girl who left university with her whole life ahead of her. Even though [...]

Bon anniversaire Midlifechic!

By |2015-02-04T13:19:42+00:00February 4th, 2015|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

It's a day for celebration: Midlifechic is 1 year old today, a great excuse to bake (and eat) cakes which, as you know, is one of my favourite pastimes. What a year it's been, I've loved every minute of blogging and watching the readership grow as I've undertaken my mission to travel from frump to fox. The journey isn't over but I'm certainly feeling more confident than I was a year ago. It's been lovely getting to know some of [...]

Ines de la Fressange at Uniqlo review

By |2015-01-26T14:57:46+00:00January 26th, 2015|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

I think the lack of sleep and inability to do my hair properly is really starting to show in these pictures but I wanted to do an Inés de la Fressange at Uniqlo review before I sort out my returns. As you will know if you are a regular reader, Inés is my style icon so I get very excited when a new range comes out although I still think the Autumn ranges tend to be better than the Spring. However before we start, here [...]

Winter Weather Chic

By |2015-01-20T16:20:23+00:00January 20th, 2015|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , |

Brrrrrr! It's the only thing to say at the moment. After last week's storms we now have freezing fog and ice. It isn't my favourite season sartorially, some people look great in lots of layers but I just feel lumpy. My theory is that it's a season that suits a column shape best. Because I have relatively broad shoulders and hips I need to cinch my waist in which isn't very flattering when you have about 6 layers underneath your belt! Anyway another [...]

Easy Spring wardrobe updates for women over 40

By |2015-01-11T13:47:04+00:00January 11th, 2015|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Have you noticed that the days are starting to get longer - they are, they are. However it's all still a bit cold and gloomy and I'm tired of grey so I've been looking for ways to add a touch of Spring whilst still dressing for Winter. I've managed to find some cost-effective easy Spring wardrobe updates (ok and two not cost-effective but gorgeously luxurious splurges). The weather here has been so bad with wild storms, that we've battened down the [...]

Out with the old…and in with new year chic

By |2014-12-31T19:59:42+00:00December 31st, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

A very quick post from me to wrap up the old year and welcome in the new. Our social life has continued to be stymied by the flu bug that must surely now be an epidemic. We haven't had it yet but nearly all of our plans have been disrupted by phone call after phone call from people saying they're down with it, we feel like we're more-or-less the last family standing and we're living in isolation. It's made me [...]

The Christmas Diaries 3

By |2014-12-28T16:04:45+00:00December 28th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

I hope you've all been having a lovely time. The others are out walking Gary so I've found a few moments to say hello. I've been enjoying having a little more time on my hands to play around with some old favourites in my wardrobe for a Midlifechic Christmas. Here are some outfits of the week with links attached for anything that is still in the shops: Book Club reunion chic! This was where I left off in my last post, [...]

The Christmas Diaries 2

By |2014-12-23T15:03:35+00:00December 22nd, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

I'm back again with a quick update, it's been a busy weekend. When I left you on Friday we were off to Ambleside for a pizza and to see the long awaited last instalment of The Hobbit movies. If you ask me, it was just a lot of fighting but it was voted as excellent by the youngest who is a Tolkien buff so that's what matters. If you're a regular reader you'll remember Cinderellagate from a couple of weeks [...]

My top 15 clothing purchases 2014

By |2014-12-17T14:37:13+00:00December 17th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was going to do this post in a couple of weeks but given that the sales are on and some of these items are heavily reduced I thought I'd give you a break from tinsel and do it now. As you know this was the year that I decided to have a major wardrobe overhaul and many of you have travelled the journey with me since I started this blog. I gave myself a budget (which has now completely, utterly [...]

My pick of the Boden Winter Sale 2014

By |2014-12-14T10:04:45+00:00December 13th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

After weeks of discounts you need a clear head to navigate the Boden Winter sale this year. So here it is, my Boden Winter sale 2014 edit. I've tried to make sure that there is plenty of stock of everything that I have recommended and I've picked out the best bargains. They fall into one of two categories, either wardrobe workhorses that you'll wear again and again or wardrobe heroes that will lift ordinary outfits when you need them to. [...]

Winter outfits for cold days and nights

By |2014-12-12T19:08:13+00:00December 12th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I'm going to give you not one but two posts this weekend which means today's is going to be a bit shorter on words than usual. A few winter outfits of the day now and in time for the 9am start on Sunday, I will bring you my edit of the Boden sale. I'll be trawling through and and picking out the best buys that fall into two categories, firstly wardrobe workhorses to fill gaps and give new life to [...]

Statement skirts … and more Christmas interiors

By |2014-12-10T13:43:59+00:00December 9th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

I now declare Christmas to be in full swing. As you will remember, on Friday I was going out with Mr MC's university karate team - it certainly wasn't the sort of student night out I remember! I think they were at the very end of their funds because apart from enthusiastically accepting all offers of drinks that were bought for them, they otherwise earnestly sipped tap water throughout the evening. It was interesting though, it's a long time since [...]

The best faux leather jeans for women over 40

By |2014-12-01T09:53:57+00:00December 1st, 2014|Categories: Interiors, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Hello dear friends I've missed you. I have been laid low. Having not had so much as a cold for years and years I can only assume that I picked up a brutal virus in London and can hear my grandmother muttering about keeping away from filthy cities. Anyway I'm back and will respond to all your comments and emails over the next few days. Now, the post that I did a couple of weeks ago about pleather leggings triggered such a big [...]

What to wear for an ‘at home’ party

By |2014-12-10T13:46:49+00:00November 18th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

As you know, on Friday night we had a little party. An old friend from the playground has recently switched from running Pampered Chef parties to 'Virgin Wines At Mine' parties (which personally I think is a much better idea) and I'd promised her ages ago that I'd hold one at our house. The tricky thing is that you need to keep the numbers to a maximum of 18 so that she can talk about the wines and get everyone's feedback. [...]

Faux leather leggings over 40 – yes or no?

By |2014-11-11T16:19:53+00:00November 11th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

A quick post from me today - everything's a bit chaotic, I'm juggling this week's party at home, next week's big Selfridges reunion in London, Christmas shopping and work along with the usual cans of worms that the boys unearth on an almost daily basis. And I know I said I wouldn't be doing any more clothes shopping for myself and I haven't but...the bloggers' favourite faux leather leggings that I ordered from Next back in September finally arrived. So [...]

Winter casual chic – no jeans allowed

By |2014-11-07T20:21:28+00:00November 7th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Lots of people have been in touch to say they found the piece on creating a chic casual wardrobe from scratch really useful but that they'd like to include a skirt or two. So, buoyed by your enthusiasm, I've created another set. I've tried to make sure that the new pieces work with the ones from last time so that if you're in the lucky position of buying them all, the combinations are endless! The sudden cold snap has seen [...]

A casual chic round up for Autumn half term

By |2014-11-04T20:55:03+00:00November 4th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday As you know, the first few days of our half term were packed with our trip to Newcastle and then the Boden party which took up the whole of Monday and Tuesday. Fortunately the smallest boy was keen to help at the Boden event which meant I felt I'd at least spent some time with him. He also managed to win a £50 Boden voucher in the raffle but was most disappointed as he'd had his [...]

Trying on the new Boden Winter 2014 range

By |2014-10-31T13:25:57+00:00October 31st, 2014|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

It takes longer than it used to to recover from a late night of merriment and on Monday I was still feeling weary. However there was no getting round the fact that the Boden van was in its way and we had been told that we would be the first people to receive the new Boden Winter 2014 range. You will remember that we were holding our party in the village Church as all proceeds will be going towards the [...]

Creating a chic casual wardrobe from scratch

By |2014-10-24T10:48:34+01:00October 24th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

A task driven post from me today. I love getting emails from readers who have found Midlifechic at the beginning of their journey and are just starting to feel excited about the idea of a period of transformation. The first question they ask is where to start and, in addition to urging them to begin by eating and drinking healthily and finding a form of exercise they love (which is the bit no-one ever wants to hear), I always suggest that [...]

A mindful Midlifechic weekend

By |2017-01-02T13:28:09+00:00October 21st, 2014|Categories: Family, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

So after the electricity meltdown that was Friday, we had digital meltdown on Saturday and Sunday with absolutely no broadband. This is extremely rare in our house. Because I often like to work from home we have 2 lines, just in case, so if one goes down there's always a spare. But no, this weekend we had digital silence. So given that it was my first at home for 7 weeks, I decided to make it a mindful Midlifechic weekend [...]

Chic days out with my boys

By |2014-10-15T11:09:57+01:00October 14th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Well hello world - oh I do like saying that. Welcome to my new followers, emailers and commenters this week from Holland, Germany, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and yes, finally, the USA. It's been really lovely to hear from you and I'm amazed by how many of you already shop at Clarks - there was me thinking it was a little British brand when it's obviously already global. For those of you who have asked for a facility to subscribe [...]

Perfect knee high boots for women over 40

By |2017-01-02T13:28:50+00:00October 10th, 2014|Categories: Retail Review, Shoes, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Actually I think they're pretty perfect for women of any age but I'm discovering that there are so many ladies out there adding 'women over 40' to their search phrases that this helps them find us. So, before I start, I just wanted to apologise for (and growl at) the gremlins that removed all my carefully worded replies to your comments on the last few posts. I can't understand what happened but I wasn't being lazy I promise - I do appreciate the [...]

Autumn outfits of the day

By |2014-12-10T14:00:19+00:00October 7th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Well that took us all by surprise didn't it - one day we were feeling complacent about the Indian summer and the next day the North wind blew in with Autumn. So as you can see from today's pictures, in the space of a few days I've gone from blazers and slingbacks to coats and boots. Suddenly in our house we're discussing what to do for Hallow'een and bonfire night and the subject of Christmas has been raised more than [...]

New British Brand – RachelWears

By |2014-10-03T15:47:18+01:00October 3rd, 2014|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

You may remember me saying that last week got off to a lovely start (before it all went rather wrong) when I met up with a Midlifechic reader. Rachel Roberts was one of the very first people to contact me via Twitter - I was sending my blog live for the first time as she was also about to launch her new clothing brand so we were both feeling very nervous. We finally decided to get together and it made [...]

Geordie Chic – a weekend in Newcastle!

By |2014-09-30T19:11:42+01:00September 30th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

First of all thank you for all your lovely comments and emails after Friday's post. Your collective display of empathy and united loathing of the trials that rugby inflicts on the mothers of Britain has cheered me up no end! As did a night in Newcastle. If you've ever been there you'll know it's never dull, although unfortunately we had to avoid the more crowded bars with the eldest and his Captain Caveman cast in case it was knocked. So, [...]

A week of woes at Midlifechic

By |2014-09-26T16:29:03+01:00September 26th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

What a week it's been chez Midlifechic. As if the rugby injury with its ensuing disruption wasn't enough, the dark clouds of doom have remained over us. When I first started this blog, I never thought I'd be sharing my woes like this but here we are. There have been perpetual roadworks on the motorway in Cumbria and twice in the last year Mr MC has been flashed going at 48 in a 40mph zone accruing 3 points on his licence [...]

Autumn outfits for grey days

By |2014-09-23T17:14:45+01:00September 23rd, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

How typical. It started to rain (for the first time in weeks) just as the youngest exited the changing rooms for his first appearance on the rugby pitch...and it stopped just as the match finished and we got back to the car. Haven't we been spoilt this summer with the fabulous sunny days that seem to have lasted pretty much since the end of June? Anyway grey skies, rugby matches, this will be my life on Saturdays until about Easter, [...]

High street cashmere review plus…are you posh?

By |2014-09-19T19:55:52+01:00September 19th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Hello, hope you're all well. I feel as though I've hit my 'wall' this week to borrow a runners' term. I think the initial new term energy burst has worn off in our house, especially as there seems to have been a school related meeting every night that I've had to go to which makes for long days. The eldest is mid-UCAS statement and application, still not having a clue what his 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th choices will be, [...]

Perfect leopard print courts

By |2014-09-17T12:47:16+01:00September 16th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I'm a latecomer to leopard print. For some reason, until I started blogging, it never occurred to me to wear it. As I've said many times, I'm not keen on any kind of pattern and I think I'd lumped leopard print in that category. However, back in March I dipped my toe into the water with a pair of leopard print shoes from M&S (figuratively speaking of course). They were only about £20 and a fabric print rather than ponyskin [...]

Chic core Autumn basics 2014

By |2014-09-12T13:40:24+01:00September 12th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

As you know I've been culling my clothes with the aim of establishing a chic core wardrobe and, in fact, have been shamed by the number of you who have said you do it every 6 months. I vow to try this so that it won't be so painful next time. Anyway, I figured it was time for a reward by doing a bit of online shopping to find some chic core Autumn basics. I know you like a 'new items' [...]

I’ve found the perfect pea coat

By |2014-09-10T14:22:54+01:00September 9th, 2014|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

It's time to talk about Winter coats. Even though the sun is shining and we seem to be having a lovely Indian summer, it seems that if you haven't committed yourself by the end of September the best have gone. I think it's important to look at coats as investment purchases that will last a few years. Cheap fabric shows  and coats with a high proportion of man made fibre tend to look stiff and feel scratchy. Let's face it, [...]

Autumn Winter colours 2014

By |2014-09-02T19:54:04+01:00September 2nd, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , |

Ok so I'm accepting that it's now September and, even though it's still feeling like late summer, we need to look ahead. One of the great things about working at Selfridges was the pre-season briefing on colour palettes that guided all our work. If you've developed a wardrobe of chic basics, it's easy to add accents of seasonal colour to stay on trend. So today I thought it would be helpful to kick off Autumn dressing by going to the [...]

Transitional chic – outfits of the day for Midlifechic

By |2014-08-29T18:35:34+01:00August 29th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

I know I promised you a piece on the New Season colour palette but up North, at least, the weather has been too nice to think about Autumn so although it's nearly ready, I refuse to publish it until September (which is, after all, next week). So it's a quick round up of my week in 'transitional chic' outfits I'm afraid. It's been a 'half woman half biscuit' week - I've been  juggling the boys and work in a big messy muddle. [...]

Holiday chic part 2 … and how it all got better

By |2017-06-09T16:23:31+01:00August 24th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Well I hope you're all having a lovely Bank Holiday weekend. Mine is rather quiet because Mr MC has gone over to Newcastle for a karate course (we're well and truly back to normal) taking the 2 smalls to see their grandma. The 17 year old is packing in his restaurant shifts before he goes on rugby camp next week so it's just me and the cats - thank goodness for them! I thought I'd cover off the rest of the [...]

The first day of holiday – how it all went wrong!

By |2014-08-20T17:55:29+01:00August 20th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

The reason I didn't blog on holiday. I don't know about you but I spend ages imagining the first day of our holiday throughout the winter months, planning it really carefully to make sure it's perfect. This year it wasn't. As you know our plane was delayed and so instead of a good night's sleep in a nice hotel, we had to force ourselves up after just 3 hours. I had barely nodded off because Mr MC, high worshipper of [...]

Holiday chic – what I wore for travelling to Spain

By |2014-08-18T16:00:21+01:00August 18th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

Well hello, we're back...shivering...blimey! Holiday chic already feels far far away as I tell myself I can't possibly put the heating on in August! Thank you to those of you who kept in touch via Instagram, it was lovely to hear from you. As you've gathered I didn't blog while we were away - there's a story behind that and it involves a very unfortunate loss of equipment but I'll come to that in a later post. So, a quick one today [...]

Chic holiday packing – so long, farewell…

By |2014-07-30T15:21:54+01:00July 30th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

At last it's holiday time in the midlifechic house. As usual my list of things to do is so long that I keep sitting down with a cup of tea and wishing we weren't going but I don't really mean it. Of course it hasn't helped that the younger boys have been floored with a stomach bug which means I'm running on very little sleep. I think it's been a karmic response to last week's wanting to feel needed again. [...]

The end of days – leaving primary school

By |2018-07-30T16:21:09+01:00July 25th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , |

So here we are, it's all over. The celebrations, the tearful moments, the milling together with other mums in the same situation...all finished and I'm left feeling surprisingly flat. I worked out that of the 38 families, 25 of us were what the school calls 'farewell families' leaving primary after a sequential run of siblings so it was quite an intense week. There was less of the general joy that was there when my other two left - everything (even [...]

The end of term countdown begins

By |2014-07-22T19:39:36+01:00July 22nd, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

So we're here, the last few days of our primary school years. There are so many leaving events that this is going to be a quick post but fear not, I'll be back with all the detail at the end of the week. Because he goes to a grammar school and they often have to go in on Saturdays, the eldest broke up ridiculously early 2 weeks ago. He has now established a firm routine of sleeping until midday when he [...]

School Disco Chic

By |2014-07-18T17:33:35+01:00July 18th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , |

Wow this weather is crazy - Mediterranean weather last night (even here), mad wind, rain and thunder this morning. The forecast is so bad for the weekend that we've had to cancel our annual camping weekend with friends. We've braved it through so many years of flash floods, plagues of big black bugs, gales so strong that the tents have been flattened and even tents setting on fire that this year we've decided to do the sensible thing and just [...]

Midlifechic clothes, food, interiors and accessories – all in one post!!

By |2014-07-15T18:52:22+01:00July 15th, 2014|Categories: Interiors, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The plan was that this was going to be the epitome of a hot, sunny post but it's all gone a bit wrong again thanks to our bizarre weather. If you're a regular reader you'll remember the post when I was feeling sad about our friends (J&R) who are moving. These are the friends who, for 10 years, have lived just around the corner and, even though they're moving to a village nearby, it won't be quite the same. R [...]

Going out chic – what I wore for a relaxed night out

By |2014-07-04T19:06:57+01:00July 4th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

I know there's a heatwave in the South and if you're one of those people that is complaining about the heat I'm sticking my fingers in my ears because for the last few days it's been raining here - and it's cold - I'm wearing socks for goodness sake! As you know I've been feeling a bit shaky about the little one leaving primary school, the big one heading off to university interviews and all the change that is looming. [...]

A Wimbledon tennis party…and other outfits

By |2014-07-01T19:00:24+01:00July 1st, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

It's very disconcerting but suddenly everything seems to be changing around us and I hate change. We are now on the final countdown to the smallest son leaving primary school which will be the end of 14 years of school runs, nativity plays, class assemblies, handmade mothers' day cards and things constructed from cereal boxes. I apologise in advance if you hear a lot about this transition over the next few weeks but have faith, there are 17 days and [...]

Breaking out from the jeans rut with another new trouser look

By |2014-06-27T17:18:03+01:00June 27th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Ok, so we all agreed that the culottes didn't work and they went back (the post is here in all its glory if you're a new reader). However I am still determined to diversify from jeans a bit more and so today I'm revealing a whole new trouser pleasure: loose cut, light fabric, elasticated waist(!) - what can you not love about these. Apart from the fact (for me anyway) that Mr MC definitely doesn't love them. He doesn't loathe [...]

Sunny weather outfits of the day round up!

By |2014-06-27T17:22:19+01:00June 25th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Well I think the mini heatwave has taken everyone by surprise over the last few days - we certainly aren't used to it in the North! The weather forecasters must too scared to tell us when it's coming in case it doesn't and they're then lambasted by the Daily Mail. Anyway when it comes from nowhere it certainly gives you a problem with sunny weather outfits. I was doing a bit of people-watching in town the other day whilst the [...]

Chic boyfriend jeans for women over 40…and shorts!

By |2014-06-19T19:54:11+01:00June 19th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Chic boyfriend jeans for women over 40 Ok so here it is - the chic boyfriend jeans post. As you'll know if you've been following the blog for a while, I love boyfriend jeans but have taken a stand against 'distressed'. I'm not saying that I don't think women over 40 shouldn't wear them, or indeed that they don't look fab in them - it's just that, as its name suggests, the whole purpose of midlifechic is to encapsulate 'chic' [...]

Where to find gorgeous Summer silver necklaces

By |2014-06-13T14:18:54+01:00June 10th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

I've had a few emails recently from people telling me that I don't show my necklaces well enough in my photos as they just can't see it and I also often focus on the clothes and forget to credit it. Apologies for that, I probably need to go through the pain of having more pictures taken of each outfit so that you can see it better. Anyway I thought I'd do a round up on the pieces that I wear [...]

Midlife Family Festival Chic – what I wore

By |2017-03-18T15:03:23+00:00June 3rd, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

So, last weekend was a big one for us. As I think I've mentioned, Mr MC has been training 5 days a week for a year (yes really) for a particular karate black belt grading on Sunday. So on Saturday to take his mind off it, we headed up to a family festival in the West Lakes.  Glastonbury it isn't, but it does have some great music, food, a mini Chelsea-type festival and lots of other stuff going on. I [...]

A not so chic caravan holiday outfit round up!

By |2014-05-29T15:33:28+01:00May 29th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Well I'm going to fail a bit in my attempt to bring you caravan chic because in all honesty it wasn't very chic. As we drove North on Friday we watched the temperature dropping by 1°C for just about every 10 miles that we travelled and when we finally got to the site it was spookily shrouded in a thick mist. It was late, it was cold, we were all tired and as anticipated there was no wi-fi. I have [...]

The Boden party to end all Boden parties

By |2014-05-23T12:12:38+01:00May 23rd, 2014|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I can imagine that in the South, Boden parties are ten a penny, a bit like Pampered Chef, but up here there only seems to be one a year - but boy is it a good one to go to. Last year my friend and I were unsuspecting, just putting the postcode into the satnav to see where it would take us and were quite alarmed when it took us down a mile-long sweeping drive bordered by trees until we [...]

Birthday chic round up

By |2017-03-18T15:03:14+00:00May 20th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , |

Thank you for all your wishes yesterday, I was successful in my mission to celebrate all weekend and today I feel a bit more than one year older! When I left you on Friday, we were off to our primary school family fun night where we got together with a great group of friends for rounders and a barbecue. We're lucky because one of the playground dads is MD of a well known wine company and so donates fabulous wine [...]

A weekend of wet bank holiday midlife chic – WIWT

By |2016-03-21T19:27:05+00:00May 6th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Midlife chic Friday When I left you, I was off to Manchester for another 100 mile midlife chic haircut. It wasn't quite as drastic this time (and the roots still need doing - I have to leave something for my faithful local hairdresser). I had a lovely day mooching around the shops although there wasn't really anything that I hadn't seen the week before in London. I did have an interesting time trying lots of things on though, learning more [...]

A week of casual midlife chic

By |2016-03-21T19:27:10+00:00May 1st, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Well it's been back down to earth this week at midlife chic after my exciting time in London - no more Waldorf or Gant or first class travel, just work, washing, cooking and mopping the brows of the AS Level / SATS revisers in the house. Sunday was another big day in the village - we like our celebrations up here. This time it was the St George's Parade with brass band and marching cubs, scouts, brownies etc right through [...]

Easter Wrap Up – a weekend in Newcastle

By |2016-03-21T19:27:12+00:00April 22nd, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Well here we are, back in the land of broadband - my mother-in-law doesn't see the point in the internet, not even dial-up, so we all literally switch off when we go to Newcastle. So, starting from where I left you last Wednesday night, you'll remember that we had to delay our trip because Mr MC still hadn't hit the deadline for the ad campaign he was working on. This meant that Thursday saw us at the cinema again trying [...]

Easter Part 2 – What I Wore This Week

By |2014-04-16T19:39:50+01:00April 16th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Well my last post seemed to go down well so here's part two of what I've been wearing during the Easter holidays. Just as well because my chances of going anywhere near any clothes shops during these two weeks are zero. Spring has finally arrived in the Lakes over the last few days and of course, with the daffodils out, we're all feeling very lucky and 'Wordsworthian.' Mr MC has been working like a dervish to hit lots of deadlines [...]

Go to Top