Spring 24 – first thoughts about the trends

By |2024-03-08T14:45:29+00:00March 8th, 2024|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , |

Meteorologically at least it's time for Spring 24 - first thoughts about the trends. The buds are bursting, the birds are singing and the new collections are starting to drop. This winter feels as though it's been a long one and although we still have a little way to go, I'll be very glad to see the back of it. So today I'm looking at Boden's new collection which has an opening offer of 15% off with code Q2Y6 (until [...]

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. [...]

Christmas 23 – easy outfit ideas to get you in the mood

By |2023-11-03T13:46:21+00:00November 3rd, 2023|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

It’s time to start thinking about the big day next month – yes I mean Christmas. And if you feel it’s too early, spare a thought for those of us who work in retail and had to start planning it in January! I’m easing in slowly today with Christmas 23 - easy outfit ideas to get you in the mood. Starting to think about whatever you have planned will help you to ease towards the festive feeling. I don’t [...]

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 [...]

Rediscovering your style over 50 – understanding what’s right for you

By |2023-10-13T14:57:44+01:00October 6th, 2023|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Health, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , |

Wow it's back to it this week - straight from summer into a very autumnal feeling north but I'm happy to be here. We've done a lot of travelling recently and so the thought of six months at home feels good. I have no plans to talk about our Greek Island Hopping adventure now, it was always intended to be a private logging off. It was relaxed, low key and low budget - a treat to read, eat, sleep, [...]

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 [...]

AW23 – the trends and thoughts about planning your wardrobe

By |2023-09-08T16:53:34+01:00September 8th, 2023|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Hasn't it been glorious to have a blast of summer this week? The mid-20s temperatures up here have been absolutely perfect, just what we needed to lift everyone's mood before the season really starts to shift. The leaves are turning, the hedgerows are heavy with berries, the boughs on our pear tree are so heavy with fruit that they're almost breaking which means it's time to start adjusting to the big move on... not in terms of 'buy it now' [...]

Capsule wardrobe building: transitional pieces for cooler days

By |2023-08-18T17:19:57+01:00August 18th, 2023|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Hurray - we've had a bit of sunshine across most of the UK at last although looking at the long term forecast it isn't set to stay for very long. So for this month's Boden edit I thought I'd look at capsule wardrobe building with hardworking transitional pieces that work for cooler days as well as warm ones. The thing about Boden's cross-season drops is that it's easy to flick through them and think that because there aren't any show [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Midlife jeans try-on – the best-selling styles at John Lewis

By |2023-04-06T16:47:59+01:00April 6th, 2023|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Happy Easter to you, I hope the sun is shining where you are and that you have a special weekend ahead. All of my chicks are back in the nest so I'm looking forward to having a few days off with them. Hopefully the Easter bunny will come on Sunday despite their now advanced years (and Ted's enthusiasm for joining in any hunt - he's already swiped one pack of Easter chocolates and spent an afternoon feeling worse for [...]

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 [...]

Midlife beauty favourites and new discoveries

By |2023-01-20T14:18:50+00:00January 20th, 2023|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Sale|Tags: , , , , |

I've had a few reminders that I haven't done a beauty post for a while so now feels like a good time. This month when we all feel a bit 'peely wally' as my Scots friends call it is a great one for refreshing beauty routines - and never forget the power of a free on counter makeover, it's a great way of learning new techniques and finding products that work for you. Just pick a brand you already like [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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) [...]

Looking good in summer – beauty tips and outfits

By |2022-06-01T16:10:18+01:00June 1st, 2022|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , |

And so we have a big weekend ahead in the UK with a languorous four day break for the Queen's 70th Jubilee - whether you're a royalist or not it's hard not to admire her as a woman who's shown lifelong strength and dedication. Today's post isn't about the red, white and blue though, it's the last of my summer posts with John Lewis & Partners which always makes me feel a bit sad because next time I get together [...]

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 [...]

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. [...]

SS22 dresses for weddings, graduations and special occasions

By |2022-04-29T16:59:39+01:00April 29th, 2022|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I've had more questions about special occasion dressing than ever before this year. I suspect it's because we're all so glad that we can celebrate again and when it comes to weddings, some are so long awaited that they really do deserve an extra special effort. It's great to have an excuse to dress up again too isn't it? But can we remember how to do it? And with the growing creep of casualisation has occasion dressing changed? These are [...]

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 [...]

On growing older contentedly – and bold SS22 looks

By |2023-10-10T15:23:22+01:00April 8th, 2022|Categories: Midlife, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

It's a bit of a different post today, it includes clothes (of course) but it's also about growing older contentedly. When I was down in London a couple of weeks ago I met up with Nayna McIntosh from Hope and after we'd looked through the glorious new season pieces that I'll show you in a few minutes, we got chatting about things like the true markers of success as we approach the end of this phase we call midlife. You [...]

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 [...]

Estée Lauder – testing new products at John Lewis & Partners

By |2022-03-25T17:27:57+00:00March 25th, 2022|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

It's been a while since we've talked beauty and today I'm looking at the industry's ultimate grande dame, Estée Lauder. They came up in conversation with our friends John Lewis & Partners just after Christmas and I had to admit that while I haven't really used their products, I was enjoying a large sample of their new Advanced Night Repair formula that I'd discovered in my JL&P advent calendar. So, they suggested that I trial a few more of their [...]

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 [...]

The best jeans cuts for midlifers – SS22 denim try-on

By |2022-02-18T16:10:50+00:00February 18th, 2022|Categories: Style, Style Seminars|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Well as you may have guessed from the picture above, I have something a little different for you today - Mr MC is making his modelling debut on Midlifechic... for one post only. When John Lewis & Partners wondered out loud if we might do a his and hers jeans try-on I wasn't sure how he'd react but he was thrilled by the thought of being at the other side of the lens for a change. His only stipulation was [...]

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 [...]

The joy of a Christmas outfit trying-on session

By |2021-11-17T16:53:49+00:00November 17th, 2021|Categories: Christmas, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Ah the joy of a Christmas outfit trying-on session at John Lewis & Partners - I loved every minute of it and I'm hoping I have a little something for everyone today because there are so many different ideas. But before we go on, let's recap. In my first post about dressing for Christmas this year, we talked about how the approach is changing; lots of retailers and consumers are trying to be more thoughtful about creating capsules that will [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

New season try-ons – Bank Holiday Bumper Post!

By |2021-04-30T18:14:54+01:00April 30th, 2021|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

And hurray for a Bank Holiday weekend in the UK, don't you just love this time of year? It has to be said that if any month deserves not one but two Bank Holidays it's May so I hope you have plans that include at least one pop of joy. We're currently over in Newcastle starting to bring our ideas to life. As you know all we've done so far is paint the whole place white, not because that's the [...]

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 [...]

Wardrobe planning for SS21 – thinking about going out!

By |2021-03-12T17:31:02+00:00March 12th, 2021|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I know we've had crazy weather in the UK this week but we're turning the corner towards springtime and it feels as though it's time to start looking ahead, albeit tentatively. Today I'm working with Boden, doing a bit of wardrobe planning for SS21 - thinking about going out. Of course we'll all be emerging from lockdown at different paces but here's the roadmap that we have in England at the moment: 29th March - golf is back for those [...]

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 [...]

Launching SS21 – Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo

By |2021-02-18T17:05:31+00:00February 18th, 2021|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Today I'm working with Uniqlo to kick off the new season by launching SS21 - Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo. Like the first snowdrops, for me this shoot is always the sign of brighter times ahead and it feels particularly victorious to still be able to bring it to you this year despite the added hurdles that are impacting retailers everywhere. We're slightly later than I hoped to be because the clothes samples only arrived at lunchtime today so [...]

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. [...]

Winter cornucopia and what I’ve been wearing

By |2021-01-22T17:05:02+00:00January 22nd, 2021|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Health, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Happy Friday everyone, that's the most difficult week of January over with and even I have to confess that I've found it trying. It began with Blue Monday and then we were battered by Storm Christoph - I'm hoping that none of you are in the worst hit areas, extreme weather really isn't what we need at the moment. Once again today's post is a mix of things that have caught my eye or sprung to mind while I've been [...]

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 [...]

12 days of Christmas Dressing – dressed up or dressed down?

By |2020-11-18T16:38:08+00:00November 18th, 2020|Categories: Christmas, Gift ideas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

As promised, an extra post from me this week focusing on the 12 days of Christmas dressing - dressed up or dressed down? Today I'm working with John Lewis & Partners and I've decided to look specifically at the retail approach that they've taken to the tricky proposition of Christmas 2020. As you no doubt know, when lockdown hit us all so suddenly in March retailers were pretty much at the point where they'd usually have Christmas all planned out. [...]

Christmas 2020 Boden edit – outfit ideas

By |2020-11-13T16:47:22+00:00November 13th, 2020|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

This is my last Boden post of the year and so you won't be surprised to hear that I'm looking at Christmas. Like every retailer, Boden have condensed their partywear collection this year because, of course, there won't be as many (if any) parties. However, as I've already said, there are those of us who are craving a reason to dress up and Christmas itself gives us all the excuses we need. If you follow my Instagram feed you'll know [...]

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... [...]

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 [...]

Retail update – small British brands – and à bientôt…

By |2020-08-07T11:30:28+01:00August 7th, 2020|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Retail Review, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Retail update - small British brands - and à bientôt... I'm typing with my fingers crossed because if everything goes to plan, we'll be setting off on our holiday tonight. Preparing to go has been challenging because all kinds of things have kept changing. This has included our usual petsitters being offered a holiday that was too good to resist on the same dates as ours which wasn't a problem until we realised the cats' inoculations had run out and [...]

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 [...]

The future of retail after Covid-19

By |2020-05-22T17:12:49+01:00May 22nd, 2020|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Hello and first of all thank you to everyone who took the time to send a birthday wish on Tuesday. I was showered with messages from every corner of the internet and it was lovely to know that so many people had me in their thoughts, in fact I couldn't wish for anything more. I'll tell you more about what we did next week when we have a catch-up but in the meantime I want us to start thinking about [...]

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 [...]

Working from home chic – new ideas

By |2020-05-05T16:00:21+01:00May 5th, 2020|Categories: Style, Work life balance|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Hello everyone, how are you? After dedicating the comments to the kindness competition last week I feel a bit out of touch with you all. Mind you we're getting used to that feeling of general disconnection now aren't we? I've had a few emails from people asking for more ideas for working from home chic, especially now that we seem (fingers crossed) to have moved firmly into a rather lovely British spring/summer. As I mentioned last week, Boden kindly invited [...]

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 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 [...]

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 [...]

Spring / Summer 2020 trend update – it’s all in the detail

By |2020-03-06T16:40:34+00:00March 6th, 2020|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Spring / Summer 2020 trend update It's time to move into new season with a spring / summer 2020 trend update. Before we start, I just want to apologise for being behind with the comments, I've had extra things eating into my time this week with the demise of FlyBe (flights and claims to be dealt with) along with Coronavirus. I thought we'd be relatively insulated from it up here but after spending the last few days getting the youngest [...]

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 [...]

How to know which clothes suit you, spring 2020

By |2020-10-05T17:31:34+01:00February 14th, 2020|Categories: Style, Style Seminars|Tags: , , , , , , |

I think this is the hardest time of the year for finding pleasure in your clothes. Between now and early April I feel utterly uninspired by my seemingly endless rotation of jumpers and boots so today I thought we'd start to look ahead to spring. I'm not going to talk about new styles or colours yet because the new season's collections haven't arrived yet. I warn you though that there isn't much to say this year. As you know, retailers [...]

M&S SS20 – core denim try-on

By |2020-02-07T16:36:50+00:00February 7th, 2020|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

It's a retailer try-on today with my first M&S edit of the year so let's have a look at what's going on there. As we discussed back in September, there's a new womenswear team on board with a strategy to address the basics. Their view is that the marketplace is already well served with fast fashion retailers chasing the latest trends so the role of M&S should be to get the core basics right - which is something I think [...]

Inès de la Fressange at Uniqlo SS20 preview

By |2020-01-23T07:34:44+00:00January 23rd, 2020|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , |

Here's a sign that Spring is on its way, heralded by one of my favourite posts of the season – the Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo SS20 preview. We’ve been granted an exclusive early look at the collection again but before I show you the clothes, remember that with this range you have to be quick. The online allocation often sells out by midday and just because something is in your basket, it doesn’t mean it’s yours - if [...]

A Christmas midlife lately – outfits and happenings

By |2019-12-13T16:58:43+00:00December 13th, 2019|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

It's all spinning a bit too fast at the moment, despite the fact that I declined the blogger invitations that came my way. We haven't had a Christmas as busy as this one for a long time so I haven't had time to come up with a post... all I can do today is take you along with me virtually. Allons-y! Christmas midlife lately - ordinary work day This was last Thursday (I think) when for once I had a [...]

Christmas cornucopia from M&S – things you may have missed

By |2019-12-10T10:46:18+00:00December 10th, 2019|Categories: Christmas, Gift ideas, Retail Review|Tags: , , , , , , |

I don't know about you but I think I can say that I'm more or less ready for Christmas now and so for my last M&S post of the year, I thought I'd put together a 'Christmas cornucopia'. I'm focusing on the things I've found that you may have missed along with some little bits and pieces to make your time extra special. So let's go on one last virtual shopping trip together - after this one, my posts will [...]

What I’ve been wearing – for work, rest and play

By |2019-12-03T16:38:49+00:00December 3rd, 2019|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Hello, it's a short post today because I doubt any of us has a lot of spare time for reading and writing. I've turned down all Christmas blogging jollies this year because we have so much going on here - there are two more busy weeks of work lunches and dinners ahead before it all starts to quieten down a bit and become more family and friend focused. So, I'm doing my best to snap outfits as we go along [...]

Winter blue capsule from Marks & Spencer

By |2019-11-01T15:58:48+00:00November 1st, 2019|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

A winter blue capsule from Marks & Spencer And so my friends, I'm tentatively launching into the party season. I know it's early and some of you will get grumpy with me but as always my view is that it's best to get all of the planning done now so that when December comes we can just enjoy it. This way when the glossies are running features about how to avoid Christmas stress, we'll be blowing party poppers and wondering [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Winter outfit ideas – John Lewis & Partners

By |2019-10-18T11:59:20+01:00October 18th, 2019|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , |

As you know, I spent some time in Leeds this week getting ready for the Midlifechic reader event next month. I love being there because it's one of my favourite John Lewis & Partners sites. It's the anchor store for Victoria Leeds, a shopping centre that opened in 2016 incorporating some of the restored Victorian arcades and I don't think I've seen a more architecturally beautiful shopping centre in the UK. The new glass buildings compliment the old iron structures [...]

Friday cornucopia and – a chance for us to meet!

By |2019-10-24T11:56:50+01:00October 10th, 2019|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Sale, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

I'm early this week so apologies to everyone who tells me that my post is part of their Friday wind-down routine, I'm juggling again and so it was now or never. So it's a Friday cornucopia today (on a Thursday... confused? yes me too) with a mixture of clothes, beauty - and... a chance for us to meet. At last! More about that at the end of the post. Hush mid-season sale - recommendations I'm going to start with the [...]

Winter coat capsule 2019 – what do you really need?

By |2019-10-08T16:43:57+01:00October 8th, 2019|Categories: Style, Style Seminars|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Today's post has been inspired by a personal coat conundrum. As the weather has turned blustery so suddenly in the UK, I've found myself reaching for a coat far earlier than I did last year when I barely needed one until January. Looking at the coat rail in my dressing room, it was hard to see what I have because there are too many and being in a decluttering frame of mind, I decided that rather than needing a new [...]

A long weekend in Jeréz, Spain’s sherry city

By |2019-10-09T17:19:06+01:00October 4th, 2019|Categories: Relationships, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Oh it went so quickly, our weekend break in Spain - and well done to Jenny who was the first to guess our destination of Jeréz. We decided on this trip on our wedding anniversary in February when we were looking through the 'wallpaper roll of dreams' that we made when we were first married. Amongst other things it lists all of the places that we hoped to travel to and because we've spent so many years choosing destinations that [...]

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 [...]

Chic autumn basics – transitional dressing

By |2019-09-27T17:40:52+01:00September 27th, 2019|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , |

It's a quick post from me today, I don't have much time because it's Mr MC's birthday this weekend and we're going away... but I'll tell you more about that later. In the meantime I've come up with a few more ideas of what to wear as we transition from summer to autumn when the weather's still relatively warm but unreliable. I've collated some chic autumn basics - wardrobe building blocks that don't immediately look exciting but will work harder [...]

Hope springs at Marks & Spencer – AW19 collection

By |2019-09-13T16:42:56+01:00September 13th, 2019|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , |

Today's post is all about M&S but it isn't just my usual monthly try-on of new styles in store, I want to talk a little about why I'm making the statement that 'hope springs at Marks and Spencer.' And yes I know the first thought that's going to come into your mind is that last week they dropped out of the FTSE 100 for the first time ever. I'm sure when that result was announced you could quickly reel off [...]

Easy ways to update your wardrobe for AW19

By |2019-09-10T17:15:57+01:00September 10th, 2019|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Today, as promised we're going to look at easy ways to update your wardrobe for AW19. Hopefully since the A/W19 trends post you've had a chance to think through what you already have. This perhaps includes blazers, jumpers and jeans for a simple start, maybe midi-skirts and dresses too and a couple of pairs of wide leg trousers. Thinking back to the 'how to build a capsule wardrobe course' we did in January, I'm hoping that you're still using the [...]

Autumn/Winter 2019 – trend analysis: key looks

By |2019-09-06T16:26:42+01:00September 6th, 2019|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , |

Well I've had it with Summer. It's been like a bad boyfriend, letting me down so many times that I'm over it so, let's move on to our Autumn/Winter 2019 - trend analysis. Now it isn't the easiest of seasons to get your head around this year. There are no significant outline changes as there were two years ago when we moved into the new silhouette of the midi and wider trousers. This time it's more about a mood [...]

It’s here – Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo AW19

By |2019-08-29T07:47:16+01:00August 29th, 2019|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , |

Ah the Bank Holiday... lovely wasn't it? The problem is that it's hit the Inès de La Fressange launch at Uniqlo and as a result, the warehouse just couldn't get samples to me in time to shoot them. We all know what a tight turnaround this limited release has and please take me seriously when I say that it will have mostly sold out by lunchtime today because really, it will. (For US readers it goes live this morning here, [...]

Dipping a toe into AW19 – M&S

By |2019-08-23T17:20:23+01:00August 20th, 2019|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Style|Tags: , , , |

I have mixed feelings about seeing the new deliveries starting to arrive for Autumn because it's hard to say goodbye to a summer that hasn't even started and yet I'm ready to give up on summer clothes. I suspect it's going to feel like a long winter for us in the UK this year, kicking off with everything Brexit but let's not dwell on that. The farmer in my genes (good job this isn't a podcast!) tells me there's a [...]

New summer looks at JD Williams – just in

By |2019-08-08T16:06:51+01:00July 16th, 2019|Categories: Style|Tags: , , |

The warm days were so slow to arrive in the UK this year that it's been hard to get into the mood for summer clothes until recently hasn't it? Of course now that the sun's finally shown its face, most stores are heavily into their summer sales which can be too much hard work to navigate. I walked down Regent Street and onto Oxford Street when I was in London a couple of weeks ago and I just couldn't face [...]

Last minute travel buys – M&S June edit

By |2019-06-14T16:58:03+01:00June 14th, 2019|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Retail Review, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , |

I'm trying not to mention the weather but... I am finding myself glad that we have a couple of escapes to the sunshine booked (although last time I looked, it was even raining in Turkey). Anyway I'm working with M&S today and the focus is holidays. We've spent enough time on here planning holiday wardrobes so I thought I'd look at last minute travel buys, the little extras that make all the difference. I love doing posts like this because [...]

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 [...]

M&S SS19 – what’s new and a trying-on session

By |2019-05-21T16:15:41+01:00May 21st, 2019|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

Whenever I work with M&S the feedback you give me is that you find it helpful to be guided through their huge inventory. So, today I'm going to do a trying-on session of some of the things that have caught my eye recently and then I'll talk you through a few M&S updates. As always, they've had some huge successes and I appreciate it can be frustrating when online stocks are limited so I'll highlight when you may need to [...]

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 [...]

Elevated looks – easy summer style for women over 40

By |2019-05-10T17:15:20+01:00May 10th, 2019|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

It's hard to imagine summer at the moment isn't it? The picture above was taken last weekend and it was freezing but the sun's going to break through next week and we need to be ready. So today I'm looking at elevated summer style, because dressing for summer in the UK can be quite tricky. There are days when you don't want to wear the classic jeans, t-shirt, blazer combo and I've chosen these pieces with that mood in mind. [...]

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 Uniqlo trying-on session SS19

By |2019-07-14T16:10:02+01:00April 16th, 2019|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

So many of you have mentioned your newfound love of Uniqlo in the comments recently that I thought it was time to have a look at them in more depth. Rather than focusing on a particular range like IdLF, this time I thought I'd examine their specific strengths. Before we start, I should say that this post is in collaboration with them and they kindly sent me the products I wanted to try however it is an independent review. Understanding [...]

Spotlight on John Lewis & Partners own label collections SS19

By |2019-04-09T17:13:08+01:00April 9th, 2019|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

It's lovely to be working with John Lewis & Partners again. Rather than write a general new season review, I thought I'd have a look at their own label collections and define what each brand stands for. Then I'll move on to a show-and-tell as I try some of the pieces myself and tell you what I think. It makes sense for John Lewis & Partners to continue developing their own ranges. Traditionally, department stores have operated as a 'house [...]

Outfit ideas for graduations, weddings and summer occasions 2019

By |2019-04-03T16:57:37+01:00April 3rd, 2019|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , |

I usually do a special occasions post later in the season but I've been so overwhelmed by requests this year that I've pulled it forward. It's the things we have in common that draw us together and this year it seems that one of those things is graduation ceremonies. My friends started asking me what I was going to wear for the eldest's on New Year's Day. The ceremony isn't until July so I'd imagined thinking about it in June [...]

A Lake District Midlife Lately (and staying at The Wordsworth Hotel)

By |2019-04-03T15:13:44+01:00March 26th, 2019|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , |

For the last few weeks I've had my nose to the grindstone, working hard to meet client deadlines for the end of the financial year which have had to include multiple strategic approaches for the potential outcomes of Brexit. I think we all knew it was going to be a rocky road didn't we so, when I was invited to review The Wordsworth Hotel back in December, I deliberately asked if I could schedule it for now. A Lake District [...]

Thinking about Mother’s Day and the gifts that you give

By |2019-03-22T12:01:15+00:00March 22nd, 2019|Categories: Family, Gift ideas, Midlife, Relationships|Tags: , , , , , , |

I've been compiling Mother's Day gift posts for as long as I've worked in retail and as always, this year they're everywhere. So when Marks and Spencer approached me to put one together for them, I pushed back. But then they asked me to go beyond the clichés and do it with a difference and after spending some time looking through their site, I felt that I could. So, today I'm thinking about Mother's Day and the gifts that you [...]

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 [...]

Tweaking your wardrobe for SS19 – shoes, lipsticks and nail colours

By |2019-03-12T17:11:57+00:00March 12th, 2019|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Style|Tags: , , , , |

Last week we looked at the trends for SS19 and established that it's a quiet season. There are no big changes and so a lot of our clothes can carry over quite happily from last year which is good for both our bank accounts and the environment. In a season like this though you tend to find that the detail of your outfit becomes the focus. So today I want to have a quick look at some of the simplest [...]

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 [...]

Pop of colour outfit updates to take you through to spring

By |2019-02-01T17:05:36+00:00February 1st, 2019|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Well after a month's abstinence I think it's time to have a look at the shops again and it's so cold that my mind's on jumpers (many jumpers - our heating's packed in!). I'm looking at 'pop of colour outfit updates' so let's have a think about them from a capsule perspective. I don't know about you but my body temperature has changed in midlife. Thanks to my HRT I don't have hot flushes but I definitely find myself getting [...]

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 [...]

Everything Christmas at John Lewis & Partners

By |2018-11-16T16:50:50+00:00November 15th, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Gift ideas, Interiors, Retail Review|Tags: , , , , , , |

You seemed to enjoy our last virtual wander round John Lewis & Partners in May so when I was thinking about my Christmas posts, there seemed no better place to spend a day. It has to be said that they really have become the kings of Christmas in the UK. Some of my friends now say that they refuse to even think about Christmas until the TV ad comes out - they see it as the official launch of the [...]

Christmas Party Wardrobe Planning

By |2018-11-09T17:02:25+00:00November 9th, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

So, continuing on from this week's quick post about party tops, today I'm going to have a longer look at Christmas party wardrobe planning. Thank you for your response to my post on Sunday, it's great to know that so many people are being selective about where they shop. The high street looks very different this year however, there is one big store group that we can always rely on to do the right thing and that's John Lewis & [...]

Best advent calendars 2018 – a chance to give and receive

By |2018-11-08T09:12:38+00:00November 7th, 2018|Categories: Christmas|Tags: , , , , |

As you know, my approach to Christmas is to get all of the preparation done in November so that from 1st December I can just enjoy the build up. So when people say "it's still too early," I understand but I can't help thinking that their December is going to be a stressful one. Of course because I work with retailers, my Christmas begins on about 4th January each year because as soon as we've drawn a line under one, [...]

Midlifechic Christmas edit – party tops

By |2018-11-06T17:09:53+00:00November 6th, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

It's time! As soon as the blaze of bonfire night dies down, for me it's time to look ahead to the next point of light which, of course, is Christmas. So here's the plan. I'm going to bring you quite a few bitesized posts like this one today but they'll be interspersed with longer ones. They'll all be clearly headed so that even if you don't feel like thinking about Christmas yet, you can find them easily when you do. [...]

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 [...]

Brands that give back – Specsavers and Kidscape

By |2018-11-02T12:45:56+00:00November 1st, 2018|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

I mentioned last week that I'm thinking carefully about how I can make Midlifechic count. Without changing things too much, I'm going to work more with charities, find brands that have good environmental and social policies and also help support small companies, particularly those run by women over 40. Today's post ticks off two of these criteria because I want to you to tell you all about what went on at a charity fundraising event that I went to last [...]

The best ankle boots for different trouser shapes – winter 2018

By |2018-10-30T13:01:54+00:00October 30th, 2018|Categories: Shoes, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Now that the weather's suddenly turned cold, I have lots of questions coming in about what footwear works best with trousers and jeans so it seems like a good idea to write a practical post. The best solution is a pair of ankle boots but you need to get the balance right - as always, it's best to think about the body in an architectural way and understand the best part of your leg to focus on. If you have [...]

Midlife lately and amazing women over 50

By |2018-10-23T17:18:21+01:00October 23rd, 2018|Categories: Midlife, Project Happier, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Ok, I promised we'd have a catch up and I have so much to tell you - October has been a blur but let's start where I left you last time, just before the funeral. Newcastle It was, as you can imagine, heartbreaking. When you're inside a family, you never really see the impact that your relative has beyond your immediate enclave until something like this happens. As we arrived at the crematorium, we were overwhelmed by the sheer size [...]

Winter wardrobe building blocks from Uniqlo

By |2018-10-19T16:57:21+01:00October 19th, 2018|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Well hello, I'm back and if you're reading this it means you're still here. I thank you for sticking with me during my absence, I just needed to take some time away. Anyway, I'll update you with a 'midlife lately' next week but today I'm easing myself back in with a look at one of my favourite brands, Uniqlo. You see as I've been collating your feedback on some of the retailer-specific posts that I've done this season, the cry [...]

Chic new bags – the winter collection from Midlifechic

By |2018-10-09T17:13:25+01:00October 9th, 2018|Categories: Accessories, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Just a quick hello today because as I thought, getting the shop ready for our delivery of chic new bags has helped us to keep our minds occupied over the last few days. Before I go on to talk about them though, I just want to say a huge thank you for all of your kind messages that have been coming in from every direction. I've been reading them out at the dinner table as they've arrived and we've all [...]

New season drops… and more Midlife lately

By |2018-09-28T19:57:33+01:00September 25th, 2018|Categories: Midlife, Relationships, Style|Tags: , , , , |

I do find the new retail calendar weird. Mid-season sales in the third week of September would have been unheard of a few years ago but of course retailers do smaller drops throughout the season now to meet the demand for perpetual newness. So, I have two of these new drops to whizz through with you. They're both from retailers that tend to sell through quickly and in my eyes, these are the best pieces from the latest collections. Hush [...]

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 [...]

John Lewis & Partners new women’s clothing collection review

By |2018-09-14T12:21:22+01:00September 14th, 2018|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , |

In my posts about trend and colour, I included some of the press shots from the John Lewis & Partners new women's clothing collection which, it has to be said, are lovely. But then PR shots always are - so what I really wanted to do next was road test some of the styles to see how they look on a normal woman (me) shot in less than ideal conditions (the incessant rain and wind that we're experiencing in the [...]

Key wearable trends autumn winter 2018

By |2018-09-07T16:36:42+01:00September 7th, 2018|Categories: Shoes, Style, Style Seminars|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Ok, here we go, the one some of you have said you've been waiting for - it's the key wearable trends autumn winter 2018 post. I hope you're not bored of trends already because I know everyone's been covering it. However as always, I'm coming at it from the angle of someone who's spent their retail career trying to correlate the flights of fancy of the buying teams with the sales targets of the commercial teams and the wearability demands of [...]

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 [...]

Back To School for Teens – a stylish way round it

By |2018-08-09T15:14:59+01:00August 9th, 2018|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , |

I know, there wasn't supposed to be a post this week but just as I was about to log off for our holiday, one last interesting opportunity dropped into my Inbox. But this time it wasn't for me, it was for the boys which made such a nice change. So often I see mummy bloggers doing posts with their little ones and wonder what it would have been like to work with mine when they were little and pliable. Poor [...]

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 [...]

2018 summer sale edit – where to find the best bargains in each category

By |2018-06-22T16:47:48+01:00June 22nd, 2018|Categories: Sale, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

You have no idea what a rollercoaster ride it has been in the world of retail this summer. As I mentioned last week, in my April meetings the brands that I work with had all scheduled a summer sale 'pull forward' because of the bad weather. Since then they've been playing chicken with the weather and delaying the start dates for as long as possible. This is when the 'Ops' teams send the marketing teams to the verge of a [...]

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 [...]

2018’s best bikinis, body creams, bras and other bits and bobs

By |2018-06-12T16:52:53+01:00June 12th, 2018|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

I hope you're enjoying the glorious summer that I ordered for you - it's causing chaos in the retail world. Back in April when I met up with lots of key retailers they were all making plans to pull their summer sales forward because of the awful spring we were having. They were busy trying to order restocks of warmer clothes whilst anticipating a glut of flimsy summer layers. Of course since then, the situation has completely reversed - they [...]

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 best swimwear for your body shape after 40 – and a hunt for a dress

By |2018-05-25T17:00:57+01:00May 25th, 2018|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , |

Wait! Before you go any further you're going to need a pot of tea. This is a long post but I'm going to be disappearing for a bit so I thought I'd leave you with plenty to think about while I'm away. Today we're having another wander round John Lewis, this time with holidays in mind. I particularly wanted to look at how to find the best swimwear for your body shape after 40. So, a couple of weekends ago [...]

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. [...]

Capsule holiday wardrobe 2018 #1 – dresses as the focus

By |2018-05-15T20:59:44+01:00May 15th, 2018|Categories: Accessories, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , |

Right, I've started my research and stock of high summer clothes is already looking low in some places so it's time to crack on with the capsule holiday wardrobe 2018 posts. Quite a few retailers have told me that although sales of ordinary clothing have been depressed by the slow start to spring, holiday clothes have been selling well for a while. It seems that people have found consolation in thinking ahead to their sunny holidays and it makes sense. [...]

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 [...]

Summer 2018 at Hush and Uniqlo – a Midlifechic edit

By |2018-05-01T14:26:28+01:00May 1st, 2018|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

I have a big project on at work so it's a speedy post from me today but I just wanted to bring you an edit of some of the 'new-ins' now that it looks as though spring is finally arriving. Let's look at Summer 2018 at Hush and Uniqlo. Hush Summer 2018 Hush have launched their summer collection today. As always, they have included loose, flowing pieces that can be tricky to style. However they are balanced by figure defining [...]

How to find a good hairdresser and a few reviews

By |2018-05-03T15:21:18+01:00April 27th, 2018|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Sale, Style|Tags: , , , , , |

It's one of those medley posts today with my analysis on how to find a good hairdresser followed by a bit of this and a bit of that. Before I start though I must share some good news. With having a week away I forgot to tell you that my mum-in-law has the all clear after her breast cancer scare. It means we still haven't got to the bottom of her chest pains but at least it's not the thing [...]

Working in London – what to wear & The UK Blog Awards 2018

By |2018-04-26T12:17:21+01:00April 24th, 2018|Categories: Hair & Beauty, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Hello, it's good to be back - I feel as though I haven't blogged for ages so I'm going to make up for it with a long post. As you know, I spent a few days in London last week so I thought I'd do a "working in London - what to wear" post and of course tell you all about the UK Blog Awards 2018. By the way none of this trip is sponsored but I'm going to add [...]

An update on 2018 spectacle trends and the new range from Kylie

By |2018-04-22T16:30:31+01:00April 22nd, 2018|Categories: Accessories, Midlife, Style, Work life balance|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

As you know, I've had an ongoing relationship with Specsavers since last summer. They're a brand that I particularly like to support because of all of the quiet behind the scenes work that they do, giving back to both their local communities and the anti-bullying charity Kidscape which I discussed in my post about their fundraising awards. This season they have asked me to look at two of their spectacle ranges in more depth. The Twiggy for Aurora collection which [...]

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 [...]

Inspiring thoughts from a style icon

By |2018-04-03T12:22:51+01:00April 3rd, 2018|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , |

One of the things I love most about blogging is that I never know what it will throw up next. A couple of weeks ago I was suddenly offered the opportunity to have afternoon tea with Twiggy. It was short notice - I'd just got home from London and it meant me turning round to go straight back down again but I couldn't resist. I always welcome the chance to pick the brains of an older woman and I was [...]

Spring home updates and a wander round the shops

By |2018-03-30T12:31:00+01:00March 30th, 2018|Categories: Interiors, Sale|Tags: , , , |

Happy Easter weekend everyone. After a week of mayhem in the office (it's never good when a forthcoming Bank Holiday coincides with the end of a lot of clients' financial years), I've had some serious disruption to my schedule. So here I am, blogging on a Bank Holiday. However I will be logging off very soon and I'm going to spend the rest of today deciding how I'm going to bring some spring home updates into our house. It's hard [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Spring 2018 key trends for ageless style

By |2018-01-31T10:22:13+00:00January 30th, 2018|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , |

I've decided it's time to look at the Spring 2018 key trends for ageless style. It's always a good idea to peruse the new trends early so that your eye has time to adjust before the clothes hit the shops. In theory it should be an easy thing to do because there are so many images from the Fashion Week catwalks. However when you've worked with high street retailers for as long as I have, you know that the looks [...]

A week of winter outfits for women over 40

By |2018-01-26T13:02:14+00:00January 26th, 2018|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , |

It's been a busy week so it's a quick dose of real life today. I've remembered to get someone to take a quick shot each day so here's a week of winter outfits for women over 40. Winter outfits for women over 40 Library Sunday We're starting last Sunday with me in my happy zone - I had to go analogue for some research I was doing. It may be a nerdy thing to admit but I love it when Google doesn't [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Chic Christmas Gifts – gift ideas for women over 40

By |2022-09-23T22:25:27+01:00November 16th, 2017|Categories: Christmas, Fragrance, Gift ideas, Shoes, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Gift ideas for women over 40. This is an important post. Why? Because quite a few of my friends' husbands shop from it so I feel a huge sense of responsibility. So, chic Christmas gifts. Ideas for the woman who doesn't really need anything but would quite like a little something to open on Christmas Day. Before I go on, I have a couple of apologies to make. Firstly if you read via Bloglovin, I have been having some compression [...]

Best Christmas dresses for women over 40: cuts, cloth and colour

By |2017-11-22T12:11:29+00:00November 15th, 2017|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Phew - I've reached the halfway point of this week's blogging marathon! I hope you're not getting sick of me, we'll be back to normal posting next week. Today I'm looking at the best Christmas dresses for women over 40 but I've chosen ones that won't expire on New Year's Eve. Bear in mind the new silhouette that I keep banging on about. The trend for modest dressing is continuing as far ahead as we can see on the catwalks [...]

Chic Christmas Jumpers 2017 and new in at Hush

By |2018-01-08T16:46:05+00:00November 14th, 2017|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , |

Chic Christmas jumpers 2017 edit. So I'm back again with another item that has become a Christmas essential over the last few years - the Christmas jumper. It seems to have reached an extreme this year and as I was researching this, some of the slogan jumpers that are being sold at places like Top Shop, Next and Asos made my toes curl. There are days when I am very grateful that I don't have a teenage daughter! However I [...]

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 party dressing project – what to wear for different types of occasions

By |2017-11-03T21:11:49+00:00November 3rd, 2017|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Although I am currently enjoying the sunny skies of Marrakech, I've been working on Christmas for a while. Can you believe that I had to put some of our Christmas lights and a Christmas tree up in our house at the beginning of October? All I could think about were the problems it would have caused if the boys were still little! However, now that we're into November it feels like it's time to talk about partywear. I'm going to [...]

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, [...]

Autumn 2017 coats – the styles you need

By |2018-01-08T16:50:09+00:00October 20th, 2017|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Autumn 2017 coats. In my last post I mentioned that longer length coats were more prominent this season. However coats are an investment and I had a couple of emails from readers saying they didn't want to buy something that could be a passing trend. So, today I'm looking at all kinds of coats for autumn 2017. I've focused specifically on day coats though because we'll be going full steam into partywear before you know it. In the meantime, there [...]

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 [...]

The Midlifechic Boutique Bag Collection

By |2018-01-08T16:53:52+00:00September 22nd, 2017|Categories: Accessories, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

While we were on holiday, I published a post containing the questions that I am most frequently asked by readers and journalists. A few days later I received an email from Zoe who said, "come on Nikki, you must have bigger plans for Midlifechic. You've created something special here, I can't believe someone like you doesn't have a dream." Of course Zoe was right. Niggling away at the back of my mind there is always my love for retail and [...]

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. [...]

Spotlight on the relaunch of Issa at House of Fraser

By |2017-09-14T10:33:17+01:00September 12th, 2017|Categories: Accessories, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

So, as you will already know if you follow me on Instagram, last week I was invited to celebrate relaunch of Issa at House of Fraser. The venue was Kensington Palace which, of course, is where William, Kate and Harry all live. It was an especially auspicious time to go there because it was the day that Kate's third pregnancy was announced. Our event was in the Orangery but I couldn't help looking across at the Palace and feeling sorry [...]

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 [...]

Back to work and a desk to dinner project

By |2018-03-02T09:44:35+00:00September 5th, 2017|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

It's back to school for us today which means back to work too. We need to get back into the swing of mealtimes and bedtimes, lunch boxes and shoe polishing - all of the things that don't seem to matter over the long summer break. I had a shock last week when I realised I only had one set of name tapes to stitch into uniform this year. I still have a large pack for each boy in my sewing [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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

By |2018-01-08T17:00:20+00:00June 30th, 2017|Categories: Accessories, Hair & Beauty, Sale, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Another week has flown by and I didn't have time to post on Tuesday so I'm bringing you a cornucopia today. Let's start with Hush. I meant to cover the sale on Tuesday but didn't because I was actually down with Hush in London. They invited a small group of over-40 bloggers for a sneak preview of the Autumn / Winter collection. We met at The Ned, the new and most talked about hotel opening in London. What a fantastic [...]

A summer garden party – what to wear?

By |2017-06-20T16:34:23+01:00June 20th, 2017|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Now, regular readers will know that there is an important annual event in my work diary. It is a summer garden party that is hosted in the shadow of Lancaster's ancient castle by one of the oldest law firms in the North. Why there? Lancaster Castle has a busy Crown Court where famous trials from the Lancashire Witches to the Birmingham Six have taken place. So, as you can imagine, a thriving legal scene surrounds it and people from the [...]

Holiday packing for women over 40 – part two

By |2018-01-08T17:01:06+00:00June 13th, 2017|Categories: Accessories, Shoes, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Hello - as promised, I'm back with part two of my holiday packing posts for women over 40. It has taken a very long time to put it together so I'm mostly going to let the pictures do the talking. Thank you to everyone who got in touch to say there was a mistake in the downloadable packing list. I have a junior designer in the office with a red face but really it's my fault for not checking it [...]

Holiday packing for warm climes – women over 40

By |2017-06-10T20:37:49+01:00June 9th, 2017|Categories: Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , |

Well if the UK's future was unclear when I left you last time, it is even more so right now! However, as women over 40, we know things will sort themselves out one way or another. In the meantime after a week of unsettled news and weather, I've found myself focusing hard on the thought of escaping it all for a sunny holiday. I had an email from a longstanding reader saying that she keeps a print out of this [...]

Summer In The City – the classic dress

By |2018-01-08T17:02:03+00:00June 7th, 2017|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

It's all my fault. I jinxed the summer by packing away my Winter knits over the weekend. I even switched the heating off. We had a barbecue and everything was lovely - then Monday dawned with torrential rain and a temperature of 12 degrees! However, I've had a lot of emails over the last few weeks asking for a post on what to wear for Summer in the city. I then included this dress in my Chelsea Flower Show post last week without [...]

A day at Chelsea Flower Show with a brand I didn’t know before

By |2018-03-02T09:46:24+00:00June 2nd, 2017|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that I spent some of last week down in London with my blogger friends from the Over40Collective. Enticing invitations have been coming thick and fast this season and if I had the time, I could have spent the summer wafting from one fabulous event to another. Sadly whenever one arrives, I have to grit my teeth and remember that I have a day job to do and an agency to run. In the end [...]

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, [...]

Can you create a holiday wardrobe from Marks & Spencer?

By |2017-05-12T17:55:50+01:00May 12th, 2017|Categories: Accessories, Hair & Beauty, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , |

I've set myself a completely different kind of challenge today. Let me tell you how it all came about. Over the last Bank Holiday weekend, Mr MC and I were reminiscing about the different holidays we've had. He asked me which was the best one and although it was hard to choose, one that really stands out is our first holiday abroad as a family when the youngest was very small. He asked me why I'd chosen that one and there [...]

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 [...]

Welcoming Springtime with a dress…or two

By |2017-05-03T19:33:20+01:00May 3rd, 2017|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , |

May has always been my favourite month. I suspect that when I was younger it was because it is my birthday month. I anticipate birthdays a little less eagerly now but I still love May. For us, being rurally based it's the month when everything wakes up. The trees bud, the flowers bloom and people re-emerge from their houses after the dark days of Winter. Every weekend there is a fete in a different village - the time of eating of [...]

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 [...]

Finery Review Spring 17

By |2018-03-02T09:43:15+00:00March 13th, 2017|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

It's great to be working with my friends at the Over4Collective again today. We've been so busy getting our website together that we haven't had time to do a project for a while so I decided it was time to introduce them to one of my favourite brands, Finery so that we could bring you a Finery Review Spring 17 . I've spoken before about how fond I am of my contact at Finery, a young French woman who never questions the [...]

Thoughtful gift ideas for Mother’s Day – Spring 2017

By |2017-03-10T14:42:06+00:00March 10th, 2017|Categories: Family, Gift ideas, Interiors|Tags: , , , |

Mother's Day (or Mothering Sunday as my mum would insist) is fast approaching in the UK. I always say it is one of my favourite days of the year, much nicer than a birthday because you have a lovely day without being any older. And as I'm writing this post, I'm smiling because a funny thing happened when we were having drinks with a group of friends after Christmas. As the women were discussing what presents they had unwrapped on Christmas Day, everything they [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Next Spring 2017 collection – trying it on.

By |2017-03-18T22:31:29+00:00January 20th, 2017|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Today's post is one of the ones that goes a bit wrong. I had initially intended it to be about the new pre-collection from Hush but when I looked through it, it wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped so the only piece I'm going to feature is the charcoal and brown sugar stella jumper which is back in stock. These jumpers are a lovely cut and they somehow make you look younger. Charcoal and camel star jumper I have one in [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Relaxed Christmas Party Outfits For Women Over 40

By |2018-01-08T17:11:55+00:00November 11th, 2016|Categories: Christmas, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

It's been lovely to have had so many people asking when this relaxed Christmas Party Outfits post is coming. I thought I'd make it the first of the outfit posts that I'll be doing before we move into the excitement of gift ideas. Don't worry, they'll be ready in plenty of time for Black Friday. Before we start though, I want to recap on the trends for this Christmas. It can't have escaped you that velvet has taken over from [...]

What to wear for a formal party – women over 40

By |2019-08-09T16:59:13+01:00November 8th, 2016|Categories: Christmas, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Well hello everybody and happy November. There's no avoiding it any longer, we're on the Christmas countdown. I'm diving in head first with another party dressing feature (there will be a few). This time we're looking at what to wear for a formal party. So let me give you a bit of background. We've had a 'save the date' in our diary for a long time. A client who has become a friend is having a special celebration in a [...]

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, [...]

The process of learning which colours suit you

By |2019-08-09T16:51:38+01:00October 20th, 2016|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

There comes a point each year in my blogging calendar when I notice that all of my Summer brights have given way to a dull palette of grey, camel and black. As I was looking through my Instagram feed and pondering this, it occurred to me that it is easy to wear colour in Summer when you only need to co-ordinate one or two items of clothing at a time. As Winter approaches and you pile on layers of tops, bottoms, tights, coats, [...]

Black Tie for Women over 40 – moving it on

By |2019-08-09T16:48:03+01:00October 18th, 2016|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

It's the time of year when invitations start coming in. I'll be covering party dressing and black tie for women over 40 in more detail in a few weeks' time but I thought I'd show you what I chose to wear to a Black Tie event last Friday. I'd been thinking about what I was going to wear for a while. I kept looking through the barely worn cocktail dresses that hang in my dressing room, not wanting to wear [...]

Chic Autumn outfit updates – and a special competition

By |2019-08-09T16:53:58+01:00October 14th, 2016|Categories: Accessories, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

I thought we'd take a break from clothes today and look at chic Autumn outfit updates to add to the clothes you already have in your wardrobe. We talked about the difference that a pair of statement shoes or boots can make a few weeks ago. Now we're going to look at affordable bags and jewellery because they make such a difference. I have lovely memories of helping my dad buy a khaki handbag for my mum, not knowing that it [...]

Dressing for quiet confidence – Winser London

By |2019-08-09T16:35:42+01:00October 10th, 2016|Categories: Product review, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

I don't know about you, but every so often an occasion crops up when I use what I'm wearing to boost my confidence. It's almost like putting on a suit of armour to help face something bigger than an ordinary day. Usually for me, it's a meeting with a tricky client but last week, as you know, I went to my middle son's school for the preview of the BBC documentary that he has been taking part in. We were only given a [...]

Cashmere review – the best on the high street

By |2019-08-09T16:46:42+01:00October 7th, 2016|Categories: Product review, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

As the nights grow darker, my usual Autumn treat to myself is a cashmere jumper. Every year however, prices seem to climb higher so I decided to set myself the task of looking into my little indulgence as carefully as possible. When I was in London last week, I had a couple of hours to spare between meetings which gave me the perfect opportunity to compare as many stores as possible so that I could write a cashmere review. Anyone who knows [...]

Finery Review – standout chic for Autumn

By |2016-09-30T15:49:57+01:00September 30th, 2016|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

I don't know about you, but when I get to this point in the season, I'm over the excitement of Autumn clothes because I've become accustomed to the new trends. It feels as though each retailer is simply offering a slightly adjusted version of the same thing and I yearn for something that stands apart. There are a handful places that I turn to for visual refreshment: Cos, Me+Em, Kin at John Lewis (not Modern Rarity - I feel like I'm the [...]

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 [...]

Marks and Spencer fashion for women over 40 – a style challenge

By |2016-09-20T11:59:38+01:00September 16th, 2016|Categories: Product review, Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Today we're looking at Marks and Spencer fashion for women over 40. As you know, ever since I went down to the press day I've been excited about their new looks for this season. My favourite pieces still haven't been released but I think they're off to a good start. To launch the new season they are running a blogger challenge. A couple of weeks ago they gave a number of us a look book which contained about 40 different items [...]

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 [...]

Shoes and boots to buy now for Autumn 2016

By |2016-08-31T12:36:59+01:00August 31st, 2016|Categories: Shoes, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , |

So here we go, we're ready for Autumn. I am finding that my approach towards shopping for clothes has evolved now that I spend so much more time thinking about it. As you know I bought very little over the Summer which turned out to be absolutely the right decision. I'm not going to moan about the weather but we have only had a handful of hot sunny days in the Lakes this year. This means that Autumn buying makes much [...]

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 [...]

A day working with the team at Hope Fashion

By |2016-07-15T15:28:12+01:00July 15th, 2016|Categories: Retail Review, Style, Work life balance|Tags: , , , |

As you know, I spent Tuesday with the team at Hope Fashion taking part in their Autumn shoot in which they decided to use real, everyday women rather than models. As you can imagine, it was great fun. All of the clothes were hanging on rails and they quite simply let us loose to see what we would do with them and then they shot the outfits we had put together. I'm not going to show you those pictures now because [...]

Boden early Autumn 16 – dressing for the weather (again)

By |2016-07-12T12:44:33+01:00July 11th, 2016|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Today saw the release of the Boden early Autumn 16 collection with some great trans-seasonal pieces to see you through this 'not Summer' weather. With every day bringing a new sartorial challenge, these pieces will help you to layer now and all the way through to next Spring.     Soft blouses like this have been my failsafe this season, they have enough arm coverage to stop you shivering but are loose enough for you to still feel cool when the sun suddenly emerges from [...]

Guess where these new season looks come from

By |2016-05-13T18:29:33+01:00May 13th, 2016|Categories: Retail Review|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

I had a very busy day down in London yesterday meeting up with some of my favourite brands and gently putting our midlife views across to them. We're beginning to gain traction ladies - they're noticing the number of discussions that take place on this blog and slowly, we're starting to be taken more seriously. I'll share some of the things I learned with you over the next few weeks but first I just want to show you some pictures of [...]

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 [...]

Great summer buys for women over 40

By |2016-04-22T07:04:20+01:00April 22nd, 2016|Categories: Accessories, Hair & Beauty, Product review, Shoes, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

My last two posts have been practical ones, focusing on summer essentials - tailored cropped trousers and summer sandals so today I thought I'd do something a bit more frivolous. I'm writing especially with Nicky B in mind. For those who read the comments section, you'll know that she is my longest standing and most regular commenter. She has been with me since the very beginning (shortly followed by Nicola R who is also very special to me) and I [...]

Chic but comfortable Summer sandals 2016

By |2016-04-21T23:45:20+01:00April 19th, 2016|Categories: Retail Review, Shoes, Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

I think that you have to be more careful buying summer sandals than almost any other kind of footwear. After all, you are wearing them with bare feet so they are in direct contact with your skin. Any friction is not only going to hurt your feet but it is also going to create inflamed patches and hard skin which isn't a good look. Without you really noticing, the arch of your foot starts to suffer during your 40s. This is why [...]

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 [...]

What I wore this week and Easter sales

By |2016-04-22T00:42:44+01:00March 24th, 2016|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , |

We've been celebrating Christmas chez Midlifechic this week and it's all been a bit hectic. I'm not sure if you remember that I was disappointed in December because the impact of Storm Desmond meant that my brother and his family changed their plans to come up from London so we didn't see them. Anyway they arrived this week and we've had a lovely time. My nephews are 24 and 26 so it was a real treat to spend some time with [...]

New Spring fashion for women over 40 from John Lewis

By |2016-03-18T22:27:36+00:00March 18th, 2016|Categories: Retail Review, Style, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

We've had bright sunshine all week in the Lake District. The daffodils are out, the lambs are gambolling and it feels as though a new season is finally rolling in. This always makes me feel as though I have nothing to wear. Suddenly the core wardrobe of camel and grey that I've loved all winter feels dark and dull so I'm very much in the mood for some new season shopping. Last Autumn I focused on specific retailers which you seemed [...]

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 [...]

Boden Shoes Spring 2016 – trying them on

By |2017-03-18T22:21:23+00:00February 26th, 2016|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Hurray - I'm free! Thank you so much for your very supportive words over the last week, I'll tell you all about it in more detail soon but I'm rushing now because I'm off to spend the weekend with some of my favourite bloggers including Annette from Lady of Style and Catherine from Not Dressed As Lamb. In the meantime, two things have kept me smiling during this life changing week - your fabulously considerate comments and the thought that I would celebrate [...]

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 [...]

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 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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

The best black trousers on the high street – my pick

By |2015-03-13T17:04:58+00:00March 13th, 2015|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I was shopping in Liverpool a fortnight ago my mission was to find the best black trousers on the high street. Many were tried, in fact so many that I could no longer see any difference between them. So, I bought a hat (as you do) and decided to order the best I'd seen and try them on in one session at home. In my old life I used to have a personal shopping session every season at Selfridges [...]

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 [...]

Work outfits for women over 40 – trousers

By |2015-02-26T19:15:13+00:00February 26th, 2015|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Thank you for all of your good wishes for my new venture, it's lovely to feel your encouragement behind me. You just never know what's in store for you do you? If somebody had told me on 1st January that I would be a semi-invalid for the next 6 weeks and that I would then be embarking on a whole new career I would have told them they needed a sit down! I remember being in my 20s and thinking [...]

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 [...]

Finery London review of my delivery

By |2015-02-07T18:06:14+00:00February 7th, 2015|Categories: Retail Review, Style|Tags: , , |

I know I'm late posting this week but I wanted to do a Finery London review as soon as my delivery arrived. If you've missed the excitement, Finery launched on Thursday and currently ships to the UK, Canada and the US. They describe their range as "design that's contemporary but forever, beautiful but accessible, for women who love clothes as much as we do". I also like the fact that they say "I think we understand that women don’t shop by age, [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

A Parisian starter wardrobe for women over 40

By |2015-01-04T21:44:28+00:00January 4th, 2015|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

As you know I've been reading lots of style books over the Christmas holiday they were definitely my most useful and absorbing presents. Actually they couldn't have come at a better time, because they reminded me that a truly chic wardrobe isn't filled to bursting with lots of different clothes, in fact it is pared down to a number of essentials that all work seamlessly with each other. So when the sales started I was far more eclectic than usual. [...]

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 [...]

Party outfits for women over 40

By |2014-11-21T18:57:35+00:00November 21st, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Surprise! I know I said there wouldn't be a post today but I was sent a request by somebody who has a jumpsuit but feels she has worn it too often recently so I've put together a couple of alternatives which of course, I now want to buy. In each set I've created an option for a more casual Christmas Day / Boxing Day drinks look along with a full on party look. In the same way that dressing for [...]

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 [...]

Outfits for a working week

By |2014-10-21T16:51:12+01:00October 17th, 2014|Categories: Family, Style|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Being your own boss is both a blessing and a curse. On days like today I hit Friday morning and wince at how little I've actually achieved because I've been maxing out my 'flexible working'. However I have at least been trying to dress the part. As we're moving fully towards an Autumn wardrobe now, I've been trying out a few items that are on the edge of the culling pile just to see if I still like them. Unless you're [...]

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, [...]

New season…time for a midlife revamp?

By |2017-03-18T15:01:03+00:00September 5th, 2014|Categories: Style|Tags: , , , , , , |

Well, I'm gradually getting back into the swing of term time routine. I have to say that although I miss the long lazy days, I quite like having uninterrupted batches of time to myself again. Some of you have mentioned that you love September and the feeling of new beginnings it brings and I do agree. I think however old you are you always have that feeling of starting afresh. So, with that in mind, I've decided it's time for [...]

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 [...]

Go to Top