All that Glitters!

Hi Readers,

Hope you are all well on this bright cold Saturday.  The week has been a busy one & the coming one is about to go up a whole other notch.

The struggle of fashion against freezing temperatures is becoming more and more difficult, while trying to fend of the blistering wind that swirls around my office block.  To top things off, the heating system at work wasn't working for the first two days of the week & although I'm usually a person who feels the cold, I didn't as much this week, but that might have something to do with my thermals.  Mentioning I had them on when checking whether my team were warm enough, was meet with lots of laughter, until  I reminded them that I wasn't sitting at my desk in coats hats & scarves. 

On Monday I choose a Navy & grey pin stripped Shirt from Victoria Secrets, a Navy wool Skirt Tulip from Great Plains, a Grey H&M blazer & Navy a grey shoes from Office. 




Tuesday I went back to my animal print peplum, shown in earlier blog, black bubble pencil skirt both from Tu at Sainsbury's & pumps, my bag is also from a previous blog & years old.  This time I work jewellery with my top, but kept it plain but chunky. 

On Wednesday I once again opted for warmth as well as style & went with a Black polo neck, black 3 qtr length trousers, black blazer  & wellies & added a simple perspex Necklace from French Connection.

Thursday's choice is a long pleated wool H&M skirt, which is so thick it's ideal for keeping winter conditions out, a white frilled blouse also from Victoria Secrets, black fitted blazer,  again with my wellies.  As I was actually on duty, & supposed to be in uniform with a pink neck scarf, as a compromise I added a pink Rose necklace.

Friday, was my team's Christmas lunch, so I went with Green.  I took a cream Tu top with scalloped collar, added a printed pleated skirt from Zara's 2012 summer sale @ £10, a green H&M blazer (also 2012 summer sale @ £15) & black studded pumps from New look.  So you can still spend small amounts & feel great.  Green was right on trend this year & although it wasn't in your face in every shop, there were little bits around that I accumulated unconsciously, which I was then able to make up an outfit out of.

I especially liked that it wasn't everywhere & most people would ignore it, as it is slightly out of the box.

Here are two of the accessories I picked up that complimented my look.

All that Glitters, IS NOT GOLD


Christmas is the season for embellishment & bling.  There are ways to get it right & ways to get it so very wrong.  Here are two examples of embellishment overload

where they have taken it to another level.  If you're 18 - 22 a little quirky in your style, then you might 'just' get away with the fitted dress, but for the rest of us, it's likely you'll just end up looking like a Christmas tree with all the trimmings.   If you're over 40, the other one is probably still something only you mum should wear, unless your aim is to scream look at me for all the wrong reasons.                                                   

detail on front of midi dress

Asos Midi dress

Here's an example of a dress with jewels.  They're effective but just enough to make a statement.  For those of you who watch Eastenders, "Who's dress sense do you prefer, Kat or Tanya.  I'm with Tanya all the way, a real woman's body & always looks presentable enough to not get the 'Really!' look.

There is taking glitter that little too far, which Kat does all so well.  Although she stands out, consider whether it is for the right reasons.  If your aim is to do the same you can, but do it for the right reasons.  Remember there's good attention & negative attention. Decide which one you want when buying a little embellished number.
 If you are more of a free flowing dress kinda woman, here's an example of something you might feel that little bit more comfortable in.
Warning, if you want to cover your arms & you are a curvier lady do not, under any circumstances use a 'cardigan shrug'.  Another of my Pet hates, but I'll cover that in another blog.  There are lots of lovely shawls, jacket shrugs or large scarves out there, that you can wear instead.                                                                         


Here's some examples of embellished pieces that you could add to your wardrobe, that can be paired with much simpler items, to avoid being the one that gets it wrong.

Asos £45 Sequined Maxi

Pencil Tube Skirt New look £10

                             If you have long perfect pins, the maxi skirt is a great piece. A down side to sequins is, you cannot get away with it all year round, so I would take caution in not spending too much money on a piece, if you're on a tight budget.  If you're heavy set from the waist down, be careful that what you choose doesn't make you look bottom heavy.                         

 

If like me you are large busted be careful with Sequined tops or glitter & sequins on the top half of a dress.  The shine will just accentuate your bust even more. Unless this is your intention of course.  This top works well with A line skirts, trouser suits or dressing up a pair of jeans.  You can also find vest in the same material, which are reasonably priced.

This M & S cardigan can brighten up a plain shift dress, it's a great piece that can be added to a work dress if you are going out straight from the office.

M & S cardigan

Or you could go for a really plane dress or two piece & make your shoes the statement piece.

  


Here are two of my personal favorites.  They're simple, on trend & can be worn anytime of year, not just at Xmas.                

Hope that helped you if you were looking for inspiration.  Until next week, I'm off to get ready as meeting up with friends for a Christmas Special at Da scalzo's, Victoria, where my daughter, her acoustic guitarist Andy Black & her choir are going to entertain us.



Have a lovely weekend people.


Keep warm



Stylish AT50






Email;    Stylishat50@gmail.com
Facebook;    Stylish AT50

Xmas Dresses

Hi Readers,

So we're in December & there's only 25 days before the one day that everything is geared towards for three months.  The temperature has dropped suddenly but we still have to get to work. 

On Monday I was lucky enough to inherit a dress from my sister who has just lost 3 1/2 stone & could no longer fit into it, so that became Mondays work attire.  I would usually stay away from diagonal stripes, but as under the bust line & the waist area were cut on an Asymmetric line, it flattered the body instead of making it look wider, which is the usual rule with diagonal stripes.  I teamed it with all black accessories & a black blazer.




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Wednesday however I had a bit of a dilemma, as I could not decide on heels or Boots,  I tried it with both & they both worked so I finally choose comfort.  This is Wednesdays pic in Heels,

And this is this same outfit in flat boots.  I choose a white blouse which I found in the Miss Selfridge sales a few months back. A oxblood necklace & feathered earrings from Primark, leggings with a embellished waistband, which I purchased in Portugal a few years back.  They are really comfy & have side pockets & fake pockets on the back, so gives a pair of leggings a different twist.  I added a beige blazer, which I was lucky to find online for £10 from H&M last month. 

On Thursday I wore a Grey Blouse from Zara, with straight legged black jeans, black patent Shoes, & threw on a thick grey Betty Jackson Cardigan, which I've owned for about 9 years.  It comes out a few times ever winter & never lets me down.

I was on leave on Friday & went to Winter Wonderland in Hyde park with some of my daughters Choir, Singlolgy. then went onto The blue Kitchen Camden to meet the rest, for their Xmas party, which was advertised with the promise of a Soul band, which turned out to be a lie, but we still managed to have a really lovely day & great evening.  I forgot to take a photo of what I wore, but the day was a challenge, as it was around 6 degrees outside, so I had to layer up.  All I can say is there was layering going on every where & it definitely works.

Xmas Dresses    Xmas Dresses   Xmas Dresses

If you are one of those ladies who have lots of parties to go to & like me you like a bit of embellishment, but don't have the budget to buy clothes that can only be worn at Xmas, well there are lots out there, that you can get lots of wear out of.  If you are small or average busted then this maxi is great.  It is a little costly, but as you can see it is a bit special with all the detailing too. The Maxi retails at £120. If you fancy showing some leg, there is also a shorter version of it, for exactly half the price which also comes in black. 

   

Here's a beautiful elegant dress from French connection.  Again a little pricy, at £89 but you can wear this all year round & the quality at F C is second to none, so it will last years.


This Killer Maxi dress below is from Asos & if you have legs to die for, then its a great dress.  It's priced at £55 so a little nearer the reasonable price mark for most of us.  It is made from soft stretch jersey, so you should be very careful with the undergarments that you chose to accompany this dress

Like the model, this dress should be worn with a simple sandal & avoid any type of heavy boot, or shoe as it could spoil the whole look.  The trick when wearing anything with a split high or low, is to make your leg appear endless so do not cut it off with anything bulky.   With a lot of the embellished dresses out there, you need very minimal accessories.










Do you have a body that can rock a body con dress, but have very little to spend?  Then this might be just up your street. For those of you who are thinking size 10 & under do not be fooled.  I have seen sizes 16 & 18  ladies in a Body con, who look good in these types of dresses.              

With this one here it is totally understated, so you simply need to accessories it correctly & you will look as hot as anyone else in the room & for the grand price of £12 at Boohoo.  Go on line, you might be pleasantly surprised at what you can get for silly money on there, but I should warn it is geared more towards the younger women. 

For you ladies that like a little sophistication, Andrey Hepburn - Breakfast at Tiffany style, then this Zara dress could be the one for you.  It retails at £69. is classic & could be worn for years to come, & not just at Xmas.


I hope something you have read has inspired you today, whether in your daily work wardrobe of in the event of dressing for whatever celebrating you have coming up & for the festive season.

If you have any this week, have a great time.  If not have a good week anyway.




Stay warm



Stylish AT50






Email; Stylishat50@gmail.com
Facebook  Stylish AT50