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thirty plus British style blogger wearing boho dress

Styling a bohemian summer dress

Although the shops often seem full of boho dresses at this time of year, I struggle to find one in a colour or pattern that I actually like! This summer dress by Joanna Hope (bought via ebay) is now a favourite in my wardrobe. It’s in a beautiful dusky shade of khaki green and has an off-white pretty pattern all over. Perfect for summer holiday vibes!….

fashion blogger wearing a floral shirt dress

How to style a floral shirt dress; perfect spring fashion

I don’t know about you, but as we marched into April I had so had enough of winter! I was desperate to move away from my dark coloured winter wardrobe and wear some florals. I only went in Primark to buy a cheap skin-coloured bra as we were away in the camper and I’d forgotten to pack one! But on my way to the till I spotted this floral shirt dress that I just picked up (along with a mustard dress, coming to the style inspo section on the blog soon!) and took it with me….

30 plus fashion blogger styles a 1950s inspired outfit

Styling a 1950’s inspired outfit with a modern twist

I do like the nineteen-fifties style fashions and would like to add a little more into my wardrobe, but for now, this is one of my favourite outfits of the style. These photos were actually taken on my birthday last year and I’ve resurfaced them to show you the outfit. If you like the 50’s era fashion, but can’t afford or find good quality vintage clothing from that decade, then putting together an outfit like this still has the right vibes, but is probably a bit more comfortable!….

Over 40 fashion blogger in a yellow summer dress in a field of daffodils

4 reasons why this is the perfect summer dress! A yellow dress from Marks and Spencer

A few weeks ago now, Chris and I had our first weekend away of the year in our VW Camper van. I packed lots of jumpers and warm clothes because spring really hadn’t kicked in yet. However, once we’d gone through Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, the sun shone, and I felt I needed a new summer dress. I popped in Marks and Spencer in Truro and spotted this gorgeous yellow dress….

age 40 fashion blogger leaning on bridge wearing a pixie jacket

The summer evening jacket. A handmade pixie hem hippy-style coat

I have to admit, although we recently took the photos for this jacket; spring is actually a very difficult season to wear it due to its lack of waterproof-ness and the inclination in England for it to suddenly rain two minutes after the sun is blazing! So that’s why I entitled this as being ideal for summer evenings. It would also be great festival fashion as the pixie hem and unusual woven fabric gives it quite hippy vibes, whilst also being warm when the sun goes down, and perfect for sitting with friends around the bonfire after a night of dancing….

how to buy jersey dresses

A guide to buying jersey dresses. Styling a Joe Browns floral dress

This jersey dress from Joe Browns made its way into my clothing collection recently, so I thought (for a change) I would share it with you before it goes out of stock! If there’s one item of clothing I’ve been reaching for lately, it’s been a dress made out of lovely comfy stretchy material! Jersey, by the way is what t-shirts are made of; a woven fabric with some stretch, sometimes with added elastane or lycra for extra stretch. Through winter I’ve been wearing them with a snuggly jumper over the top and thick leggings underneath and it meets that elusive requirement of being comfortable to wear, but still looks good enough to leave the house in. However, there are good and bad points that need considering when shopping for a jersey dress…..

over 40 fashion blog

The jumper dress – perfect spring clothing for chilly dry days

Yes I know these photos were taken in snow, but to be honest, looking out my window at the grey windy day outside with the fan heater blowing on my feet, it doesn’t actually feel far off! It occurred to me that actually the jumper dress is the perfect fashion item for spring; particularly when you’ve had enough of wearing a coat…

boho fashion blogger

A boho dress for a boho lifestyle

I am often at my happiest when Chris, (and in the past when they were smaller, the kids as well) and I go off on a road-trip in the camper. We’ve had a few vans over the years, changing the size of them to suit our family, and now that Rain and Jude have had enough of the cramped sleeping conditions and the dog snoring in their ears, we downsized to a Type 25 VW camper van a couple of years ago for just the two of us. When I’m gathering the clothes to take with me on these trips, I tend to choose the more bohemian items from my wardrobe. Apart from at Wilderness festival, can you think of a more fitting time to wear clothes like this dress? With its flowing fabric and button-up style, this maxi dress has a gorgeous print inspired by far-flung lands and evokes a feeling of summer travels….

circus fashion

Could The Greatest Showman film spark a circus fashion trend?

(Alternative title: Clowning about in the woods!) I became a little suspicious back in November when I had the chance to browse some well-known high-street shops in a city. I noticed that the stripe trend had turned vertical, and wider, like circus tents! And combined with ruffles, the effect of these details does point to the circus! It’s been known to happen before with a popular musical movie: Do you remember the 1920’s fashion trend of 2013 that well and truly kicked off after the success of The Great Gatsby? I for one am not complaining, I love everything about the circus, particularly the wonderful clothing!….

knitting is cool!

How to rock the granny chic trend! Styling a hand-knitted cardigan

February 25, 2018

I don’t know whether you’ve noticed it, but I’ve spotted lots of people lately wearing jumpers and cardigans that look like their granny knitted it. They probably didn’t, because these people are probably young enough that their grannies are still in full time work and far too busy to be sitting by the fire and knitting. However, I was lucky enough to have a Nan who knitted and was proud to wear my royal blue school cardigans with massive sleeves that no-one else had. (At least I was until I was ten.) Maybe that’s what sparked my love of wearing things just a little bit different to everyone else. (Damn – I wish I’d thought of that argument when I was a teenager “Well if you didn’t want me to wear 1960’s mini nightdresses with Doc Martins, maybe you should’ve just bought me a Woodlands school cardigan with the logo on it like everyone else had!” sort of thing)….

A capsule wardrobe

Is a capsule wardrobe the right way to go? I tried it for a month to find out.

February 13, 2018

There are several YouTubers and bloggers I follow who live by a capsule wardrobe. They don’t just live by it; they fully recommend it, citing how wonderful it is to know they can get out of bed in the morning and easily choose an outfit that will colour co-ordinate and work for them. I have been fascinated by this, but to be honest, I’ve always thought it wasn’t really for me, I mean, if you want to see the state of my wardrobe/dressing room, then take a look at the tour coming soon to my YouTube channel! However, for four weeks at the beginning of the year, I went to stay in America (accompanying Chris on a work trip) so I really didn’t have a choice as everything I wore for a month had to fit in my suitcase. I’m currently typing this on the plane coming home and I thought I would share how I got on with my experiment with a capsule wardrobe….

dressing down party dresses

How to wear your party outfits through winter

February 1, 2018

Now I’ll be honest here, I only had one Christmas party to go to last year, and really that was more of a small get-together than a party! However, I do have a few items in my wardrobe I was thinking about, and if you’re little miss socialite, I have some ideas that may help you make the most of those dresses you bought for the party season…