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Styling a mustard yellow dress

Styling the summer 2018 trends: The mustard yellow dress

I don’t remember the last time I wore yellow. I don’t think I even wore it as a child, but the muse (or something) descended, and I was inspired to buy two yellow dresses in one day! The first was a paler yellow dress from Marks and Spencer – view the style post here – and then when I popped into Primark to buy a bra to wear with it, I spotted this mustard yellow dress and picked it up too!….

styling a pink dress

Styling the Spring/Summer 2018 trends: Pink

I have several items in my wardrobe of the dusky blush pink variety; but not so many of the brighter and pastel shades of pink that are on trend this season. I’ll have to be honest, is isn’t a shade that I think suits me very much, but this dress was so lovely, I wasn’t going to pass it by due to the colour! Some of these photos show how I styled it last summer, and some are from cooler days this spring, so they give you a couple of different ideas for how to style a pink dress….

how to road trip with kids

7 ways to survive a family road trip – holidays with kids advice!

Are you going on a road trip with your kids? Does the thought of going on holiday with children fill you slightly with dread? Well, worry no more – I’m here to help you out! Our first family road trip was back in 2002 when our daughters were seven and four years old and we did the classic California route that’s become very popular recently: Los Angeles then travel along the coast to San Francisco; to Yosemite national park; through Death Valley to Las Vegas; to the Grand Canyon; to San Diego for Seaworld then back to LA for Disney Land. And that was pre Sat Nav – I can still hardly believe we did all that with paper maps! Anyway, since then we’ve done a variation of that loop three more times and several camper van holidays in the UK from long weekends to a three-week tour of iron-age sites. Last year we drove from Washington DC to Orlando via Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans. I feel that we’ve got pretty good at road-tripping by now……

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…

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)….