Solutions for the New Year's outfit challenge

New Year's Eve outfit by eleanorbirdy 

Why is it that New Year's comes along right after Christmas when I'm at my fattest, pasty-est and feeling completely un-glam? It's a bit cruel really. 

I normally love dressing up and going out, but in the post-Christmas slump, I'm really not up for much. Still, I'm due to go out and celebrate so what to wear?

I'm a big fan of midnight blue and already have two evening-y sort of tops in that colour. For some strange reason I love the bat-wing shape too. I don't think it's particularly flattering, I just really love it. So, I'm tempted by the Mary Portas top I found on Polyvore, but it's handwash, would need ironing and I DON'T NEED IT. I will stick to what I've got. 

My chocolate brown coated jeans from H & M are showing their age a little (the coating is scuffing off on the seams) but they'll do for now. 

I don't currently own a pair of black booties, but I've got some gift cards to use up so I'll get me some post-haste. I do have lots of statement necklaces so I'm covered in that regard! 

I goes without saying that this outfit will be topped off with a big coat and my warmest cashmere pashmina. Not for me the silly business of tottering around town in winter with no clothes on!

So, what are you doing for New Year's? Got an outfit sorted? 

Column dressing and working with what you've got

Column dressing by eleanorbirdy 

 I came across the concept of 'column dressing' in Bridgette Rae's blog recently. The idea is that you create a 'column' of a single neutral colour then add a pop of complimentary or contrasting colour over the top. 

I really quite liked this idea as a way of rethinking my options in combining separates. What with Christmas coming up, I shouldn't be shopping. So, I had to have a think about how I might do this column thing with clothes I already own. 

I have more or less matching sets in dark jade green, warm navy blue and black. I have cardigans in a range of colours (here I picked navy, burgundy and fuchsia). I added some shoes and jewellery to tone in with the 'pop' colour of the cardigan. In the case of the green and blue set, I thought it was similar enough to be able to get away with introducing grey/silver as a third colour in the mix. 

What do you think about this column dressing idea? Helpful, interesting or too dull?

One pair of pants, three days

One pair of pants, three days by eleanorbirdy featuring a bateau neck top 

So this week I suddenly found I had to stay away from home for a couple of nights. I commuted for my work on Tuesday morning but the traffic (and weather) was so damn bad that I thought I'd rather stay in the area rather than have to face it again. Of course I hadn't packed, so what to do about clothes for work? 

I happened to be wearing the first outfit on the left - one of those excellent shirts from Oasis as mentioned previously, leopard heels and a gold-toned necklace from Accesorize. I also had on my new pants (or trousers for the English) from Laura Ashley. I have to say that they stood up brilliantly to three days of hard use! 

I popped out to Next UK after work ('cos their shop happened to be on the way to where I was staying) and after a bit of hunting and trying on, I found these two tops. They were both quite cheap and I think I'll get plenty of wear out of them. 

I have been wanting another beige cardigan after I left my old one in Belfast so I was pleased to get this one. It's got a bit of a fabric detail on the lapel which gives it a touch of something more interesting. Also, it's a nice light beige colour. I have to be very careful with beige to get the right tone to suit - yellowy tones look hideous on me!

I also got the dark blue boat-neck top. The picture shows it being rather loose but I sized down to get a snug fit. The colour suits me and I like the buttons at either side of the neck.   

So, with a few toiletries and some cheap underwear, I was set for a couple more days at work. Not the most exciting outfits, but I was pleased with my improvisation.  

Craving wine for autumn - burgundy, merlot, sangria, claret

Craving wine for autumn by eleanorbirdy 

The weather has turned and true to form, my mind has wandered to autumn fashion. I'm yearning for all things burgundy, particularly accessories like shoes (shooz!) and a large bag for work. 

That expensive fluffy clutch bag is just for fun. I'd never spend that much on something so frivolous (but I do think it's pretty!).

I already have a pair of garnet earrings, some tear-shaped drops in silver. I also have a burgundy cotton cardigan, a burgundy three-quarter sleeve top and some excellent wine-coloured nail polishes. I think I'd wear some burgandy shoes as a bit of an accent with other colours especially dark blue, grey and black and white patterns.  I'd have to avoid green or I'd start to feel like a Christmas decoration gone wrong.

With bags, I tend to buy one or two a year and use them every day until they fall apart or I get sick of them. My current bag is jade green slouchy leather. I'd like something a bit more structured and large enough to carry a small laptop or tablet. (I need to buy the small laptop or tablet too... Maybe for Christmas?!)

Are you getting on board with the wine-themed trend this season? Or are you going into spring and thinking about pastels? Or are you just not that fussed about colour trends?

The great top dilemma

The great top dilemma by eleanorbirdy featuring a white shirt 

 How difficult is it to find useful tops? Arrghghgh! (That's the sound of me tearing my hair out.)

Once again I'm in that familiar place of wailing, "I've got nothing to wear!" each morning before work. The weather is so changeable at the moment I need tops that I can layer over but that also look nice enough for work when worn alone. Tricky. 

In terms of early autumn 'bottoms' I have two pairs of dark blue trousers (one cobalt and black pattern, the other royal blue jacquard), a pair of jade green trousers, beige chinos and the trusty workhorse black pair (these are a heavy patterned fabric with a slight jodhpur cut so a bit more interesting). I also have a black and white check A-line skirt. I'm not wearing as many skirts as usual 'cos I want to avoid tights as long as possible.

Anyway, I'm sorted for bottoms but the top situation is driving me to distraction. I tried on eight tops (EIGHT) in a shop the other day in order to find one that I liked and that fit nicely (it was a pastel floral number nothing like the one pictured above). 

I did get some relief on a trip to Oasis  as they had dozens of different versions of the roll up sleeve shirts shown above. These fit the bill of being non-iron, machine washable and appropriate for early autumn. They're not cheap (by my standards) but I snapped up the rather translucent black one and the jade green one (brighter than it looks in the pic). I've only had them a week and they've been worn twice each so safe to say they were a good buy!

The best thing is that they'll be useful when it gets colder with a warm singlet underneath and a wool cardigan on top.

I think I could do with a few more work tops (as my black and white patterned blouse is on its last legs) so wish me luck in the search! 

Grey weather - grey outfits

Pep up your greys by eleanorbirdy featuring cuff jewelry

Grey is in this autumn (this phrase reminds me of my mother asking me every season what the 'in' colours were). This is kind of a shame as I love grey and what is 'in' with soon enough be 'out'. I'm quite happy wearing colours that aren't fashionable, but it's not so cool wearing something that used to be fashionable a year or two ago... anyway, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. 

I have the Gap jeans pictured above and I love them a lot. They've got a subtle floral pattern and they're generously sized but flatteringly cut.  I also have a similar grey cashmere cardigan which I got on sale from M & S, although mine is from the old lady range so it needs careful styling to look current.

I really like wearing tone on tone but I tend to add a few bits to break up the uniform colour. Smallish black and white patterns (like the snow leopard scarf) read as grey from a distance, but provide a bit of visual texture. Black provides a bit of contrast and the patent flats give another texture to the outfit. I've got these ones from Oasis - they were cheap and I think they have a bit of an Audrey Hepburn feel. 

I also like white with grey to lighten things up and of course silver goes beautifully with grey. I also love how the green animal print shoes are a bit quirky but tone in nicely with the rest of the reasonably subdued outfit. 

I'd wear outfits similar to the ones above out on the weekend, shopping or doing whatever in town. If fact, I think I will today!

What to snap up in the summer sales?

House of Fraser Summer Sale by eleanorbirdy featuring a sally hansen nail polish

I've been poodling about the House of Fraser website for ages, putting sale items in my bag, but not actually buying them. There's something about high summer that makes me disinclined to shop. Is it the knowledge that all this heat has to wane at some point soon? Or the feeling that really I should be spending this month outside enjoying the weather, instead of thinking about clothes? Or just that I like these things but I don't love them?

Lemon yellow is really fashionable at the moment and it does actually suit me. I have tried and failed to pick up a pastel yellow nail polish.  The one I got (Rimmel 60 seconds) got lots of compliments but it's more a custard yellow and not at all what I was looking for.

I do kind of need another pair of cropped trousers for work. I only have one pair in black and they're a lot more comfortable than skirts in the heat. 

I also do need another pair of jeans. I just took a pair of scissors to one of my pairs today to turn them into crops but all my pairs are a bit faded and sad-looking. 

Comfy flat shoes for weekend and walking to work are always useful and I just like those turquoise wedges. I'm not sure if the pink shoes are a bit matronly?

How are you doing with the summer sales? (Or winter sales if you're on the other side of the world) Taking advantage or leaving them alone? 

Oh for a room of one's own!

Dream dressing room by eleanorbirdy 

 We live in a small one bedroom flat. We love where we live, but after a couple of years here I find myself dreaming of space. Particularly the ultimate luxury of one's own dressing room. We find it pretty frustrating trying to get into the same places at the same time in our current bedroom. Wouldn't it be nice to have a whole room to spread out in?

I'm dreaming of two big wardrobes, just for me! With shoe cubbies and all sorts of clever shelves and hangers and wardrobe organisation things inside. 

I'm dreaming of a proper dressing table with a seat, facing the window so it's got lots of natural light. It's got a mirror and space to put all my make up and hair products. 

 I'd love a little slipper chair like the one above for putting on shoes and generally lolling about in. When I was a little girl my parents came across a little floral armchair. They said it was mine and they'd get it reupholstered to go in my bedroom but there was never room in my room. Eventually it got too dilapidated and went to the tip.

In my dream dressing room, the walls are an expensive shade of light taupe. The floor is plush cream wool carpet with the lovely big rug as shown above.There are several big windows with views of trees and rolling green hills. There's a gorgeous marble encrusted en suite bathroom (with a huge bath).  Sigh...

The Two Faces of January - stylish summer inspiration

I saw 'The Two Faces of January' recently - it's a great movie, go and see it! Also, it's an intensely stylish movie with bespoke costumes by Steven Noble. I'm not a blonde so I might need to change the colours, but I coveted everything Kirstin Dunst wore. The film is set in Greece in the 60s and she plays the wife of a rich man so she's all about classy shift dresses.

 We first see her in a beautiful belted primrose yellow sundress with matching hat. That boat-neck is so flattering and the colour is lovely on her.

 We also see her in a summery brownish tartan dress and flat sandals. Those sunglasses are totally wearable today. I would totally wear that whole outfit. The dress is just up my alley with the sweetheart neckline, short sleeves, pulled in waist and below the knee length skirt. Sigh!

I couldn't find a picture of Kirstin wearing it, but this greyish, beige-ish shift dress was lovely. It's a very 60's shape.














 So, I had a wee look around Polyvore to see if I could find some similar-ish dresses to those the Kirstin wore. Some of my picks are crazy-expensive designer things, but we can use them as inspiration, can't we?

Two Faces of January - Kirstin Dunst inspiration by eleanorbirdy

The perfect work dress

So I have this dress. I got in on a massive discount from an outlet store to wear to Ascot and a wedding. It's from Jaeger and it is the perfect dress. It's a raspberry/ burgandy/ cerise colour and is on the knee and well tailoured with short sleeves. The dress is made of a nice thick fabric that skims over the body and is machine washable.

As well as formal social events, I've worn it to (successful) job interviews and just generally to work in both winter and summer. It goes with all sorts of colours and accessories.

I'm kind of thinking I could do with a few of these magic dresses as they make getting dressed in the morning so easy and they look so put-together. I've scouted out a few options below with slight variations. Most of them are way outside my price range, but I can scour the outlet stores and use them for inspiration.

I just need to make sure that I don't get sucked into something that:

• Has a pattern I'll get sick of
• Is too short or too low-cut or too tight
• Has fabric that isn't machine washable and no-iron
• Isn't too clingy, static-y or creasable

Only perfection will do! 

 

What is your formula for the perfect day dress?

Work dresses by eleanorbirdy

Style AND comfort?

Oh dear, I'm turning into my mother! In my younger years I swore I'd stay in my high heels and generally not forsake style for comfort. But I'm afraid the tide is turning.

Patti of the excellent blog Not Dead Yet Style recently posted about comfortable clothing and I found myself identifying with many of her points. Her post made me think about why some of my clothing, shoes and accessories just don't work. Comfort is a key factor.

Below are is a picture with approximations of things I've bought but am either sending to the charity shop or just not wearing because they're not comfortable enough.

Big, heavy jewellery just doesn't get worn, no matter how pretty it is. Just today I removed a couple of strands of a multi-strand cut glass bead necklace. It looked stunning with the whole set of five glittering strands but it was just too heavy so I didn't wear it. Better to have three strands and a wearable weight. 

Uncomfortable things/ failed purchases by eleanorbirdy 

The platform booties are there because they really weren't comfortable enough for miles of walking during a weekend, the fur trim made them too seasonally specific and they were too casual for even relaxed work days. A good idea but just didn't work for my lifestyle. I do still wear heels (even stilettos) but not above about 3 inches and only for office work. Also, I'm really fond of the less-frumpy shoes from comfy brands like Clarks and Footglove from M & S.

The dress was also a good idea (in fact I have several similar ones) but somehow the hemlines seem to magically shrink. This is a psychological comfort issue. I am not comfortable with my thighs on display. 

I really don't know what it is with the hems on dresses but I often have this issue. Do I pull them down when I'm trying them on in the shop? Or not walk around enough to check if they ride up? Do they shrink in the wash? Is it me getting fatter or just less confident? Anyway, I now have several floral print jersey dresses that I'm not wearing. I'm keeping them in the hope that something might change. What, I don't know... I just can't bring myself to send them to the charity shop yet.

One last thing that always turns out to be a shopping fail are tops that need ironing. They're not uncomfortable of course, I just don't iron so they hang around unworn for months on end. A shocking waste. I must train myself not to buy tops that need ironing. (Or start ironing, you say? Pshaw, get away with you!). 

Where do you stand on the comfort versus prettiness spectrum? Do have shopping traps that you regularly fall into?

Packing for Venice in Spring

Packing for Venice in Spring by eleanorbirdy 

So we're going to Venice in a few days and I'm a little stressed. Oh noes, First World Problems! (wrings hands)

Still, I'll have a little whinge and if you get fed up with me, by all means click away.

I booked this trip about six weeks ago and promptly did nothing else to prepare. We have flights and a hotel but we are only just now sorting out all those details like how are we actually getting up to Gatwick airport and from the airport in Venice, what are we going to do, how are we going to afford to eat while we're there and what on earth are we going to pack!

We've got a night in London and four nights in Venice with a carry on case each and nothing else. I'm a bit concerned 'cos that's quite a lot of clothes needed and very little space to put them in. We will need to do some washing in our hotel sink.

After a bit of research into packing for Venice it seems that comfy shoes are key. I'm going to suck it up and take my joggers - at least the blue goes with my cobalt blue jeans... My black boots can do for formalish wear as well as walking during the day and in case it's hot I'll take some (reasonably comfy) sandals.

Rain protection is also a theme so I'll take a light trench coat and an umbrella.

I'm taking the maxi dresses as I still don't feel like getting my bare legs out, but I'm sick of wearing tights squeezing me around the middle. And they can be dressed up for evening events if needed. 

So what do you think of my packing - any suggestions? You've got a couple of days to give me all your tips then I'm off!

What to do with your legs in spring?

Spring want list by eleanorbirdy featuring slim leg pants

As soon as the weather changes in England, I tend to find myself suddenly needing to change my wardrobe (and often being unprepared). I did snap up the floral cardigan above from ASDA. I thought it looked quite cool for a reasonably cheap garment from a supermarket. I've worn it several times already and I certainly feel 'springy' in it.

I also really need some smart-casual light weight trousers. I really liked the look of the patterned ones above from H & M and I did buy them (with a voucher for 25% off) but they really are too tight for office wear at the moment. They're a black and pale pink pattern which I think would be pretty flexible for matching with other patterns as well as a range of plain coloured tops. I'm torn between using them as a reward for losing a few more pounds and thinking that actually, they've got so much stretch that they'll never look appropriate for work. What do you think?

Last summer I got some cheap white flats and worn them to death. I think a better quality leather pair from Clarks would be a good investment. They are a bit expensive, but they'd be good for weekends and more casual work days. And I may be getting old, but I like the comfort of Clarks too.

Another thing that I seem to be constantly searching for is shell tops or blouses with short sleeves in non-creasing fabric. I know some people don't like polyester, but I love the fact that it's so quick to dry and doesn't need ironing.

The final thing I've been in desperate need of so far this spring is pale patterned tights to wear with my skirts and dresses.  I think I must be the only one who likes these sort of tights as I spent Sunday afternoon scouring the shops to no avail. I finally managed to pick up a few pairs in TKMaxx. I like patterned tights as they don't ladder as much as 15 denier sheers. Also, I like to hope that the patterns distract the viewer's eye from my less-than-fabulous legs.

So, can someone explain what to do with legs in spring? Just keep wearing black tights? Switch straight to bare legs? Wear nude stockings? Give me some advice here...

Too old for glittery nails?

I'm quite proud of these little beauties - Rimmel Black Cherry with Ciate Candy Cane over the top. The base is a very dark burgundy and the glitter is fuchsia.

 The ladies at Facegoop say, "That's the power of glitter nails. They make you feel special. Luminous. Invincible." (They have a helpful article about what to do with glittery nails here.)




But I wonder slightly if I'm pushing the envelope of professional attire. And I have read stupid articles that say 'no glitter nail polish over 30'. I do want to be appropriate - I'm not one of those 'I'll wear what I want and screw the lot of you!' lassies.

I've done an impression of the outfit I wore with my glorious nails - as you can see my cardigan is a bit brighter than the one I could find to illustrate. And my necklace was three strands of dark purple 'amethyst' beads.  

So, what do you think - acceptable in a reasonably casual office? On someone (gasp) over 30?

Rimmel Black Cherries and Ciate Candy Cane

Making the same clothes look different

Work outfit with sheath dress by eleanorbirdy featuring black leather boots

I've seen a few outfit suggestions recently that say things like 'One dress, four looks' then just show the same dress with small bits of jewellery and different shoes. 

If I'm going to wear and re-wear my outfits, I want to pretty much make people that think it's a different piece of clothing. A few tweaks of jewellery is just not going to cut it in the 'make people think you're not wearing the same things all the time' stakes.

So, I've got a lovely burgundy sheath dress that I'd like to make more use of (the dress above is the closest approximation I could find, although the picture looks more red than burgandy). 

I've worn my dress to the races at Ascot and a wedding (both in summer) but now I want to wear it for work in autumn/winter. 

I've got all the pieces above (or something like them). As you can see from the picture above, I'm pulling the formality of the dress down a bit as my workplace isn't super-dressy. I'd put the belt over the cardigan a) to keep warm and b) 'cos I like accenting my waist. For those apple-shaped folks, I'd suggest putting a wider belt under the cardigan - it still defines the waist but is more subtle about it. You could also make things a bit more fun with some subtly patterned black tights instead of just solid black.

 

 Above is another idea, again with items I already have some version of. Hopefully the change of colour palette looks different enough to not bring out the thought 'she always wears the same clothes'.Still, the style is definitely 'me' with the belted cardigan and tights the same colour as the shoes.

Now I'm running out of ideas. I don't fancy the idea of strong colour contrasts like navy and burgundy (remember my actual dress is burgundy) and heaven forbid I wear bright green and burgundy! 

I do have a pale pink cardigan which would look quite fetching with my dress. And I've got a nice pastel coloured statement necklace which would tie things together - with beige tights and beige booties. A bit frivolous, but could be kind of fun.

What do you think - do you mind wearing the same things all the time? How do you ring the changes?