ANSWER: Yes.
images from Daily Mail
Month: January 2015
Roomy denims
Roomy Denim
Hmm … what to wear for a trip to edgy Shoreditch, to visit the London store of Ally Capellino?
If you aren’t familiar with the brand, it is admired for the minimal contemporary styling of its bags, like these nappa leather rucksacks in spring colours.
Which (note to self) would work well with jeans and the New Balance gingham trainers I mentioned in my last post.
For spring/summer 2015, looser denim profiles are proliferating on the catwalk, so Toast has introduced a new cut: Artist Jeans are high-waisted in Japanese cotton selvedge denim. They come in sizes 6-18 and in regular and long options: these will do nicely for my day out!
The reason for the pilgrimage across town is that there has been a fresh delivery at Ally Capellino of silver Yoko rucksacks.
So here is my outfit for East London:
Toast Artist Jeans. Marks and Spencer two-tone bomber jacket. ASOS White Collection t-shirt. Superga Flatforms. Cos blue glass necklace.
And, of course, returning with the Ally Capellino Yoko rucksack.
Book Review: “In Your Prime: Older, Wiser, Happier” by India Knight
I love my old friends. As long-term subscribers to the soap-operas of each other’s lives, we are already familiar with the full cast of characters and all of the possible plot permutations. It’s a very efficient form of friendship: you can jump straight in with the latest instalment. And we are all very fond of each other – after all, we’ve made the effort to stay in touch – which makes for a comfortable and safe environment in which we can all say what we really think.
Well, now I have a new one. That’s right: a new old friend!
How is this possible, you might ask? Well, her name is India Knight and – as improbable as this may seem – she wrote me a book!
I know that she wrote it for me because, like all my old old friends, she knows exactly what I am interested in and what I want to talk about; she’s frank and intimate, she sounds just like one of the gang, she is wise, and she is well-informed, with masses of good advice across a wide range of topics. She knows that I live in London and has shared the contact details of some of her favourite therapists with me. She is a bit obsessed with her feet, but at our age we all repeat ourselves occasionally and get fixated on things – it’s part of our charm.
This book covers the most common life experiences of the middle-aged woman and it is laugh-out-loud funny in places. (Please accept this apology if you were in the dentist’s waiting room with me when I was reading about friends cancelling dates!) Sections on handling elderly relatives and coping with divorce are sad but realistic and helpful. Better out than in!
My one concern is her business plan: she seems eminently sensible, but writing whole books for individual readers at only £7 a pop cannot be profitable?
Anyway, clearly she spotted that in this transitional time of life I need reassurance and a pep talk. She saw that I was feeling a bit wobbly, and I have to say that reading her book has been uplifting and affirming. And even though this book was clearly written with me in mind, she seems like such a reasonable person that I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you read it too.
Reasons to be cheerful
To mis-quote Dean Martin, the weather outside is frightful, but in my head it’s quite delightful.
I am in deepest Denial-shire and looking forward to warmer weather, longer days, and some spring additions to my wardrobe that will be available soon. In my deluded state I have found these three reasons to be cheerful:
- A gingham trend for spring and summer 2015. I’ve always loved checks, as long as the look ends up more Hepburn/Kelly than Baby Jane.
- Flats, slides and sneakers are still cool. Because they are COMFORTABLE.
- Whistles are making a small version of their big hit ‘Verity’ backpack. A happy combination of practical and beautiful in one very useful bag!
With this in mind, I’m hatching plans for weekend sightseeing in European capitals – Paris and Rome, please! – and have already assembled an outfit that is adaptable, chic, and fashionable.
Black/white is a trend for the spring too, so this Hobbs Twitchill dress (super comfortable and just below the knee) is a double winner. Last summer I hankered after bright fluorescent trainers, but this year these New Balance gingham & mint 996 shoes are perfect. Boden’s cropped cashmere is a wardrobe staple. And to carry around my Euros, guidebooks, sunglasses, and perhaps a change of shoes for the evening – the Whistles backpack.
Colour and curves
Have you noticed how colour and curves seem to go together? Here are two women often associated with weight loss stories (putting weight on, losing weight, putting it back on again …)
Why don’t we simply appreciate their fabulous curves? My, but they look like women – and that’s a good thing!
I find it interesting that Nigella and Oprah (aged 55 and 61 respectively, if you can believe that) colour-block in strong, pure hues, while their more straight-up-and-down sisters are often soberly attired. That suggests to me that they themselves really do celebrate their curves, perhaps because they know that real men love them. (The Editor certainly does, I’m glad to say.)
If you are fearless enough to cope with the attention that will almost certainly ensue, my two top online stores for dressing like a real woman are …
Diva Catwalk (rumour has it that Nigella is a customer):
And the Pretty Dress Company:
Proper grown-up clothing!
Smoking!
Cheer up! Look, here are some pretty pictures…
January is a difficult month: cash-strapped, cold, a bit overweight, and generally deprived of daylight. So hooray for the frivolous fashion explosion that is the Golden Globes. Perfect timing – thank you, Hollywood!
Star billing this year went to someone who is perhaps not technically our demographic, but who is nonetheless an embodiment of the classic, elegant grace that we aspire to at InnerMutton. His wife scrubs up pretty well too – even if she is a bit too young to be an official Role Model.
That Dior dress was the big winner of the night, along with the gloves, which spawned many column inches this morning.
Here… have some more tonic:
Two lovely redheads in beautifully constructed dresses: Amy Adams and Jessica Chastain both chose colours which emphasised the warmth of their striking natural colouring.
And Helen Mirren looked positively joyous: brim-full of confidence. Well, why not? As usual, she was an inspiration.
And finally, another imposter – practically a child. I do love Lupita’s style: it’s just a little bit barmy, but tasteful at the same time. What fun!
Gold? I’m sorry; you’ll have to be more specific
Remember when jewellery came in two colours: gold or silver?
Well, a round of applause please for rose gold. I know that not all of you enjoy exploring the High Street (be it Kensington or elsewhere) but for those who do, this is a shopportunity if ever I saw one!
Just as beaten copper and mirror-finish brass are the prodigal metals of interior design, so smoky-grey gold and fire-toned rose gold are adding warmth to winter wardrobes.
They can be pretty and feminine, as seen in the Tiffany images above, or more strikingly new and carefree, as seen at Marc Jacobs via ASOS below:
I wouldn’t saddle myself with commitment jewellery in what is a rather trendy finish. So if you’re asking, it’s still platinum for me. But for warming up winter blacks in early 2105, and with a view to some summer dressing-up fun, rose gold could be right on the money.
One At A Time, Please!
If I were asked to design a bathroom (or any other room involving brassware: taps, traps, towel rails, etc.) I would not dream of mixing my metals. You don’t want brass? Okay, well then nickel or chrome, perhaps? Certainly not the two together!
There are some aspects of interior design that are non-negotiable. Good grief, I can’t sleep in a room where the hinges don’t match the door handles!
The same rule applies to personal presentation.
I am not just referring to jewellery: this is a multi-layered problem.
Here is something that makes me very happy: the buckles on my Fiorentini & Baker boots match the clasp (and other metal parts) of my Mulberry handbag:
I regard these as outer wrapping: I am not so pernickety that I would never wear white metal jewellery as part of this outfit. But as a rule I try to match my shoe metal to my bag, and similarly any jewellery I wear always comes from one metal family only.
My current favourite day wear includes a combination of white-coloured metal in the form of a steel watch and Hermes chaine d’ancre silver bracelet worn on the same wrist:
Between you and me, the Rolex is actually a bit of a fantasy (hint to Editor) and I am pretty happy with the Sekonda that is currently standing in for the part of lead watch:
I hope the point is clear. No gold rings, necklaces or earrings worn as part of this ensemble.
Non-negotiable.
Pretty Woman!
Showing my age here, but I am still a little bit hung up on Julia Robert’s wardrobe in the film Pretty Woman.
If you’re like me the words ‘Polo Dress’ will instantly bring a certain scene to mind:
If you have never seen Pretty Woman, then I suggest you stop reading now and watch it immediately.
True, the hat and gloves were a bit 1990 (yes, we’re reaching back 25 years here!) but I think that Julia’s look has aged better than Richard’s, and that that dress is still a winner.
I was reminded of it this morning when LK Bennett pinged me some of their new season product which includes this navy/white dress (with pockets, and fuller in the skirt in keeping with the current trend):
If you have ankles like Naomi Watts (I’m now thinking Painted Veil) this would make a great ‘day’ look teamed with Hobbs white brogues (or see these from M&S) Toast handbag, Dorothy Perkins skinny tan belt, and Pure cashmere cardigan. I’ve thrown a Panama Hat Mall fedora in for the full Julia Roberts effect. But I could also be persuaded to go all Grace Kelly with a long, floaty scarf.
Sadly, Santa didn’t bring me chiselled ankles, so until I’ve saved the money for the ankleplasty, I’ll stick to boots until the weather warms up – this is a transitional dress that will take me right through until the summer. So the adjusted look is:
with Boden boots, Van-Dal Dylan clutch, and Maison Boinet leather bow belt.
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