40/40 forty feeling forty

skirts max mara , zara     safari vest & shirt both sprider stores    stripped tshirt zara     trousers & jacket  marks&spencer    shoes  zara        belt rococo         strawberries &apples  local market      oranges   backyard trees 

Having a lot of free time because of the easter school break led to  reading more blogs than usual.
I came upon an interesting discovery. There are a lot of blogs that are kept by young and sometimes really young bloggers (like 12 or 13) and there are blogs about women over 50 who  they actually form a very strong community. There are also blogs about fashionable mammas most of whom are in their thirties.
I'd love to prove me wrong but where are the women in their forties? I'm not saying there are no women at ages 40 to 50 that don't have blogs .What I'm trying to say is that women aged 40 don't make a point out of it.
My first explanation is that when we can pass for 30 why to admit we are in our forties hence the low profile.
Now don't get me wrong at this point. Some of my favorite blogs are written by 20 something year old girls that have an amazing insight in life and I feel so proud and inspired by women in their 50s.
But I also want to be in touch with women my age and get to know what they are doing, their anxieties,their hopes,their style ...you get the point.
Like I said in the begining I'd love to be  proved wrong.

Style can go a long way

After browsing for quite a long time on the internet I finally stambled upon a collection that sets the exact stylistic tone/vibe I want for my clothes.
I'm talking about Margaret Howell 's collection. I was so impressed that I made a small recearch .I found out that she started making clothes in the bedroom of her house back in the 70s.
She is known since then for her concistency in making high quality basic clothes for both men and women.
I so much love the simplicity of her lines , the fabrics she uses but unfortunately I can't afford any of her clothes at this moment . Hopefully. I will be able to save but for the moment I 'm inspired by her clothes and by new and older collections.
In this spirit I chose to wear my humble marks and spencer twin set ( which by the way is of great quality), my Levi's trousers and my favorite shirt at the moment (sleeves rolled up and buttoned all the way up) plus my broques.

via telegraph

Check out her amazing personal style and mind you she is 63 years old. She has 2 children and loves post modern architecture. Many of her campaigns are shot in black and white by famous photographers such as  Bruce Weber, Koto Bo
lofo, and Venetia Scott.







 On a different note, I celebrated Easter together with my family trying to keep some traditions but also inserting new ones.

And finally that's what I wore on Sunday while relaxing in the sun with my family

Questions, questions, questions

I' m not quite sure how or when this tomboyish direction of my style appeared. What I'm totally sure of is that when it appeared I absolutely felt at home with it.
If I could bring more labels on the table I would say that my style borders minimalism and preppy, classic style hoping to incorporate a bit of parisian chic in the future.
I admit that using labels makes me  feel uneasy. However, I consider these labels as the signs that show me direction until I reach my final destination which is building my perfect wardrobe.
I will not lie and say that I absolutely love the clothes I own. What happens is that I made peace with the clothes I have that point to the direction I'm heading stylistically.
Take for example the clothes I have on in this picture. The basic black black v neck sweater (Marks&Spencer) was bought 3years ago .The zara light denim trousers will see their third summer in my closet and the shirt was send last year as a present for my elder son who absolutely hates shirts (for now I hope).
Still these are the tools I have at the moment to represent the style I feel dear to and as such I begun to love them and consider them special to me. From mere unwanted clothes on my throw away pile last summer they have become so close to me .

The same holds true for my husbands shirt and his pair of trousers you see in this photo. Both pieces got limited wear by him but they both fit my style so well at the moment.While I'm on the lookout for the perfect black  sweater , the light blue shirt and the perfect slimming cropped pants in cream these would serve me great.
 The same goes for the shoes. Actually , the shoes were the first that pointed to the tomboy style because since last spring everytime I laid my eyes on a pair of broques my heart would skip a beat.
This pair is far from perfect but I'm quite happy to wear because it gives that special vibe to my outfits. I'm into loafers and ballet flats and booties but I quess they have to wait for some time. At the very least I know what I'm looking for and this is a huge relief for once you know where you want to go it's easier to sail through the tremendous amount of trends there are out there.

Which brings me to the last point of this long post. Actually I want your honest opinion about this and I don't want to offend anyone who chooses differently.I might be like that in a year or two again.
But for the moment I'm so tired of dressing a different personality everyday. I want to be able to define a certain style for me.
I quess my question is if you dress so differently every day what is your style? What is one's style if one day is dressed like a 50's lady and the next day like a 70's hippie? I once again say that I don't want to be judgemental  but rather to clarify the situation. Is it the same to have good taste in the clothes you pick and have a distinct style of your own?
I know I sound a bit confused but that's the way I feel about clothes. I had these clothes above for many years but when I wore them  in various style combinations they didn't feel like they have something to say as they do now that I wear them in the context of a certain style . Has that happened to you as well? I will now stop trying to make sense and I'll go back to declutter my home a bit more. Thanks for reading that far.

Temptation

(via annaguillermin )

I've never rode a single wave in my life but when I saw this tatoo I seriously concidered to have it on me for the rest of my life. Mind you  I'm 43 and have never been tempted so much before so this could be my first tatoo. I fell in love with the simplicity of it . Have you seen a similar one? What do you think of it?

 

(via  tenuously)

This is pure perfection to me!I don't even see the way she is dressed and I already know she 's got style. Nothing in the way she wears the sunglasses or the way she holds her cigarette gives away the time (only the fact that I know who she is gives me that info).It could be this year for all I know.

Also, I can picture her doing this movement when she is much older and still look great which consolidates the fact that style is not related with a certain age.

And I love love love this pout.

The road to style less travelled

What will follow is all about my journey to style and a few tips that I hope you find useful or at least inspiring.Here is how it goes.
1.Get rid of unwanted pieces of clothing
2.Get rid of everything that doesn't fit
3.Keep what you trully love in your closet
(P.S You don't have to litterally throw away everything. Just pack and store away somewhere but not in your closet)

This will leave you with a minimum amount of clothing which should point to the direction your style goes. See if there is a style pattern you haven't noticed before or a color pattern or if you gravitate towards dresses, trousers ,skirts or certain fabrics....You get the picture!

Allow yourself to emerge in the emptiness and simplicity of your  new closet. Just take your time and don't rush things.You try to consolidate your style so it's important to put sometime  and take distance from the ...before part.

(P.S You can only play this game if you are not satisfied or feel uneasy with what you have or feel your style is all over the place)

You can do the same with your jewellery,bags,scarves, outwear or even underwear.

I bet you will be left with a style to recognise.You can built from there because now you can put a name to your style. A long name if you want.

Then get a lot of feedback from street style,magazines ,blogs whatever you fancy. Now that you know what you are looking for it's easier to study your style further and make it more coherent and/or consistent and know what you trully need to refine or add to it.

Now make a list and start saving money. I will say it once more and then leave you in peace ...take your time and don't rush things.

I'd love to know what you think and if you have had similar experiences or even different. Has this approach worked for you and if not why? Your feedback has been valuable for me for more than a year now and I love a good comment-versation.

My essentials

When Miss Sophie did a post about the 10 classics in her wardrobe I was totally motivated to do the same. With no further a do this is my list.
1.The one and only slim pair of trousers

2.My knit sweater. It's organic cotton and I have it for years but it bacame an essential a few weeks ago.

3.My linen dress in a color that makes my heart jump with pleasure

4.My jewellery ,my watches and the nail polish I love

5. My cosmetics, Avon and Nivea ,basic affordable brands that give me happy moments every day

6. My leather bag that I can't go without. It's the most expencive item I own and I was given so many compliments about this bag. I absolutely love it!

7. The whole of winter I wore my riding boots but now the weather is better and I can go without socks so I choose between my ballet flats (leather and hand made by a local craftman but so much in need of replacement) and my zara loafers .

 

8.My stripped tshirt . Functional but in need of replacement,soon.When the right one comes along.

9.2 basic skirts.The black one I only wear with black tights and my riding boots. The denim one I have for 3 years and the color fades in a way that the skirt becomes even nicer.

10. My collection of shirts that I wear almost every day.I'm new to the shirt world but I have become a true fan. I have a denim one , a white one , a light blue one which belongs to my husband but it's mine now.

Well , that was about it. I plan to replace,refine or add to this collection whenever it's needed. I love my collection and I would be glad to see your essentials.