Mn Vogue vol. 2

[MarshaBrady]

For anyone who likes to talk about style, nice stuff that they've bought and so on.

Wow fashionistas, I am v.v. impressed with all the decluttering and categorising that's going on. Now, if you were all to post pics I could be shamed in to doing my own. I tend to live in about the same 4 outfits that mostly consist of J Brands and linen tees/fitted cotton shirts with a varity of footwear - I should be kicked off the thread, shouldn't I?

I am finding it ridiculously hard to shop atm as it is getting ever more difficult to flatter my aging body. I did see two lovely items of clothing in...wait for it...The White Stuff. Don't worry, I won't link but one was a taupe coloured jumper with a large pale grey star on it and the other was a peacock blue coloured tunic with trees on it that would work as a dress on me.

Sorry to lower the tone . Glad you're all enjoying the sunshine.

Picked minimalism is admirable and you can link anything.
Dressing the ageing body is indeed something to mull over. I used to be very girly (not in a Hello Kitty way) and growing out of the miniskirts was and learning new ways has been a process... YAWYW says you could start by wearing that fits and flatters the narrowest part of your body. And wear anything that emphasizes the good parts (could be hair, eyes etc as well). Living in Italy is great in the sense that the mature ladies look better than young girls (need to study them more) check out Advanced Style too.

Very happy with this day. A full day of focused and fruitful work. Ate well - gazpacho from fresh tomatoes and orecchiette with homemade pesto - and managed to do my 5K, plus a burst of extremely satisfying organizing.

Oh and felt pretty stylish running wearing the demoted Vanessa Bruno Athé top. In the dim light the tatty viscose looked almost okay.

pickled the jumper and the dress both sound lovely.don't panic about the declutter I won't be doing one again for another 5 years!

Dona I plan to buy the Advanced Style book for my mother for Christmas - thanks for the tip! A good day here. The declutter is rubbing off. My mother in law is having a major clear out and 2 of my friends have asked for the stylists number. Perhaps I should have kept her to myself

That's great Shop! Best result friends wanting to use her too.

Glorious day! Love summer sun in September.

Sandro skirt and loose knit aqua top.

Dona and anyone else: Style/Wardrobe books. Hit me with the titles please - I have clocked and others mentioning them, but I am rewarding myself for sending back the Joseph leggings by buying a couple of books, I have decided.

Speaking of leather leggings, I have found some good looking Vince dark brown ones, but only on US sites, and they are over-budget. Maybe if I have a good month...

ujjayi those are gorgeous leggings, but I am on a non-black legging mission, which makes it approximately 1 billion times harder.

Silk shirt dress, how can I style it for winter? I really like it and haven't had much use out of it yet. It is olive green, quite casual.

Had a lovely day at the zoo yesterday, DS1 underwhlemed with most of it but we finally cracked him with (a) a display of talking parrots (who could also take a coin from your hand and put it in the donation box. Awesome) and (b) the giraffes. I find zoos really difficult - on one level I hate seeing those animals in captivity, but on the other hand I love the opportunity to see them at all (the rhinos were incredible, so massive and predatory looking), but on the other hand they raise awareness so much, and have great breeding programmes to save endangered species. It's difficult. I think places like Longleat are best, but obviously require vast swathes of land.

Right, loads of work to do today.

Ooh Shop what a nice present idea!

Perfect morning in bed. DH took care of the children, I got to stay in bed.
Needed a new fashion book () so got Nina Garcia's The One Hundred. Perfect for a Classic - she lists one hundred classic fashion items, briefly tells the story behind them, and gives great recommendations where to look (am already contemplating purchasing a few). Witty writing and things like cable knit sweaters, cocktail rings, clutches, cowboy boots... She gives great shortcuts (sorry am keeping the best nuggets of info to myself - am watching a few items on eBay). Will also help to appreciate what I already have. Plus I follow her (or her assistant) on Pin and love her style.

Still thinking about Marni necklaces and cuffs. I am tall and have a long neck and long fingers. Need big, dramatic costume jewellery, simple pieces. In Brazil I wore a big cuff (had a collection of them) every day - loved the look. Would like to do more of that...

Coming up: a glamorous trip to Lidl in the outskirts...

Hopefully, 'You are what you wear' is a great book and you'll need the wardrobe analysis skills in you new line of work. If you already know everything in it, you can always loan it to clients. Really recommended!

Silk shirt dress - leather leggings or mink stole? Sorry can't find solutions, Italy still in summer mode...

I follow Nina Garcia too Dona . I loved Project Runway (I know pretty cheesy tv) didn't agree with last winner I watched.

Also saw the UK one with Gareth Pugh (who should have won). He's doing very well now.

Hopefully I know what you mean about zoos. I've gone off them even more lately. Will think about silk dress ideas.

Also Dona yes to Marni for you. Really pretty Marni in Paris pin, which you most probably saw.

Thanks for tip Dona am now following!

Good morning all. Having a delicious lie-in whilst DH being all house-husband-y and attending to the ironing (probably just his own of course but every little helps).

On the subject of DH....my husband is definitely more innately more stylish than I. Maddeningly, he has that nonchalant European thing going on (he is Dutch), wears a lot of subtle colour, doesn't buy a lot of clothes but spends a lot per item, is especially choosy about shoes and just seems to get it right. There is an article in Vogue October edition about menswear do's and don'ts which is a great guide but which he read and said "yep, why is this news?"! So I was wondering how your DHs measure up, sartorially?

Thanks for the book recommendations: just ordered the Nina Garcia book together with the YAWYW book. I completed an online quiz this morning and confirmed what I suspected which is that I am a romantic with a blend of creative and dramatic. I am now going to relax in the garden creating a mind map of my life and the the things I would love to wear according to situation and weather. Does that sound a bit mad? It's purpose is to give me a stronger view of my current wardrobe and to help me declutter and then to fill the gaps with purchases I actually want and need day to day rather than my current spontaneous shopping style.

Morning all, I have been lurking rather than posting again. Mostly because I have been very busy, was up at 4am and back at 9pm for a very long and dull meeting yesterday on top of a week of rushing around taxying kids, so I'm done in. Next week is looking like it will be ultra long and dull too, feel knackered thinking about it!! I love my job normally!!

My Sorel boots arrived from the US and are lovely, can't wait for some snow and skiing! My Dune Prowler D boots arrived, but were huge and got sent back and no stock in a smaller size. Annoyingly I had ordered some bargain Sam Edelman boots as a replacement, but the money has been refunded with no communication or explanation so back to searching for Chelsea boots.

Things not being available in my size is the story of my week as I went to try on Shopafrolic's Whistles dress and they didn't have it in my size. I tried on the size up and it looked like it would be lovely on.

Now to peruse the other lovely links on the thread.

I can't remember who said it, but I like to hear the brand names of the clothes you are wearing/buying so I can google. It's nice to hear about the stuff in my budget too though!!

Überglamorous trip to Lidl over. (They stock some things Italians don't appreciate and we Northern Europeans absolutely need.) Think am finding my Rome style - felt that got the balance right in chambray Darel dress, red Hasbeens and my red python Dior bag.

Ujjayi my DH is a bit like yours, he gets most of his work clothes made and bulk buys his leisure time stuff whenever we go to America. He is also very loyal to certain brands of shoes and does not mind spending upfront because he will wear them forever.

Trixy imo the savviest approach to style (even when money is no object) is to combine high street with high fashion, so I always keep an eye on Zara, COS and even H&M. Oh and I saw a piece in Per Una that I like

Ujjayi can really recommend the self-analysis. For me, the biggest revelation has been that anything Natural is the antithesis of me and makes me feel frumpy and ugly. And because I love classic tailoring I can start slowly accumulating things that will be stylish forever (so can spend on, say, expensive minimalist Calvin Klein Collection pieces). Avoiding pattern is a new insight.

Sorry need to get the lunch out of the oven...

Dh looks good but doesn't spend loads.

I do that mix of high and lower budget except usually stick to the outnet for lower. From £20 to £70 it's about the same in price.

Ujjayi sounds lovely how's the mapping in the garden going.

Trixy argh bad luck on sizes. Hope you find some soon.

Marsha fully agree that Outnet is a good alternative to high street. Right now they have lots of tempting basic things for AW - I don't need anything but always keep a few items in my basket just in case.

Loving Nina Garcia - she says every girl should have a fur stole. All is forgiven...

What does your DH wear Marsha? Particularly shoes. DH always buys the same kind year after year, but I would like to persuade him to try something new but not sure what!

Trixy hope your luck improves soon. And totally agree with Dona about mixing it up with regard to labels and costs. My wardrobe has everything from Marc Jacobs to H&M, with probably my favourite pieces coming from charity and vintage stores as I love clothing with a history.

Marsha mapping going well. It is so relaxing - why have I never done this before? Actually, I did do this before I packed for our summer break this year and it made a huge difference meaning I didn't overpack/panic pack and I wore everything. DH is incredibly impressed with my logistical approach. I have all my roles mapped out, together with the vibe I want to create and the palette.

This arrived this morning and looks far more gorgeous than it does on the website! I plan to wear layered over long sleeve tees and either with merino tights/leggings or over skinny jeans.

Trixy whistles had free delivery online the day before yesterday if you still fancied trying the dress.

Ujjayi do you have a link for the style analysis?

Very poorly DS last night and today so am just dropping in while he naps. Am head to toe GAP today - red jeans and striped vest - couldn't muster anything better after a broken night's sleep.

My DH is not a stylish man (he'd be the first to admit). He is outdoorsy, shoots and has gundogs so day to day he rocks a scruffy, tweedy look! When we go out he scrubs up beautifully and is very classic - straight leg jeans, tailored jackets, lovely shoes....but he usually asks me to pick his outfit for him

I'll try and describe it Trixy but might not translate well. He looks the best in an off white summer linen blazer, perhaps over a v neck jumper and shirt (less in summer). Slim fit cords or skinny ish, not tight not loose. He has olive colouring and dark hair and looks best in something that suits this, so bright colouring. Shoes are usually low key brogue type things or suede lace ups. He wears high/low Paul Smith, American Apparel and will do an online order every now and again.

Hope that doesn't make him sound horribly dressed, I could sketch it better! The most important thing is that nothing is too loose / baggy (not too tight). He has an old P Smith suit I hate as black and too big now.

Ooh I like the scruffy tweedy look Shop! hope you'll get some rest at some point - broken nights are awful.

Have been scouring eBay with Nina's guide - some classy and permastylish accessories there are very inexpensive, on par with high street. Hmmm, this may really influence my AW spending...

Ujjayi keep us posted about style self-discoveries. It's really fascinating to hear about it! Ok, time to take DC to park. Will do it a bit more glamorously and hang out at the carousel in Villa Borghese I think.

Shop the scruffy tweed look is great!

Ujjayi sounds fab. Logical thinking on style fits in neatly with what you are doing these days too I suspect!

Sadly working in Covent Garden predc meant we all wore too much of those brands there. But do love a good bargain. Yy Dona at outnet basket.

Xpost see scruffy tweed is much admired