MN Vogue - the 20th anniversary edition

[shopafrolic]

All welcome for lighthearted chat about fashion and beauty - but bring your links!
Continuing on from Vol 19 here

I'm assuming their boobs were fake. How rude!

Well I knew you'd sign up first for a party Marsha!

Towards Christmas perhaps? An evening out in London? Sure those of us in town can accommodate visitors overnight!

Ooh hello Shop! Wanted to let you know that I am in New York next week.

I know, am so predictable .

Champers and Lanvin or what ever is going, what could be better? Near Christmas sounds good. Although we are thinking about a holiday, I don't want to miss a party .

Christmas evening meet up sounds great. Bubbles!

I am waiting for dh to come to bed. In my declutter I found some pre-dc La Perla errrm negligeesThink he will be pleased to see them back in circulation. (We have kissed and made up btw!)

Well done Novice on the kissing and making up! DH and I are in separate rooms at the moment as our mattress is screwing up his back so we're off to John Lewis at the weekendto buy a new one.
You are naughty, I'm still lusting after the Madewell flats......
And YESSSSSS to Xmas frocks and bubbles
X

Morning everyone. Did not sleep well last night - probably because it is DS2's first day at proper school. I've had his uniform set out for the past week, as DS is also v excited, and has tried to wear the uniform several times. I am positive that he will be heartily sick of the uniform after a few weeks.

sleep - took a good look at your photos as I understand that it must be quite a change. I think that the problem is that the lighter blond goes well with the sunny weather we are having. However, the softer colouring will really suit the darker autumn/winter months. You look stunning both ways.

Kalidasa - have you decided what to wear to the wedding?

novice - what am amazing charity. Is the village school in the UK or abroad? Hope first day went well for your DS.

Mrs R - I prefer the second coat - prefer the boxy rather than belted style.

foxy - so sorry to hear about the west food skirt - is it something a tailor could fix? I have the name of a tailor in town who is used by the big design houses and who was able to take in a Chanel suit I purchased when pregnant for an extremely posh wedding. Not as cheap as my local tailor, but for very nice things, it is worth the higher price.

OneLittleLady - I remember Soundgarden! Happy days. Have fun at the concert, and grunge is back in this year.

Needastrongone - I am not a Boden wearer either, but I really like the dress you got off ebay. Great shape, and fantastic base to play accessories with.

Grumpy - I am feeling the itch to purchase a leather skirt - did you go for a pencil skirt or one of the pleated/cirle ones out? Love the look of the Loft suit - it is very feminine and pretty, and you could wear the shirt and jacket separately

Drywhite - I think that shopping for clothing is nothing on shopping for house things. My parents have the slatted blind doors - but not funky solar power controlled (not THAT is cool!).

Re Cos models - they do look particularly miserable. Guess it is to go with the Northern Unitilitarian style of the shop. The clothes are great in spite of the photography and the unhappy models.

School run wear - DS1's school ranges in Mum style. It is quite a high profile school (sons of top politicians and CEOs mingle with sons of high profile designers and ordinary people). Not one specific style - very high fashion (well, several of the mums are designers, one VERY famous) down to mum jeans. DOn't really see the famous mums except at school events and class parties. DS2s new school is DS1s old school - happy range of styles, but mostly stylish casual with a smattering of all the big name designer handbags.

santa what a snarky comment! Agree that it is jealousy.

Definitely count me in for Xmas MU. Love the opportunity to dress up.

Am going to exercise for the first time in months this am. Hope I still fit into my lycras! Have a lovely day everyone.

Morning. Dd was awake lots last night but at least I got my gap order checked out at 3 o'clock this morning! Not much to link as most of it was dc stuff but I cheekily put the navy cords in to return the others that I only got 20% off and a couple of tees and a polo neck (dh loves them on me!).

santa I can't believe someone would say that to you. How rude. So far I haven't encountered any judgement re clothing. Although the toddler groups tend to be bland the school gates are a bit more of a mixture of work stuff,gym stuff, jeans like myself or the white stuff/cath kidston stuff. There's a group I go to also that's a couple of miles away where the mums dress more stylishly. I get to lust from afar the mulberry bags! There's one mum there who always looks great in a slightly kooky alexa Chung way and is the nearest I have to a crush.

sleep apart from the bathroom photo your hair looks the same to me but although it looks darker in the bathroom it's still really lovely. It's. so thick and lush.

Had better go as need to do breakfast...

Santa, I agree they're jealous.
Ignore!
Or use the mn fave... Did you mean to be so rude?

Mom the mn scarf is/was a copy of the huge LV leopard print one from a few seasons ago.
Ebay had copies for about £10.

Think I might go to gap today to see the new things.

Sleep, I like the darker colour.
I vote you go brunette properly, it would look amazing with your eyes.
just ignore your Dh :o
I think you should give it a week or 2, and if you still don't love it, then go back and get a few slices put in round the front.
But keep the caramel because it's nice.

Morning everyone. On my way to St Pancras to get a train to a meeting. It is actually quite nice to have a change of scenery.

Usual outfit, Sandro pale mini, white Wang shirt and Gryphon pea (light enough) thankfully addition of Sam Edelman ankle boots to mix it up a bit. I can't travel around in high shoes.

Santa I think I would have had to say, 'yes, well at least they don't sag' with a pointed look at said bitches' chests.

dry way ahead of your time there! I went to my first NCT post natal meet up wearing a 12inch long bright pink Diesel mini skirt. I was only 25 at the time, mind.

Thanks Amber ! I made a very good friend (15yrs ago ). She always wore the same navy cardi throughout her pregnancy, not into clothes at all.........we still talk about how we were both at polar opposites of the fashion spectrum at the time now she was scared of me !

Santa can't believe that some people can be so rude, it constantly surprises me and says more about them really. Probably jealous that you're fit and going to the gym.....nasty though.
Marsha cool outfit!!

love ambers comment!

dry I also have very good friends that are just not into clothes and shopping. I totally don't get it but they don't get how I can happily spend a hundred on a bag. Dh would love me to not be interested. We'd be rich!

novice very exciting about the school. I'm very glad that you can talk about it here but just wondered why not many rl friends know about it? With regards to the blue dress I shall make a final decision at the weekend. I need an honest opinion of how it looks from behind/side as I think my arse looks huge but not sure whether I'm being overly critical of myself or not. If I could take a photo of my bum I would for you all to see. It'll be a shame if it does go back as from the front it's stunning. I'm dragging dd into town which could be a disaster as there's a shop that sells VW. It's the black version of the blue dress that I tried on ages ago. I doubt I'll buy it but intil I've tried it I can't get it out of my head. Will report back later...

Horrible horrible thing to say, what bitches.

Amber

More glam than me Marsha. It's a dog walking/cleaning/gardening/cook day so I have an old Firetrap T Shirt on and some boyfriend jeans from Zara that I found at the bottom of the pile yesterday, forgotten. Actually, they are nicely distressed and fit really well so I may promote them again.

Mom - how did the first day go?

Dry - Yes, I have a DD who is 12 and a DS at 13 (life was busy when they were little ). DS is nerdy and quiet and lovely but not interested at all in fashion or even looking smart. DD is better but has always been a bit off the wall and never wants to fit in with the crowd. So, One D and Taylor Swift are too mainstream, she loves a band called Area 11, who are frankly terrible. Clothing is mainly jods as she has a pony and a scruffy sweatshirt as she rides so frequently. If she does decide to look half decent it's a bit of Jack Wills (still a little big too big size wise) Zara, skinny jeans from Next as they seem to fit her well and ASOS is a big hit recently, their Petite size 6 works well for her.

I don't do a nursery or school run so not really aware of the school gate style around here. Lots of younger mums around here and the ones I do notice when I am walking to the Tube tend to be the ones who stand out a bit - one lady has bright pink hair and wears tea dresses and looks great, another has short blond hair and wears very grungy clothes, crazy patterned leggings and biker boots - she also looks very good.

Sleep I like the darker hair - it's lovely and warm looking.
Novice great to hear things are working out well at the school.
Santa those women sound awful . A competitive SR would freak me out- one of my friends in Ireland has persuaded her husband to leave work early and do it a few times as she was feeling under par and couldn't face it.

Hi! It must have been jealousy santa having big boobs is horrific and I'm insanely jealous of ladies with more manageable assets. What a nasty thing to say though, ambers retort was perfect!

My bargainous coat arrived today and its really lovely. I can't fasten it over the bump at the moment and I'm a bit worried about it doing up over my hips, but the shoulders and back fit perfectly (with jumper room) so I'm hoping that its a good sign it might fit by Christmas... The gold sweater is arriving today too.

Unfortunately DH and I went through the finances yesterday and I am now on a spending ban! Which is a good thing really as I don't know what size ill be. Luckily I still have a couple of parcels to look forward to!

Mums here are incredibly glamorous as we live in a very wealthy area of a wealthy city, in direct contrast to the rest of Spain really. There is a lot of Longchamp (we're about 30mins from the French border and a huge Galaries Lafayette) and a lot of Balenciaga (this was his birthplace) and Loewe. Lots of Breton tips and skinny jeans, big scarves, and they're also loving "english" style so everyone has a Barbour and a good tweed jacket and for some reason no one will be seen wearing flats (even at my antenatal class!) The older ladies wear full genuine furs in the winter with big Chanel sunglasses and flaky red lipstick, I love it!!

No school run here as DS is only 9 months old. There is one family who drop their son off at the childminder at the same time as us, but it's almost always the Dad, and he's always wearing lycra gear - I think he must cycle to work or something after the school run. Our childminder wears nice clothes though, she always looks good.

I still see my NCT group occasionally, and one lady is v. v. stylish (she does something senior at a big department store). She made my day by admiring a jacket I was wearing once.

Really like that suit grumpy though would not suit my ample bosom I don't think!

For the wedding, I think I'm going to wear this dress which I've had for a few years - it's number 14, but a nicer colour in real life:

www.allaboutyou.com/fashion-and-beauty/15-fabulous-dresses-for-spring-47709

It's a bit tight on the bust but just about wearable for the day I think though I need to try it on again tonight.

The other option is a bright blue Reiss dress, also a few years old. I really like it but I think perhaps it's a tiny bit too short/glamorous for a proper church wedding (bride's father is a retired vicar and taking the service). I can't find an image of it online though.

Either way I've got a pair of pale grey heels that will do I think (am really short of shoes), and a couple of jacket options because I think the weather is going to break.

Probably this one: www.sheerluxe.com/magazine/online-magazine/march-2013/news/lucza-blue-collection.aspx

So I went shopping to try on the black alto but didn't like it at all. Just really plain and dull even if I'd had great accessories. But remember the other VW dress I linked that dh didn't like and my nephew said would be rubbish as it has a £700 discount? Well I tried it on and bought it. I think it's the one. Over budget but I can imagine wearing it for years and never getting bored of it. It's a total pain to get in and out of. There I was in my big period pants with the asst having to help me. Dd also chose that moment to do a poo ( in her nappy ) so the changing room was fragrant! Luckily the asst saw the funny side. I texted a picture to dh and he said he likes it. Just wondering if I can somehow upload from my phone onto pin?

Oh some of your school runs sound horrendous - none of mine are really like that (or maybe I'm just oblivious), most of the mums are pretty laid back - but then we all live in and around Camden so there's definitely no style template to follow, my DC's think nothing anymore of the punks/tramps/nutcases we wander past regularly . When their cousins, who live in the countryside come and visit they regularly stop dead in the street to stare at people .

Thanks for the views on the hair, I do think I need to live with it for a bit and see how I feel. I am coming round to it .

I have just had a call from DD's school to say she's not well, so I'm going to pick her up - had a proper drama this morning, had to carry her all the way to school over my shoulder, crying (her not me ) that she was too tired to go . Hope she isn't getting ill, just as I get a little bit of time back to myself! Am in my shorts, possibly for the last time this year, judging by the weather forecast .

That dress is stunning Queen. Great choice.

And a fantastic bargain too! More £ to spend on great shoes and bag now! Do you have a beautiful necklace to wear with it?

Anni - thanks for the clarification. I have a MN scarf - who knew?!

Marsha love the sound of your outfit. I'd love to be able to wear those colours, but they just don't suit me. Have a sneaking suspicion I'm probably a winter.

kalidasa - hard for me to judge. I like the style of the dress you linked to, but not sure on the colour. Is yours a different colour? Also, what is your own colouring?

Queen, WOW, what a dress! You definitely made the right choice, and it is a classic which you can get loads of wear from.

I did not drop DS2 off at school this am, but will be picking him up. According to DH, he was unusually shy - poor chap, probably overwhelmed. I made a valiant effort on the treadmill today and am rewarding myself with a big bowel of leftover mash and a slice of chocolate cake. My excuse - need to cargo load for tomorrow .

carbo, not cargo! I am a rubbish typist in general, but the darn predictive text drives me nuts.

Photo of me on secret pin board