Cue trumpet fanfare....it's MN VOGUE Vol 50, yes, it's that old. Come and celebrate with us and wave your handbags in support [fgrin]

[Drywhiteplease]

Ok, Voguettes. Gather round. Hands out of pockets. No fiddling. Stand still. Look forward. Loud voices please.

"On the first day of Christmas Santa gave to me an exploding Chanel bag for liberty
On the 2nd day of Chrismas santa gave to me a tin of tuna in spring water for marsha and an exploding Chanel bag for liberty
On the 3rd day of Xmas Santa gave to me a red non Christmassy lipstick for the newly wintered Shop and an exploding Chanel bag for liberty"

sleep face front! One get back in the front row I can't see you. Betty stop using your sleeve! here's a tissue .

"On the 4th day of Xmas Santa gave to me some blue nail varnish for linus to piss her mother up how common and an exploding Chanel bag for liberty
On the 5th day of Xmas Santa gave to me a blingy ring and a security man to make sure she doesn't loose it for Novice and an EX CH bag for Lib
On the 6th day of Xmas Santa gave to me an exercise DVD and an S Club 7 album for Sleep because she's just too cool musically and an EX Ch Bag for liberty"

WILL you PLEASE stand up AWks!!!!

"On the 8th day of Xmas santa gave to me an AW Rocco for Amber to add to the collection and an EXP Ch Bag for liberty
On the 9th day of Xmas Santa gave to me some yellow Boden trousers that are very useful for being spotted by strangers at Kings Cross for FedUp and an Exp CH Bag for liberty
On the 10th day of Xmas Santa gave to me an enormous bag of Dairy Milk for the old times for QueenC and an exp Ch bag for liberty
On the 11th day of Christmas Santa helped me break into mara's house and steal her Hermes black wrap bracelet because they bloody won't answer the sodding phone and let me buy one for myself, and an Exploding Chanel bag for liberty

Altogether now Shop put your crown straight and stop pulling Marsha's hair!!

On the 12th day of Christmas Santa gave to me.......50 bottles of fizz to celebrate Blair's forthcoming nuptials and the fact that our lovely thread has been going for so long............and an Exploding bag for liberty

new people always welcome to this thread where we ramble on about clothes and life generally. We are friendly. Happy Christmas everyone

Hello and welcome Muddling glad you've popped over, my aim for 2015 is to buy better quality items too. I want to own less clothes but make them work hard for me. So I'm prepared to pay more for better quality but make sure that I don't buy random stuff and for it to go with my other clothes. It's a work in progress. Are you on Pinterest?

Shop I've seen all the foreign films, I also love watching Spiral on BBC4 Gregory Fitoussi, yum yum Not sure about dry January I'm drinking Bottle Green cordial atm instead of vino but don't know how long I'm going to keep it up before I need

Dry Amazing stamina, do yo get your guests' names wrong

Blair sounds like a fab night, you are young and are meant to be hungover on NYD

Haven't seen Casablanca too, just the first 10 minutes and thought it was a snooze fest.

One of my favourite French movies is la reine margot, love belle du jour
too. Catherine was flawless in that movie. didn't like Amelie or chocolat,

We recently saw a great German movie called Lure, very moving.

But ofcourse my all time favourite is the godfather , specially the second movie, the opening funeral scene, and the Ellis Island scene are the greatest of all time, never fails to impress me.

I bought a hat, just recieved it this afternoon, will do a live reveal shortly, just love the packaging.
But that's it, nothing till march for me.

Welcome Muddling the shopping trip sounds lovely, and what a lovely treat from DH. Are you on Pin, what kind of styles do you like? any celeb crushes? So many questions.
I LOVE a hat Santa tell me more
Off to look at the Spiral link

Talking of foreign films I like Spanish ones too especially Almodovar ones.

I have just started on pin put a few boards together. I was just looking at getting my colours done as i tend to stick with black/grey and feel there is a whole range of colours im missing out on.

Welcome mudlling, I can't help you with getting colours done, no experience with it at all,
My advice, is to start with good underwear,and a couple of good fitting jeans,
If you are planing on shopping in April, then get a good trench coat too, it works with everything,

Oh, and hair, makeup, skincare, if you haven't tackled that already, then I think it's a good starting point.

And here is my hat, it's from mr porter, ,

The packing is nicer than, NAP's,

I've coveted one of these on NAP,they sold out but I think they are cheaper on mr porter, and they are identical, it feels so soft and warm, and good thing it's slouchy, I've searched everywhere for one like this, so happy!

Hoping to sort out new underwear this weekend plus find a decent foundation. Also hair cut and eye brows to be shaped as well, time allowing as taking eldest son back to uni on sunday so hoping for a trip to birmingham at the same time.

Skin care i started a thread a few days ago and have some brands to have a look at, waiting for some samples from avene to arrive as i suffer from dry/oily patches plus if its cold or i have had alcohol my skin goes red and blotchy.
Just to add im 40 and 5ft 3inches anything from a size 12 (bottom half) to a size 16 (top half)

Welcome muddling, glad you joined us.

So for 2015 we will all be wearing flares, culottes, roll necks and tank tops. I might dig my old flares out and have a play with them although I'm not too sure about footwear.

I've real issues with undies I've loads and loads of it all lovely makes, but very little of it fits me so I end up wearing one or two very well loved bras that were once nude.
I think I'm going to wait until after the hoc session to get some new things, dh would really appreciate anything that's not a plain nude tshirt bra, but I'd like to get things that I can wear under my new wardrobe.

I've been reading loads online about creating capsule wardrobes, they all say you need to look at your lifestyle and create a wardrobe based on that. I think this is my main issue, I don't really know what I should be wearing. I used to be a fairly senior exec, so it was all suits/dresses/heels and I was single so weekends were cute dresses and heels, when I wasn't out or at work I was at the gym. Had the perfect wardrobe and was comfortable with who I was.
Now I've a part time job with a uniform, so I need something to wear under that, mainly I wear something warm (I've been wearing my old skins from skiing (I look a state)), I'd like to find a nicer option. I do two hrs working as a volunteer with under 5s, I've two dogs so I walk them and then the rest of the time I'm my own person. I constantly feel scruffy, unsexy and old. Obviously not spending for 6 months hasn't helped but before that I wasn't much better I've loads of cr@p clothes as I've felt like I can't commit to anything nice as I'm not sure what I should look like iykwim.

Oops sorry for the essay...

Welcome muddling . I recommend booking a session in the denim bar in Selfridge's when you are in London. As santa says a couple of good pairs of jeans is a great start.

I will be dry ish for Jan. Finishing the baileys ATM and have a couple of nights out but will give up the 'wine o'clock' habit for a bit.

QueenC I really like the sound of the 70s trends.

Dryish for Jan here too. I definitely notice that when I've been drinking a lot my skin suffers and it really affects my weight too - more than food does.

Karbea wow that's a big lifestyle change :) my life revolves around work too so I don't know what I'd do if it suddenly didn't. There's a book called You Are What You Wear about the psychology of clothes which is interesting.

Lovely hat santa, your head will be toasty warm! It's annoying how often men's clothes are both cheaper and better made than women's.

karbea it's really hard when your lifestyle changes isn't it. When I became a sahm 2 years ago I didn't have many suitable clothes. Although I primarliy wore a uniform at work I also had non clinical days and so I had a wardrobe full of skirts and black trousers. I'd always worn jeans at weekends and whilst on mat leave but when you're working it's often nice to dress down at the weekend and not worry so much what you look like. I realised for me that I had to create some kind of uniform for my lifestyle that was practical but still looked good and that I feel good in.

This time next year I'll be in a slightly different place again and my wardrobe may change to reflect that. The youngest will start school so no longer will I be at toddler groups or having play dates or getting covered in play doh. But equally it means that some of my social life will end as I will no longer see other mums during the day except on the school run. Although it's best for me not to think about it as the thought of being at home by myself every day fills me with dread.

Sorry, that turned into an essay too and not sure whether it helps .

blair it's not so much the booze that affecs my weight but rather the munchies that I have the following day

Karbea I used to be in a senior office based role, lots of suits, fitted dresses, heels, great bags. Now I'm a SAHM and my wardrobe has changed massively to reflect that. Where I used to spend £££ on a suit, I now justify increased spend on jeans or boots for example as I wear them every day. The hardest part has been giving myself permission to wear things I love. Just because I'm a SAHM doesn't mean I don't deserve to feel good.
I've kept the basic timeless workwear I had - pencil skirts, classic courts, shift dresses and boxed them up in the loft. But over the last 4 years lots of the heels have gone. Day to day uniform now is Uniqlo heattech, premium skinny denim (always bought in sales / reduced), boots and a cashmere jumper (again never full price). Accessorised with scarves, or a statement necklace. I look after my skin, get regular haircuts etc. I was talking to MIL over Christmas about the idea of keeping things for best. I don't do that anymore. I wear the things I love and get a lot of pleasure from them. Essay night tonight.

Welcome muddling, you will like it here, everyone is very helpful and friendly.

I am fine today as I didn't overindulge but both DC are very hungover (they are 22 and 19 I hasten to add!) I hope they have learned a lesson but I bet they haven't. I have been suitably sympathetic, but after supplying tea and pastries (at 1 and 2pm) as they surfaced, I then got them on veg-peeling duties for this evening's dinner. (I felt that they needed to suffer a little bit but didn't want to make it too painful). We are all watching Skyfall now and then it will be an early night.

I am considering going low sugar for Jan/Feb (which would mean being mostly dry). Weight-wise, I am not off my heaviest ever, which is not good.

I would have said winter for lib but am probably being swayed by hair colour. I can't remember your eye colour. I have always thought that I am a winter as my (original) hair colour was dark and white suits me better than cream. Will be interested to hear the outcome.

Hello there,

Had a lovely NYE with old friends. Drink was flowing, all quality stuff but no over indulgence & even went back for more and had a spritz at lunchtime today. Sun was shining here today, we even managed to eat outside without coats.

Omg Betty I love Spiral, is there a new series? Gregory is soooo fit!

Santa great hat. Also some fab classic films on your list

X-posted with loads. Karbea I have been back at work for a long time after my SAHM years. With hindsight, I looked a mess then, and not just due to lack of money. I lacked confidence in my ability to choose casual clothes. Then I went back to work and went too far to the other extreme (suits etc). In recent years, and with the help of MNV, I feel that I have the balance much closer to being right. I wish I had had this thread back when I was a SAHM.

Haha mara I think I would feel likewise about hoc. (And I agree that I would expect you to be Autumn!)

Not silly mara, I felt like that for a good while after having it done, and I was the one who really wanted to! My Autumn sister who I dragged along embraced it instantly But it's not for everyone. Glad your NYE was good, and how lovely about the weather. Miserable and cold here!

I can see Linus wearing warm pink lipstick as opposed to dark red, so I agree, maybe spring?

Forgot to say welcome to muddling too. Please come and join us.

Completely agree with QueenC and Shop about needing to give as much consideration to non-office based daily wardrobe as one would to formal workwear. I had to do this in order to feel good about myself after having ds. Saying that though have just replaced old sheepskin boots with what I thought were nice city-appropriate snow boots but dh confessed yesterday he thinks they are horrid . He won't put me off them though, best buy of the cold weather season.

karbea If I were you, I'd get rid of almost everything, but not the chanel or celine obv , and start from scratch, fresh start will help you. maybe ebay somthing to fund new things, and then concentrate on getting some good basics for your work, and then start by getting somthing for your everyday clothes, good jeans, blazer, good day dress, or skirt.

And get some sexy undies in your right size, I always wear nice underwear, they make me feel good about myself,no matter what.

And you are right, you build a wardrobe depending on your lifestyle, but that doesn't mean abandoning all fashionable clothes,and sticking dog walking suitable attire as a solution, you should continue to wear cute dresses and heels when you are out for lunch or meeting friends, or even just out shopping, dress for the day, make it enjoyable.

I moved countries,and now I'm working part time, my work is not very formal, but I can't go wearing very casual clothes, and sometimes future clients just walk into the office and ask to chat, so I have to dress with that possibility in mind, I buy few items that can work both off and on duty, and just try to mix them up, it's not easy getting this balance. And sometimes I hesitate buying stuff, cause I think I won't wear them much if I work part time, but so far I wear these big buys more than the casual ones,because I try to make them work, whether I'm picking dcs up from school, or on weekends out with dh, or just shopping,or whatever I'm doing that day,

But to be honest I feel the moving countries part is also effecting me too, in London I adopted a little of Britishness in how I dress , and now I feel as though I'm letting go of that. Here in north germany it's very euro chic, or normcore with a scandi twist, and very little inbetween, so that London-ish nonchalant look is not working here, and its staring to affect on how I dress.

I just love how our posts to karbea have turned into a fashion confession ,

Thanks girls blair I think I'd find that book really interesting, I think I've actually got issues with who I am and therefore what I wear, my life changed massively in what was less than a year. And after a couple if failed ivfs and the realisation I won't be a mum to anyone with less than four feet, I think I've got an issue with looking like a sahm... I hadn't really realised that until I just wrote it down. Sorry to offload tonight, guess the new year has made me a bit reflective.

I guess it's easy to put yourself in a box and wear the uniform appropriate to that isn't it. E.g office girl wears suit, dress, heels etc, sahm wears jeans, tshirt, trendy sneakers etc... But when you don't fit in a box sahm to doggies, expat living in Germany etc... You have to find something that works for you... Not that all sahms or office people wear the same, but hopefully you know what I mean????

It's the perfect time for it Karbea :)