MNV- Vol 85 The Winter Warmer Edition

[FedupNagging]

Christmas and the sales are sadly over but winter is still here for a few months yet.

Come and show us your cosy knits and woolly hats whilst we dream of summer - everyone welcome, the more the merrier.

Evening! Big hugs to Dream and Shop and massive well done to Viva too!

Lib, the usual advice is nothing with patterns, you want sold colours and nothing too garish in colour (can't see you doing this!). I always find it best to wear a dress, however 2 other things to think about - 1) where is the box thing that the mic is attached going to go (presume it's a lapel mc). Your dress has either got to have something at the back that it can go on, or you wear a belt that it can hang on to (and be hidden by a jacket) or the rather unconventional thing i do, which is that it hangs on to my bra. 2) Creases. If your dress creases and you have been sat down, even in the car on the way to work, it will look awful.

For the thing i did recently, I wore my go to dress for when I am being filmed- a navy Armani jersey dress - , and had the mic thing at the top of my dress hidden by my hair.

Very exciting for you!

Stokey I’m not sure I’d compromise on tiles, you may always see the new ones as second best.......why can’t the builder wait?

Did a quick smash and grab in Zara at lunchtime, Black Jeans khaki cargo pants and Black strappy sandals.
I think the M & S flatforms need to go back as I'm just not sure how to style them and they feel huge on the end of my skinny little legs! I've now lost too much weight due to all the stress and no appetite and my clothes are just hanging off me which isn't a good look, the Zara trousers are the right size so look better but I normally have half a wardrobe of things that are too tight and now it's the opposite. I need to get my act together!

Ooh i love all those buys Viva, I hate going into Zara but you're tempting me to go and have a look for my holiday in 3 weeks time. And well done by the way, I hope the recovery has gone well. In what's been a really crappy year for you, i hope that you at least felt the endorphins from the sense of achievement.

QueenC, i laughed at that ring for me. But that top is sooo Dry!

Having a very lazy day here, had to dash ds to football earlier as dh running another errand, but that's about my excitement for the day!

Surprise 70th birthday party tonight for some fab (v young at heart) friends in a local village hall. What shall I wear? Weather here is mental - sunshine then hail. I wondered about my Splendid black jumpsuit and heels?

Shop, weather is mad here today too, sun and hail all day-cold though.

Jumpsuit and heels sound perfect. Currently trying to decided what to wear too - out for a meal with friends, dc's doing the taxi so can wear heels. Really want to wear summer clothes but it's chilly few cocktails will help

Nice Zara purchases Viva and I love the white shirt paired with the cargo pants.

How exciting re the interview Lib; no idea what you'd wear but Blingy's sorted that!

What is everyone doing this weekend?

Great buys Viva

I've only done a half day at hospital today. DSS is doing the late shift. I went for a late Turkish lunch with DB who came over to see Mrdream and now I'm in my pyjamas nursing a gin & tonic.

The weather here is crazy too, a mix of hot, cold sunny & torrential rain. I'd been invited out tonight for inner with friends but didn't really feel like it & I'm doing the ealy shift tomorrow so also don't want to be suffering from an excess of gin.

Have a great Saturday night all.

Hi Dream, I bought S which I'd say is a 10. It's light rather than heavy, falls really nicely as they've put extra material at the back.

Think you're right Dry. They've got tiler booked for end of May, so will push completion back by 2-3 weeks if we have to change. We wanted hexagonal dark blue stars, I can find dark grey or light blue square ones instead so just need to decide whether to compromise.

Great advice from Blingy on interview Lib. Best of luck.

dream sending you more hugs. I can’t imagine the stress you’re feeling right now. I’m glad you’re staying here for support/distraction.
stokey difficult decision but if you really feel like anything else wont be good enough then I think you need to stick to your guns and go with the tiles you want.
Nothing much happening here this weekend. I’m working tomorrow but we’re going out for tea tonight (Sunday’s are pretty much the only day we all manage to sit round a table together!)

In fashion news, I’m loving my new Chanel lipstick and have worn it pretty much every day. It’s a very similar colour to a Charlotte tilbury one I bought a couple of years ago but hated the texture of as it gave me old lady lips. I just live the Chanel texture.
I’ve also bought a jumpsuit. Don’t have anywhere to wear it to yet though

I read an interesting article in yesterday’s times about the environmental impact of fashion. We should only buy something if we will wear it at least 30 times, wash clothes less (each time they’re washed they release micro plastics into the water especially polyester mixes), dry clean less. Apparently we also shouldn’t do big online orders (carbon footprint) because a lot of retailers put the returns into landfill . It was eye opening and every so often I promise to be better but am then lured by the shiny new stuff in shops. How do you ever get to that point of being totally happy with your wardrobe and not want anything new? I know online retailers and Instagram etc fuel this need for new stuff but even before all that existed I loved new clothes and love people watching to see how they put things together. I’ve always had ‘gaps in my wardrobe’ before it even became a thing.

Sorry things are so hard Dream.
Nice jumpsuit Queen I am toying with another Warehouse one somebody posted when you asked, but nowhere to wear it at the moment either!
I could have bought a lot in Zara last week, I think it's better in there during the week as resembles a jumble sale on a Saturday!
Need to try on and decide what I'm keeping today and what's going back. I keep trying the flatforms on as I want to like them but think I might be better with some less chunky ones!
Right off to sort the garden, that's today's project!

Great post Queen about fashion and the environment. Totally get the want something new aspect too. I was pondering recently about this and leather/mmf/cotton. Each is damaging to the environment in its own way so what to do? Had no idea the returns went to landfill-I thought they were sold in outlet stores-that is such a huge waste.

Anyway, nice jumpsuit. Did you wear yours last night Shop?

I wore my trusty BR ankle length trousers, Hush star print shirt, SE studded heels, animal print clutch and my big coat! Slight headache this am but on the wane.

Sens them back viva and wait for perfect ones.

Just been doing some googling about the landfill bbc article here

Booked my ticket for MU !

Jumping on so can read later

Don’t like it when vogue falls off my threads I’m on!

Hey Fedup I wore my Oliver Bonas dress in the end as I fancied a bit of sparkle. With black opaque tights and LKB shoe boots.
It was a really fun night, an amazing couple who were overwhelmed by how many showed up for them. I can't recall if I said but I paid for a photographer to be there for the evening and they were thrilled with the gift. I can't wait to see the photos now!

Such a great gift Shop. Actually you’ve always been good at original presents.

That's a fantastic present shop.

Well done Viva on the marathon, what an achievement! Love the Zara jeans.

Stokey I think get the tiles you want. I've had to wait 6/7 weeks for wallpaper I want (much to my decorators disgust - he told DH to let me know there are nice wallpapers available in NZ). It does slow things down but worth it in the end.

Speaking of which our renovation is done apart from painting and decorating - that will happen at end May. Really pleased with it all.

Great jumpsuit QueenC.

My documentary filming has had to be cancelled this week so waiting for new date. I was quite relieved. Great advice blingy. I'll probably wear my trusty Cos dark green midi dress.

QueenC I'm worrying more about the environment too and clothes are a big issue. A lot of shops here do 'buy 2 full price items, get third free' which annoys me as I feel like I am missing out if I don't take 3rd item but I don't want to take something I don't need / really want.

I tend to buy more at the designer end because i think psychologically I can spend £200 on a dress and not think about it but if I am spending £2k on a dress, I will give it more thought! That's why i don't buy so much these days. Oh and my walk in wardrobe is stuffed so i am trying to operate a one in one out policy.

I tend to come at this more from a "don't waste when you can help others" perspective than an environmental perspective. Nothing ever gets chucked and it goes to family first, friends second and then split between Cancer Research (autumn/winter clothes) and to the village that I support in the developing country (summer clothes). I am passing it on to the dcs too. It's great because my dcs know that there is no difference between clothes in the shops and clothes from their older cousins (they probably love hand me downs more!) and that we have to keep everything well so that they can pass it on to their younger cousins or other children.

One thing i will say is that if you're going to donate to UK charity shops, is that it's got to be the right season (so I will do a clear out in the summer and start taking things down in September), you can't give one shop too much at once and it's got to be in pristine condition otherwise I think it adds to the wastage.

I am also wary of hoarding crap in a house simply because we have the space. We have 4 spare bedrooms and a loft that's the size of 3 double bedrooms. It would be sooo easy to send everything up to the loft and then in 30 years time try and clear it all. I learned from our last house move 5 years ago so I now have a very strict policy now on what goes up to the loft!

I agree about not wasting things blingy coming from a very much not privileged background, i can't abide waste and will reuse, recycle and repurpose things if i can rather than just send them off to landfill. i give frequently to charity shops but i do make sure that everything is in good clean condition and don't donate anything i wouldn't willingly buy from them myself. Some things i give to my sisters or friends of theirs if i know they would be able to use/wear them so again, recycling and getting more wear out of things. Even things that havent cost much, i will get as much use out of them as possible before i either move them on to another home or recycle them. Any clothes i have that are not useable or not able to send tot he chairty shop, i repurpose into rags or try and find another use for the fabric if i can. I also don't have much storage space so if i come across things that need to be stored to get the use out of them, i have to consider whether storing them will end up with them being used or i'm delaying passing them on by putting them in storage. I try very hard now to only buy what i actually need and love rather than things that i can make do with, it was a false economy to 'make do' rather than spend a little more and get something that will last

Met Gala pics here

Thanks Fedup will take a look later

Interesting posts on fast fashion, I agree

Blingy your house sounds as gorgeous in description as is it is in reality (love it)

I really like Dakota Johnson’s Gucci fabulous colour

Adwoa Aboah looks great

I couldn’t see your link Fedup here another

Met Gala

I wanted to link Vogue but find the advert interruptions really blunt and annoying

Awkwafina gold one is good

I love Lady Gaga, totally nuts, pure panto, great entertainer. Fab