Royal Style: monkey nuts or emeralds? The discussion continues...

[Maireas]

Hello! Join us for more witty, interesting and informative chats about royal style and beauty!

Mary yesterday

I like the style of the blouse and the skirt. I like the pattern on the skirt. Not sure they go together, even with the bit of blue in the pattern. And then the shoes are a completely different colour. And the bag goes with the skirt but not the shoes 🤔

Mary's outfit is nice but rather spring like for September. Her hair is lovely there as it's not too wavy / curly but still has movement.

Looking at Mary reminds me of things I consider when looking at my own clothes and hair. I am a few years older than her. I can never bring myself to buy floral patterns as I feel they are 'youthful' and I need something more sophisticated at over 50. And I wonder if I will ever grow my bobbed hair longer again.

I know you should do what you want but I do think some styles have a certain age appropriateness that becomes harder (but not impossible) to pull off as you leave that age bracket. Or am I overthinking it? Do you have things you consider yourself too old or too young for?

It's been quite warm in Denmark the past week apparently, so that's probably why she's dressed like that.

I think there's a bit of that nude colour in the skirt. Again, I like that shoes and bag don't match. I've nothing against that and often do it myself but I suppose it's just one of those things I don't find very interesting right now. I'd rather see some play which comes across more youthful and a little less prescribed.

I do agree that I'm not sure shirt and skirt are a match I'd wear - too much going on. But I still think it works very well.

Not so much too old for stuff, but aware that bits of me probably shouldn’t see the light of day in public anymore 😆. I think that is true of some young people too though. It’s not so much an age thing as what actually suits and what makes you feel comfortable. But at the same time there is nothing wrong with being a bit adventurous with something you think of as “too young”. The only thing that matters is if it looks good on you 🤷‍♀️

Yeah there's nuance to it, that's for sure.

I'm slightly younger than Mary and I've found it harder the past couple of years but some of that is also due to weight gain; a size or two down would make it easier to navigate for sure. I've always liked granny chic however now suddenly I think that particular aesthetic, and also very classic dressing, ages me a fair bit. It can be a difficult line to walk because I like looking quietly elegant and I don't want to dress too young or trendy. But I do like a youthful feel to my outfits. I find the best way to translate that into what I wear is to borrow elements from current styling and incorporate those into my wardrobe without going full-on trendy.

I generally think Mary does elegant but fresh and youthful quite well.

Hair, it depends on what shape it's in. Mine is suffering atm - yay for peri-menopause and stress 🙄 so I keep it on the shorter side. If it starts looking thicker and more glossy again, I'd be happy to grow it out a bit.

Here are some different photos of this same outfit worn with different approaches to accessories. Each of which look equally good IMO. As I thought, that nude colour is picked up from the pattern in the skirt.

I like her hair. I think the blouse would look nice with a more slimline skirt, or pair of trousers. I think the skirt is a bit fussy.

Sorry to take us back to chocolate spread but my new favourite is Eurocrem, introduced to us by my DD's best friend, who is of Bosnian descent, and who gave us a tub as a present. It's made in Serbia I believe. We're now all addicted.

The name sounds slightly medicinal, but I'm sure it's delicious!

Eurocrem also took me to therapeutic creams, Maireas!

While we’re recommending spreads though, I’ll just add this one in here. Pistachio spread (like pistachio Nutella, but not chocolatey). It is utterly divine…

That looks amazing. I love pistachios.

Ooh, that looks nice, @Serenster . Can you buy it here?

I have an Italian deli on my High Street that stocks it (how I discovered it!) but you can order it from Amazon - there are several different brands. Not cheap, though, but worth it for an occasional treat (fab on warm croissants for Sunday breakfast…)

Thank you!

I like those soft amaretto biscuits that Lidl sometimes have in stock 💞

I had some from Costco and it was revoltingly sweet, so maybe other brands aren’t as good as your Italian one 🤷‍♀️

It's good that when royal style is thin on the ground we can fall back on chocolate and nut spreads, and confectionery more generally.

I don't suppose any of the royal women eat much chocolate, poor them.

".....I don't suppose any of the royal women eat much chocolate, poor them."

Oh @MotherofPearl that made me smile.

According to the front of the Daily Express on Sky News Kate is preparing the Christmas concert!
The Starmers are very neat and tidy. As they should be!

I'd wager the queen mum did. Diana certainly had a sweet tooth but was a gym bunny and a keen swimmer.

Name changing mostly lucky regular here (although I do have a tiara on the list under a very previous name).

Feel I need to wade in and point out that nuts are the work of the devil and therefore peanut butter, Nutella, Ferraro etc are all wrong. Soz.

I think Sophie is a real stalwart and does some great work, but I'm afraid her style is generally more miss than hit for me. This is a visit to a community youth centre today. I'm genuinely perplexed by the mixture of colours going on here.

Yes, it's a funny choice, isn't it, and nothing fits particularly well. Dresses seem to suit her better. As you say, good work, though.

Oh dear Sophie that's a hard no. None of the colours work together and the shapes don't do anything for me either.