A substitute for the pink and red H&M dress

Last summer I bought a red and pink dress from H&M  that didn't fit very well. It was returned, but I've never given up the idea of a dress in this colour combination. Here another attempt at dressing in red and pink:

Adding turquoise was inspired by the picture of a vintage YSL dress:

I could've worn a pink tank top underneath the dress but decided a charcoal would be better with the black sandals.

The original H&M dress is quite different, I realize, and I really should have put on a necklace!

I wore this outfit on Saturday for a night out with some of the girls. After having a lovely dinner at a restaurant called Brasserie Degas we went to the coolest cocktail bar in Copenhagen, Ruby's. I tried to take pictures but the lighting wasn't good enough.


Instead you get to admire my sandals again!

Since it's Monday I'm participating in Patti's Visible Monday on the Not Dead Yet Style blog, giving me lot's of reason to smile:

In case anyone want's to know my husband took these photos!

New red shoes and old green knit

Poetic License shoes are made by Irregular Choice - my favorite shoe brand for not so sensible/comfortable shoes. While my feet are causing me a lot of pain at the moment I still managed finding a way to wear these to work - I work from home!

My study group agreed to come home to my place to work on our exam project - lucky me!The top is old and I love the colours but there's a tear that I would have preferred to have mended. I've asked everyone known to have repairing skills and they all say there's nothing to do, as the thread has been broken.

Usually I would bring photos of my bangles and rings, but I forgot taking one - so here's another of the shoes!

And a photo showing both top and bottom:

The new black sandals that I wore on my last post have already been put to good use. I've worn them to school two or three days, and they don't hurt my feet. Yesterday I wore them with a summer dress and knee covering leggins.

The necklace is difficult to see on the photo above so here's a close up:

And closer...

With summer finally hitting Denmark there's plenty to smile at!


Have a great weekend!

Surviving the "Nothing to Wear" syndrome

 
After reading the "Nothing to Wear" book that I reviewed the other day I have been thinking about my own inadequate recipe for organizing my style confused, limited wardrobe as well as getting outfits together.
  

 
When I'm lazy in the morning - this is what I'll wear. It turned out to be too warm since summer arrived all of a sudden - on a Monday!


Creating a capsule wardrobe is one of the common pieces of advice from professional stylists. I love colour and cannot restrict myself to just one capsule of a couple of colours, so I have four of them: A blue/purple, a green/teal, a pink/red and a neutral one of black, brown, beige, white and metallics. I find that it helps me put outfits together - and identify any any gaps as well as things I buy too many of.

This outfit is from the neutral capsule - in my world denim is a neutral. Notice the feet!

As for style these are my thoughts: Being nearly 50 years old means I have to be careful with retro looks (See Patti's post on the Not Dead Yet Style blog on this very subject), however my full hourglass shape doesn't take the currently trendy silhouette made of skinny  jeans with a tent like top, very well.

The best piece of clothing for my shape is a pencil skirt combined with a fitted cardigan.I just feel that the pencil skirt/fitted cardigan look is too classic for me. It's also inappropriate for 7 or 8 months of the year due to the climate in Denmark! So, how do I then accentuate the good parts of my body in a style that isn't aging?

Wearing dresses that first of all fit my bust and waist is my favorite choice at the moment. Again because of the weather I wear jeggings instead of tights. When it get's warmer (and drier!) I'll put on my tights, all in colours that go with my capsules, or in a contrasting colour.

When it comes to putting an outfit together I use an analytical method of breaking it down into style types so that an outfit may be 100 % classic or 50% bohemian 50% chic or 75% whimsical 25% something else.
 

 


I don't know how to classify these shoes other than NEW!
 
The "guideline" I've created for myself is that my outfits should be at least 25% (colourful) minimalistic, the rest whatever I feel like on the day. This, I feel, will prevent my outfits from being too aging. Most minimalist clothes don't suit my shape which look best in fitted clothes with lots of ruching or draping so I have to bring in the minimalist element in accessories: Bags, shoes, scarves, jewellery and tights.

These are my homemade "rules" that I don't always stick to. Most stylists advice you to find keywords that describe your personality - like Dramatic, Sporty, Romantic, Creative... Categorizing myself this way is really hard, I always end up thinking that I'm slightly mad, and that's never an option - talking style!

Why don't I know how to describe myself then? I've spent more than a year investigating it on my blog and I still buy things that are wrong for me, in the way they fit or how they make me feel. Will I ever learn? Is there a book out there that can help me? I'll keep on  searching and investigating. In the meantime I'm looking at a lot of blogs to get inspiration, find advice, and comfort in knowing that I'm not alone with this problem!


Now as always on Mondays I,m participating in Patti's Visible Monday on her Not Dead Yet Style blog. There's always some new blogs participating, and lots of inspiration to be found and I enjoy it very much, Thank you Patti!

Mingling with red hot curves

The weather was nothing to write home about yesterday, but that didn't matter. See, this is me and my wishlist for Christmas:

I apologize for the picture sizing issue, I'm working on solving it. Anyway, here's my favorite!

Never forget the rear view!

My green dress is making me stand out, and adds a certain Italian feeling to the scenery...

Before heading for the woods where the little red devils had a bit of a race we sat in the Cafe (called Enzo!) to warm up. I took this photo of my daughter that I'm very proud of (both her and the picture!)

Since everything was so wet I chose to stay in the parking lot. I managed to capture one of them with my camera

That was my Saturday fun - today I've worked from 08:00 in the morning till 18:30, eating my lunch next to the computer! I hope I'll have time for a post tomorrow - I've something prepared already so it shouldn't be too difficult.

Sleep well everyone!

Nothing to Wear? Purple dress!

First let's get some photos - here's what I wore at school today, a very old purple dress that I've threatened to throw out many times, with pink jeggings and a silver knit cardigan/bolero:

The reason I've kept it through the years is that I thought it was one of my best colours - now I'm not so sure anymore. Or maybe my eyes have changed? Do you think this colour suits me?

I'm also wearing another new bracelet, a gold one, the lower one at the right side of the photo!

Now to the book review:

The book is called Nothing to Wear by Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo. The authors are presenting a method called Visual Therapy that guides you through exercises that will determine your style type, help you edit your wardrobe, filling in the gaps and pull it all together.

First chapter of the book is dedicated to determining the problems with your wardrobe and finding your style type. They list 5 common symptoms, that many women will recognize and then they give a diagnosis. Then an exercise follows where you write down your age group, body type, lifestyle and arena.

They only operate with three different body types, six types of lifestyles, four arenas and five style types. That is one of the books shortcomings. It clearly reveals to me that the authors only work with a limited number of client types in their business.

The book carries on with a test to determine your style type. It's a multiple choice test, 8 questions,each with 5 answers to choose from. From this test you can categorize yourself as either Classic, Chic, Whimsical, Bohemian or Avant-garde, or a combination of categories. Again this system has it's limits, some questions don't have answers I can identify with.

The first chapter finishes with a style statement form to fill in. The idea of getting it down on paper is great.

Second chapter is about editing your wardrobe. The idea of buying matching hangers for all your clothes is ridiculous, clothes are very different and need very different types of hangers. They justify it with the clarity it brings when all is hanging at the same level. They also suggest that you buy a collapsible rack to use when you go through your clothes. I don't have that much clothes - but for someone with a large walk in style closet it might be necessary. There are other helpful hints like: Get pen and paper ( they use half a page on this!), a full-length mirror, a babysitter... Pretty much common sense!

The actual sorting of the clothes is done by asking three questions: Do I love it? Is it flattering? Does it represent me, and is this the image I want to portray? Particularly the last question is hard to answer if you don't have your style type determined.

After editing out any inappropriate items (according to your style statement) from your wardrobe you may have gaps, and filling them in can be tricky. Sometimes what you think you need isn't the answer. There has to be harmony between what they call the cake and the frosting. With half my style type being Avant-garde (which I think should have been named Minimalist after reading their interpretation of Avant-garde) I'm having a hard time imagining an Avan-garde piece of frosting...

The authors also suggest a capsule wardrobe based on a three piece suit. Who wears a suit? Not the Lady at the cash register, or the hairdresser, or the kindergarten teacher...  The same goes for other items on the list. They mainly focus on business, casual and dressy looks - again very limited.

As for age appropriateness the only advice they give is to temper your style with a bit of Classic or Chic if your style is either Whimsical, Bohemian or Avant-garde. There's no mentioning at what age one might start thinking about tempering with Classic or Chic... and I absolutely hate that they define the face/look of fifty as subtle and past stilettos!

Chapter four is about pulling it all together, and is pretty much about taking photos of yourself in different outfits - what a lot of bloggers do everyday. Having a look book in your closet is a great idea that will save time in the morning for many!


Last chapter is about keeping up the good work, reviewing your style regularly and cleaning your clothes.




For many women this will be a great help, but I can't help feeling like a "difficult customer" - not fitting in any of their style types. I would really have liked more style options.

I would have liked some suggestions on how to dress in the different styles for different climates (how to do Chic in Florida vs. Oregon, summer and winter).

I would have liked suggestions for more capsules - for different lifestyles, and maybe different age groups... with less emphasis on appropriateness and more on opportunity!


 Last but not least, for something called Visual Therapy there's an awful lot of text!

In other words: I'm not impressed.

Mother's Day gift on a blue backdrop

My 12 year old daughter made me the most lovely ring, as a Mother's Day gift. What better way to show it off than on Visible Monday at the Not Dead Yet Style blog?

I guess it could be interesting to see the rest of the outfit as well so here you are:

   As you can see I'm trying to show you my new bangle, and not terribly successful, so here's a close up
 

Last week I was so busy that I never got around to posting my outfit photos, so a bit late... Wednesday:

I had issues with the ISO value again, annoying! But that doesn't prevent me from posting a rear view too:

On Friday I looked like this for dinner at our friends house:

With the white pants my Marni bracelets seemed the obvious choice, along with my pearls. My feet are still not alright, so I had to put on my old trainers.

Recently I bought the book Nothing to Wear by Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo. I'm working on a review to bring in one of posts this week, so remember to check in on me!

When I was at sea

Back in the early nineties I was working as a stewardess in the commercial fleet on board a large ship carrying coal from South America or US to Europe. I could have looked something like this, only a lot thinner and way stronger!

From those days I have some great memories of helpful colleagues, incredible sunsets, whales and dolphins. I'll never forget the feeling of the water in the Caribbean and hurricanes a bit too close.

It was hard work, but also lots of fun. It taught me to cooperate with others, and tolerance, all very important lessons in life.

This will be my very authentic input to Everybody, Everywwear's nautical theme today. As always it's a lot of fun to participate and to see the result others have come up with!

A few details, isn't it seagulls on the scarf?

Today I'm working on my exam project,  from home, as I will for the next three weeks. The other members of my group will come very morning and we will work for 6-8 hours. It's a great feeling to get things done and still be at home in relaxing surroundings - an ideal setup in my opinion!

About my dog: He was examined this morning and nothing was found so he's on antibiotics and a strict diet for the next couple of days and then we'll evaluate....

How to be visible in black

For the first time in my life I have a plain black dress - the other black dress I have is a lurex knit so it isn't really black. This dress was bought for the funeral last week. At the funeral I wore it with a black and white patterned tank underneath, and of course black shoes. Today I chose to wear it with pink, and I don't think it looks too grave.

While I was taking the photos my dog tried to tell me that he wasn't feeling so well. I didn't listen properly so later he was sick on the carpet - poor thing!

The bracelets and the watch - and of course the red ring:

Most people in this country wears black, and it's difficult to stand out wearing the same as everyone else. But adding the pink did the trick! As on every Monday I'm linking up with Not Dead Yet Style where Patti is hosting Visible Monday for all to get inspired to dress to get noticed.

Have a lovely Monday everyone!

The saddest Friday

One week ago my stepfather for 37 years died, 68 years old. He was the kindest, most helpful man with a great sense of humor. Until five months before his death he was never ill, but strong and fit. Then illness hit and in end he suffered terribly. That was the hardest part, being unable to ease the pain.

The funeral was yesterday. More than 100 people attended, both at church and afterwards. He was a very popular man because of his warm and friendly personality. He was successful in his work life, had a loving family and made many good friends, leaving my mother with a great network of people ready to help her through these hard times. 

Now he will be missed by all of us, but we take comfort in the thought of all the happy moments we shared with him. There's plenty to laugh at as he was the life of the party, in a manner that always included others.

Having lived a happy life is all we can hope for, and 68 years are more than many people get in this world. I just wish the last five months didn't happen! But he's at peace now and we have to move on. He has set a great example for all of us to follow, and that way keep him alive in our hearts. What more can anyone ask for?