Re-visiting an old colour combination - Mustard and Navy.

Morning to you all,

Hope your weekend went well, and for fellow bloggers in the UK it wasn't too blustery!  I think Storm Angus blew a few cobwebs away over the past couple of days.  Sending out best wishes to anyone who's suffered from the awful floods in Britain too.


I managed to blow a few cobwebs away at the weekend too.  Saturdays are normally spent relaxing at home watching my favourite telly shows and having a take away, however not the case for last Saturday I had a prior arrangement - afternoon tea!
Celebrating a friends birthday at a local hotel. Some six of us enjoyed a lovely afternoon cream tea, complete with a cheeky bottle of prosecco (or two - lol).
The tea was amazing, but I wish the same could be said about the service!  Leaving us waiting much longer than we really should have been, and being rather haphazardly late with the arrival of accompanying milk, jam and cream for the afternoon tea.  I'm thinking they were in need of a decent manager to guild them in the right direction!

In time we parted company with three of the party  who made their way home, leaving me and two friends waiting for our husbands to arrive in town - with the rain pouring down outside there was only one thing to do - have another bottle of prosecco of course!
Meeting up with the boys in a local pub (thank heaven for scarfs) before making our way to one of my favourite restaurants for an Italian meal.  After eating the large afternoon tea, I opted for a light option having chicken and parma ham in a white wine served with some mouth watering spinach,  I'm not sure quite how they cook it, but it does taste divine.  Sharing a bottle of Syrah red wine, we ate, talked, laughed and reminisced about our previous years weekend break to Lake Como, only to find out it was our waiters family home - paying homage to the stunning Italian lake we stayed on, creating this gorgeous dessert for us, stunning!

Fabulous roast beef dinner for ten on Sunday - cooking a fabulous fore rib of beef with all the trimmings, I was so full up I can honestly say I only ate dinner on Monday.

Sharing today a throw back look of an outfit I wore much earlier on in the year. I really think mustard and navy go well  together so along with these colours and my recent gifted navy shoe boots from Lotus Shoes see my previous post here,
Navy always looks fabulous with mustard, so adding this Chanel style scarf in a brighter Persian blue it created a classic look, so along with the jeans it became a casual look. Perfect for an over 50 year old to potter around in and still look stylish.
I hope you agree with me, you can wear your jeans and still look well presented.

Shoe boots with jeans are a perfect combination for Autumn, and Lotus Shoes have got a stunning collection just waiting for you. 
Do you love how I've scattered the leaves to enhance the setting - lol, I can thank Storm Angus for that!

Have a fabulous day ladies, I'll be catching up with you tomorrow.

Linking up with Garay Treasures.

Bye. X

           Jacqui B.

Camel coat

Hello fellow bloggers.

How's it going?

You may remember I had my eyes on a camel coat from a stunning range at Debenhams, see my recent blog here. 
So last week I finally made the decision to buy.

How do you like the coat?

A typical Crombie style with split lapels, and a pocket on either side.   This dark camel hue makes a nice change to the lighter, classic tones normally chosen.  This beauty only set me back £59, such a good price for a classic style that will never date, and a neutral colour that can be worn with many different styles - certainly worth it's weight.
A great length on me finishing just above the knee.  This coat is such a great fit.  I've worn this over a jumper and blouse - I hate having the feeling of bulky, tight piece underneath, and this is neither tight or cumbersome.  Debenhams have some super coats, jackets and coatigans in store now, and with the weather getting somewhat cooler by the day, now is the perfect time to buy one.

I decided to wear this last week for a walk in the harbour, the sun was shining, however weather was spot on for the season and rather chilly, so my coat was well and truly needed and as was the scarf!

I think upon reflection I should have bough this sign in this little kiosk!  So apt for me lol.
"Prosecco Queen" indeed!
Previously worn check scarf see here makes an excellent partner to my crombie coat, pulling the colours together -  I'm enjoying how they look.

We wandered around the pretty harbour, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells that go hand in hand in this environment.   Lucky for us to have this on our door step, because back in the summer months it wouldn't have been so relaxed or accessible, with so many visitors venturing into our little town.

To start the casual look I wore to the harbour, I picked these comfortable half leather/suede flats from Clarks.  These I've owned for a couple of years, but they never fail to impress me - finishing off a casual look with style thrown in.

Picking out the dark blue stripe in my scarf  I matched it with some Zara bold dark blue skinny jeans, these along with a navy jumper, both creating a background to showcase this Debenhams camel coat perfectly.

I hadn't expected this!  Not buttons and button holes, but large press-studs, three in fact!
If I'm totally honest, I would prefer buttons for a more secure fastening, because the top press stud popped open a couple of times leaving a bit of a gap, but the other two stayed perfectly in place, and I can cover up with a scarf so didn't prove a major problem for me.

I'm happy with this carefree, casual look that was so suitable for my little outing. 
However the weather never fails to amaze me when each day is so different from another, the next day was very cold with rain and strong winds making it seems even colder, scattering leaves across the paths, and hair like I've touch an electric current, making fashion shots impossible, thumbs up we picked the best day, more luck than judgement I must add!


Off out for a birthday celebration with the girls this afternoon, a nice reason to glam up a bit.  Afternoon tea at a local venue, I'm very much looking forward to tucking into some sandwiches, cakes and a scone or two! :-p

Have a great weekend and I'll check back with you next week. 
I 'm starting to think about Christmas and present buying, but how are you all doing?

Special thanks to my god-daughter Esther Ruby for creating some gorgeous shots, she certainly has got a talent here, and I'm so happy we can help each other along with our hobbies. X

Bye and have fun. X
              Jacqui B.

Wednesday wearing pink.

Good Morning friends.
How's it going?



What a dismal day yesterday was,  so a quick visit into town was on the cards for me.  Yay, I managed to dodge the rain.
I don't know about you but stores seem to change their fashion collections quicker than they ever have before.  One week you spot something, the next time you shop it's gone and no sign of it on the Internet for some items either!  So the old saying of 'get it before it's gone' rings true now more than ever. 
That being said isn't it nice to enjoy new colours and ideas more frequently?
So brightening up my dismal rainy day yesterday was eyeing some new colours I'd not thought about before.  The likes of Deep forest green silk blouses with gorgeous ruffles running down the sides, a pretty pale lilac slinky trumpet sleeve blouse (personal favourite)  lime green velour tops and a petrol blue dress, all making excellent additions in any wardrobe especially an over 50 fashion blogger.
Try wearing the forest green with blue trousers, the petrol blue dress over a t shirt and leggings or the lilac blouse under a grey sleeveless dress.  You CAN have fun mixing and matching.
Give one of these colours a go and see what fun YOU can have matching it to items already in your closet.

Forest Green ruffle blouse

H and M

£29.99

Petrol Blue Strappy dress

H and M

£7.99

Heather Trumpet sleeve blouse

H and M

£17.99

Going along with the theme of matching a fresh colour choice to your closet to see how it can be styled,  yesterday I did just that...

I spotted this pink jumper on special offer in H and M, how can you go wrong with a ten pound jumper?  I know I've got umpteen necklaces and even more scarfs that will all be queueing to get a look in on the act of compiling a stylish outfit for a bargain price. 
Try to think outside the box just literally throwing items together on the bed to see if they work, add in a necklace or bracelet to see if it blends or pops.  Both work equally well for different outfits and occasions, it's just a case of seeing what you like.  Remember we are all different so no one is right or wrong - what works for one person may not for another!

Pale pink making a subtle statement along side black and white trousers, these are previous season from Florence and Fred, black and white are a great staple buy for trousers and are everywhere in the stores now, grab a pair and you'll find they can fit into so many colour arrangements - and you'll have fun finding them. 
Now in recent years I would probably have opted for a plain black scarf, but no! Not now I'm spreading my wings and being a bit daring - I'm mixing in another pattern!!  Oh blimey some of your advice (other bloggers that is) is starting to sink in!
The scarf in question is a cheapie from Primark.  I recommend you'll find at least two or three in Primark that will match items in your wardrobe, jazzing up a plain, boring outfit.

Check out this cuff detail, I'm loving how it hangs like an undone cuff, revealing a stunning sparkly beaded bracelet.  These little details add so much to the overall look - making a plain jumper a real snazzy statement.

So what do you think of my outfit?   Have you have any bargains recently that have made many stunning outfits?  I love to hear from you if you have.




Until the next post .... Bye, bye  X

            Jacqui B.



Linking up with Fashion should be fun. My New Happy and Sydney Fashion Hunter

Warm enough in a fur gilet?

Morning to you on this chilly November day.  Autumn is well and truly upon us and I can see winter is just around the corner - brrrr, but on a happier note that means the Christmas season will be here before we know it and more importantly Skiing will be on the agenda in the Mummabstylish household! 
Every year since 2002 we've managed a skiing holiday to the French Alps in an ever growing group of family and close friends.  This year, however we are slightly smaller in numbers due to the fact of younger family members are now either new homeowners or have become larger in their own family numbers.  Therefore some 14 of us are donning our ski gear and heading in the direct of fun in the snow, in the bar and on the piste!
Okay so I'm rambling now, always the same once I get onto the 'skiing' topic.

Back to today...

.... and here's the perfect outfit for a walk by the beach.

And yes, I was warm enough in the fur gilet. 
Can I ask that you keep this to yourself - the fact I'm wearing this fabulous fur gilet?

You see I've loaned it from my middle daughter and she doesn't know yet! Lol.  Crazy really that I've manged to get into it!

Layers are such a great rule to live by, not only with changeable weather tones, but my changeable body temperatures.  I'm either boiling hot or freezing cold, or to be really awkward boiling hot with freezing hands. 
I've often been found sitting indoors after a dog walk still with my gloves on!
Starting today's attire with my H & M patterned blouse from earlier on in the year, worn before on numerous occasions, I always knew it would be a suitable candidate to wear under a sleeveless jumper or jacket, so when I saw this see here long line navy tunic in the Matalan sale that was one way I'd be wearing it.  These have to be perfect colours for Autumn.  Navy with mixes of green, brown, okra and cream, bright enough to lift my spirits but not too bold to look out of place.
I choose dark skinny jeans to give block effect, this creates a longer, slimmer look - a look that states super simple, but super chic.  This will also lead the eyes towards the pattern of the arms, and the detail of the necklace.
Finishing off this layered look with my daughters aforementioned  fur gilet, again making way for the statement sleeves.

This is such a stunning photograph taken by Esther Ruby - she certainly has an eye for a fabulous shot. Being a perfectionist I know she's going to give me the best possible photo and make me look the best I possibly can.
Fortunately I didn't get wet feet for this shot, but Esther was wading in the puddle the other end!  The things your photographers does for a perfect image!

You can see the sturdy boots I wore, again picking out one of the tones in my blouse. I'd call these taupe, which is a great neutral colour, these suede lace up boots have a cute little wool cuff that can be turned over when skinnie jeans are tucked in.   I bought these last year from Clarks.  Purchased just prior to Christmas when the pre-Christmas sales were full on.  They were a bargain for sure, just the right time for a present to myself!  Always worth checking out the stores literally just before the shutters come down and the decorations make way for the 'proper' sales banners on boxing day (when all the good stuff has already been bought!) Lol.


For my friends who celebrate Remembrance Sunday have a good Poppy Day, and for everyone else have a great Sunday!

Until the next visit  ... X
              Jacqui B.


Reflecting on the past and remembering the fallen heroes - wearing my poppy with pride.

Linking up with Mybowsandclothes

Still wearing my Levis.

Hello ladies.

Today I'm wearing my Levis jeans.
Ladies Levis having been around for over 80 years, you can definitely say they are well and truly on the fashion map, having inspired women the world over to have freedom in fashion. There's nothing that hasn't been achieved wearing Levis, women have travelled the world, become icons, succeeded in business and strutted their stuff on the danced floor. 
All I can say about mine is that they give me a darn good shape!

Pulling on my Levis jeans for the first time in ages was such a joy.   I'd almost forgotten how satisfying they are to wear.  Fitting just below the waist, hugging my hips, behind and legs they feel like a second skin.  Worth the extra pennies I paid for them.  A straight leg is very complimentary and makes a great change to the skinnies I would normally wear.
Levis jeans are not just suited to the young set, they are universal with no criteria as to who can or can't wear them - I shall wear mine for as long as they fit me, and then I'll buy some more! Ha! 

I'd teamed these with a basic v neck long line jumper that is so soft to touch, long enough so's not to ride up above my waist - this will sound so old, but I like to have a warm back!
Picking from my selection of much loved scarfs I opted for this delicate cream, blue and beige number, joining together the colours of my outfit in a subtly, understated way.  An outfit suited for the daily chores of a blogger over 50!

As you know I do love a scarf, but upon reflection I feel I've 'slipped' back in to my old ways of wearing only 3 colours!  This will have to rectified, and soon! Lol.

Linking with Shelbee on the edge.


Happy after an afternoon of 'proper' photography with my personal 'paparazzo' Esther Ruby, so stay tuned  in the next few weeks for some greats shots of some even greater outfits!

Enough of me today it's wine o'clock, so I'll see you in the weekend.

Cheerio. X
           Jacqui B.

What's in your handbag?

Morning.

How's it going?

I'm sufficiently back to 'normal' now I've had my hair done.  Over the past couple of weeks I'd gone for the 'highlighted' effect, but after two hours in the hands of an expert, my tresses are back to black - well dark brown!

After last week's blog about my gorgeous shoe boots and tote bag from Lotus Shoes I was thinking what's in my handbag?
What makes it so heavy?  I admit to stuffing everything in and then forgetting to take it out again, but sometimes I really do think I'm carrying the kitchen sink in it!

The Arvida tote bag I told you about last week see here is a beautiful bag which neatly holds everything I actually 'need'.

There's three pockets inside this navy blue bag, one especially for my phone, two others to hold my keys, lipstick and sunglasses.
The large tan purse sits with ample room in the bottom, leaving plenty of room for a scarf and gloves.
With the long handles, I can either hold the bag or carry it over my shoulder, leaving both hands free  to sift through the racks and pick out new purchases!

Now I've got this gorgeous bag I'm going to try and kerb my bag cramming habit & keep everything neat, tidy and in it's place.

How do you keep your bags?  Are they small neat with everything where it should be, or do you have a 'kitchen sink' type of bag?
I'd love to hear your comments.

Catch up tomorrow ... x
          
              Jacqui B.

Burgundy Trousers and Vintage trench coat.

Hello everyone, hope you've had a super Bonfire weekend.

Are you all preparing to wrap up warm?  Seems we're heading for some colder weather, I wanted to say finally, but now it's arrival is imminent I've somewhat changed my mind!

Still nothing to report on the outerwear front, but I'll keep you updated of any significant changes.

I thought today I'd share my vintage trench coat.  Trench coats are pretty much a standard, classic style and stand the test of time.  Mine, however you can very easily see what era it came from, yes - the 80's, can you spot what it is?  You've got it of course the raglan sleeves!  I'm not sure how it became so old all of a sudden, after wearing it on so many occasions throughout the past years.  I'm all for a bit of vintage though and this one will keep going for years, that's so long as it fits me!
I've teamed this with a recent purchase from Matalan, these burgundy straight leg trousers have a high waist with belt loops (I always have trouble keeping my trousers around my waist) so I try to make sure any trousers I buy have got them.
From Matalan costing £16 you can't really go wrong with this item and when it goes out of colour fashion they can be relegated to either the storage section of my wardrobe or donated to charity.
I matched in a long line tunic also from Matalan years ago, but I love the colours, style and material.  With colourful  burgundy, ochre, cream and black I can pick so many other items to pair it with.  The material is a lovely silky fabric, therefore free from creases. A beige court shoe along with the essential beige scarf completed today's look.  Already in the wardrobe and from Clarks and Primark respectively.
How do you like the vintage coat?  Do you have anything that you class as vintage in you clothes collection? 
My coat was bought in Wallis, but I've spotted some enticing bargains in Debenhams right now, with so many different choices there's bound to be one just right for you! So what are you waiting for?

Until tomorrow. Bye. X

          Jacqui B.

Guy Fawkes Night.

Happy Sunday!


Did you celebrate last night? We don't normally participate in this memorable day, but hubby having a skip full of wood to get rid of, we decided on having a little impromptu bonfire and a few fireworks!  We kept these to a minimum as they can be very disturbing to animals and neighbours.  I popped some jacket potatoes rubbed in olive oil, salt and pepper into the oven, prepared hot dogs and some home-made profiteroles.
All went down very well, with the profiteroles proving most popular, ;-)

You may remember I'm a big advocate of never being too old to start something new or after a long break.  For me this has been dancing both Ballet and Tap!  Classes of about 5 - 8 ladies all of a similar age group and all very much interested in keep fit and enjoying themselves.  We don't care how well we do or what we look like, it's just fun!  So today I seem to have been gently nudged in the direction of an exam!  Some seven minutes had me completing the three components for the exam, including a port de bras (arm exercise),  steps to music, then for the 'grand finale' - a short dance.  All three safely executed, with no slips, trips or brain freezes. Phew!!
Will now have to wait for a couple of weeks to see how I did, but whatever the outcome (I'm sure no one has ever failed!!) it's nice to achieve something at any age really.


A quick visit into town yesterday morning to run a few errands, and visit a few shops,  came home with a couple of cute little items - post to follow in the week. 
I've been spying the coats that are being favoured  now, camel coats seem to be a popular choice both in the shops and in your blogs.  So I may have to add one to my collection.  Coats aren't really my 'thing' but needing something different, something other than my parka, my dressy black coat or my pink pea coat.
I spotted this camel three quarter length coat in Debenhams.  It's unusually quite a dark brown, with a split lapel and two pockets. I'm still very undecided as to what coat I need would like, but this conventional, timeless classic being a cool £59 before discount, is a real contender.

Let me know if you've seen any suitable offerings in the coat department, and I hope to secure a suitable choice very soon, you'll be first to know when I do!

Have an enjoyable Sunday.

Catch up tomorrow.

               Jacqui B.

Lotus Shoes, Let me share a shoe boot.

Morning everyone - How are you doing?

Today's blog comes from a very happy Mummabstylish.  Let me tell you why that is.

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Lotus Shoes - yes me!  I was so, so pleased when they emailed me to ask if I'd like to write a gift post for them!  Would I? Let me think about this .... YES.

They suggested I look through their collection of shoe boots to pick out a few favourites and go from there.
Have you ever tried to narrow down your favourite from a collection that are all super cute and would look great on my feet and compliment my wardrobe?

Having bought a couple of items from Lotus footwear in the past I knew from the off they'd be perfect - and perfect they were.

I settled on these absolute darlings.

The gorgeous Lotus *Jacaranda floral ankle boot arrived in the box wrapped in crisp white paper, I fell for them straight away - knowing they would be worn and appreciated, and look super cute as well.  Once I put them on, well what can I say - they slipped on in the same way that Cinderella's glass slipper did.  The soft insole felt like I was walking on clouds of marshmallow, I don't know about you but I really struggle to get comfortable shoes that look on point - you can obviously see and hear that these were perfect and did both!  The Jacaranda floral shoe boot comes in three colour choices, navy, black or burgundy, but I knew navy was the one for me but for £59.99  I might be adding either of the other colours some time soon!

Isn't the pattern adorable - and the navy makes such a change from black.  The patent heel is a winner height-wise, not too flat, but not too high.  They fasten with an inside zip, making them quick and easy to put on - don't you just hate having to struggle to fasten boots up?

Taking full advantage of the weather on my morning visit to The Crescent Turner for morning tea and a nosey around.  This impressive location boasts stunning views across the estuary, a five minute drive to the sea front and some welcoming eateries including Wheelers that I mentioned in my previous post Here.
This occasion was definitely one that deserved a 'proper' shoot  (I say that very slightly tongue-in-cheek - because I'm not a model, lol) so I enlisted the help of my talented god-daughter Esther Ruby see previous blog posts here and here.

How do you like the matching bag?  Because me -  I'm over the moon with the #MyLotus *Arvida Tote Handbag that arrived along side the boots. 
It's just the right size for me, I like to throw everything in a bag and go, with this I'll look super stylish as I do!
Navy was one of the colours missing from my collection & this Arvida fits in so well. With handles long enough to pull onto your shoulder and a zipper across the top, everything stays safe inside.  It has three pockets, including a phone holder.  The half flower pattern makes this bag an eye-catching piece of arm candy and a striking addition to any handbag collection.
Why not check them out yourself, you're sure to find one or two you like!

Arvida Navy Floral print Tote Bag
£50.00

Esther Ruby Photography.

I figured, for morning tea at this stylish boutique hotel, a bold patterned long line shirt over straight leg trousers, would look fabulous.  Both these items are from Matalan & they compliment the shoe boots and bag so well, I can't wait to wear this again. 
I love to hear your comments, which I so look forward to reading.

A very big 'shout out' to my beautiful and talented god-daughter Esther Ruby for producing some fantastic photographs - Thank you. X

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are my own opinions and 100% honest.


Linking with Poshclassymom, Shelbeeontheedge and Elegantlydressedandstylis
Until tomorrow.  Bye. X


            Jacqui B.

Happy 1st November.

Morning all.

It sure does seem like the 1st November when I took a look outside this morning.  Crisp cold air met my face in a cooling, soothing way.  The dew on the grass left a fine sheen and the mushrooms popping up to greet the pale sky looked inviting, but I know from previous experience they are not to be eaten, but are poisonous! 
Hubby and I found them last year too, looking the perfect fungi, but upon a little research we found that when scraped or marked an ugly yellow appeared - not good, not to be eaten!  How do you rid your garden of such unwelcome blight? Anyone got any ideas?

On to today, I got up very excited to have my hair coloured, coiffed and teased today, but have gotten the dates wrong - it's tomorrow!  Pony tail it is then.
Have a million and one jobs to do now (slight exaggeration) so not much time for blogging today.


So is it safe to mention the 'c' word yet??  She's says hiding behind the sofa in fear of flying cushions!
It will be everywhere (if not already) now Halloween has been and gone.  Yes, about Halloween - I've got treats in the cupboard patiently waiting for eager hands to fill their baskets and bags but no-one visited!!  I'm positive they won't stay in there for long, someone's going find them!  How was your Halloween?  Some of the photos I've spotted on social media are amazing, real true talent out there.


Today's look is rather laid-back, I just pulled on my old faithful default skinnies from H and M, along with my navy turtle neck jersey tunic from the Matalan sale, with a long line cardi over the top, great for the running around today.  This was all linked in with a 'go to' scarf to liven up my look.  This beauty was for Christmas last year from a selection that Mango were offering in their pre-season sale.
You know the scenario "I'd like that from someone for Christmas, If I go and look over there, perhaps someone can by it for me" hint, hint. lol.  Does that happen to anyone else??

How do you like my Autumnal Wreath?  I've been seeing these all over the blogs and IG accounts lately, but can't seem to find anything locally,  they are truly beautiful, bringing a touch of the woods to your door-step.  So I decided to have a go myself!
This afternoon I managed to 'throw together' - (clearly it actually took me ages!) this one.  I collected some pieces from a local shop, twinned them together with tape and ribbon, making a couple of bows along the way, and voila my hard work looks half acceptable. What-do-ya-reckon?

OK off to prepare dinner, but don't forget to visit tomorrow, as I can finally let you in on my secret!
Until then, a rather excited fashion blogger for the over 50's signing off...

       Jacqui B.