Overdressed?!

It would appear I overdress.  I realised this when I tried to dress up a bit for a night out- a night in a local wine bar.  You would think this should be easy, but given my every day get up is fairly dressy it is definitely not easy. You'd think I had always known I overdress, but apparently I don't realise this.  Like the time I accidentally dressed as an extra from Game of Thrones to my friends Open House Art exhibtion (it looked like I was about to start a fire ritual) or when I regularly wear large skirts and high heels to play in the park with my kids, and give everyone a good flash of my knickers or fall over on my face.

However, I realised it was a thing when my friend (yes still at the age 30 something) rang me up to check in with me on my outfit for the wine bar in town, the realisation is that perhaps I needed to be wearing something more than what I was currently wearing. So that means what for me??!  Bigger heels, fancier fabric, do my hair up even bigger.... a ball gown?! Should I get the Game of Thrones dress out again, or perhaps add the pipe?  In the past there was some sort of societal rules in place almost for how you should dress, an etiquette guide as it were. I'm not saying this is a good thing (I would probably ignore them anyway!!), but now there are fewer rules but it can feel there can be just as much judgement - every women's magazine will show you that, or the comments the unthinking mother in the playground makes about your "unique" style of dressing, and then sniggers to her friend as she walks away.

So I hauled out every dress in my wardrobe, eventually settling on less is more tactic and wore a black 1950s pencil dress.   I thought more dressy than usual but not too over the top. Wrong.  I stepped through the door, to be greeted with "Bit much for Colchester innit?" Shit. I was dressed as a fucking peacock (literally) in the local pub last week and no one batted an eyelid on entry so what the actual fuck was up with this dress?  So smile, little laugh "oh you know never bad to over dress you never know where the night will take you. Ha ha".  Yeah really fucking funny- the night is taking me to my bed at 11 that's all the babysitter can do.  So I carried on and headed to the bar, couple of side glances (probably imagining it) and a comment from my friend of "Oh are you headed out after as well?" Er?! Wait? Hang on- you're the reason I dressed up a bit in the first place!

Lesson I learnt from this is one I should have remembered from years of enjoying expressing myself through my clothes (be that vintage or whatever style I have worn over the years), it is a lesson I try and convey in nearly every blog post, to every customer I sell to, at every event I arrange, to my friends and most importantly to my children- the lesson is in fact very blunt.

Fuck it. (to be clear I don't use the word fuck when conveying this to my kids obviously!)

Here's to the over and under dressing over the years!

Absolutely just fuck it.  You dress to please no one but yourself, some may love your style, some my hate it, some may mock it, most will not even care or notice and the perceived judgement is in your mind, you may be over dressed, you may be under dressed, you may not care what you wear.  The answer is still most emphatically fuck it.  You must dress to feel good about yourself, dress for yourself, be yourself- so in the end who cares and enjoy your flamboyance, or your under stated self, or your sweats and scrunchie self- enjoy and just wear the god damn clothes you want.

Or put in a slightly simpler format from The Hippy Crit below....

The HippyCrit Kitty Lo herself pleases herself when she dresses and simultaneously fixes bikes!!

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Is it Spring yet?!

I can't be the only one in this country to be wishing it was spring yet? I cannot possibly be the only one who feels like January has lasted an eternity!  So with the excitement of wearing my newly repaired vintage dress (thanks sis), a glance at my calendar (nearly February), the sight of a little sunshine and the temperature just tipping into the teens I got a touch excited yesterday morning. And still excited with the new found freedom of my car (side note- I passed my test and bought a car- just a little modern Renault oh how it should have been a vintage MG!) I headed out for drive and a walk in the countryside in this teasing weather, before the heavens opened and I returned to my desk shivering and wet thus proving it is still not spring!

There is something eternally heartwarming and unchanging about a walk around Dedham- especially at this time of year.  The beautiful Georgian buildings which are never changed with modern fittings, they always seem to have just had a fresh coat of paint, cottages overlooking the mill pond with fresh white sheets fluttering in the wind, the little mill pond filled with ducks and swans pottering about their business, snowdrops and blossom sprinkled across the graveyard and the sight of little wellie boot clad toddlers running through the village.  So we walked, took in the atmosphere and headed home, just a little refreshed and ready for the year ahead- with the massive big moon everyone has been banging on about, the year begins in earnest now its just about February (we all know January is for sleeping really)

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Inbetween Seasons

It's the Autumn Equinox today, and the glorious (sometimes!) summer gives way to the crisp autumnal weather.  We love trudging through the fallen leaves and conkers in knee high booots and tweed fabrics. The problem is we ALWAYS struggle to manage our wardrobe at this time of year and find an inbetween- and yes we know the same things happens every year, we really should have cracked it by now....we think we have some handy inbeween helpers though, so you don't need to pack those cotton dresses away just yet!

Your transitional seasonal wardrobe essentials!

Tights and leggings: they can warm up any outfit, a summer dress is instantly wearable in the colder months, and if you choose various colours, patterns or designs you can spruce up a dull outfit. And a pair of seamed stockings can move an outfit from Granny Chic to 1940s glamour 

Scarves and pashmina's: I find myself reluctant to put a thick coat on as I invariably end up carrying it an hour later, so often a scarf takes the edge or, and if its a big pashmina can be used in lieu of a coat if it gets too cold.

Some of our favourite autumn outfits- layered up 1970s vintage slacks or woollen knits teamed with a summer dress

Blazers and suit jackets: vintage is nothing if not versatile.  Suit jackets and blazers can be teamed with floaty summer dresses to give an autumnal edge.

Layers: The number of times I am reminded to layer up (hands up I'm guilty I don't) but layers can keep you in those lighter clothes a bit longer, add a camisole underneath, or team up a dress with a cardigan or even a vintage blouse and you instantly gain extra degrees of warmth.

Hats and Headscarves: They are so often seen as the realm of the winter wardrobe- bobble hats a plenty, but hats can be worn the whole year round.  A beret can be a chunky knit wool for those colder days or could be a lighter thinner wool knit perfect for the autumn season.  And with the unexpected gales and rainstorms, I always have a head scarf in my bag.  

These are a few very very simple ideas to help us through the seasons changing.  We would love to hear your ideas on transitional wardrobes