I love popular science stories. Especially neuroscience stories. Especially ones with real life anecdotes.
So forgive me if I don’t post for a while because I just discovered this new awesome website, Barking Up The Wrong Tree, and now I don’t see myself doing anything but reading all 1053 pages of scientific facts.
Continue reading “Barking Up the Wrong Tree”
My most recent obsession has been olive pants with crisp whites. I saw a woman with a crisp collared shirt and cargo jeans. She looked so good I’ve been obsessed ever since.
Country Road has some flattering harem pants,
and chino olive pants.
Wear them with a white linen tank,
.
.
or an embroidered tank from Trenery
and white sandals (I think you can only wear black shoes with coloured pants if you have a black top. That’s just one of my weird rules).
Tan shoes are the other option.
Some inspiration:
Adding a touch of pink is another colour combo I like.
It just feels like summer is on its way, so let’s celebrate!
Awareness and acceptance.
I have always thought that if you think someone has the perfect life, it just means you don’t know them well enough. Everyone has loss and sadness in their life at some point.
For me recently it has been coping with cancer. It sounds crazy but only today, four months down the track, when I read the following list, did I realise that I was grieving my loss of health:
Loss of a sense of a healthy body
Loss of family role
Loss of future plans, goals or dreams
Loss of employment
Loss of strength, physique
Loss of a sense of personal control
Loss of function
Loss of certainty
I realised that the “in-limbo” feeling was just a symptom of the grieving process I am going through, that I need to go through. Finding a proper definition, a name for it is, I think, the first step I need to take to get me out of this mess.
The next step is learning how to cope.
Continue reading “Coping”Four months or so ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had surgery and now I’m doing chemo. I’ve come to feel like being a cancer patient has become my life. It has taken over my brain.
I’ve decided this cancer obsession is a) unhealthy and b) boring. It is hard though to remember how to enjoy the simple things in life. It’s all so pointless when we are all going to die anyway.
Clearly this can’t go on. I’m trying to put a little joy in my life.
Continue reading “Finding Joy”Birdsnest has one of their Order an Hour Giveaways on today. Just saying.
Najo.
Najo.
I love a tassel on a shoe like these sandals from Just Because.
I am a fan of Alyson Walsh and her blog That’s Not My Age.
Alyson also writes for the Daily Mail, and I enjoyed this piece on style tribes.
In the article there is a quiz. I do love a quiz. Even though you know they are silly, I always feel the need to complete them.
Of all the options suggested in the article I think the Scandinavian Chic one appeals to me most. It’s comfortable.
Flattering muted shades, grown-up styling, and clever, unexpected shapes such as cocoon dresses and geometric silver jewellery typify the best of Scandinavian style.
….The style is understated, simple and practical. She is looking for something that will last. Unafraid to experiment with layering and asymmetric silhouettes, she goes for minimal shapes, clean lines, neutral colours and natural fabrics.
As well as heavy-duty knitwear, she is also likely to favour some nautical stripes. Keep it simple. Don’t blow it all with fussy accessories.
Wardrobe essentials:
- A slouchy sweater worn over black trousers or jeans (try Zara),
- a striped T-shirt,
- ankle boots (for around £60, Clarks do some of the best – and the most comfortable) and
- a butter-soft suede jacket (if you can, this is one time it’s worth splashing out on the real thing – the £328 version from All Saints is particularly good. And you can always wait for the inevitable Autumn sale).
- Top it off with a coatigan (a mix of coat and cardigan) and
- a cross-body bag (&otherstories.com has a range from £55).
THE STYLE CROWD’S SECRET SHOPS
■ Acne – this hip Swedish label has some eye-wateringly expensive pieces, but is the go-to brand for jeans you’ll treasure…
■ COS – for the modern minimalist, Swedish H&M’s older sister offers pared-down style with a flash of colour. It looks high fashion but at low prices…
■ By Malene Birger – this Copenhagen designer does contemporary chic with an eye-catching twist. It’s available at Fenwick, Net-a-Porter and John Lewis, with chic wool trousers around £200. Try waiting for key pieces to go on sale on theoutnet.com, Net-a-Porter’s cut-price site.
A friend gave me a copy of Marie Kondo‘s book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying.
There’s a really good summary here of the book and the key principles behind the art of tidying up.
Continue reading “Chuck It”
Here’s my collection of Over 40 style blogs.
I regularly update this list to reflect the blogs that I like. Hopefully you will find some gems.
UPDATED: 5 May 2020. Enjoy!
One site / app I look at occasionally is PopSugar.
I like the street style and fashion posts.
This post on shoe trends caught my attention with its 9 shoe trends. I’m so happy that so many of these trends are for flat shoes. Hopefully this will increase the number of interesting flats in the shops.
1. Lace Me Up. I love the many options in this style from the thin laces to the thicker straps.
2. Mules. I’m kind of glad this trend from the 90s/ early 00s has come back, so I don’t feel so bad looking at old pictures of me wearing them. Done it once. Never again.
If had to do it, I’d go for a neutral colour with a chunky heel.
3. Brogues and Loafers. Oh, how I regret throwing out my old Italian brogues!
4. Punchy pumps. I don’t wear heels, so not a trend for me. The trend is about pointy toe shoes with thinish heels.
If I did wear heels, I would probably have lots of pairs with multiple straps or laces.
5. Street Slides. I have had Birkenstocks in the past. I prefer slides with two straps so they don’t look like something you’d wear in the shower at the gym.
6.Sneakers. I prefer the plainer plimsoll type sneakers (Vans, Converse) but I absolutely loved the Rita Ora collection for Adidas.
7. Playful Platforms. I’m tall enough already. I would never wear platforms, apart from maybe clogs.
8. Fancy Flats. As a flat shoe wearer I hope this trend will bring some more interesting flat shoes. So often the cool shoes only come with heels.
9. Gladiators. Not a style I have ever liked funnily enough, but I don’t mind the versions that don’t have straps half way up the leg.
During my last two months of chemo, I have not been posting here because my brain has been mush. Now I’m over the worst my brain is starting to function again.
I guess I was hoping for some profound realisation from the experience, but so far I’ve got nothing.
However I did find this extract from Pema Chodron’s latest book which does resonate with my experience:
Continue reading “Fail Again”
Sol Sana is a shoe brand where I pretty much would happily buy every single shoe they make.
If I designed shoes this is what I would design. I love comfortable shoes (i.e. mostly flats). I love shoes and bags with laces and straps. I love good leather. Sol Sana has all these things I like.
I absolutely love my new handbag from Fossil. I am wondering if this is my favourite bag ever. I absolutely love the colour. The leather is gorgeous (all Fossil bags have the best leather. Thick but supple). The size is great. It fits all my stuff!
It has got me reminiscing about all the handbags I have had over the years….
In the 90s, I was a big fan of the small backpack. Hands free! No dancing around my handbag at the disco. It was convenient AND stylish. Ha!
A few years later and I was living it up in London. Weekends were often spent popping over to Italy or France. The shoulder bag that fit right in my armpit became my bag of choice. Hard to pick pocket. More grown up.
I even bought my one and only designer bag. A Gucci Jackie.
After my daughter was born, I had a series of those bottomless bags that weigh a ton and expand forever. My husband would refuse to look into it because he could never find anything. In my defence, the bag held face wipes and snacks and all the other junk that goes with kids. So technically it was not my stuff.
A few years later, and I could finally use a normal size bag again. One of my favourites from this time was my Rebecca Minkoff mini-MAC. The only problem with it was that the silver coating wore off or I’d probably be using it still.
As this blog attests I had many years of using a clutch.
Partly because for work I often carried around a laptop, so it was easiest to chuck a clutch handbag in with the laptop. Any fancy chains or handles would just get mixed up with the cables. Simple was best. Also, around this stage my back went, so I needed to lighten the load.
Now? Now I have 6 months of chemo, so I’m not working. Not planning to anyway. I have to carry around extra stuff like hand sanitisers, suntan lotion, sunglasses, lip balm, etc etc. So I need a bigger bag.
Luckily this led me to get the Fossil Sydney Satchel, which is perfect for winter. Leather bags don’t work in Sydney in summer, but until then, no more handbag shopping for me.
A flattering style can be the belted top. But if, like me, you have no waist you have to be careful which styles you choose.
Key things that work for me are:
Recently I have seen a few longer tops with attached wide fabric belts and the belt is the same colour as the top. I think this could work well to provide a flattering shape, without the discomfort of the more formal tailored shirt.
Here’s some I am considering:
Seed.
Anglomania by Vivienne Westwood.
I really like vintage scarves. Rumisu makes the most amazing scarves. Great patterns, similar to vintage scarves, plus good sizing so they work well as head or neck scarves.
Unfortunately they are outside my price range, but they are inspiring to look at.
I’m not planning on dying any time soon, but I have felt the need to write a bucket list recently. I’m kind of curious as to what would be on it since I’ve never thought about it longer than two seconds.
1. More skiing. Basically when ever I think: “what do I wish I was doing now?” The answer is always to go skiing. I’d like to ski:
2. I’d like cool ski jacket. I’ve always worn my Henson one from the 90’s. I’d like a colourful jacket.
3. Iceland. I’d like to visit once, and preferably see a Sigur Ros concert there.
4. Amsterdam again. I’d like a couple of weeks in Amsterdam. Riding bikes. Shopping. Visiting art galleries. Shopping.
5. LA and New York again. More shopping. Where I don’t feel guilty about spending the money, I can find clothes that fit and I don’t worry about how they are going to fit in my suitcase.
6. I’d like to have an adult sofa and rug. Neither being from IKEA.
7. I’d like to get super fit; able to swim for 1 kilometre non stop.
8. Live in a house right on the beach for a month and just do nothing for a month but chill out.
9. Own an Audi (I know right? So uncool). Maybe just for a week. Then get a Fiat 101 or something. That’s more my kind of car. Easier to park.
10. Fly first class and not feel bad about the cost. Preferably on the way to a ski holiday.
11. Do a wellness retreat for a week with lots of massages and meditation.
12. Have a golden retriever. For this I would need a house with a backyard.
13. Be a grandmother. I’d like to be around when my daughter grows up and has children.
That’s about it. Can’t think of anything else.
This skirt has such great pockets that I don’t care how it looks, how it doesn’t suit my body type, it’s too short, I have no waist. It has pockets!
Now the hard part is working out what to wear with it.
Flats? I look like a librarian. Which isn’t a terrible look for me. In fact, over playing the nerdiness is an option. Cue glasses and cardigan and beehive. 
Ankle boots. I can’t find my ankle boots! I stored them (somewhere) for winter but now I can’t remember where. Sigh. I really need to do a clear out.
In my hunt I found a stash of old shoes (when my back went and I put away all my heels). Last night I wore the skirt with these heels (since my back is now pretty good).
The shoes looked great. The skirt looked a bit funny, but, pockets!
.
I did also find my knee high boots which i could wear at a stretch.
Still trying to get my head around it. What would Olivia do?
In winter I wear jeans all the time because I feel so comfortable in them. It is hard to force myself to wear something else. In summer, my denim skirt gets worn a lot because it is cooler than jeans (temperature-wise) but more appropriate to my age and leg condition than shorts.
I like the new trend for the longer a-line denim skirts, with either the hip pockets or button front.
This version from See by Chloe is pretty near damn perfect:
Or this boho one is more A-line and I like the way it can sit low on the hips:
Some denim skirt inspiration:
A denim skirt would definitely be in my list of wardrobe essentials.
I saw these shoes in the Wittner window the other day.
They are the perfect take on the laced shoe trend. The slightly thicker straps on the side make these shoes look better than most of this style of shoe, which only have the thin crossed lace.
And they are flats! Perfect.
Some inspiration for how to wear them:
