Good Riddance To Two Thousand Nineteen

I walked so much this year and London never disappoints.

I passed Erdem's shop in Mayfair most days and never knew any dresses prettier than these.

I often craved sparkle, but London life is rather more practical than that.

When practical is this beautiful, however, your head can't help but sparkle from the inside.

Often worn outfit until it got properly cold - I thought rather Carolyn Bessette-like, but my middle aged eyes can't distinguish my fork from my spoon nowadays.  And I am missing some inches.

Coat, Zara, HERE

Sweatshirt, J.Crew, HERE

Skirt, Club Monaco, HERE

Shoes, Chanel, 

Bag, old Proenza Schouler

This is only my 7th post in 2019, my worst year since I started this blog in 2011.

The year was not an easy one, and if you were a regular reader you may remember that I can't multitask to save my life.  When I have to deal with life stuff, I can barely remember to brush my teeth, let alone pick an outfit.  I was hardly the only one, however, having a less than stellar year.  Some of you lost mothers, dads, overcame illness, or worried about finances.  I am thinking of you all, and hope things will be better soon.

How about a toast to 2020 and all the good things that are coming our way.  

Happy New Year

xxxxx

I May Have Been Very Wrong About Bright Colours On A Grey Day

The Lanesborough in Knightsbridge

London is turning into an Instagram nirvana.  Formerly grey and grand buildings are adding Disney bright facades to their facades, turning some dull and dark corners of town into a veritable pink paradise.  In my last post way back in June (sorry), I argued bright colors don't work on grey days.  If this balloon and plastic flower trend continues, however, I'll be wearing that yellow skirt all year round.

Here's my attempt at colour today.

Pink blazer from Zadig & Voltaire,  HERE and HERE (it's darker in real life than online)

Green skirt from J.Crew, comes in a few colours HERE

Grey T-shirt from Uniqlo, HERE

Black bag from Proenza Schouler, don't think they make it anymore but I have often raved about all of their bags HERE

Stripy shoes from J.Crew, HERE

And here through the magic of www.remove.bg I have sent myself into another place and time. How wrong was I about bright colours on a grey day.  I so often overthink everything!  Just wear what you want and don't listen to me :).

Have a great day everyone, or anyone who is left after my pathetically long absence... thank you in any case,

xx Dianne

How To Wear Yellow On A Grey Day: Answer Is Not At All

Having more than a few homesick moments for Hong Kong right now.

All those courageous people protesting in the streets, the strangely comforting hot humidity, swimming pools, dumplings, icy cold air conditioning, Dragon's Back hikes.

Here in London the stores are starting to sell pre-fall collections.  I don't think many people have even worn any of their new summer clothes yet.  We had one really lovely week, right around my last post it was gorgeous and sunny.

My first summer here, and I am already craving so much more summer.

Would you wear yellow on a grey, rainy, 18 degree day?  THE colour of 2019, but yet I feel I clash horribly with my fog grey environment.  On the stairs above Big Wave Bay (photo above) my yellow skirt would look have looked fab.

ME+EM jumper, HERE

Zara skirt, HERE

Ash sandals, HERE

J.Crew bag from last year, similar HERE and HERE

I used another ME+EM jumper in this outfit to tone down the brightness of my skirt.  Same concept of previous post, although this particular style is more of a blush colour, and slightly cropped.

A bright white or grey top would have worked as well and I think my pale yellow cashmere jumper (HERE) on top of this skirt could be good, but even on a bright sunny day yellow is a hard color to style.

Have you tried any yellow this summer?  

xxx Dianne

Spring 2019 Outfit With ME+EM Jumper (because you just can't rely on British weather)

Me+Em Jumper (HERE)

Zara Skirt (HERE)

Malone Souliers Shoes (HERE)

Zadig & Voltaire Bag (HERE)

For once I am wearing an outfit that you can still entirely buy in stores.

I'm hardly ever able to give you links to the exact pieces because so many times I happily wear old and newer clothes together.

In fact, I hope my posts give you ideas or inspiration, rather than the urge to buy.  In this case, I like the effect the neutral jumper has on the busy skirt.  It's a longish style knit, covering the skirt up to the hip.  The flowers peek out just enough to suggest spring, while the dark shoes and neutral bag keep the outfit grounded.

For me just the jumper and skirt are new.  It took me a while to decide on them but once I realised they would both work with many other things in my closet I was happy to buy.

I've become very conscious of waste, waste of money as we are trying to buy a house, and waste in terms of clothes filling up landfills.

Chelsea

Forcing myself to fit all my summer clothes in my available wardrobe rather than spilling over into the guest room and other places, I have dropped off nine giant bin bags of clothes at my local Oxfam over the last few weeks (Shawfield Street off the King's Road). Whatever didn't spark joy had to go (read more about my method HERE).

My heavier winter clothes are vacuum packed in two large bags under my bed.  I am sure I sound like a nutter when I say the lack of space is reviving my love of fashion.  I've always believed I dressed much more uniquely back when I had less stuff and less money.

Dior at the Victoria and Albert Museum

Unfortunately my London lifestyle doesn't call for Dior gowns at black tie balls, so I have started selling some fancy shoes on Vestiaire - if you are interested you can find me HERE.  More will be put up for sale in the next few days.

Hope your Monday is going well.  Only four days till the long weekend!

Lots of love,

Dianne

If you are on the short side, like me, I have found us a great dress at Uniqlo

It's not this one.  

This, however, was one of my favorite dresses at the V&A Dior exhibition, which starts out with a selection of black and white displays.  At first glance it looks like a simple 1950s dress with bows on the shoulder straps, but yet the height of the bodice and the bateau shape of the neckline emphasize the collar bone regally and demurely, like a dress made for a princess.

Monsieur Dior would have kicked me out of his atelier faster than I can say New Look, because I never had a waist at all.  When I was younger I was straight up and down, but now at 52 my waist has thickened and fitted dresses never work for me.

This morning on my bubble tea run in South Kensington;  sweet lychee bubble tea of course not helping my waist at all.

Dress from Uniqlo, find it HERE.

It's a very sweet dress, so I'm wearing it with ankle boots to give it some edge, and for the same reason I am keeping the palette in all black, white and neutrals.

It can be worn gathered at the waist, if yours is slimmer than mine, and would look really cool with a brown logo belt, like this one at Valentino, HERE, or with this more discrete black one, HERE.

Warning: the dress is not particularly long, so it may be an awkward length if you are taller than 1.66m, which is the model's height on the website.

Boots from Rag & Bone, HERE.

This building on the Fulham Road reminds me how lovely black, white and brown work together.  That was my second bubble tea run of the day.  You can take the girl out of Asia but you can't take Asia out of the girl.

Belt by Valentino, HERE, and brown logo version HERE.

I hope you are having a great day!  Thank you so much for reading,

xx Dianne

Hello, How Have You Been?

I've been away from here a long time.  Frankly, I didn't care that much about fashion while it was properly cold and dreary.

I should have followed my own rules to only ever buy what you truly love, so that even in a rain storm you'd be excited to wear the mac of your dreams.

Mental note for next Fall: I need a proper bonded Mackintosh coat, like the one I used to have while working for Kate Spade many years ago. Mine was bright pink and not a drop of New York rain ever got through that sucker.

But now it's almost Spring, when fashion always proves its usefulness by getting us all excited about shedding the layers and wearing something fresh and pretty.

When I last wrote I was about to attend a party at the new Pink Shirtmakers shop in Jermyn Street.  The shop did not disappoint - I want all the colours of these vintage inspired shirts to wear with my most favorite blue jeans and sneakers. 

This painting from 1914 hangs in the Tate Britain.  The artist founded a movement called Vorticism - I mostly like it on a more shallow level, for its colours and shapes.  It relates to Spring 2019's trends, I think.  I spend lots of time at the Tate Britain (which I personally prefer over the Tate Modern).

I've even been in the shops recently.

Bag is from Zadig and was on sale (new season's color HERE or super cute in yellow HERE)

Trousers from the men's department in FCUK, find them HERE.  Men's clothes are so often better made and cheaper at the same time.

Cashmere jumper from Uniqlo, which they no longer seem to have online, but in some shops they are on sale for 39 Pounds. Similar HERE.

Shoes are old from Chanel, HERE.

Blossoms are everywhere, with much more to come.  London is so beautiful right now despite the horrid Brexit limbo we are finding ourselves in at the moment.

I hope you are finding some Spring happiness around you wherever you live.

Lots of love,

Dianne

Thinking About The Glow Up Challenge In A Very Sunny London

10 AM near the Natural History Museum on Monday 28 January, 2019.

I had a Glow Up once - between ages 43 and 46 I transformed from an exhausted out-of-shape mom into a strong, lean and confident forty-something.

In 2009 I met a newly qualified personal trainer, and I became his PT guinea pig for the next few years (Pelle Andersson has since left this earth far too young, but I am sure he lives on in the memories of his many friends and clients).

In the midst of a fitness makeover at age 45, back in 2011.

Lives get busy and people move in different directions, and at some point I felt totally confident I could handle my fitness myself.  Well, that was rather moronic on my part.  Within mere weeks of quitting a twice weekly routine of interval runs, jumps, lunges and planks, I started becoming saggy again.  

Initially I didn't mind so much, and loved going to bed without sore muscles or eating late night dinners with lots of champagne.  Unfortunately, today I have to admit I've had a shocker of a Glow Down since those days, and it's time to find some body discipline soon before it is too late.

Thankfully it's the right time of year for it - just after I've come to despair the darkness of winter, hints of Spring are arriving along with sunshine and energy.    

The Chelsea Physic Garden

In one of Chelsea's prettiest places, the Chelsea Physic Garden, trees have been decorated with balls of soil and moss housing the most charming baby snow drops.

Bibendum's flower stall.

Flower stalls all over town are offering peonies, tulips and hyacinths.  Even though snow attempted to infiltrate London last night, we are on our way to Spring.

I've been walking all around London's parks, occasionally mixing it up with walking lunges or little sprints.  

Then on Monday, while at lunch with my clever IT Director friend, I discovered that my iPhone X has a Health App.  I know, it's rather stupid to buy an iPhone X and never open any of the apps beyond texts, but anyway, for all of you fellow techno-challenged readers out there:  your iPhone is like a Fitbit!  And in fact it started measuring my steps a year ago without me ever registering or approving it, which is slightly creepy, but also hugely motivational.

My dining room.

This is where I am sitting while working on this blog today - the room is slightly darker than the rest of the house but it's great for watching life pass by on the street in front of me.

Behind me is this console table covered in an H&M Home tablecloth as I am hiding a few boxes underneath there.  H&M's freestanding home store in Westfield is so much fun - I highly recommend a visit.

Tomorrow I am attending a New Year's party at Pink Shirtmakers in Jermyn Street.  For me there is no better Spring outfit than a roomy cotton men's shirt tucked into jeans worn with Chanel flats, so I am rather excited to have a good look at Pink's new collection (read more HERE).

An old favorite picture of the queen of oversized shirts, Leandra Medine.

In 2019 I am going to focus on classic fashion.  After the move to London I had to get rid of so many clothes that I've decided to never find myself in that situation again.  I want to wear things that last (there's more than enough fashion waste in the world) and of course if clothes are going to last, they also need to be timeless and not based on fleeting trends.

But first I need to find an outfit for tomorrow! 

Thank you for reading and have a great day,

xx Dianne