One common characteristic that all of these women shared: a sense of planning. They weren’t over-burdened with a bunch of stray bags, they knew where their ID and boarding pass were, their hair was neat and clean, they wore modest but attractive makeup, they just didn’t appear to be frazzled and out of control. And some of the outfits that you might assume were worn by younger women were in fact being sported with great elan by women of a certain age. With confidence and flair…
London 2012 sweatshirt – John Lewis, White capris – Monsoon, ballet flats – French Sole, black dress – DKNY, blue cardigan – Kenzo, tights – Fogal, bag – 3.1 Phillip Lim, pumps – Jimmy Choo
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Necklace – Kenneth Jay Lane, white tee – Mtwtfss, black cardigan – 3.1 Phillip Lim, Rolled jeans – True Religion, black flats – BCBG, black top & skirt – Max Mara, printed cardigan – Bottega Veneta, turquoise flats – Dorothy Perkins
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All lovely combinations…
I would be wearing the first one though as it feels casual yet elegant.
Hello, just found your blog today and love it!
So I am gobsmacked by the appearance of a sweatshirt on your blog. I would love to understand better how an I Love London sweatshirt can be elevated into the Pantheon of chic?
Ah, the reasons the sweatshirt made the cut were (1) the matching shoes – which demonstrated that this young lady was thinking ahead, (2) the calm confidence with which she wore it, and (3) the fact that she'd paired them with nice white cropped pants, rather than shorts, sweatpants, or leggings. The person I saw wearing this was probably a teenager, but she looked so much nicer than her peers around her, even though there was nothing in her attire that would cause her to be ostracized by her friends. I still try to learn from young people, if I see that they've got something figured out that can expand my horizons!
thanks for asking,
and thanks for being here,
Vivienne
Love all the outfits and although I can no longer wear most ballet flats, the shoe designs/colors are inspirations. I like that almost all of them included easy to slip off shoes!
I know that I have said this over at Tish's but I so truly appreciate your mix of high and low (although I too had a little "whaa?" moment about the sweatshirt). However, if you could see my disappointment each time I look down to see who made something I love and bingo! High end not low. Sigh.
Oh, Lost in Provence, if you had just stepped down from a 23 hour flight from Australia you would understand the need for a sweatshirt…!
Love this blog !!
Hi Vivienne! "I still try to learn from young people, if I see that they've got something figured out that can expand my horizons!" That's what i love about your street style posts – you're quite obviously able to appreciate a wide range of different styles and on their own merits, too.
'comfortable, no fuss look worn with flats and minimal accessories' sounds dreary and predictable, but your examples show it to be anything but! Casual sport, casual glitzy (our teen), a little boho, some urban edge – the different personalities and women inhabiting these outfits shine through clearly.
Thank you!!! steph
The looks in the first pic is perfect.
Your blog is great, love coming here.
Hugs
Tereza
Went to a meeting today in one of your gray and pink outfits and felt positively, well, chic. Thanks for the ideas.
Just wanted to say that I have just found your blog, Absolutely love it!! I am an overweight woman of over 50 who after years of bad family finances and not caring about my appearance is now trying to be chic and simple. I work with young stylish people, so need to keep up in an age appropriate manner. So totally agree with your trench coat post, I bought one last year and wore it once.
Janey
Please help,
I love the kitten heels in the fourth photo, they are labeled as Chuck's. Somehow, I don't think so.
Pleae give me another clue.
Thank you so much..
jimmy choo
Love the red outfit! Great compilations!
I love all those outfits except the pink sweater with white pants – the pants would be dirty in a flash and I"m too old to wear words on my chest. The other outfits are lovely and I would wear them in an instant. I do wear similar outfits to fly, but not the ones with skirts.
OH thank heavens for careful readers – the black kitten heel pumps are Jimmy Choo. The footnote on that photograph was ENTIRELY wrong.
thanks for your careful attention,
and thanks for being here,
Vivienne
I would love to be wearing the second one…the red. So cute, please tell that one was the woman of a certain age?!
I've been wanting to ask: when you put same colors together (black top and black pants, just one example, or the shades of red), how important is it for the colors to match exactly? I can see the beiges in the first outfit are not the same shade. When does this matter and when not?
Yes, the woman wearing the red was over 60. She looked amazing: relaxed and confident. Turned heads.
Matching colors isn't a fetish of mine, especially when there's a scarf that ties the colors together, as in the beige outfit. That said, any time you have the opportunity to buy pieces at the same time which will match, it's wise to do so if they suit you in all other relevant ways.
If someone has to get up close to you and squint to tell if your colors match or not, they clearly have issues, and you needn't be concerned about their criticism!
thanks for being here with me,
Vivienne
Vivienne, I loved this post, as I love all of your posts, I guess. But for different reasons. This one gave me some ideas for daily outfits as I take my walks and do my errands in our lovely little rural village.Maybe a worn pair of jeans, yes, but what else to make it look realxed but pulled together? Most of the young girls here wear short shorts and muck boots in warm weather. Not going there, but I appreciate ideaas above the level of fleece. Hugs–
That's "relaxed", way too…for a former editor.
The outfit on the lowest left contains pieces owned by 99.9% of the population. Yet most people don't wear them like that. So simple in many senses.
ditto!
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Depending on where I just came from or where I was heading once I had arrived, I could see myself in all of the travel outfits but one (white/pink) Personally, I have often done the jeans version (sans holes) and the khaki version – very similar.