As it happened, I got changed for a walk in 5 minutes flat after returning from a trip to the local recycling centre (the glamour) so had to go with instinct. These big old bootcut jeans and roomy blouse just sing out their seventies spirit. Somehow, I found the blouse in my stash of 'out of season' clothes and have no memory of owning it at all and was tempted to part with it in the most recent purge, but didn't quite. PHEW! It's a thing of delight.
Such a gorgeous autumnal print, one which offers little colour so can't easily clash with anything. The silky material is comfortable and light to wear and lets the light shine through. Drapey sleeves with snug little cuffs and a lovely simple neck tie too. It's originally from Zara but I'll have bought it second hand through some channel.
 It makes a nice change to ditch the skinny jeans a while.


In a childish way I still can't resist trying to hoist myself on low hanging branches, but on closer analysis I was dubious that this one was a good idea. So I just tried (and managed) to reach it. I'm too old to perish in a tree climbing incident. Freak falling branches is fine, but self inflicted happenings are no longer acceptable.

"She was just 31 so didn't have a true understanding of how her weight would snap that small branch and tumbled to her death, still clutching the bark. Her face still bore the expression of  I wonder if..."

Are you running with the season?
Sophie

 Do you entertain a little whimsy from time to time?
Sophie

The odd few warmer days are giving rise to the last few autumn outfits before the full blown Michelin-man style of layering up begins. This dress is one I bought on a whim; it was in a charity shop window being worn by a mannequin and took me by surprise. It's virtually unheard of for me to buy something on display as such... the only other time I can recall was a pretty Monsoon dress which I gave back to charity without ever wearing as it really didn't suit my skin tone. That was rather amusing (I was egged on by Hazel) as the shop assistant tried to wrestle the dress off the mannequin for quite a while before realising that undoing the zip would make the world of difference.

Although this red number is a couple of sizes too big, it's technically the best fit as I enjoyed it a little roomy and just gathered the waist in with a leather belt to add a little more shaping to the silhouette. While I rather love the almost military feeling lace sleeve caps, I can't say the same for the asymmetric stitching to the body. Anything asymmetric gives me an uncomfortable feeling which I can't concisely explain but usually I try to avoid anything on the wonk. (or as we say on Norfolk, 'on the huh').

As I'm getting older I'm feeling so much more relaxed about wearing less make up. I haven't put on anything on my skin for months now, instead just opting for eyeliner, mascara and something balmy for my lips. I still feel like me; the rustic version but I consider that to be my style.

Neat idea wearing white tights in the countryside, Sophie. They won't get mud splatters up the calves...

Do you feel like you're growing in to your own style?

Sophie

The temperatures really plummeted this weekend, didn't they?! With arctic gales gusting strong it was distinctly chilly outside on Saturday. I reached for my thermal tights without question (always Primark) and chose this monochrome checked skirt which is not my usual style in terms of shape but equally fits in with much of my wardrobe. I wore it once before with a cropped jumper but forgot to take any pictures. This time I opted for this super soft turtle neck fine knit jumper. Not only is the wonderfully retro cut a staple to suit many other outfits but also the colour is most unusual, such a curious shade of blue... almost greying.

You have no idea how cold it was standing there for those three minutes! Bracing is not the word. Brrrr! Worry not though, I was wearing a thermal vest too and a cami as well. You have to layer up in these kind of conditions. I was toasty in a thick coat.

Smile. Always smile in crazy weather. It confuses people.

Sophie

If you go down to the woods today you'll find every shade of leaf that you ever could imagine. The forest floor was littered with crispy leaves as far as the eye could see and it was amazing to see the warmth in the environment; the hue of oranges was stunning. I'm trying to embrace the change, I'm trying to enjoy the new feel. I want to believe in it.

It's just as well there is so much colour in the background as I'm wearing possibly the most drab shade of grey and a pair of jeans. I'd just fade away against the murkiness of recent cloudy skies lately. This blouse is one of the few I own with a pretty little bow to the neck, not quite a pussybow but close enough for the moment. The blouse itself is a lovely one, with neat details to the neck, sleeves, cuffs, cute buttons... in fact it's almost too 'busy' for my taste and perhaps the only thing keeping it from being too fussy for my taste is the sombre colour. I must be minded to wear it more.

In my head it made sense to wear jeans to the woods on a wet day. Turns out I was wrong, the mud and wet travelled up my jeans, up past my ankles making them heavy and uncomfortable. Would have been better off in a skirt after all. Noted for future.

Sophie

Red. It's a colour I like to dabble with once in a while. We flirt, we hang out, we find ourselves together more and more often. Then red suddenly takes a disliking to me, it doesn't want to be seen with me in public and shuns me for a while. How sad it is that red just wont settle down as my trusty companion for good.

I found this wonderful tunic dress; it looks really red and bold up close but according to these pictures the colours are all merge into something resembling a slightly ruddier shade of nude from a distance. I guess it pays to stay at close proximity. The pattern is small, busy and really rather wonderful and ought to be admired. Now, I can't decide what my favourite thing about this tunic is, there are a number of delightful features.

The banding to the top of the sleeves to match the banding under the bust is such a cool feature which adds a whole lot of character. I love it. Do I have anything else in my wardrobe like it.... no, I don't think so. Plus the sleeves billow out a little towards the cuffs and they add a pinch of drama; they warrant a good amount of arm swishing to make best use of the generous fabric.

My preference for conservative dressing (which to be fair does seem to be limited to covering my chest) was challenged with this low-swept neckline but it does sit comfortably so I'll live with it and enjoy the change. Impressively, the fabric is so stretchy it's most amusing. It will ping right back which makes it a particularly serviceable material for a clumsy clot like me.

Knee socks and leather boots. Outfit complete.

Sophie

These pictures were from late September, you can tell that Autumn hadn't really set in by the leafy green trees!

“It's not for golf!” I exclaimed. C is rather convinced it is.
Come to think of it, I'm not really sure what I would wear for golf. I suspect that heels which could puncture the green are strictly forbidden, so I guess that rules this ensemble out on that basis alone.
What I had in mind with this look was a relaxed seventies feel. This red knit top is something I would have avoided 4 years ago but spying it on a rail was like a mini lottery win; it just seemed to be perfect for me; warm, little turtleneck and short sleeves with a quirky pattern. Love it! My True Religion Joey jeans are just the right amount of flare without being impractical, plus when worn with heels they magically make me look tall. You probably can't see my monster heels but that's ok, let's forget I mentioned it and pretend they're flats... and I'm actually a towering 5'10. It's our little secret.
My gorgeous Joules bag* from Country Attire is so versatile that it fits in a treat with outfit as well as with pretty much everything else I wear. It's satchel-esque quality makes it stylish without being too pigeon-holed into one trend.
In the interest of absolute clarity I want to point out that my black base layer is a long vest top and not a massive pair of knickers. Let's get that straight!
Sophie

I can hardly believe what an amazing backdrop that has been created; golden ears of barley sweeping into the horizon while the gorgeous purple wild flowers have been sown as a field boundary. The colours are rich and match each other so well, nature really does know best working with it's glorious palette.

You may be wondering why I'm wearing such an unusual dress... I was challenged to style up this stunning flower of romance hair flower from Glitzy Secrets in my preferred seventies look; which immediately had me searching my wardrobe for the perfect dress. The hair slide is a thing of beauty indeed; so pretty and delicate looking yet strong and secure, the sparkles make it feel like a really special piece. As well as being a gorgeous hair accessory for people, like me, who wear flowers in their hair it's definitely got that magical bridal feel to it too. I wore my hair down and loose; freshly washed and full of curls and clipped the slide onto one side. You could also have your hair up and clip it in to that as well, plus I also tried out clipping in to a spray of flowers which looked beautiful too.

Necklace is from Lily Blanche and the usual array of accessories from charity shops

When creating my outfit my first reaction was to suspect I didn't own much seventies inspired pieces (wrong, about 65% of my clothes are) so my fears were quelled once I started pulling out items I liked best. Mostly dresses, with prints, except this one which cried out to be worn. It's an amazing vintage piece which has absolutely zero purpose except to hang on the rail and look like a wedding dress. It's another one of those buys which I couldn't resist but can't exactly say I'd ever have cause to wear but at £4 I had to have it.

Obviously I love the dress; when usually I'd shy away from such feature-sized short sleeves I'm embracing them and relishing how they look just right with the rest of the dress. The lace panel-strips are the second detail which makes the dress.

If I ever renew my wedding vows I want to wear this exact outfit again and stand in this very spot, it seems just about perfect to me. Do you think so? I do.

Sophie

Thanks to Glitzy Secrets for sending me such a gorgeous clip to style up