245 days to go: Red Monday

I love this dress but haven't worn it for ages.
I go it off eBay last year and it is a DVF dress. Allegedly!
It came with a tag so I have to assume it is and it certainly feels good quality.
I wore it today to brighten up one of the greyest days of the year. It just doesn't seem to have got light today.
But that wasn't a problem as I had a lovely day.
I was leading my monthly PR Workshop at Train 2000 and met six inspirational women who have or are about to set up their own businesses.
I love to hear the stories about what motivated them to make such radical changes in their lives.
It isn't always the easiest option to set up your own business but I have never met anyone who said they regret it. Not yet anyway!
I wore...
Red wool dress - DVF
Brown Cami - M&S
Boots - Whistles
Necklace - Top Shop

326 days to go: Working the Wardrobe

The great thing about this experiment (not buying clothes for a year) is that I get to experiment. I don't feel afraid to make mistakes. And looking back I have made some howlers.
But I do feel free. Free to make mistakes and free to play around.
I liked the boots, belt, dress combo from yesterday so last night I thought about how I could work it again.
I love this dress, it's a DVF, bought on eBay for about £50 in 2005. I don't wear it nearly enough because I had always kept it as a going out dress. Not an option when you need to maximise the wear of your wardrobe.
So here it is....
Red and white DVF dress (2005)
Belt..ASOS (2008)
Cowboy Boots (as yesterday)
Necklace..Tesco (2005)

331 days to go

The farewells continue

Tonight Mandy and Michale whose children have spent the entire holiday with ours are getting ready to return to London.
It was a happy day but a sad evening.
After they left we headed off to see the parents of our son's new girlfriend and we spent another two hours chatting and drinking tea!

Day
Tesco Bikini (as before)
Blue dress.. Zara (as before)

Evening
DVF dress (as before, worn with straps)

335 days to go

The evening was the highlight of my holiday - The Flamenco Show. The last time we had been to Spain I had watched transfixed by the clapping and stamping and fabulous dresses.
The Flamenco Show this evening was just as good.

Day
Tesco Bikini (as before)
Zara Strapless Top work as a short dress (as before)

Evening
Dress by DVF (2005)

Day 21: Purple or Orange?

I once worked for a PR firm whose corporate colours were orange and purple and it seems to have seeped into my subconscious somehow.
It is cold and dull. I want to be warm and bright. But I couldn't decided purple or orange cardigan?
You decide.

Jeans: Gap
Tunic: DVF
Camisole: Top Shop
Shoes: New Look
Necklace: Top Shop
Shoes: Mexx
Ring: Debenhams

Day 19: Flying around

Today will be a busy day.
First, I have to collect my cheque from the lawyers after a nasty car accident last year. My car was written off and I will finally get the money back for my car hire charges.
Next, I will pick up a DHL parcel which was delivered while I was out yesterday. It's near a big shopping centre and I need to buy gifts for my younger children's teachers and a gift for Grace whose christening we will be attending at the weekend.
Then I will collect my son from John Lennon Airport in Liverpool. He has been sunning himself in Portugal with his friend for the past 10 days and I have missed him so much.
After that I will collect the younger ones from school and get home just in time for our weekly guitar lesson.
Then my son has two of his pals round for tea so it will probably be bouncing on the trampoline.
As there will be lots of running around I have gone for flat shoes and easy pieces.
The Top Shop jeans I am wearing under the dress are faded and frayed around the thigh but I can't bear to throw them out.
They were the first size 10 (US size 6) jeans I bought in 2004 after I finally shed the post-baby flab that had accumulated around my body from four pregnancies over eight years.
The dress was from eBay in 2005, I think it's supposed to be a DVF.
The Birkenstocks are my favourite summer sandals for running around.

Day 13: All wrapped up.

The weather is better. Sport's Day finally took place this morning. It was abandoned last year due to rain. Abandoned the year before because it was too hot! My daughter came first in the skipping race which was cool as it was her final Sport's Day at primary school.
I won't show you what I wore to that as I dashed out after writing a feature and walking the dog.
This afternoon I am leading a PR workshop for small business owners. I need to look grown-up so I dug out another DVF dress that has been hiding in the wardrobe because I don't really know how to wear it.
The dress is reversible and so you would think versatile but the tie belt and the double layers make me look like a sack of spuds around the middle.
I have been following the style advice of Kasmira on her blog ( http://whatiwore2day.blogspot.com/) which details how to wear a wrap dress.

I tried my best in the 5 minutes I had.

Dress (DVF, 2005)
Green Camisole M&S (2007)
Pink Cardigan, Zara (2007)
Neutral shoe (Dunce, 2005)
Nude fishnet tights
Green ring (Debenhams, 2008)
Silver Bangle (Christmas present from my husband, 2005)
Necklace (Christmas present form my husband, 2007)
Belt, off a M&S Dress (2007)

Day 6: The DVF dress

Let me get this straight. I have no real sense of style.
I aspire to have a sense of style.
Ergo, I keep trying.
Today I played around with my DVF dress. It was bought on a whim three years ago when I surfed the net and found I could buy designer stuff in the sales, in the US which was much cheaper.
I was desperate to own a DVF dress because that is what grown up people do. At least the female variety. Well, mostly.
I saw this dress which worked out at about £75.
I was so excited when it arrived.
And that was it.
I have worn it twice in five years.
Why?
I didn't quite know how to wear it.
The length is odd for me.
It would have been perfect for holidays but I was afraid to get it roughed up.
After looking at these pictures I have decided I will shorten it.
I will wear it as a short dress on holiday and as a tunic at home.
I could wear it with layers underneath.
Why did I wear it today? For all the reasons above plus it is dull outside. I want some colour in my life.
But before I got dressed I went for a run, took my daughter to the doctors, completed the school run, dropped the car off for a service and now I am working from home until 3pm when I will pick them up, drop my daughter at gym and play tennis with my youngest son.

The second picture shows what I wore for my three mile run:
Black sweat pants and top (Olympus, 2007, about £15 each)
Asics running shoes (2005 £20)

This third picture shows how I fantasised wearing the dress if I didn't have children to run around after.
Dress DVF (US £75 2005)
Purple belt (charity shop 2005 75p)
Pink shoes (Next £20 2005)
Necklace Top Shop £5, sale 2005)


But the first picture shows how I actually wore it today.

As before with orange birkenstock (bought 2008 £18, Littlewoods sale).