Camel. The colour of autumn. The colour of the ‘new minimalism’ that’s being lauded for the coming cold season. For me, there’s also the faint whiff of Del Boy Trotter about camel and, as such, it makes me a little nervous!Given that I am boycotting all autumn clothing until 1 September, I haven’t tried anything on yet. But I am tempted to at least give it a whirl in the changing rooms to see whether I can channel Chloe more than Del. Although it is a trend, it is also a classic and therefore one that will float in an out of fashion but will always be stylish and chic.And apparently there is a camel hue to suit everyone, so that even pale, washed out folk such as myself can find one that doesn’t drain the remaining life out of your face.But, and this is a big but, I think there is such a risk of falling into pensioner territory – looking a bit too classic and elegant. For a colour that is seemingly so simple and natural, it seems also fraught with pitfalls. Del and old lady being just two of them!So I am turning to you, Edna readers, for help! Have you invested in any camel clothing yet? How are you getting along? Have you got any photos you can show us working the camel look? I’m in need of some inspiration, that’s neither catwalk, pensioner or market trader!Please send emails to whatwouldednasay@gmail.com and I can post photos and feedback, so the rest of us can go bravely into the new season, swishing along in our camel finery (or not!).In the meantime, this is the coat I have been eyeing up...which I think has already sold out in Oasis (!)... and was only £80.
p.s. in today’s Observer magazine Polly Vernon is talking about her love of the new season clothing, including lots of camel...dare I say it, beige even...clothing from Topshop.
If you do a search for ‘camel’ on the Topshop website, you will find a multitude of camel items of clothing and accessories: www.topshop.com
As you may have guessed from previous posts, I can have quite silly taste in accessories. As much as I know that it makes sense to buy classics that go with everything and will last years, I still find myself drawn to handbags with Bambi on the front of them!
I love the slightly surrealist details too. I almost bought a Lulu Guinness lips clutch bag for my wedding day (the handbag was my big treat to myself!). The only reason I didn’t is that it would struggle to contain what I usually lug around with me on a night out. It’s your lipstick and credit card type of evening bag, when I tend to need a keys, tonne of makeup, phone, oyster card, tissues etc type of bag!
My lovely friends on my hen party bought me an Anna Lou of London lips brooch as a token of my love of lips-based fashion items...and to console me for being sensible and not buying the Guinness clutch!
In light of my love of lips, I was enraptured when I spotted this!
A Marc by Marc Jacobs laptop case. I could have kissed it! It comes in a variety of colours and costs £60...which admittedly is a bit steep for a nylon case (and considering that the patterned case I use at the moment is waterproof and cost £12 from Paperchase!).
Still, it’s not very often you get a Marc by Marc Jacobs beauty like this for under £100 and it would cheer up a laptop no end!
Following my wardrobe malfunction earlier in the week, lessons have been learnt and action taken. No more thick jersey, with leggings and boots until at least September!
Not a drop of sweat has fallen off me today! Instead, I am luxuriating in this morning’s wardrobe decisions...which have embraced everything in yesterday’s post – trench coat, layers, scarf, brogues and brolly.
This is the £20 Miss Selfridge trench I mentioned yesterday which has been a dream purchase (and actually just gets thrown in the washing machine to clean it!). The silk shirt dress was a bargain buy from a discount outlet in the USA when I was on my honeymoon earlier this year (managed to drag Mr W along kicking and screaming for a shopping day out!) from BCBG Max Azria and was something ridiculous like $40!
The blue brogues are from Office, scarf is a bargain from M&S from a few years ago that is always with me, the handbag is the new military style one I bought from H&M last week (and accidentally set my rape alarm off in it on the bus earlier this week with horrifically smelly consequences...but worryingly no noise!), jewellery is a mixture of presents, Primark and Untold.
And squirreled away in the handbag is my brolly and black long-length cardigan if it gets chilly.
So I have followed my own advice to the letter...and have to say they were wise words indeed!
Dressing for rain and heat...a difficult one...and something I got completely wrong yesterday. The torrential rain in the morning and moody grey sky lulled me into a mistaken sense of cold and needing to wrap up. I wore a thick, long-sleeved black jersey dress from Cos, black tights, black leather Converse boots and threw on a trench coat. An outfit I love and the contrast of the black with a classic trench is very chic and a favourite of mine.Only it was a very clammy day, so while the trench was a good idea, the rest of it wasn’t. I spent large tracts of yesterday sweating! I was in a bar last night and was so uncomfortable. You know what it’s like when you’re so hot, so sweaty that you can actually feel it running down between your breasts (!) and it makes even trying to focus on the most basic conversation difficult. The only thought on repeat in my head was ‘I’m hot, I’m sweating and I need a cold shower’ (thankfully wine helped me refocus less on the sweat and more on the company!).And with two days of rain forecast for London, I thought it best to be prepared so that I don’t fall into that sweaty trap again!A trench coat is perfect for rainy, warmish weather and these days most shops stock them, from low to high end. I have one I bought years ago from Miss Selfridge in a sale when there was an entire rail groaning under the weight of them because no one was interested. It was a bargain £20 and has been worn to death. They are now everywhere, in a range of colours, and are a great investment.
Monsoon Jo puff sleeve mac - £85
Natural full skirt mac from Star by Julien MacDonald at Debenhams - £89
Miss Selfridge navy ruffle detail mac - £59
The usual cliché...layers, layers, layers! If you’re out and about all day, then it is colder in the mornings and evenings, so it’s a good idea to have a knit with you to throw on...and off. Uniqlo have an amazing range of merino wool and cashmere blend knits – sweaters and cardigans in a huge range of colours from £24.99 for sweaters to £29.99 for cardigans. And they are lovely...so soft.
And a scarf – I think another post is in order on the power of the scarf to transform an outfit (as well as obviously keep your neck warm!). I know men often don’t understand this but a woman’s temperature is a carefully balanced state...sometimes we can be hot in a tank top but in need of a scarf at the same time because we have a chilly neck! Always best to be prepared and whip one out of your handbag when needed!
Topshop cloud silk scarf - £25
Oasis paisley tassle triangle scarf – down to £10 in sale
It’s good to be wearing shoes that work with or without tights/leggings. A quick trip to the ladies and you can shed or add another layer. I keep banging the brogue drum, but they really are so versatile.And finally, an umbrella. Obviously plain are usually cheap and easier to use with every outfit but you don’t need to see a selection of plain umbrellas! So here are some lovely pretty ones instead!Cath Kidson star print umbrella - £22
This would be a splurge for an umbrella but I absolutely LOVE this Lulu Guinness number at £32.
And sometimes we all need something a little ridiculous in our lives...such as this umbrella from Radley. It’s cheerfulness in brolly form! £30
Tomorrow, I will be prepared!
This is a very short blog tonight. The reason?! Lisa and Monika. Two of the greatest ladies in the world. Two of the most difficult women to part from...too much chittering and chattering, So very, very short tonight!
When I was talking about my summer trouser inspiration this is one of the images I had in mind. Gywnie Paltrow wearing Stella McCartney at a recent Stella presentation in New York. When I do eventually morph into a groomed, stylish, glowing woman, this is what I want to look like and what I want to be wearing (and not just trousers, any of the outfits frankly!).
And I know I said I don’t like too much celeb culture but now and again we all take some inspiration from the more famous folk amongst us!
I am hoping the weather will be kind tomorrow and I can wear my new trousers and road test them for work...if so, photos will be taken! So I can show a non-celeb, working a great trouser look!
Now I've finally got off the Walworth bus, it's time for bed. So goodnight!!
Photo taken from here.
A quickie tonight because I made the catastrophic error of starting to clean my oven...on a Monday night. God only knows what moment of madness descended when that decision was made, but needless to say I’ve been at it for hours (it hasn’t been cleaned for a while) and finally finished five minutes ago...filthy and furious!Which leads me to the wonders of affordable, great quality beauty products. I have very sensitive skin, too much perfume or too much of anything, in fact, and my skin shows its dislike very clearly – rashes, eczema, acne! So I love it when I find beauty products that have lots of lovely natural ingredients and don’t cost Crème de la Mer prices.
The ‘Good Works’ range from Boots is amazing. It's produced by the same company behind the higher end ‘This Works’ range and is natural, free from synthetic fragrance, colour, GM ingredients, sulphates, and parabens. My mum and I are both addicted to the ‘good intentions hand lotion’ which apparently has “patchouli which rejuvenates the skin and is good for chapped skin, geranium oil which creates balance between oily and dry skin and orange oil which brightens dull skin”...though it basically smells and feels nice on my skin! I also love the ‘good karma body scrub’ with rose, cedarwood and jasmine...and have been relying on the sports rub to try and bring my knackered arm back to life.
The other affordable range I love is ‘Naked’ again from Boots. I use all their shower gels, my favourites are the rose and orange blossom.
Both are affordable ranges, both are lovely and have lots of gorgeous essential oils and make my skin feel great!If you have any suggestions on other ranges that are natural, affordable and you love them please comment below. I don’t any woman that isn’t on the look out for that beauty holy grail!
Natural skincare doesn’t have to cost a fortune...and right now I am going to be signing off to go and raid my collection to clean off the oven grime I am covered in. Goodnight!
