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I love the changing seasons and the new fashions that they bring.
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Friday 25 November 2016

BLACK WITH FRILLS AND SPARKLING EARRINGS

Yesterday the USA celebrated Thanksgiving. In recent years, we in the UK have become much more aware of this festival, especially in the context of the traditional food we associate with it. Visiting Wholefoods, the American food store in London, was an even more delicious experience than usual!  There were pecan and pumpkin pies in their Bakery and their Hot Buffet counter included turkey with herb gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce made with lots of port.

Thanksgiving Day is on the fourth Thursday in November and to me it always announces the beginning of the festive season ahead.  It's followed by Christmas shopping in the stores, an outbreak of office parties in the restaurants and bars around town, school concerts and carol services, all leading up to Christmas, Chanukah and seasonal holiday festivities for all.  Naturally, I'm thinking about what to wear to meet the occasions!

This Autumn, the trend in clothes and beauty has been towards an explicit glamour, often inspired by the eighties.  In fact, I have already been adding little touches of glamour to my everyday athleisure style - a silver chain choker, a gold chain necklace, red lipstick, dark red nails - which all work well with my staple black pieces.

Now I have bought a black satin frilled blouse from H&M, with long sleeves and a frill-trimmed V-yoke at the front.  It looks beautiful tucked into skinny black jeans. 



Earrings have become very significant this season and are often large, opulent and sparkling, with a retro feel.  Searching in my jewellery drawer, I found my own "vintage" Butler& Wilson pieces and some faux diamond long drops from H&M, bought some years back.  Whilst they are in the current mood, they are not too large and are right for my petite proportions.  I've also bought something new and more contemporary from Accessorize -  gold toned metal and sparkling crystal ear jackets.



In the photograph above:

Top left: My vintage Butler & Wilson faux diamond bow and emerald heart drop earrings
Top right: My vintage Butler & Wilson faux diamond heart drop earrings
Top centre: My H&M faux diamond long drop earrings
Below centre: Crystal Leaf Ear Jackets from Accessorize, designed to sit behind and in front of the ear lobes.

NEWSFLASH: Yesterday was also opening day at the new Design Museum in Kensington.

Sunday 6 November 2016

MISS DIOR Eau de Parfum Spray


It's Penelope's 12th birthday today! What would be an ideal gift to mark this important occasion? I thought about her interest in fragrance and how she sometimes tries to create her own perfumes with little cuttings of flowers. She loves to go round perfumery departments trying out the test sprays and one day she came back with a Dior sample card splashed with Miss Dior. "This is my favourite perfume", she said. It seemed to me that this would be the perfect present for a girl taking her first steps along the path of glamour and sophistication.

I bought Miss Dior Eau de Parfum in a 30ml spray and the lovely consultant at the Dior counter in Boots gift-wrapped it beautifully in a white and gold Dior box tied with white satin ribbon.





So what does the box hold?


The iconic Miss Dior is a Chypre* floral fragrance. The citrus top notes of Sicilian mandarin orange and wild strawberry combine with a floral heart of Grasse rose and jasmine and a base of oak moss, patchouli and amber. 






HAPPY BIRTHDAY PENELOPE

*"Chypre" describes perfumes with citrusy top notes and a woody, musky base, often combined with floral mid-notes, i.e. rose and jasmine.