Let’s talk about AW25 at M&S
So here we are in September - those of us who are summer lovers have to remind ourselves that it's a beautiful month, as is October. And actually having been to Medellin in Colombia this year where they live in an eternal spring with temperatures always around the mid-20s and the sun rising and setting at around 6am/pm every day of the year, I'm feeling newly enthusiastic about our changing seasons. After the loose days of summer I'm ready [...]
Midlife lately – August 2025
And just like that another month's gone, the last one of full summer which, for me, always feels a bit sad. I love summer... the slowing of the negative news cycle... the freedom that comes with the quiet retail calendar... the warmth that finally reaches the North on a few occasions... and just the general change of pace. People rush around less, faces are less pinched and good times pop up spontaneously. So here's my Midlife lately - August [...]
Your Fulfilment Era – what does the future hold?
I usually write one of my more thought driven posts at this time of year, generally triggered by a couple of weeks away on holiday with time to think. That hasn't happened this year because we had our big trip to Colombia in February but ever since my May birthday post where we talked about looking back from the perspective of your 80 year-old self, I've been focusing on the new stage of life that a lot of us are [...]
New friendships – Midlifechic overnighter 2025
New friendships - Midlifechic overnighter 2025 Today you won't be surprised to hear that I want to talk about our Midlifechic overnighter 2025 in Birmingham last weekend. But before I go into the detail let's zoom out a bit and ask, "what's the point of these get togethers?" As you know I've been tentatively organising meet-ups since November 2019. Each time I try to take them on a step or two, stretching the time together out a little longer and [...]
Summer cornucopia – books, beauty, bras and birthdays
Summer Cornucopia - books, beauty, bras and birthdays I'm a bit short of time this week - we've had an unplanned trip over to Newcastle to see mum-in-law because she's been in hospital after a fall and then there's been this weekend's Midlifechic overnighter to think about. So today I'm bringing you a cornucopia, a quick round-up of some discoveries I've been meaning to mention. There's an unbeatable beauty product, some good buys I've spotted in recent drops [...]
As my lastborn graduates…
This is one of those posts that is all about family and it's where my blog turns personal as a legacy that I hope to pass down. It's a long one and it will hold no interest for some - if that's you, I assure you that normal service will be resumed next week. Others though will understand how the milestones that we reach don't always point ahead, sometimes they cause you to look back along the path that's [...]
About Me
Hi, I'm Nikki Garnett, for 9 years I was the editor of Selfridges' magazine. Now I'm married with 3 sons, a cat called Alfie and a dog called Ted. I live near the Lake District in the North West of England and run a small creative agency with my husband.
I created Midlifechic because a little while ago, amidst all the chaos of family and working life, I was beginning to feel like I'd lost my groove. So this is for anyone else out there who is emerging from the child centred years and looking forward to beginning a whole new chapter.
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The thinking women's style blog
About Me
Hi, I'm Nikki Garnett, for 9 years I was the editor of Selfridges' magazine. Now I'm married with 3 sons, 2 cats and a dog called Ted. I live near the Lake District in the North West of England and run a small creative agency with my husband.
I created Midlifechic because a little while ago, amidst all the chaos of family and working life, I was beginning to feel like I'd lost my groove. So this is for anyone else out there who is emerging from the child centred years and looking forward to beginning a whole new chapter.
Stay in touch
Awards
Subscribe via email
Follow me on
I am a member of the
The thinking women's style blog
Midlife Lately – July 2025
We've reached the point in the summer where there are no new clothes for us to [...]
Last of the summer drops
Hello, I'm back after our week away which was so busy that I feel full of [...]
Midlife Lately June 2025 – Part 2
If you read my post on Tuesday you already know that June began as an unexpectedly sad [...]
Midlife Lately – June 2025 Part 1
[Please note before reading, this post talks about the pain of grief and loss] I know you [...]
Summer Sales 25 – what’s worth buying?
And here we are, at the end of June which is officially the point where the [...]
Preloved and brand new sample sale now live
As the heatwave hits us (even in the North!) it feels like exactly the right time [...]
Instagram – On the road @midlifechic
Ah summer 2025… you finally showed your face in The North… and then you were gone again - I guess that’s it!
I have loads of photos that haven’t seen the light on Instagram so I’m madly adding my 20 favourite summer outfits and moments before we’re all wrapped up in jumpers again.
From these pictures you’d think my summer was full of perfect moments wouldn’t you? But it hasn’t all been sparkles and sunshine - our family’s shared a hefty dose of the sadder side of life as well.
And that’s why I prefer blogging to Instagram… because I can tell the stories behind the pictures- every Friday.
When you look at a picture-led platform like this don’t forget that it doesn’t tell you everything… but it is a great way to remember that there are always pockets of joy.
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(PS thank you to my husband Mal for the photos and the moments. You have the eye of Avedon and the patience of a saint!)
#agelessstyle #over50blogger #midlifechic #ootd #over50style #summer25 #midlifestyle #wiw
Throwback to the Midlifechic + Claudia Bradby overnighter last weekend when 40 midlife women came to Birmingham as strangers and left as friends.
We crammed so much into our two days - a bit of shopping, a bit of history, some serious chat about the ups and downs of midlife as well as a lot of other conversations, laughter and even a bit of a boogie!
So many people see ageing as a negative thing but this was absolutely about the sheer joy that you can find in being an older woman and it multiplies when you get together with like minds.
I’ve written all about what we did and why in this week’s blog post on Midlifechic - that’s the place to go if you’d like to join us at our next event and be part of a community of thinking midlife women (who just happen to also like clothes!).
A huge thank you to @Malmaison for hosting us and to every single one of you who came along with an open heart and an open mind ❤️
#midlife #agelessstyle #malmaisonbirmingham #over50women #midlifeadventures
The happiest of days this week - my youngest son graduating scores me a hat-trick… (and brings a huge sigh of relief that they’re now all finally off the payroll!)
I’m so proud of him and everything he’s done to get to this day - my brilliant linguist with his degree in French and Spanish… but it’s a bittersweet time as well.
Everywhere I look there are parents with children enjoying the school holidays and it’s struck home that the whole rhythm of life as a family that revolves around term times is now over for us - once and for all.
So those of you who read my blog won’t be surprised to hear that tonight’s post is all about that - mixed emotions… and how it feels when your lastborn graduates.
Endings and new beginnings are always strange times for parents aren’t they? Or is it just me?
#midlifechic #mumofboys #graduation #leedsuniversity #graduationday #agelessstyle #over50blogger #familylove
Birthday thoughts today 🎂🍾💃
Looking back at a year of being 57 here are 5 of the Instagram moments I was told that I was too old for… that I’ll be taking happily into being 58!
1. Wearing a bikini (it’s been happening every year since I was in my 40s) - if I have the great fortune to reach 100 I’ll still be doing it then
2. Wearing shorts. Ditto
3. Wearing a mini-skirt. Ditto
4. Wearing a dress without a bra. Ditto
5. Going to festivals. Ditto
What is with ageism? It’s one of the most enduring socially accepted prejudices and it’s nearly always targeted towards women. We should all feel free to be happy in ourselves - ‘bien dans ma peau’ as they put it so perfectly in France.
And 5 of the new things I’m happy I adopted at the age of 57 that I’ll be taking into the years ahead.
1. Embracing the culture of my adopted city of Newcastle, its culture and the warmth of the wonderful Geordies
2. Solo travel - going away with strangers who became friends - that was a huge challenge but now I’ve done it I wouldn’t be as scared of doing it again
3. Adding Reformer Pilates to my solid base of strength training - accepting that an older body needs a holistic regime to build the right kind of lean muscle without damage
4. Trying to learn salsa - who knew it would be so hard - and so much fun?!
5. Loving spending more time with my husband of over 25 years, it may not be cool to say it but there’s a real beauty in enduring love
I know I always rattle on about this but your 50s are not the end of anything, they’re a new beginning.
Put yourself out there, try new things while spending more time on everything you already love.
Seize what life has to offer and don’t listen to the naysayers- just leave them to sit and waste their lives while you’re busy living yours.
#birthdaythoughts #midlifeawakening #midlifeblogger #wisdom #over50blogger #over50style #adviceforwomen #ageism
#midlifeadventures #olderandwiser
Ad| “If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely”… but good skincare and make-up help! Over the last few weeks I’ve been testing all kinds of products from the No7 range at Boots and now I want to share my top 10 with you.
10 seriously good skincare and make-up heroes for anyone on a positive ageing journey - I’ve found they make a visible difference and they’re really good value.
Here you go… from morning to nighttime
1. Future Renew Serum – clinically proven to reverse visible damage to the face
2. Future Renew Damage Reversal Day Cream – adds extra power to the serum
3. Pro Artist Soft Glow Bronzer – looks scary in the pot but magical on the skin
4. Pro Artist Colour & Glow Lip & Cheek – a pop of colour and sheen in one stick
5. Pro Artist That’s A Wrap Mascara – non drop, so no dark circles
6. Pro Artist Matte Muse Lipstick – the perfect ‘no lipstick nude
7. Pro Artist Fixing Spray –adds glow and makes your make-up last
8. Future Renew Eye Serum – peptide magic for the under eyes
9. Future Renew Night Cream – nourishing overnight peptide repair
10. Protect & Perfect Body Serum – my ALL TIME favourite for tackling crepey, bumpy skin – especially on the arms
If you’d like to give any of this a try you can get 10% off Boots No7 between now and Tuesday 15th April with code NIKKI10
(excludes Future Renew)
Good skincare and make-up isn’t about trying to look younger, it’s about bringing out the best version of the face you have.
#skincarereview #postiveageing #agewell
Can you learn salsa in a week? Come to Colombia with us in 2026 and find out!
As you can see we didn’t have a clue when we danced our first steps out there with @dancesomoloco in February but by the time we left we could make our way around the dancefloor. It was a lot of fun and since we’ve got back it’s opened up a whole new social life for us at home. The whole experience has been so life-changing that we want to take a group of Midlifechic-ers out there with us for a @dancesomoloco week next September.
So come with us! It doesn’t matter whether you’re a pro or a complete beginner, a couple or travelling solo because you’ll have your own private teacher. The group will be a mix of people from the UK, the US and other countries so you’ll have great company and a lot of laughs as well as learning to dance salsa.
If you’re interested we’re holding a Zoom meeting on Tuesday night (8th April 2025). Just go to the link in bio where you’ll see what it was like for us along with an idea of prices. Register your interest at the bottom of the blog post and we’ll send you an invitation to the meeting.
Midlife is a time for new adventures so go on… take a leap into something new…
¡Bailemos amigos… bailemos!
#learnsalsadance #learnsalsa #learnsalsadancing #salsadancing #medellin #agelessstyle #midlifechic #midlifeblogger #midlifeadventures #emptynestadventures #midlifetravel
Just emerging from the Twixmas bubble to wish you the happiest of evenings as 2024 takes its final bow. There’s a fresh start ahead - let’s hope the new year brings contentment for everyone, everywhere.
I’ve been rubbish at posting over the last couple of weeks so here’s a random spin through my Christmas camera roll… my last day at work… general joy of having my boys and their girls back home… Christmas Day moments (who knew Wetherspoons gift cards and gardening gloves could bring so much pleasure?!)… a carol service takeover by the village cat… and various outfits I haven’t posted of being out and about.
Thank you so much for following my feed this year and the biggest of new year kisses to everyone who reads my blog… that’s where my heart lies, as you know.
Happy new year and may all of your resolutions be fun ones! In 2025 let’s spend our hard earned money on experiences not things and our precious time living in the real world not online.
#happynewyear #newyearseve #agelessstyle #familychristmas #newyeariscoming #over50blogger #over50fashion #midlifechic #styleoverfashion #everydaystyle
Pictures on the fly from a weekend in Leeds.
If you read my blog you`ll know my guilty pleasure is disco - both the cool contemporary kind and cheesy 70s joy. Last weekend was a celebration of the latter in 70s regalia... one of those dancing until your feet blister kind of nights. Never, ever let anybody tell you you’re too old to dance, just go out and do it anyway… whenever and wherever you can.
There was also time for a wander around Leeds in all its festive splendour and on Sunday we retrieved the much missed students from the youngest`s university lair, driving back through pretty Yorkshire towns, stopping for tea and cakes along the way until we returned to the glory of the Lancashire countryside.
One more week of work to go...
Outfit details:
Rainbow jumpsuit: Etsy festival shop 2020
Gold platform sandals - Hush 2021
Mals` shirt - Rush in Ambleside 2024
Mal`s jeans and shoes - vintage
Red jacket - Boden current (gifted)
Jeans - Me+Em 2022
Boots - Zara - 2023
Navy sequin top - Whistles 2018
Gold twinset - Zara 2024
Jeans - Me+Em 2022
#agelessstye #discostyle #outout #wiw #ootd
Thank you for so many comforting comments after Wednesday`s post - you`d think by midlife we`d be ready to live without our parents but there are times like birthdays when their absence just hits you.
Partly because of that, this week has just run away with me - I don`t know if you feel like you`re just behind with everything too but at least when I looked at my calendar I realised that we`re a weekend short in December this year so it made more sense.
So this serene looking picture isn`t me right now at all, it`s from this week`s blog post and if you`re a reader there`s a huge new catch-up just gone live there on everything else I`ve been doing, wearing and thinking over the last month.
For anyone else, here`s a Christmassy-ish outfit option that`s still available from my Boden edit this month. (I haven`t been paid to post this but the pieces were gifted).
Happy Friday everyone.
Outfit details: jumper, skirt and boots all Boden (gifted)
Grief doesn`t stop for Christmas.
We adapt to life without our parents but we never stop missing them. Today would have been my dad`s 101st birthday and isn`t it sad when all you can do to mark a day that`s always been important is visit a grave? It always feels wrong when a date that has always been a celebration turns into one that just passes by. But then I realised I could mark it here and pay a little tribute to the kind, funny, gentle man who shaped me.
Most people believe their dads are special but mine really was, in his own quiet way. He was unquestioning in his belief in me and that`s what you need from a parent isn`t it... knowing that you have someone who is always on your side?
There`s comfort in visiting him for a chat and saying hello to my mum and my beautiful niece Kay who lie there too... in the grounds of the church where I was christened, confirmed and married... a place that mirrors the full circle of life.
They`re kept company by so many other people who were part of our village lives - the headmaster, the vicar, the grocer, the mechanic, the parents of friends and, sadly, a few of my school friends too.
But today is my dad`s day, a day to say thank you - if I could send him one last message, what would it be?
It`s quite simple - "of all the dads in the world, I`m so glad that you were my mine."
And as I left the grave and all of those people who are no longer here it felt clearer than ever that life is for living to the absolute max - I`m sure that`s the message that they`d want to send back to us. Every single day.
Photo notes
Picture 3 with my dad at the same church on my wedding day - Kay my lovely niece is the bridesmaid next to my sister who is in the cream lace dress.
Picture 4 the same church again, this time Kay is the bride and I`m her matron of honour. She lost her battle with leukaemia four years later.
Work outfit - green and silver.
Moments from a Christmassy day. Feeling the whiplash of a mad few hours so apologies for random pictures taken along the way:
an early start for my last trip down to London
an end of year meeting and the wonder of Heal’s (try not to miss it, there’s nowhere else like it)
a festive working lunch
a haircut with the best hairdresser in the world (@hair_by_premlee)
… and now trying to make it back to the north for work drinks at 6pm - but I think I’d be quicker on foot than by train. Grrr!
Outfit details:
Grey Coat - Jigsaw 2018
Green Dress - Me+Em 2023
Silver boots - Boden current (gifted)
Silver leather bag - John Lewis 2015
Green scarf - M&S 2019
My daily advent calendar of outfits has been mostly about rewearing what I already have and making the things I`ve bought in the past earn their keep.
I`ve had a few messages asking if I can show some outfits with items that are current stock though so here are some pictures from blog projects over the last few weeks.
And just to be transparent, I haven`t been paid to post any of these pictures but I have been gifted samples for photography which I`ll mark with *. I can`t link them here but if you get stuck, go to my blog and you`ll find them there with chat about sizing and fit too. Most things are still in stock as I write although not in all sizes.
My top tip for Christmas styling is always going to be texture - contrast shine with soft wherever you can to play with the sparkly light. And when you`re buying a major piece, ask yourself how many other ways you can wear it. If you can`t instantly think of three then it needs to be very special indeed to pay its way in your wardrobe.
Outfit 1 : jumper, skirt, coat, necklace and shoes* @marksandspencerstyle
Outfit 2: jacket, blouse and jeans* @boden_clothing
Outfit 3: skirt, nacklace, earrings* @whitestuffuk, jumper Duffy cashmere (past season), Boots Hush past season
Outfit 4: jacket, clutch and jeans* @boden_clothing, blouse @boden_clothing, shoes @boden_clothing (past season)
