And we’re off – the first official Christmas ‘going out’ event. One of the karate clubs that Mr MC trains with is at Lancaster University so tonight we are going out with a group of students on their dojo’s night out… now there’s a wardrobe conundrum if ever there was one. I am absolutely old enough to be their mum and my one hope for the evening is that this isn’t their first thought as I walk through the door. So, casual Christmas party chic is called for and you won’t be surprised when you hear what I’ve decided to wear yes, it’s the faux leather jeans again.
Taking a photo is really difficult on these dark winter nights so because it’s quite a relaxed outfit I thought I’d get ready early. I’ve added a t-shirt so that it doesn’t look too dressy but retained a smack of elegance (I hope) with my beloved Whistles blazer and heels. If you’re aiming to look more chic than desperate housewife, this seems to be the best way of working leather jeans. Here’s the result:
- TopShop high waisted leather look trousers
- Superdry grey t-shirt with embellished neckline – S/S14
- Whistles blazer (currently a steal at 30% off)
- Boden Jackie heels
So who knows what our night holds – we’re starting with a student menu at the worst Thai restaurant in town so the only way is up from that point. Mr MC suspects it will be a quiet affair because they are all packing up to head home tomorrow…we’ll see…
Now I know some of you aren’t fans of the faux leather jeans so although I’ve been really bad at remembering to take photos recently, I did take one of my work outfit today just for you. I was meeting a client for coffee and it made me smile when I realised I was wearing head to toe Boden apart from the shoes. All of these items are lovely quality and worth investing in. They all have good stock levels but it’s a game of chicken with Boden at the moment, traditionally the sale would have started today but who knows this year with all the discounts that have been going on. The new navy cashmere crewneck is great value though for a piece that will be a wardrobe workhorse:
- Boden shirt
- Boden wool bistro crops in navy – these are great value in the sale
- Boden cashmere crew neck in navy – lots of new spring stock in and 30% off at the mo
- Clarks Estate Copper courts – 25% off at the moment
I hope you’re all starting to feel a little Christmas spirit. We’re in full flow at our house with fun things planned for the weekend. Thankfully I have very nearly finished my Christmas shopping along with making plans for the eldest’s 18th so I’m at the point where I can start enjoying it all.
Anyway here’s another little bit of Christmas for you. This time last year we were longing to move into our new glass extension that you see in so many of my photos. However now that the cold weather has arrived we’re finding that we’ve retreated into the old Georgian part of the house with its cosy rooms and open fires. I have this tiny one pretty much to myself these days because it has no television so the boys see no point in it at all. It’s where I put my most precious decorations – away from lanky legs and arms and the predictable wake of devastation that they incur. For years Mr MC bought me a piece of this Alessi nativity at the beginning of December until we had the full collection.
He’s now moved on to these Bombki baubles which I really love, we started with the London set for obvious reasons and in the year that we were travelling to see clients in Russia he bought Moscow. New York and Paris have yet to arrive but we’ve had to replace all of the outside lights this year so I think I’ll have to wait until next year. I hang them from the little white tree that was my mum’s and they really stand out well. You can buy them here.
I bought the JOY letters from Selfridges when we moved into our first house together on 23rd December. We always remember hanging the last picture at midnight on Christmas Eve – it was all very romantic.
The snow globe also came from Selfridges when I was heavily pregnant with the eldest and Christmas was even more full of promise than usual. He was due on 18th December and finally arrived on 21st. I remember imagining all the family Christmases with little children that it would see although it very nearly didn’t. In 2001 Mr MC was so excited opening the new Playstation that I’d surprised him with that he knocked it off and it smashed along with all the figures inside. I was bitterly disappointed but in those early internet days he miraculously managed to track down a man in America called Herb who spends his days making and fixing snow globes. To my amazement it arrived back in the Spring fully fixed, Herb had even added extra glitter and apart from a tiny join in the giraffe’s neck, you’d never know.
One of the lovely things about being a woman over 40 is that you have enough history behind you to have created your own traditions that all come with their own stories, I hope you’re enjoying yours. Have a lovely weekend whatever you’re doing, I’ll be back on Tuesday to tell you how mine went!
