So now that you’ve had time to recover from culottes, I’ve found another look that’s filtering through to mainstream from the rarified heights of the fashion cognoscenti. Flares. The fashion forward have been wearing them for a couple of years now but this is the first season that I’ve really noticed them in all the high street retailers which means they’re officially going to be a ‘thing.’
Skinnies have dominated for so long and of course, they will still be worn by most people for a few more seasons yet. However if you’re a reader of the comments, you’ll have noticed that a few of us have been discussing a book called Paris Street Style: A Guide to Effortless Chic by Isabelle Thomas. It’s a really good book and one of the things it talks about is the difference between fashion and style. In a nutshell, it suggests that as you mature, it is better not to be a slave to fashion however it does also suggest that you keep a very close eye on waistlines and hemlines ensuring that you keep these on trend.
So, I do think that one hemline shift is going to be the move towards flares. Now getting this right is going to be tough. If it goes wrong you will look as though you are still wearing your bootcuts from 2001. In my view, the most stylish place to start is going to be with a darker denim worn with heels, see this gallery for context:
(all images from Pinterest)
It looks relatively easy doesn’t it, after all, a lot of the items that these women are wearing so stylishly with their flares are things you probably already have in your wardrobe. I thought I’d have this nailed in a very short time. Here’s the try on:
1 Marks & Spencer Limited Edition Kickflare Jeans
These are a cautious choice, a kick flare rather than a full flare. Because I’m 5ft 8″ but have short legs I ordered them in both regular and long (for guidance I take a regular leg in Boden). These are the regular:
As you can see, they’re looking like old fashioned bootcuts on me because they’re just not long enough. If you’re 5ft 6″ or thereabouts I think these would be a great place to start. They are so very, very comfortable with a high waist that pulls everything in. I was therefore really hopeful for the long pair but they just didn’t work, being a kick flare they just bunched up rather than draping elegantly over my shoe. I might go back to these and have them altered if I don’t have any luck elsewhere:
2. River Island Alice Kickflare jeans
So next stop River Island. Other over 40 bloggers have raved about these so I was hopeful. First up the Alice Kick Flares that are featured in their ads. I loved them when I unpacked them, they’re a very dark indigo and have a crease down the front. They have navy rather than orange stitching so look very smart and would be perfect for work:
…but once more they were just a couple of inches too short – again if you’re 5ft 6ish I’d give them a go. But, I have to add (sounding very middle aged I know) that although they were true to size they weren’t as comfortable as the M&S jeans – they don’t come up as high which means when I sat down they slid down my back a little further than is truly elegant(!)
3. River Island Brooke flare jeans
Finally the Brooke flare jeans. These are a slightly lighter indigo than the Alice and have classic jeans stitching which Mr MC felt was more flattering. They also have subtle whiskering which is slimming.
They are definitely the best of the ones I’ve tried so far but I’m still not convinced that they’re long enough although they seem to be right from the back.
So I’m going to order some more to compare them with – flares part 2 will be coming soon.
Just out of interest I thought I’d try the Finery Breton top with them because a few of you felt it would look better with flares:
It doesn’t – back it goes.
This is what I wore for the rest of the day, my bargain Boden Westbourne jumper (still available in clearance here) with my straight leg Esprit jeans and Jigsaw indigo denim shirt (A/W14).
I hope you all had a lovely Valentines day. We’re always a bit romanced out after our anniversary but we shut the boys out of the dining room so that we could have a quiet dinner with a bottle of champagne. We then did what we normally do on our anniversary but were just to busy to manage on Tuesday. We have a roll of plain wallpaper that we write all of our hopes and dreams onto every year. Some years we tick some off, some years we add some new ones. We’ve been doing it for a long time (since way before the Bucket List movie) and we really look forward to seeing it every year, it keeps us on track with what really matters.
I don’t think you’ve been into the dining room before. It’s in the very old part of the house so it’s tiny and very intimate. As you can see we have a rogues gallery that we’ve built up over the years, the walls are very nearly full. Here’s Mr MC lighting candles to set the scene before our meal:
We even have a framed sticky handprint from when our youngest ruined our freshly painted Elephant’s Breath walls with his buttery hands. I was so cross at the time but when we came to redecorate I couldn’t bear to part with it! The walls are Pelt now, a deep purple colour.
I wore another Boden clearance bargain outfit: the Vivian dress, still available, along with the black glitter sixties slingbacks, which are also back in stock in some sizes. My necklace was a gift from Mr MC after the birth of our youngest, a string of garnets, very appropriate. The champagne seems to have turned my cheeks the same colour as the dress!
So Happy Belated Valentines Day to you all, I’m sending you a big hug to thank you for your fantastic comments and all round support on my last post (along with an extra big squeeze to those of you who are having a difficult time). You’re a fabulous group of women, I’m so glad I know you. Keep in touch.
