Investment dressing

 Well, after chatting a few weeks ago about plastering logos all over our clothes and accessories you can only imagine how glad I am to see a much larger article in our magazine which include some of those thoughts. The new fashion trend is ‘quiet luxury’ or as a shop assistant in Harrods said to me “madam, we’re advocating silent labels now” Not that you would have thought that, by the profusion of ‘Gucciness’ 

I saw around me.

Investment dressing comes to us later in life, I was in my mid 30’s when an American Personal Shopper (what a job!) at Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge gave me the phrase and its never left me. Now in my wardrobe I have clothes bought from the 90’s and smugly, always look forward to wearing them, only yesterday I wore a classic Breton top bought in 2006. I love it as much as the day picked it up and probably more because if you engage the ‘Price Per Wear’ theory by now it’s free! By the way, you might not have counted the stripes on your Breton top but the original, introduced by into the French Navy in 1858, had 21 white stripes one for each of Napoleon’s victories. 

Love the ‘It’s Never Too Late’ article the elixir of youth isn’t in a pot of cream it’s most definitely in your style and attitude. My advice is not to be intimidated and there’s safety in numbers. Chat to your friends and gather together those of a like mind and agree to make a pact that you’ll do something you’ve never done before but always wanted to. It might be paddle boarding? And once over that hurdle you’ll tackle something else, like the 3 Peaks Challenge. But sometimes, the word ‘Yes’ with little thought is your best friend. 

I know it’s a little extreme but had I’d had time to think about putting myself forward for Chanel 4’s Celebrity SAS I would have definitely said no, but someone pulled out and before I knew it I was out of my comfort zone in a hovering helicopter hurling myself backwards, fully clothed into the freezing Hebridean Sea off the Isle of Raasay. Was it one of the best experiences of my life? Yes. Did it reflect on my face? Again, yes and on completing my time there, I went to a local guest house expecting when I looked into a mirror (hadn’t seen one for a while) to see a horror staring back at me but I was positively glowing and no cream I’ve ever tried could achieve that.  

Can I just finish with 2 quick book recommendations?

A wild card ‘The Satsuma Complex’ by Bob Mortimer funny, surreal, gripping and utterly sweet, praying for a follow up from this beautiful man. My second ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ by Bonnie Garmus, set in 1965 a book every woman should read but being the age we all are and have skin in the game we appreciate it more than most.