Frugal Frump to Fab/Winter Solstice

Carmen

Good evening everyone, :grouphug:Twinnie:grouphug:
Well, what can I say, I am away for two weeks and so many changes (good ) to come back to so many new posters, how nice
Friends came to stay for ten days and it has taken me a few days to get back to 'normal'
Because of the change of routine/eating habits I have put on a few pounds:eek: but tomorrow I will start the next step of my journey to fabulousness and the Winter Solstice

It has been sooo hot today, I am useless in extreme heat and humidity! One minute I am melting then congeling (sp) in front of the fan
The neighbour gave me lots of freshly picked beans earlier, I cooked some (al dente) with garlic, O/H and I had them with a goats cheese salad and drizzled with walnut oil :drool:

I have been trying to catch up with all the new posts over the last two weeks (slow reader at times) but I will read all about your goals and look forward to reading future posts from you all.

I hope your ankle is better Mrs W and did you have a great party last night? Your hair sounds beautiful, mine has always been straight and long but, when it turned silver (not white;)) I decided to have it cut short, first time since I was eleven:eek:

Maman, are you back for your hols yet?

Twinnie, you know my thoughts are with you and yours.
Keep up the wonderful work you are doing here to help us all reach our goals.

Upwards and onwards.

Carmen xxxx

lessonlearned

Hi there

Just come on here for a "chat". Have watered the garden - didn't bother sitting with the chiminea - too damn hot. What a glorious day though.

Kerry Wow you do mean business - don't fret over Friday and Saturday - it happens. You're back on track now and that's what counts. Your Boots shopathon sounds great. Good plan for next week!

Well now - are we ready to start Fashion Week tomorrow.

I've got a few ideas of topics we can look at but I am really open to suggestions and I would love to have your comments, tips, advice etc.

I thought we could take a look at Grown Up Glamour and also how we older ladies can do smart casual, often a problem for the newly retired who have spent most of their lives in corporate/business dress. Also dressing on a really tight budget. Please do post and join in.

Anyway - just for a laugh......

My Worst Fashion Faux Pas

My first real foray into the world of clothes was when I was about 14. My parents had bought me a sewing machine for my 13th birthday and I loved to make my own clothes, I was into "Mod" at the time.

Anyway on one particular occasion I really wanted to impress a boy I fancied. I had made myself a pale pink mini dress. I ventured into a charity shop for the first time and bought - oh dear - a 3/4 length mink coat:eek:

I teamed it with the pink mini dress, pale pink patent Mary Jane shoes, pale pink plastic drop earrings and Peppermint Pink lipstick (Miners, anyone remember them?).

The look of horror on my parents' faces should have told me everything I needed to know. In my naivety I thought I looked the "bees knees". The truth is, of course, I looked like a hooker.:rotfl:

The good news is - I'm a fast learner and I never made the same mistake again.

G'night all. x

philsmum

LL. You just brought back so many memories with the Miners Peppermint pink lippy. It was the first new lipstick I owned, (always nicked my cousins) I bought it from Woolworths. You can tell how long ago it was they still had counters and an assistant on each one. It was 1/6d. Did you ever use zinc and castor oil cream as lipstick at school we must have looked a real sad bunch, what with the cream and toilet roll stuffed into our pointed bras. That is enough of that. Night all

podperson

Hi all,
Haven't had a bad weekend, blitzed the kitchen yesterday and today have washed and conditioner my hair, remembered to add shine serum (am going to have a look for some coconut oil this week I think) plus used my deep cleansing facial wash, body lotion and did my nails in a nice denimy colour. Been a bit lazy with the exercise but did do 10 mins of weights and had a bit of a walk. I do have the 30day shred so think I will be brave and start it tomorrow.
Think the Fashion Week will be very useful for me - need to really have a clear out, have drawers full of clothes that I either don't like or don't fit into anymore. Am on a very tight budget though so can't buy much new
Am very impressed with how well everyone is doing - hope you all have a good start to the week x

lessonlearned

Good morning Everyone - another beautiful day.

Slept well and feeling good, my two hour siesta yesterday afternoon(:o only meant to have a few minutes) must have helped me reset my body clock.

Woke nice and early and have been sitting in the garden with my coffee, catching a few early gentle rays, listening to the birds, watching the ponies and their babies (no llamas today) in the field which backs onto my garden.

So peaceful - one of the joys of being semi-retired is having time to just sit for a while and watch the world go by. The old "corporate" me would have used that time to rush around doing housework etc before sorting out the family and getting ready for work.

I am going to treat this week as a little holiday, so won't be killing myself with housework, might do a bit of painting and work on some furniture etc, a bit of pottering in the garden.

Today I am meeting my sister for a nice long lunch in a proper posh restaurant. In fact I aim to have quite a few posh lunches this week.
Oooh I can be a Lady Who Lunches.

Anyway down to business.

Are you style savy? Or do you think that Georgio Armani was a striker for AC Milan?

No problem - Welcome to Fashion Week. Enjoy.

lessonlearned

How To Dress Well When You're Skint

Did you do your homework. Did you watch the Kennedy's.

If you did then you'll know where I'm coming from - keep a picture of Jackie in your mind.

There are two golden rules to Dressing Well and they don't actually cost you anything. OK yes we all need to buy or at least make clothes and yes this will take money.

However, the difference between dressing well and looking a cheap mess isn't based on how much money you spend. You only have to look at some of the red carpet disasters to confirm this.

Rule No 1 - Always make an effort. Take a bit of time to think, before you purchase anything, before you dress. "Effortless Chic" is a bit of a myth - you can't just fling on any old thing from a jumbled mess in your wardrobe/cluttered drawers/back of the chair/floor:eek: and hope to look like a million dollars.

Yes that was what the "Grooming" and "Wardrobe Maintenance" was all about;)

Rule No 2 - Learn to Say No. Exercise a little restraint. No to impulse buys. No to excess, no to too much flesh on show.

Cover up a little. This is not prudery - too much flesh looks cheap, no matter how young firm and tasty. The golden rule is "cleavage or legs" - never both at the same time. WAG's may think they look sexy by exposing acres of flesh, so often it just looks tarty.

Say no to bling, leave it to the rap stars, they can get away with it - we lesser mortals can't. Just wear one or two pieces of jewellery at a time. Too much and you look like an overdressed Christmas Tree.

Say no to "IT" bags, especially those huge ones. Even the really expensive ones seem to look cheap somehow. Go for something smaller, more restrained, more grown up. Leather if you can afford it, if not then canvas or fabric. Cheap vinyl alternatives are horrible.

(Personally I find the idea of spending thousands of pounds on a handbag utterly repugnant and obscene - you could feed a family of four for a year on the amount that some people spend on a bag).

Just my opinion of course:rotfl: but I just think it so vulgar. Dressing well and looking classy doesn't sit well with vulgar in my books.

Say no to too much make up, over elaborate hairstyles, ridiculous sky scaper heels that you can only totter about in, simplicity is always best.

To dress well you should aim for what I call restrained elegance. Clean, simple lines, no fuss, no messy detail. Well cut clothes in good quality fabrics. "Old money", class.

OK - now where to buy the gear.

bratz81

morning all.
Wasn't on for a few days over the weekend but have been taking the ideas into account - wearing perfume every day and trying to work on the posture.

I went out on Saturday night (first time in ages) and I made a big effort. Put in my clip-in extensions, curled by hair, took time with my make-up etc. I got so many compliments and felt like a million pounds so it's inspired me to keep up the effort!! It does pay off if you plan an outfit and put on some makeup instead of grabbing any old crap from the floor!

I'm in the process of getting rid of old, unflattering clothes and replacing them. Slow going but I want to have clothes that will last a long time and look good so I can't just whizz into Primark lol. But we're getting there and the wardrobe and laundry ideas are really useful to me right now.

lessonlearned

Those of you who are familiar with the old thread will be aware of just how much I loathe shopping on the high street, how disgusted I am with the expensive, cheap looking tat that is on offer.

I went for a mooch the other day. I still cannot get my head around just how awful the shops are, the stuff most of them sell is absolute trash. No wonder so many of them are failing and closing down. Victims of the recession? Don't think so. I was reading yesterday that the reason the high street is dying is because of competition from out of town shopping complexes where parking is easier etc and the internet.

Personally I think the high street shops are victims of their own ineptitude, laziness and greed. They just don't deliver. OK - rant over.:rotfl:

So what are the options, cheapest first.

The cheapest and often the best - is family cast offs, mums, sisters, your spinster great aunt Mildred (great for vintage). Try swapping.

I volunteer at Scope - my mum's elderly neighbour recently had a clearout and passed four bags of clothing on to me for the shop. Knowing what a frugalista I am she gave me permission to rifle through and take what I want. Those bags were a veritable gold mine - my wardrobe is now well and truly replenished.

Jumble Sales - I often take a peek if I see one. A bit of a bunfight sometimes but great fun. Stay for coffee and biscuits, chat with the old dears, buy some goodies from the white elephant stall. A lovely morning out.

Car boots - I'm an avid car booter, buying and selling - you'd be surprised what you can find sometimes.

Charity Shops - my idea of heaven is a morning mooching round the charity shops. It's true they are dearer than they used to be, especially the big chains. However, there are still plenty of bargains. It just takes a bit of time to ferret through and you do have to be patient, some days there's nothing, other times you can be spoilt for choice.

TK Maxx - TJ Huges - Again very hit and miss. They have what they have when they have it. You do need to spend some time browsing though, especially TK Max. I can never work out the logic to their layouts.

Costco - My absolute passion is nice coats. Let's face it you need them in this country - we don't often have scorchers like today. Costco are great for coats and also fabulous knitwear.

Nearly New Shops - These tend to be very "discrete" and you do need to hunt them out. They tend to specialise in really high end boutique style clothing. A gold mine for designer cast offs and smart business wear. Not always the cheapest option, however, the big plus is the clothes have to be immaculate and top quality.

I used to buy all my business clothes from a favourite of mine. I had to look good for work but because it involved working on construction sites the wear and tear on my clothes was horrendous, brick and plaster dust, loose nails and wood splinters everywhere. Nearly new was the answer.

I've never bought from Ebay - although I have sold stuff on there. TBH honest I haven't got round to buying clothes from the Internet.

Any tips or sites would be most welcome.

Off to have some breakfast, exercise, and get ready to meet my sis.

Back later ...........

lessonlearned

What Lies Beneath

Just as a beautiful house relies on good foundations, so too does a chic, elegant, well turned out women. Looking good means going back to basics and maybe rethinking your under pinnings.

Lingerie-v-underwear

We had some fun with this one on the old thread.

My goal, when I've lost all my excess weight, is to invest in some beautiful, luxurious lingerie. In the meantime I'll have to make do with underwear.

A well fitting bra is an absolute must. It can work miracles and transform your shape. If you can't afford anything else get a good well fitting bra. I seem to do ok with ASDA firm control ones, about £6. Admittedly they don't last very long but I keep changing sizes so that's not too much of a problem at the moment. I will buy better ones when I've finished changing shape.

I can't wear magic knickers, roll-ons, girdles or corsets of any kind. I just cannot bear them, I sound like a wimp but they really do make my tummy hurt - perhaps its the IBS.

If they work for you then great, for me it has to be the tummy crunches and sit ups I'm afraid. They do work though and can smooth out all manner of unsightly bulges, lumps and bumps.

Knickers - VPL (Visible Panty Line) isn't a good look. Take care with your knickers. This is why I like lined skirts and trousers if possible, or at least good quality fabric with a bit of weight which cover up all manner of flaws. If necessary go commando.:rotfl:

Bodyslips as they are now called - underskirts in my day - come in all shapes, lengths and styles. An absolute boon - giving you a good clean line under your clothes. Anyone remember the can-can underskirt?.

OK - here's where I start nagging.

There is no excuse for grubby bra straps, tatty knickers. You know the drill. £10 will get you a new bra, and a pack of knickers. :rotfl:

Ready time to get dolled up now, see you tonight for more.

Cerisa

Maintenance Tip - Buy a static clothes brush for £1 off ebay. It's more eco-friendly than the sticky brushes, lasts forever and is fairly essential when you have a cat. It also helps keep coat fibres perky.

Frugal Fashion - Fiorelli handbags, but from TKmaxx. They look much more expensive than they are and I bought a fab black handbag from there for £20. Also, ebay ebay ebay.