Adding subtle sparkle this December

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Wearing Pyrus blouse (a birthday present from my best friend) AG Jeans and Dune Shoes

So, Granny B has left the building. This morning everyone was a little bit flat, on the brink of tears and well, just missing Supergranny. Her room suddenly seems so empty, cold and quiet. It’s always the cosiest room in our house, the room that everyone goes to when they need to offload, get something fixed (she’s a whizz with a needle and thread) or in Charlie’s case, watch a sneaky bit of telly when he should be asleep!  So we usually take a little while to adjust and tend to keep her door closed until she returns. (Next year March and the countdown has begun!) I know from all of the heartfelt messages I received yesterday, that there are many of us in the same boat, living long distance relationships with our family. I also know that I am one of the lucky ones because we get to have my mum for large chunks of the year. It’s rare and very special, but it does mean that the void is greater when she’s not with us. Anyway, thanks to the wonders of technology, I will hop on to Facetime tomorrow (SA bandwidth allowing) and see her lovely smile.

To cheer myself up, I thought I would write a blog post. There’s been a lot of chat on the ‘gram this week about blogs and whether they still have a place in this fast paced, immediate gratification world we live in. Well, I believe they do, and still read many blogs. I don’t watch much TV, hardly ever read books unless they’re telling me how to deal with teenagers (a new year’s resolution is to try and find more time for reading) so in my downtime, I often hop onto Bloglovin’ and catch up on my favourites. I love the slower pace of a blog and I also love knowing that it’s there to return to if I forget the information. By the same token, I love writing my blog. It’s my little creative space on the internet and it will always been mine. Something I fear we can’t say about Instagram.

So in today’s blog I want to cover dressing for the party season if you aren’t a ‘Full-On-Sequins’ type.  I do love sequins, but I never find them very comfortable to wear, and these days I am all about comfort. If it itches or scratches or pulls it comes off.  I ordered (twice… No idea how that happened!) this sequin top from Rixo in the Farfetch sale and I am not sure if I should keep one or send both back. It’s really beautiful, but not lined and the stitching of the sequins means that it’s not that comfortable against my skin. I am also not sure that it’s worth it’s price tag even at sale price. I feel that there might be a touch of paying for the name with this one. Also where sequins are concerned, keeping a top looking pristine is virtually impossible. Let’s face it, sequins snag and pull, especially since they’re usually worn on occasion when the bubbles (and cuddles!) are flowing. How many times have you had to unhook yourself from someone donning sequins?!

So let’s look at a few simple ways to add subtle sparkle in December…

1. O-Ring Metal Clutch – £45  Accessorise with a beautiful handbag. I spotted this in And Other Stories this week and I am kicking myself for not buying it. It’s so beautiful and a little bit different and would be the perfect outfit elevator.

2. Statement earrings – (From £12.99)  I have a strange relationship with statement earrings. I really love them, but I also live by Coco Chanel’s rule, that before you leave the house, you should look in the mirror and take one thing off. The earrings are ALWAYS the item I remove. I have a fear of looking too polished and overdressed for an occasion, so if my outfit feels glam, then big earrings can often feel like a step too far. I feel they work best (on me) when the rest of my outfit is simple and paired back. I am thinking tailored black trousers (a blog for another day, I am on the hunt!) a simple black cashmere knit, my new Chanel slingbacks and the earrings (top right)  that are on their way to me. My hair would be slicked back in a low bun. If you don’t want to splash cash on a sequin number that you’ll wear once in December, why not jujj up  your outfit with a beautiful pair of earrings. As you can see from this selection, they don’t need to break the bank…(Click on the photos to shop)