Mutton's guide: Spring

Now that we have passed Mid-winter, we can start to look forward to more hopeful days when coats, wool scarfs and heavy boots are no longer required. Vogue's Spring/Summer 2010 runway report lists a number of trends that we should get excited about whilst The Sunday Times Style section (31/01/2010) bravely declare the end of trends - Claudia Croft writes:

"We make fashion work for us, not the other way around"

That statement could have been invented for 40+ women!

She pursues: "Freed from the tyranny of trends, what we are all chasing is the key piece.".

I depart a bit from her there as I will not be chasing the key piece if I feel the key piece is wrong for me. I will happily stick to some of my old favourites rather than try and adopt a style that won't work on my body, age and personality.

In any event, here is what she has picked out from the catwalk - some of those "key pieces" might be fun to look at and inspire us out of the sleat and cold!

Denim shirts:

That is definitely something I will look at, if only because I trot out my well-loved Gap denim shirt every year thinking that it is definitely the last time. I am not sure I'd pay Chloe or Dolce&Gabbana prices for a replacement though!
Leather:

Beautiful leather clothes are always expensive. I have never fallen in love with anything in leather, apart from shoes and bags, to justify the high cost since buying a steel blue leather T-shirt in my twenties. That T-shirt, from Barbara Bui, never quite worked. It was quite an investment for a student and made me very caution ever since. But I know many 40+ women who wear leather beautifully and swear by their leather jacket or skirt. TV executive Bonnie Hammer, featured in this weekend's FT praises her Gucci leather jacket from 2004: "It works for any occasion, and any circumstance, to edge up any skirt or black trousers."

Sporty trousers:

Whilst I happily run around in gym clothes before classes, I am pretty doubtful that I will rush out and make sporty trousers my "key" piece for Spring. I remain to be convinced that sportswear worn as daywear can be a wise choice for a 40+. The spectre of saggy tracksuit bottoms acts as an effective deterrent!
Army Jacket:

That seems to come up at every season: army coat for winter, army jacket for Spring, and why not. Uniforms are flattering and an army-inspired jacket can look beautiful with a feminine skirt or floaty blouse. So, go for it!
Nighties and Bra Tops:

Frankly, that's one I would not touch with a barge pole. It is dangerous mutton dressed as lamb territory and brings to mind all the wrong associations. I guess Vivienne Westwood can pull it off but I am sure that I don't want to try.

Vogue's Spring/Summer 2010 also highlights the underwear as outerwear as well as the army theme. They add a number of other trends. I find that Bling has been around rather too much but Candy Floss colours, Raw edges to clothes and mostly bold Prints might be fun to look at :