Yup it's official, the countdown to my birthday has begun & it's now just 4 days until the big day :-) To say I'm beyond excited is somewhat of an understatement.....I literally can't wait. Partly because I LOVE birthdays (as I've said before I'm like a big kid & am bound not to sleep much the night before the big day) & partly because I've got some lovely things planned to mark my turning to the other side. Including going away for a few days with my hubby & our son, although where we're going I don't know as it has all been arranged by the two men in my life who've sworn each other to secrecy.....but as long as we're not heading to a Star Wars Convention then I'll be a very happy lady!!!
As I mentioned in my previous blog the start of my celebrations has already begun, as this Thursday, exactly a week to my big day, I headed off to London with four wonderful girlfriends for a day of shopping, laughter, bubbles & afternoon tea. What better way to kick start the celebrations than with a day off work indulging in bubbles, treats, lots of giggles & of course the odd bit of shopping??!! In fact we had such fun & the fact *excuse* that we all celebrate our birthdays within a six week period has meant we're already planning next year's outing...& I can't wait!!
From the moment the idea can to mind, there was always the question of what to wear, which can be a difficult question at the best of times. Factor in that we're heading into December & temperatures have dropped so needed to be warm, plus on our feet for a large proportion of the day so footwear needed to be comfy not to mention the partaking in a spot of Afternoon Tea at The Savoy then I'm guessing you've got the picture. The result being a round robin of emails before our adventure with everyone asking each other what they were wearing & declaring it had been a long time since they'd asked that question!!!
Of course planning an outfit days before the event is always difficult as you never know what the weather is going to be doing (hell the forecaster's can even have problems knowing what it's doing on the actual day!!) & with afternoon tea planned at The Savoy there was an element of needing to look presentable so my distressed boyfriend jeans were ruled out immediately.
I don't know about you but when I know I've got a long day ahead I always start planning my outfit from my feet up as if my feet are happy I'm happy. Ordinarily I'd generally wear a flat ballet shoe or boot but having worn ballet shoes round London on previous trips I can vouch that flat doesn't necessarily mean happy feet. Hell no I can still picture my sore & bruised toes from the last time I attempted this. Plus the fact that I wanted to be quite smart meant that with the outfit I had in mind my biker boots simply weren't going to cut it.
Bizarrely I've found that my feet are generally happiest in a shoe with a small heel. Of course when I say happiest I mean the longest they've gone before the pain sets in because let's face it no matter what shoes you wear when you're on your feet all day & clocking up the miles there's going to come a point when your feet stop talking to you & it literally hurts to even think about walking let alone putting one foot in front of the other!!!
This time I was determined to try & get it right so on the basis that a slight heel is best but knowing that the odd glass of bubbles was bound to put in an appearance during the course of the day (starting with individual bottles of Bucks Fizz in the car first thing in the morning & a bottle of champagne on the train going down...well you only turn 40 once right?!!) I thought it wise to go for a small wedge heel in the hope that it would help distribute my weight more evenly so less chance of bruised feet & more importantly less chance of falling over. Well I didn't want to be making an entrance as we arrived at The Savoy & literally slide in having taken a tumble & believe me worse things have happened so I wasn't going to leave it to chance.
Of course having decided on the perfect style shoe it stood to reason that I appeared to be missing said design from my wardrobe. And with a 20% voucher from M&S burning a hole in my pocket I thought it only right to take a peak & see if said dream shoe existed. Now ordinarily I seem to be one of these people who having decided on the dream dress/coat/shoe/trouser etc can never find my ideal despite clocking up the hours on the internet & in store scouring to track said item down. But in this instance the 'Shopping Fairy' was obviously smiling down on me as having logged onto M&S I happened to stumble across my dream shoe.
Also available in Mocha
Plus it's part of their Footglove range, which is designed to give all day comfort - hell if I hadn't liked the shoes before then these words would have had me skipping to the tills....which can only mean one thing, a sure sign that I have indeed hit midlife head on....since when did the word 'comfort' become a deciding factor in buying shoes?!!! Hell I'll be using the words 'corn' & 'bunion' next!!!
Anyway back to my plan, said boots arrived only a couple of days before the big event & with one thing or another I didn't get chance to break them in so it was a case of keeping everything crossed & hoping for the best (plus packing a pair of back up flats in my bag for an emergency!). As well as slapping on Compeed blister plasters to my heels the morning of the big day & inserting my new heel grippers to avoid any heel slippage.
Now I'm not sure if it was the alcohol or the preventative factors but I have to say although my feet felt bruised at the end of a long day there was no rubbage or tightness from my new shoes so in my eyes a total result! And if like me you suffer with heel slippage then you should definitely check the heel grippers out. They're called 'Sizers' & are foam inserts which fit into the front of your shoes to stop your heel slipping out of your shoe. They're available to buy here & are come in three different sizes 1, ½ & ¼. Quite frankly they're an amazing invention, which I'm hoping together with my toupee tape will mean I never have another Cinderella moment again!!!
So back to my outfit for my girly day of fun. With my footwear sorted I decided to have a mass trying on session of all the possible outfits that had been floating in my head.....needless to say it wasn't pretty, created a large mess & resulted in a mountain of discarded clothing on the floor & me wailing the immortal words 'I've got nothing to wear'!!!!!
However after several deep breaths & a cheeky purchase my outfit was decided upon & given the nod of approval from hubby & son. Now ordinarily I would generally reach for one of my blazers to wear on such an occasion with a scarf but due to the drop in temperatures I felt I needed a little bit more warmth especially as I was just wearing a simple silk shirt underneath so instead decided to wear my short fitted coat/blazer from Zara that I purchased in the summer whilst on holiday in Majorca, which has all the warmth of a winter coat but the fit & length of a blazer & I just love the gold buttons.
This was teamed with a simple black silk shirt also from Zara (well we all know I'm in love with everything Zara!!).
And my sneaky new purchase from H&M, a lovely skirt & cut, which has the most wonderful texture.....I've just got to remember not to bend over if reaching to pick something up to avoid any possible bum-gate!!!
Finishing with a statement necklace & of course a splash of leopard print in the form of my bag & I was good to go for my day of fun.
Coat - Zara
Necklace - Handmade
Shirt - Zara
Belt - Zara
Skirt -H&M
Shoe Boots - M&S
Bag - Zara
Okay so not overly layered or warm I have to admit but with a camisole worn under my shirt & thermal tights to keep my legs warm I was about as toasty as I was ever going to be without being too casual or underdressed. And as one of my friends said before our day of fun we could always drink plenty of alcohol to warm us up if we were too cold....which is definitely my kind of reasoning & I have to admit I will definitely be filing that in my memory bank for use on another day ;-)
Finishing with a few piccies from a truly memorable & special day...can you spot the reoccurring theme?!!! And for those of you wondering from a health & safety point of view, I'm happy to report that we had an expert in the field of popping champagne corks whilst speeding along on a high speed train & that not a drop was spilt or wasted ;-)
Finally a quick round up of my outfits from the last few days which has also included another sneaky birthday celebration (well I'm practising for the big day itself....I don't want to be underprepared!!!).
Outfit One
Coat - Zara
Necklace - Handmade
Shirt - Zara
Belt - Zara
Skirt -H&M
Shoe Boots - M&S
Bag - Zara
Outfit Two
Polo Neck - Primark
Quilted Jacket - Zara
Jeans - Zara
Boots - Zara
Outfit Three
Blazer - Zara Boys
Shirt - Massimo Dutti
Cardigan - Zara
Jeans - Zara
Wedge Trainers - Ash
Outfit Four
Fur Stole - H&M
Tuxedo Jacket - Zara
Jumper - ASOS
Faux Leather Leggings - Zara
Shoe Boots - M&S
So do you approve of my choice of outfit? Perhaps you've faced the same dilemma of what to wear when you've needed to be smart, stylish, warm & comfy? If so what did you choose to wear? I'd love to hear your thoughts as I've got to start planning my outfit for next year & who knows perhaps I may even wear some shoes that I've broken in before!!!
And for anyone thinking of indulging in a spot of afternoon tea then I can't recommend the Savoy highly enough, it really did live up to it's reputation of opulence, glamour & excellent service not to mention a truly scrumptious tea with far more than we could ever eat. Of course the day was only made so special by sharing it with such wonderful company & friends, so if you're reading thank you again for such a fun & lovely day.
Right I must love you & leave you as I'm off out for my third birthday celebration, no slobbing on the sofa for me today! Enjoy your Sunday.
You looked gorgeous, Jane, and it sounds like you had a wonderful day. Happy birthday for the big one! Lynne x
ReplyDeleteAww thanks Lynne, must admit I'm getting VERY excited now!! xx
DeleteI do hope you have a very nice birthday party ahead of you. From bestelectriciansmiami.com
ReplyDeleteThanks Janna, I'm sure I will :-) xx
DeleteLike you I'm on Birthday countdown! Two weeks today! I don't get excited any more though. Love the cute boots and have my eye on your fur stole x
ReplyDeleteSharron isn't it lovely having a birthday in December but not too near to Christmas. I don't think I'll ever not get excited about my birthday....I'll be the nutter in the nursing home still having a countdown to my birthday on my wall lol!! xx
DeleteOutfit one looks really nice - love the skirt flare & the jacket !! very nice. I love outfit 2 and 3 too: I think your jacket in outfit 2 is really cool.
ReplyDeletepaul
Thank you :-) xx
DeleteThe shoe boots look amazing Jane, perfect for skirts and dresses, just the right height heel! Think your H&M skirt is just gorgeous too! Super birthday celebration outfits! Hope you've had another wonderful day in London Town x
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle, I've been very lucky as I've now had two amazing days in London....just perfect xx
DeleteYou look super cute Jane & I'm so glad you got to go out with your best girls for a wonderful day out! Embrace it....its only Naughty Forty! ;) Ax
ReplyDeleteAndrea I'm loving the 'Naughty Forty' fantastic & I shall make a mental note to use that time & time again over the next decade :-) xx
DeleteIt sounds like you had a fantastic day out. Just perfect. Your outfit looked gorgeous too Jane. Enjoy the next few days of excitement...!!xxx
ReplyDeleteAww thanks Liz I will definitely enjoy every second, just a day & a half of work left & then the partying can get started :-) xx
DeleteYou look great !!! Happy Birthday !!! :)
ReplyDeleteAww thanks @Zoebby :-) xx
DeleteJane I adore your outfit - I actually just said 'oooh' out loud as I was scrolling down your blog post! Perfect choice for afternoon tea, the peplum skirt is lovely.
ReplyDeleteI've got a work's Christmas Breakfast of all things in London at the end of next week - it's held in a trendy bar/restaurant in Borough Market, so I want something stylish but not too 'eveningy' - am feeling inspired now. Wishing you a fab birthday week! x
Oh Keri thank you :-) I'm loving the sound of your work's Christmas Breakfast....have a fab time xx
DeleteYou look amazing - racing about your birthday makes me want to celebrate mine all over again!:) x Can't way to find out where you are going!
ReplyDeleteThanks Joanna, I'm having such a lovely time I'm thinking I might have to celebrate being 40 every year from now on ;-) xx
DeleteYou look fantastic in all the outfits. I especially like the one with skirt, blouse and statement necklace.
ReplyDeleteHi Bazin thanks, I actually made that necklace myself!! xx
DeleteBTW, those booties are amazing. I need to find out if I can get those in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteBazin I'm sure M&S ship to the US they're so comfy I can't tell you & they go with trousers & skirts/dresses, I'm sure I'm going to be living in mine xx
DeleteLooks like such a perfect day in London. Can't wait to hear about what else you get up too! Early I know but Happy Birthday! x
ReplyDeleteWe had such fun Natalie that the date for next year is already in the diary :-) Thanks for the birthday wishes too xx
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