Style Not Age - Lovely Leather.

Good morning.

How are you?

I've had a lovely weekend, although I've not done much!  Friday evening, as usual, I went dancing and revelled in learning the jive!  I've learnt this one before but it's always nice to revisit an old friend like that dance.  We bopped, swayed and jived all rather basic really but I picked up the routine quite quickly.  We tend to learn a dance for 2 to 3 sessions and by the end of the last session I can normally blast through the dance quite well.  I just need an occasion to try this out now, however I'll be on my own as I don't have a partner!

Saturday was spent in the garden tackling the dreaded hedge!  David decided to chop some of the hedge down to the ground as most was being strangled by ivy and wasn't in particularly good condition - we plan to add a fence and cover the area with a hard standing rather than ground where weeds can grow. This is in anticipation of the new house build being started - the scaffolding will need to be put where the hedge was, AND it looks much tidier.  As you can imagine both David and I were exhausted after all the work so we just had a takeaway and watched a film with a couple of g & t's.

On Sunday, David had another morning in the garden trimming one of the cherry plum trees that is on our boundary, that too is encased in ivy, so I set about trying to untangle and cut the branches - it's an ongoing story and I plan on 'attacking' it again next weekend! David decided to cut the grass.  It has grown so long and looked a state so he put the height up on the mower and ran over it without collecting the grass cuttings.  We've done that before and it dries up and blows away fairly quickly and it's a good way to get the grass under control without too much effort.  When the weather improves I'll be back to cutting it once a week, that’ll be good for my getting my steps in eh!

Now I've told you about my weekend, let's get down to the nitty-gritty of today's post.  Today I share the post with my three friends from the Style not Age collective.  This month our prompt was set by Hilda and she chose the fabulous title of .....

Lovely Leather.

I'm drawn toward faux leather as opposed to leather.  Not for any reason in particular but I find faux is so much more accessible.  I had a leather jacket years ago but to be honest I remember it went out of shape quite quickly and it looked bedraggled on!  So for me fake leather is the way forward.

I've got many items hanging in my wardrobe that I could have picked for this challenge and ended up with these relatively new trousers that you may have seen on her before when I styled them for a neutral look with my new long coat.   I do have a liking for leather belts though.  I've got a few and love how good the quality is.  The one I'm wearing here was a Christmas present and is reversible. It's from Ralph Lauren and these beauties really are worth their price tag!

These striking trousers were an absolute bargain a few weeks ago when I found them in my local branch of Tu Clothing (Similar). You might recall I paid a mere £6 for them.  They fit like a dream as they're the right length, have a comfy waistband, deep pockets and as they are brown make a nice change from the normal black that I would often wear.  Brown is a popular colour this season and I plan to add more in this shade as it goes with so many other colours too.  

I added my really old but very pretty pale blue jumper.  It's got fabulously frilly cuffs and fluted neck and looks great styled over my brown silky shirt (you can just see if you look closely).  I did the front tuck and left the other hanging over which gives a nice outline.  It's good to give an outfit a bit of a shapely silhouette and even better when you can see a fancy belt too. 

Layers have been keeping me warm over the past winter months and this leopard trench (Similar) has been a go-to choice for me when I’m popping to the shops and only need a shorter length coat. This animal print version is a faux suede and feels really smooth to touch. It’s got all the traditional elements of a trench coat and will keep me right on trend!

Finally I added my stylish leather bag.  I saw this in a shop window in Venice and as they had a multitude of colours I was spoilt for choice.  I settled on tan - it's a practical colour that teams so well with lots of other shades.  You can view this one similar here!

Shall we look at what my three counterparts have picked?

Firstly here's what Hilda - Over the Hilda chose.  I adore this leather coat that she found in a charity shop!  Yes I'm as shocked as you are!  Do stop by and you can be in awe of it as I am!

Next let's see what Anna - Anna's Island Style went for. Her leather boots look incredible with this black and white number! Do stop by her blog for all the details. 

Finally Emma - Style Splash opted for this. Even though this outfit was rushed to put together I think Emma has achieved exactly the right look. Her funky culottes look a super stylish sight, especially teamed with her bright orange coat.  I love the whole look! 



So pleased you could join me today.  I really appreciate your support.

I'll look forward to seeing you again on Thursday for the last Chic & Stylish linkup of the month!

Cheerio for now. X