French Dressing Up - Part 2.

Playtime again - what's in the dressing up box today? Sorry, cough, cough, clear throat, adopt serious voice. I mean, here we are again for the rest of the rules. 

French Chic - The Rules Part 2

• Avoid Clashing Prints
• Experimenting with keeping it tonal
• Wear a silk blouse like a T shirt
• Go easy on the heels
• Draw attention to the decolletage
• Show some flesh
• Never be too perfect. 

* Go Easy on the Heels.

Okay, this doesn't mean stop wearing the heels but let's wear elegant heels. None of these  poledancer platforms, porn shoes and chunky clunkies. In Grazia, they are showing these beauties which look divine and are a stunning colour but they also happen to be crippingly high and look like they are one step away from an injury.

Sergio Rossi Secret Shoes 

Once upon a time, I would have looked at those shoes and just cooed over them. Now I look at them and wince. Age makes you soft.

* Show Some Flesh.

So VB is saying it's sexy to go bare-legged ... even in the cold months. American tan tights are a no go. They had a lovely picture of the journalist in a pair of shorts and a pair of over the knee boots to balance the leg exposure ratio and in my thoughts - probably to minimise the cold.

Cold but cute

* Draw Attention to the Decolletage.

Make a bit of a feature around your neckline. Wear something which draws the eye ... but I don't think she means get your stack out. Yes, that would draw the eyes. Hello boys! They mean like Audrey Tautou below. So pretty. If you're going to make people look at your top half - look for the right reasons at least.

Photo Credit : Newsgab.com

I'm going to cheat again. I'm going to cover all three rules in one outfit and this is an outfit I'd been planning to wear for a friend's birthday meal until it had to be cancelled but hey, I can use it for this post instead .... and I am re-using some of the clothes seen in the previous post. Excuse me for not showing you some new exciting, different clothes but I'm enjoying some of the things I have so I'm just going to get them out again and get my moneys' worth.

My interpretation of showing some flesh is to get the bare legs out and wear a dress. Come on - did you really think I was going to parade round in a pair of dinky shorts with over the knee boots? You did? You really did? I have a cut off point for skirts and dresses which is just above the knee. Anything south of the knees goes a bit to pot in my eyes so I like to stop where I think it's okay. I know shorter is funkier but shorter makes my legs look chunkier. Fact. So I'm wearing my black lace shift dress. Quite simple, with sleeves (I don't like my arms) and no waistband (I like my food). 

Just a LBLD (Little black lace dress)

I bought this little black lace dress from Matalan for about £20 last year. I'm not usually a big fan of black lace dresses but I have to say I just wanted something to wear which wasn't the same top that I'd worn for the previous two Christmas do's. I saw this little dress, I tried it on and it fitted... so I bought it. I figured it could also be worn in the day time with just a regular grey cardi for a more dressed down look. Admittedly, I have yet to try this day time look. Admittedly, I live in jeans. Admittedly, everything is good in theory .... admittedly, admittedly.

Footwear. We're looking for a more refined heel. I don't have much call for heels these days but I do have a couple of pairs and these are about 4" high. That's my threshold. Just because the above Sergio Rossi's are sky scrapers, doesn't mean I have to wear sky scrapers. Sky scrapers are the epitome of non elegance when the woman is hobbling down the street in agony. However, a slim heel and a pointy toe might be all that's needed.  I'm wearing the same pair of heels as in the previous post. They're not very high but high enough to know I am wearing a heel. Pointy but not injury inflicting pointy. 

Fact - I've never had to shave my legs

Fact - my legs look anaemic (it's the lighting - honest, guv!)

I was going to wear this along with the Mango jacket featured previously to pull the look together a bit and dress down the dress. 

Tweed and lace.

And throw on a small bag for me to house the keys and phone. No Chanel this time - just a little black Chanel'esque style bag which my sister bought me over 20 years ago when she went on holiday in Spain and which I've still hung on to. I am actually quite attached to it due partly to it being made of impeccably soft leather and it's one of the few gifts I actually liked from my sis.

Old but loved.

And all together, it looks like this.

Ta dah! Or should that be "Ooh la la!"

That's me doing the coy pose

And that's it. What? Finished already? What happened to the last rule of drawing attention to the decolletage? Well I thought I would add a necklace but decided against it at the last minute as it wasn't sitting quite right on the neckline ... and then it dawned on me to take the advice of one Ms Ines de la Fressange which is to remove one thing before you leave the house and so I did - I chose to remove the necklace. Afterall, Ms de la Fressange is as perenially chic and French as they come and if it's a good enough for her, it's good enough for me and it also gives me the perfect cop out.

Well - that's the end of the French play-dressing - it was fun. What have I learnt? 

• I like French style ... whatever it is - (Ms Alt and Ms Moss dress identically sometimes). Go figure.
• I don't like having bare legs in November. 
• Goose pimples are not sexy on bare legs.
• I don't like wearing silk shirts in the daytime near children
• I like dressing up for fun.
• I like dressing up for fun. Yes I did mean to repeat that.
• Carrying small black quilted leather handbags looks instantly French.
• That Mango jacket goes with everything.
• I like dressing up for fun :o)

Back to the joggy bots - it's time for UK cleaning style! And no, I'm not going to do a post on that.

Have a good weekend everyone.