So here we are at the end of 2018. We have enjoyed working on Graham St so much this year. When I first had the idea for the blog I had a strong instinct that it would resonate with people but wasn’t sure for certain. I knew that mum, her friends and clients of a similar age would often ask where they should be shopping and what they should be buying but whether that was a wider concern, I didn’t know. This year has proven to me that this is a problem that many women face. We have been so so pleased to discover that Graham St is providing inspiration and encouragement for many of you.

On one level clothes are a superficial thing but scratch the surface a little and our appearance can often be one of the first outwardly signs that we’re not feeling at our best. Conversely, a great outfit and a revamped wardrobe can go someway to making us feel so much better about ourselves and indeed, more confident. I feel SO strongly that age should not dictate our enjoyment of style. Clothes and fashion should be available to all women, enjoyed at any age.

We hope that continuing into 2019, Graham St can be a positive space for all women. An inclusive place that provides inspiration and guidance on navigating style through the years and also a bit of fun.

So mum’s outfit this week started with the coat. I have had my eye on it for ages. The colour is so chic and coupled with the relaxed style, it makes for an effortlessly cool winter warmer. I know that it is a brave lady that buys a cream coat but hey, sometimes we just need to throw caution to the wind and wear things that are completely unpractical but look darn good. On that note, we went for head to toe cream for this full outfit. There is nothing more chic and sophisticated than cream and white in Winter. Dressing in all one colour has been a huge trend on the catwalks too. Admittedly a lot of those looks were head to toe pink, acid yellow and electric blue (!) but like all good trends, they are watered down and translated onto the high street for more normal everyday wear.

If you are looking to wear all one colour then the trick is to mix contrasting textures and materials. So here we have the ribbed jumper, with the linen trousers and the boiled wool coat. Don’t worry about the colour being all one tone either, different tones of the same shade look great.

The striking black and white print of this dress caught my eye. It is counter intuitive but as my waistline expands I gravitate more to bold prints. It can be a very good way of concealing a big tummy. Obviously lots of women love to accentuate their pregnancy bumps which I think looks gorgeous, but for myself, I feel more comfortable skimming my bump with loosely fitting clothing. So if you are not pregnant but your waistline is bigger than you would ideally like, then the same principles apply. Distracting prints can minimise rather than accentuate a round tum! And of course, clothes that skim the body, rather than cling to the body are more flattering.

I’m sure that I have said this before, but leopard print is a neutral. By that I mean that leopard print goes with almost everything. It is such a perfect print for adding interest to an otherwise simple outfit and also a way of adding a contemporary touch to a more traditional outfit. I LOVE these boots from Zara. They’re comfortable as the heel height is forgiving but due to the heel and the pointed toe, they would look equally good as a day boot as they would an evening shoe. The point also elongates the legs so they are flattering with tricky length skirts and dresses. They’d also look fab with skinny jeans.