WHISTLESTOP TOUR OF BRISTOL

I am just back from a couple of nights in Bristol, catching up with a school friend and enjoying my first visit to this fabulous city.  I had always heard glowing reports of it and I was not disappointed.  Sadly the pictures don't really do it justice as although we avoided any rain the weather was rather grey.  We stayed in the Clifton area, renting a small apartment and making the most of this beautiful part of the city.

We ventured through the leafy areas, past the famous downs and Bristol zoo into Clifton Village to view Brunel's famous Clifton suspension bridge and enjoy the many Georgian buildings that this area abounds with.  The Village itself is so pretty with many boutiques, quirky shops and places to eat or enjoy a relaxing coffee.

Bristol is an easy city to walk so you can take in  much of it's stunning architecture and history and it abounds with green spaces and pretty areas.

Top of our list to visit was the Harbourside which covers an extensive area incorporating loads of bustling bars, restaurants, art installations, historic attractions and places to visit.  Bristol has been a trading port since the 11th century but is probably most known for its involvement in the slave trade which is featured in the M Shed museum.  It was also home to John Cabot who discovered Newfoundland in 1497 and a replica of his boat, The Matthew, is moored in the Harbour.

We were particularly keen to visit the SS Great Britain which is another Brunel's engineering feats.  We caught the little ferry across from the other bank and instead of immediately boarding the ship  we went into the dry dock to view the incredibly preserved hull of the ship.

It is really cleverly done and you can look up to view the bow of the ship from below.  There is a giant dehumidifier that ensures the air is kept to the perfect level of humidity to preserve the ship and stop the rust developing further.

The interior of the ship has been restored and you can walk through the first class suites and dining area through the kitchen and into steerage class where you truly understand what the journey must have been like sailing to America. They even have sounds and smells wafting through the ship for added affect. To think that this ship sailed the world 32 times since the mid 1800's,  including navigating the treacherous Cape Horn and Cape of Good Hope, only retiring in 1933 is incredible and a testament to the amazing engineer that Brunel was.

On our last day we made our way to the Old City with its cobbled streets and little alleyways to see some of Bristols oldest buildings, with particular focus on St Nicholas Market and Cabot Tower.  The Tower offers far reaching views of the city but as the weather was grey and misty we didn't venture up the the top.

The glass covered St Nicks market, which dates from the 1700s. was a real treat with is array of independent traders and cafes. We enjoyed a lovely traditional brunch at the Be Natural Kitchen but there is every type of cuisine on offer in the market so visitors are spoilt for choice.

We finished our trip with walk through the arts quarter and up the Christmas Steps before heading back to Temple Meads station and our respective train journeys home.

AN INTERVIEW WITH DESIGNER JAMES LAKELAND

Looking through some of the press coverage for London Fashion Week, you have to wonder who on earth wears the kind of clothes which make it down the runway.

The great fashion shows by high-end designers are the inspiration for the rest of the high street, whose designers then make the clothes more wearable for the rest of us.  Now I’m not very creative with clothes, and I’m not the kind of person to push the boundaries with fashion, so you’ll have to excuse me for sniggering at some of the outlandish and outrageous creations from some of our bright new designers, although I take on board that London fashion is supposed to be edgy!

So it was extremely heartening to talk to designer James Lakeland at a trade show earlier this year, whose passion for design is matched only by his understanding of the female form – and he talks common sense to boot!

I have a few key James Lakeland pieces in my wardrobe, so I was excited and extremely privileged when he agreed to be interviewed for our blog.

The first thing to know about James is that he loves dressing women!  And the second is that he understands that we are all different weights, heights, shapes and sizes. 

James began designing more than 25 years ago and now employs 158 people within his company, and indirectly another 400 in factories and supply trades.

He is surrounded by women – his grandmother at 96 is still beautiful, according to James, is very glamorous and loves Chanel!  She is a huge asset to his business -  giving him inspiration, since she is passionate about looking good and is still full of creative ideas.

His late mother too, was always beautifully dressed, and from an early age instilled in him the values by which he still lives, while his wife is very glamorous - loving beautifully made clothes (and partial to a little bit of bling, so a woman after my own heart) and the feeling behind the creativity, though he says she can be very critical when necessary.

The first stage in his design process following the concept, is the cut.  Fit is so very important – he showed me a prototype dress made up in his factory in Italy which he promptly rejected.  “The fit was all wrong, it was too short…. the sleeve…. the collar wasn’t right.  Fit is so very very important.  I want my clothes to last more than one season:” he said “And I want mine to be the favourite piece in the wardrobe.”

James’ clothes are all made from his factory at Lake Como Italy, using luxe Italian fabric.  His clothes often incorporate stretchy Viyella which is very forgiving and easy to wear, along with taffeta, which gives the garment movement and a bit of “swish” and detail.

He doesn’t copy what’s going on in the high street – “we’re not Next, and you can tell.  I see everything in colour:” he said, “and I thought everyone could see what I see.”

He admits to being a perfectionist.  “I never forget who the customer is – you don’t have to be model-tall, but my garments have to have shape – the fabric, the cut, the production – all has to be perfect.  My customer loves herself and loves clothes.”

Obviously, I took the opportunity to mention some of my own gripes about clothes – being short and curvy – and a different size on top to bottom as well – means I struggle with sizing. I also tend to not wear very many patterned clothes, but James’s advice was to go for it and put some pattern into my wardrobe.

We also had a discussion about cold shoulder design, of which I am not a huge fan, but James was adamant that this works well for women who are concerned about covering their “bingo wings”.  “It’s a problem a lot of women say they have – they want to hide the tops of their arms.  But the cold shoulder look works very well for them, since women tend to have lovely shoulders anyway, even if they are not happy with their upper arms.”

Since we were at a trade show for Autumn/Winter 2018, I got a sneak peak of his current collection, which featured a number of beautiful metallic fabrics.  Colours were mainly grey, raspberry, maroons, navy and a splash of blue. “Metallic fabrics are huge for the Autumn/Winter season;” he told me.

There was also a range of beautifully soft wraps (my downfall….) in lovely pastel shades for the colder months.

“I love coats too” said James – I would love to have a separate “Coat Room” to showcase new designs.  And to illustrate the point, he brought out a beautiful raspberry winter coat, with which I instantly fell in love.  Reminiscent of the 50s, it was fitted at the top with a large shawl collar, single button and flared skirt – perfect for my shape – and one to look out for.

AUTUMN JACKETS

It's always a treat to go shopping but pounding the streets in heels is a no-no, as is wearing a heavy coat, even in winter, as you wander between over warm stores and freezing streets, so this fabulous wrap from iizzy in Bury, which Anne C is wearing was an amazing find for her - in fact she has hardly had it off her back since she bought it! And if you click on their website here, there is a photo of it in their window! It is also available in grey, pink and black (ooh the grey looks nice....).

In a lovely champagne shade which will tone and complement most colours, the faux fur collar and cuffs are amazingly soft, and it's warm enough without being heavy to wear. 

She wondered if she has turned beige as many older women tend to go for muted shades, but there is no doubt that she will be back wearing bright colours as the mood takes her.

The purpose of our trip into Leeds was to spend birthday vouchers - hence the gorgeous Tom Ford Black Orchid purchase from John Lewis (courtesy of two JL vouchers) and a little detour into the White Company for a Verveine diffuser!

So keeping the beige look, she has teamed her wrap with taupe skinny jeggings and low suede wedges from Primark bought last season.  Anne is able to wear bargain brands since she is so short, she doesn't need to worry about the length of the leg - unlike Anne H who has to shop around to find suitable length for her trousers and jeans. 

Although you can't see it, she is wearing a white linen sweater from Phase Eight underneath - sadly no longer on their website. The cute stone-coloured bag with bamboo handles was bought in Thassos this summer, and her jewellery consists of the usual pearls.

Moving onto the other Anne, she loves this fabulous new jacket from & Other Stories.  It is their oversized, double breasted blazer in a polyester/wool blend with a bright orange plaid pattern.  It is quite striking but still versatile enough to wear with different colours and really cosy too.  She has teamed it about with a batwing jersey shirt from COS which is in a lovely petrol blue and jeans from 7 for All Mankind. 

Below is the same jacket but this time styled with a silver grey cowl neck jumper from John Lewis and some suede ankle boots from & Other Stories.

She can't resist adding to her winter sweater and ankle boot collection each year and she is really pleased with both these items.  The jumper is cut longer at the back and is light enough to wear under a jacket, be it heavier weight like this one or lighter.  The boots are in a blue suede with chunky block heel and exposed outer zippers.  With a pointed toe, they look great with straight leg jeans.

We think you are going to be seeing a lot of this jacket in the coming months.

AUTUMN WARDROBE ADDITIONS

You already know about Anne C's obsession with pink, so here she is again wearing head-to-toe pale pink, which was perfect for this unseasonably warm Autumn day. Given that she is very short (5'2") and curvy, she tries to wear one shade rather than cutting her in half with different colours, which just makes her look shorter and wider (she says!)

She is showing off her new pale pink poncho, bought from one of her new favourite online retailers, Mandy's Heaven, which she discovered on Instagram earlier this year - and this is her sixth piece from bought her boutique (actually strictly speaking it is the fourth piece she has bought since Mandy very kindly gifted her and Anne H a gorgeous silk top and a beautiful necklace each here and here). But since she absolutely loved the clothes it's no hardship to buy more!

This fabulous poncho is a recent buy from Mandy's but no longer on the website, though they often restock if you check back later. She has teamed with perfectly matching pale pink jeggings and pale pink suede bootees, both from Primark earlier this year. The necklace is from iizzy boutique in Bury, while the pearl earrings are several years old.

Anne H was anticipating a wild drop in temperature at the time of our shoot, and in preparation went on the search for a lovely warm scarf. First stop COS and success, with the find of this lovely wool cashmere check scarf which will go with a multitude of coat colours as it incorporates navy, red and brown.  Not the cheapest of items at £59 but it is certainly something she will wear over and over.

All the other elements of this outfit were already in her wardrobe so she is really being very thrifty.  The camel coat was purchased in the  Massimo Dutti sale during our trip to Bruges earlier this year, and she really likes this length for day to day wear.  They have a very similar coat in the current collection and she particularly loves the seaming detailing on this one and the longer line Crombie styling. They haven't given it the most imaginative name - solid coloured wool coat, but hey ho it does what it says on the packet and for £229, it is reasonably priced for a coat with 75% wool content.

She has teamed with another sale find, these jeans from Ted Baker and some snazzy red boots from TopShop.  They are doing a similar pair this year in a lovely red croc finish called Houston for £59.

LIVING WITH HAIR LOSS

Our normal posts are usually very positive - the clothes we like to wear and the places we like to visit.  But at 60+ we've both had our ups and downs over the years, though we don't often dwell on these.

This week I'm going to talk about something which is less than positive and which I have only just decided to share.  The full story, which I don't propose to go into huge detail now, can be found on Sixty and Me here.

I have Lichen Planus Pilaris - in English that means I have a fairly rare form of alopecia and am pretty much bald. My hair never grow back as the stem cells and follicles have been completely destroyed.  For the past five years I have worn a "topper" which for those not familiar, is like a wig but clips on to what hair remains, so it's perfect if you have thinning hair, or if like me, you have a large bald patch.  I absolutely love my new topper and will be tagging it in Instagram posts when I wear it - which will probably be permanently now.

I decided to write about my problem because a few people - who did not necessarily know about my own alopecia - have mentioned that their hair is either receding or going very thin, something which is not uncommon post-menopause.  While not everyone will go as bald as I have, perhaps it will be reassuring to know that we are not alone.

I am also not writing about this to elicit sympathy, but rather to try and help others who have be going through the same thing.  My condition is not life-threatening, but has certainly been life-changing.  And I do understand that worse things can happen, for which I am obviously very grateful.

I was approached by the lovely people at Uniwigs in the USA to write a piece about wearing a topper, (see photo above) so I have gone one better and have produced my own video or vlog - (Oh dear I sound awful on tape!) which you can see below. The topper I am wearing is an Amber 12" silk top real hair topper  in G4 medium brunette, which is virgin hair and fabulous quality, and because it is real hair, it means I can style it using straighteners, curlers and even a hair dryer, though on a low heat.

Uniwigs are available online, and they have a large selection of toppers and wigs to suit most requirements, so they are well worth a look. They are great if your hair is thin, receding, or if you have bald patches, and they are really easy to wear.

Having worn synthetic toppers for a few years, I can tell you that they do not last more than 4-6 months before they go crunchy at the ends, since the heat from the sun or even from the cooker/oven destroys acrylic hair. I have got around this by wearing my hair up, and have continued dyeing my remaining hair to match the colour of the topper.

Of course most of us of a certain age will have permed, dyed, straightened and generally abused their hair over the years. I have been a blonde and a red-head with various shades of deep purple in between, as well as my natural brunette, but it is safe to say that not everyone who has done the same as I have loses their hair.  Maybe I was predisposed to being follically-challenged since I never had luscious locks anyway.  In fact here are a few old photographs of me with various hair-styles (taken during the late 70s and early 80s), some of  which frankly look ridiculous now.....

Definitely permed in these two and then blow dried!

Permed again but left looking like a shaggy dog!

On to the blonde look now - initially to cover up the grey

And just so the other Anne isn't left out this week - here's a picture of both of us taken circa 1996! She still to this day has beautifully thick hair which she hasn't coloured or permed for years.

I started with a small bald patch when I was 60 - five years ago - and despite a cocktail of different drugs with nasty side-effects, nothing has stopped my hair falling out, so I decided not to continue with treatment.  I have previously bought my wigs and toppers from the helpful and sympathetic ladies at Betty Brown in York, who supply wigs for the NHS, and who have given me lots of practical advice and even trimmed the beautiful Uniwig sent to me from the USA. Uniwigs also have useful advice about hair loss here.

The truth is I now have to live with the fact that I will be wearing wigs, topper and hair-pieces for the rest of my life. So expect to see me changing my "hair" in the coming years, as often as changing my clothes!