Sleeping on the balcony is not everyone’s cup of the tea. But read about this Swedish lady who cures her sleeping problems by doing just that. All year around apart from when snowstorms, massive downpours and temperatures below -10 C prevents her from doing so.

What to say – it’s a free world and people do what they want. Extremes aside, however, it’s getting colder at night. And getting into a cold bed in one’s birthday suit is not the most tempting thought.

Which is where nightwear comes into the picture. Boudoir glamour and outfits that set your partner’s pulses racing may have their moments. A comfortable night’s sleep is not one of them. At least not in my books.

Being a practical girl I like cotton nightwears. They are wonderfully soft, warmish and durable. And then there are silk nightwares. Just to put some contradiction into the equation. Expensive, not so durable but oh so nice on the skin. Not to mention the luxurious associations, including looks. Looks always matter – even when you’re sleeping . On the balcony or not.

Golly gosh how trivial can things get?  Woke up today contemplating if it would be too adventurous to wear my Iridescent Back Seam Calvin Klein tights that I bought on sale last spring. On a Monday and all.

Wasn’t really up to anything special but try to make an effort regardless. After some deliberation I came to the conclusion that as they are 60 denier tights they wouldn’t be causing too much of a stir when out and about.

Where does the sex appeal of back seam tights come from anyway? Who knows and who cares? The only thing that crossed my mind during the day is that it pays to make sure the back seam is straight. Otherwise your legs look, well, a tad wonky.

Being a budget-minded person I keep the indoor temperature in my home in the lower ranges. In addition to reminding myself it’s good for my wallet I also justify it on an environmental basis – doing the green thing feels good.

Being female I need these sort of positive thoughts. My experience is that women feel chillier a lot easier than men. Just another reason to support the argument that women are from Venus and men from Mars, eh?

But God creating clothing. Even better – warm clothing. For extreme temperatures there’s obviously fur. Not a politically correct material, but just thought I’d mention it, in case you didn’t already know about its thermal qualities.

Knitwear have much more alluring connotations. Especially from a fashion perspective. And for wearing them at home in not-so-warm temperatures they are fabulous. Cosy, warm and stylish.  The latter is particularly important in case I would have to open the door to visitors interested in entering my igloo.

The shift dress. Chic, classy, easy to wear. Forever associated with stylish women such as Jackie Onassis.

Who would have thought its origins was as a dress to be used for protective purposes when squeezing fruit?

As stylish and practical as the shift dress may be, however, it’s not really associated with glamour. At least not in my mind.

Until I came across the one above. The Aztec pattern and the multi-coloured sequins adds some major va-va-voom to a very basic design.

The cool coat and funky ankle boots are perfect accessories. Yum.

Bought this ruched skirt about a month ago – a high-waisted version. Was really smitten by it in the changing room. For some reason or another though it took a while before I decided to wear it out and about in real life.

It wasn’t until then I discovered that it was a rather peculiar garment to match. For a start I realised that high-waisted is not my thing as it makes my upper half look unproportional. Or kind of cropped. An insight that I should perhaps be grateful for – my intuition for low-waisted skirts and pants was right telling me this is my most flattering cut.

Secondly, and this took me a while to figure out, horizontally ruched skirts add to one’s circumference. Looking in the mirror trying the skirt on I could see there was something different about my body shape – I looked a lot more curvaceous than I usually do. And then, obviously, the jigzaw pieces fell into place. Ruched equals increased volume. What can I say – we are all entitled to our slow moments.

So what to do? Disappointed that the tucked in version didn’t work, I experimented with about a thousand other tops. All rejected for one reason or another. In a last disillusioned effort I tried this halterneck  waistcoat on and – bang- there it was. The look that I was after.

Think that deserves 10 out 10 for effort.

Per definition a raglan sleeve is one

“that has a seam that goes from the underarm straight to the neckline. A raglan sleeve is only one piece, instead of several pieces sewn together and attached to the shell of the garment.

It was apparently named after the 1st Baron Raglan and designed to fit his coat for the arm lost in the Battle of Waterloo. Today raglans sleeves are commonly associated with anything sporty as the sleeve construction is comfortable and provides for ease of movement.

But in my opinion I think they are also great for adding an edge to more formal occasions, such as an office or after work do. And for working the definition of one’s shoulders, if that’s desirable. Don’t be afraid of experimenting with sizes – you might have a fabulous body but that doesn’t necessarily mean that tight is the keyword.

Jack Wills

Been thinking about where to go next when I’m abandoning my opaques and boots for a more spring/summerish look. And I think I’ve found what I’m looking for – just love the combination of those high heels strap shoes and chunky socks seen above! Also like the way they bring the  boned fitted bodice dress down to “moderate” rather than “high class” glamour. Which I feel a lot more comfortable in.

The socks and high heel look has been around for a while but has still not reached mainstream users. At least not where I’m looking. Which I can understand. Not sure if it’s just me thinking there’s something, hm, contradictory about the whole thing. But at the same time also a bit cutting edge. Which is quite interesting considering that we are only talking about socks and shoes here. I’m game to try this look out though – as summer is still some way off it’s nice to keep my feet warm whilst returning to using my favourite killer heels.

Swedish Hasbeens

To say that clogs in Sweden in the 1970s were ubiquitous is an understatement. Trust me – I was there. My favourite pairs were in black leather with an embossed flower on the upper front and high platforms. The higher the better was my view, and I was only about eight years old! Once they were worn out, I had to get a new pair straight away. Tunnel vision shopping excluded any alternative footwear.

And here we are, many, many years later – there’s been much water under the bridge since. Or maybe not? Because it seems that clogs are back. I’ve noticed them lurking in the fashion periphery for a year or two now but thought that was some temporary insanity. It seems I was wrong as I recently saw them mentioned in ELLE UK, which give them fairly high fashion status.

After my infatuation with clogs in my first decade had worn off I thought I’d never take an interest in them again. But to my own surprise I actually like Swedish Hasbeens. I also like the fact that this time around there are not just one version of the clog available but lots of new interesting styles, including boots. Swedish Hasbeens are amazingly still handmade in Sweden, which may explain the price tag – they don’t come cheap.

Jess Cartner-Morley on drapery dresses

I quite like the Guardian’s fashion editor Jess Cartner-Morley. Admittedly I don’t know her, but my impression from her writings is that she’s quite down to earth and has a sense of humour. Considering the superficialness of the fashion industry these are traits to be applauded.

In the video above she’s discussing the benefits of drapery dresses. And I can agree with pretty much everything she’s saying – they are great for hiding any problematic areas and also look really cool. In the right size. Having said that, I bought one last year on sale – a lovely bright pink one from Untold at the amazing price of £15! I was walking on clouds for weeks afterwards cause it really is the ultimate party dress. There is an issue though and that is the back of the dress. Being made of flimsy material it drapes wonderfully in the front, but at the back where there are no drapes it also clearly shows off any indentations made from underwear and / or tights.

So what to wear? Anyone who’s been watching makeover programmes such as Trinny and Susannah’s knows there’s a trick or two. Such as shapewear. I know they are highly practical and can make anyone look sensational. Somehow though it just doesn’t feel like me. Stay ups are definitely an alternative. The rest, however, I’m in the process of considering.

Emilio Cavallini tights

As I’ve mentioned in another post, I’ve been wearing skirts throughout winter consistently accompanied by opaque tights. Mainly bark and dark chocolate coloured ones – contemplated pink, orange and blue but was at the end of the day too conservative to join the bright opaque trend. I know, old age = boring.

Having been hand in glove for what seems like an eternity, it’s difficult to break the bond. But with the sun feeling increasingly warm on my face I’m beginning to think that maybe it’s time to let go of my wardrobe staples. At the moment wearing no tights at all is not an option – my legs are so white they can probably be seen from the moon. Until I have exposed them enough in discrete locations to move at least a few hues beyond a whiter shade of pale, some kind of cover-up is necessary.

Reducing the denier may appear to be a logical next step. But am not sure that’s what I feel like. They ladder so quickly and maybe I’m just bored with the whole skirt / tights thing anyway. Until I can expose my legs I may just stick with cropped pants using knee-highs. I’ll make an affirmative decision in a week or five.