Uniqlo Silk Spot Shirt

Wednesday 22 January 2014




Uniqlo Silk Blouse, Gap Mini Skimmer Chinos, Monsoon Belt, Hobbs NW3 Bag, M&S Shoes.


Guess what I'm in to now?

Spots.

Or is that Dots? Spotty what or dotty what? (You'll only get that if you have kids and watch the The WotWots and if you haven't - LUCKY LUCKY you.

I normally sit in the stripes camp but just lately, I'm feeling the pull over towards the spots side. It will be a bit of a tug of war between the two and even though I know which side will ultimately come out victorious, it will be fun playing one off against the other (for maybe a week) and then I will get bored and go back to something plain and grey. As usual.

My spots will come in the guise of my Uniqlo silk spot blouses. I first spotted (!) them at the beginning of January 2013 on Shini's Park & Cube. I clicked the link faster than you can say spotty what or dotty what and found that they had sold out in my size. Hmmph! And them they brought them out again in the autumn and I ummed and ahhed so long over them that they sold out again. Hmmph! However it is good to have friends in far away places and Joanna from Poppy's Style kindly helped me track down an ivory blouse and had it sent over from the U.S. And then a month later as I was browsing the Uniqlo sale section, what did I spot (!)? The elusive sold out silk spotty blouses which were no longer sold out??? All colours, all sizes. So I bought the navy too.

And I'm going to take  some inspiration from some of these gals. Shini, Virginie, Steph, Alexa and Clemence. Yeah - I'm totally on first name terms with all of them (not).









I did have quite a hard time finding pictures of ladies in spotty shirts so I guess they're not that popular but those girls look good don't they? Anyway, as there's a shortage of spotty shirt pictures, I thought I'd add one more to the interweb.

Photo Credit : Nigel


Err my interpretation is a bit more suburban than those young gals up there. But then again, I am a  40 something suburban school mum so this is as rocking as it gets. Nigel, a family friend or as we call him "Nee-jell"came round with his camera and I persuaded him to pap me. I did a lot of gazing in the distance at nothing in particular to get one shot that I didn't hate. I find that if I stare straight at a camera lens I grin like a Cheshire cat so best thing to do - not look at the camera. Anyway, thanks for humouring me Nee-jell and when are you popping around again?

By the way, like everyone else in blogsphere, I like a bit of Pinterest for inspiration. I do believe in  trying to adapt looks around what you already have and using it to help you find new and interesting ways to wear your clothes. Michelle from Myfashionable40s is a dab hand at this especially since she took up a challenge to restrict her spending last year and to shop her own wardrobe instead. I love people who are good like this and take on these masochistic challenges and what's more I really love reading about how they get on. I couldn't do it myself if the truth be told but I digress and what I wanted to say was I liked Clemence's look and took the key elements like the spotty blouse and ankle strap shoes and worked my own spring look around them. I might even try a wintery version of it as well at some point with the navy shirt given that we are technically in winter. And now that I've said it - I'm thinking, what a jolly good idea! But not today. Maybe next week as I'm currently in decorating mode (with me being the decorator) hence the slowdown in blogging (1 bathroom and 1 bedroom done so far - chuffed :o)).

Anyway, here are some spotty dotty offerings I spotted on the interweb.





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Last Note :

  • I have to say the Uniqlo silk blouses that I have are beautifully made and finished and only cost £40 at full price. The silk is just the right weight and thickness which is why I bought two. As you can see from the pictures, the ivory one is thick enough to hide all underwear. 
  • Uniqlo are not currently doing the silk spotty shirts but they have brought out a rayon version which is almost identical to the ones I have. The link is above and here as I've found that I can't find the blouse when searching through their actual site. One of those strange glitches I'm afraid!



75 comments

  1. I love it Sue, I love your styling here, I love Nigel's picture of you. ..... Love love love. I must say I love my dotted MIH shirt, I like dots very fresh looking. Just popping over to Uniqlo now. Plus another love is your gap mini skimmer chinos in that colour...... I going to get a pair of them this summer. Good luck with your decorating. X

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    1. A proper camera does make the difference and someone who knows how to use one. Nee-jell will probably shoot me for picking a photo which was not as clear as he would like but I just went with the one I liked. If you're going to put a picture of yourself out there, it might as well be one you choose :o) And I know you like dots/spots - you have the Boden jumper as well don't you?

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    2. Yes I do have the Boden dotted jumper. The photo thing, I drive my mum & hubby crazy with the amount of photos they take and I hate.... Saying that Hubby is just like you ready? Click, click, click ......there you go, I hardly use them as I clearly wasn't ready plus I need to get a decent camera, very lazy with the I-Phone these days.

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    3. You can get good photos with the iPhone even but you need to take a little bit time and effort. I've totally given up with the kids and my phone and I really should get the tripod out but it's all a faff! Just call me lazy :o)

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  2. I'm with you about hating every single photo of myself. Drives the person behind the camera bonkers. Mwahahahha....get ready to be papped by me when I see you next. But you know what? You look VERY cool and chic in that photo. Pulled it off with aplomb. Totally with you there about the Uniqlo silk shirt. Thanks to you, I now own 2.

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    1. We took about twenty photos and most were very unflattering. Wrong angle and boot - twenty extra pounds on you! And next time I see you, I'm hiding!

      I didn't know you got another silk shirt from Uniqlo but yes, the quality of the silk is excellent for the price.

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    2. Nothing fancy though. Just plain ones. Hah! It'll be very difficult to hide from me at the hotel.....

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  3. Such a lovely shirt!! it looks great on you :)
    xx

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    1. Thank you Raquel. Maybe I need to try it with a statement necklace like how you wear your blouses?

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  4. Love your full length shot! I need to learn how to tuck my shirts--when I do, it never looks as neat as yours does.

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    1. I wasn't tucked in properly - it's a mess at the back but hey what the eye doesn't see eh?

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  5. I finally got to hit a Uniqlo up when I was in San Francisco and I was extremely attracted to that very same spotty blouse! I ended up not going with it because I have a thing about white tops - either I stain them the very first day I wear them, or I never wear them out of fear of staining them. Neither is good. If I'd seen the navy though you can bet I would have snatched it up. Looks great on you!

    www.nomadicd.com

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    1. If I'm lucky, I might get to hit a Uniqlo early March but I doubt it. And you saw the shirt in San Francisco and you didn't buy? I'm probably going to be a total nightmare with this shirt but I'm going to give it a shot when the weather gets better and just chill out about it. I get so precious about some clothes that they never get worn whereas the cheapo bits get worn to death and earn their keep many times over. Shame they didn't have the navy for you - they also had a black and grey version too which might have appealed.

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  6. Love, love, love - so glad you managed to get the navy too!! I am loving your shoes as well - I wish I could do an ankle strap but I have no ankles:( x

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    1. Thank you Joanna! Mwah! I love this shirt - I just put it on and I just knew it was a winner! I nearly mailed you to get me the navy too so it was just lucky that I spotted it in the sales section. And really? About the ankles? I've never noticed - are you sure it's not in your head?

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  7. Fabulous photo of you Sue and I love your styling of the spotty shirt:) I must check out the Oasis one you have in the collage.
    ~Anne

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    1. Thanks Anne. I think the Oasis one would slot in your wardrobe very effortlessly - it's very you.

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  8. Lovely shirt Sue & such a gorgeous photo of you too, just fab! Jane xx
    www.mymidlifefashion.com

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    1. Thanks Jane. Credit to Nigel. He had a lot of work to do on me :o)

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  9. Hi there!! This is a spot on look (haha) but seriously I adore this outfit and is one of my favourites of yours-you look fabulous! Such a great photo of you and I like your spotty version blouse the best xxx

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    1. Oh Sharon - that is such a bad pun but I forgive you! And thanks about the photo - I really don't like doing them very much and I was trying to be all sensible about having my photo taken but it's actually really hard. I couldn't do this for a living!

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  10. I'm sorry Sue I can't stop laughing at you persuading Nigel to 'pap' you - sounds so 'mistress to bishop' to my extremely immature mind! Love the blouse though and get you modelling so well - I must try this gazing into the distance thing someday - but didn't you want to laugh anyway and weren't you cold? I had a spotty blouse from Top Shop a few years ago and gave it away - see this is why we need to hoard. Actually just bought a navy spot scarf last week but loving the colour of Clemence's shirt x

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    1. Oh gosh, it would have been silly not to use Nee-jell and his photography skills. And you can be as immature as you like - you're just like me. Honestly, if you can't look a camera in the lens, it works a treat staring absentmindedly in the distance. And yes, the Grumps also did a photo session with me as well a little later and I cracked before he did because I was cold and I needed a cuppa. Yeah - I'm proper pants!

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    1. Donna - thanks! Did I get my colours right?

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  12. Lovely styling. Great outfit for Spring, I can't wait for warmer weather, spring bulbs and lighter clothes!

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    1. Oh I'm looking forward to the lighter days and warmer temperatures too. Bet you're keeping warm in your new parka though :o)

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  13. Love this pic you look amazing. And I need the link to those shoes - they are lovely! I'm actually sporting dots today too - they're definitely the new stripes ;) xx

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    1. The shoes are last season's M&S. I picked them up for a tenner as I was passing through the other week. There was a huddle of women around the last of the shoe pickings in M&S in Leeds so I went to have a nosey and there they were. £10. They have a shiny gold heel but I kind of like them for that - it feels like they have a little touch of the Nicholas Kirkwood about them. I love a little bargain :o)

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    2. But they do have these which are even nicer than mine http://www.marksandspencer.com/Autograph-Ponyskin-Ankle-Strap-Insolia®/dp/B002RH8UD8?ie=UTF8&ref=sr_1_22&nodeId=210710031&sr=1-22&qid=1390470126

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  14. Sue.....just when I thought I had filled all those shirt shaped holes in my wardrobe!! I need spots or dots!! Both shirts are fab!! Inspiration is awesome....how Pinterest has changed my life! Can I borrow Nee-jell.... could so do with his photography expertise!! Pictures are so not my forte! xx

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    1. Pictures are not my forte either so I had to grab the opportunity. It pains me to think that my Grumps had a top end camera with all the lenses and stuff and he sold them all a month before I started blogging. Brings tears to the eyes :o(

      And what's the likelihood of you coming out of Uniqlo next week with armfuls of shirts next weekend?

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  15. Ok - I need 'Nee-jell' to take some pics of me too please!! I know I'm taller than you ... yet I look squat and teenchy in every pic, whereas you look all willowy and fab! Great pic and loving the blouse. Uniqlo is always on my list when I come to London ... and guess what! I'll be there very soon :)

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    1. Every one needs a Nee-jell or a Marlene. I know you're taller than me too - see pictures can lie! I have to confess the rest of the pictures made me look squat and teenchy so guess what? I didn't use them - ta dah! Vain. Yes. But willowy - you're stretching it a bit there :o)

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  16. Do you ever buy anything I don't a) like or b) want? Gorgeous pictures you look amazing and I love the styling x

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    1. Thank you Sharron. I was looking back at what I was wearing and thinking - not entirely sure it goes but I kind of like it. And I couldn't keep Nee-jell hanging around and change so that was that!

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  17. I LOVE this look on you, Sue. One of my favourites. You always look effortlessly cool but perfectly put together. I love reading your posts. Lynne x

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    1. Thanks Lynne - too kind :o) And I bet you could recreate most of this look with what you have? You have green khakis and leopard print shoes too. Go for it!

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    2. I might just do that! Just need the spotty blouse now. Off to check out Uniqlo. By the way, I too am subjected to the Wot Wots early every morning! And I agree with Frances - you need to get this look on Pinterest - I'll be pinning it too :-) x

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    5. Apologies! My four year old got trigger happy and kept pressing the publish button! x

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    6. No worries! I thought I was getting a lot of comments all of a sudden! And you can do this look without the spotty blouse - any loose fitting blouse will do. No need to spend extra pennies!

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  18. I think this is a great outfit post. The top looks absolutely lovely and teamed with the chinos, shoes and bag just looks so good! - lovely style & the mix of colours is just so nice.

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    1. I'm actually in colours which are not grey and black and more grey and black! An achievement in itself!

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  19. we're so totally on first name terms if only because i don't know your last name hahahha! great minds think alike or what?? i really like these uniqlo shirts too - but the one got in KL is a plain navy one. the cut's really nice isn't it - one day we might even get this brand in australia. zzz. oh speaking of brands we don't get here, H&M finally opened up... in melbourne! argh. i love that shot of you sue - nigel did a fab job!

    steph / absolutely-fuzzy.com

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    1. I know we are Steph - and definitely great minds think alike. Surprising as it might seem but although our styles are so different, we can still like similar things like spotty shirts! We just wear them differently! And I spotted that H&M navy bag that you had and I thought "that's H&M!" because I love it. I wish I'd got it when I had the chance! But all spent up now.

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  20. Very lovely picture! If I had any dotted tops, that's probably how I would wear them. I have tried some of the Uniqlo silk shirts but found them too loose, making me look like a little wide silken dwarf. This one suits you well though, so maybe I should give it another chance.

    I completely agree on the "shop your closet" tendency. My pinterest moodboard isn't quite up to date, but I have an inspirational folder on my laptop I turn to when I want to try a new outfit from my closet I've also gone into a little personal challenge or tucking away freshly cleaned (i.e. freshly worn) items in a box to force myself to wear the rarely worn ones first instead of always turning to the same staples :)

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    1. I think this one is loose but not swingy. I was just delighted when I finally got my mitts on it so you can imagine how elated I was to find the navy one in the sales too. It's worth another try - maybe the fact that it's patterned makes it more forgiving than a plain shirt?

      I like your idea for your experiment/project - that's a good way of circulating your clothes. I've been guilty of wearing the same jumper and jeans over and over. Granted that I only have them on for 20 mins a day (for school runs) and then back in decorators scrubs but I do know that I neglect an awful lot of my nice clothes in favour of the easy to grab items. Maybe it's something I should try.

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  21. Genuinely thought that photo was from Pinterest had to read twice and it's you looking super cool, have you put it on Pinterest, get it circulating I'll get pinning it! Love that shirt love the spots love the collar, how hard is it to find a perfect shirt these days that is soft hangs well with a gorgeous collar and you have nailed it! Right I'm off to uniqlo! You look shamasing! Btw I have been subjected to the wot wot world for years we have soft toys the lot, so I gotcha straight away! X

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    1. It's a lovely and well made shirt Frances. I can't fault it and especially not at the price I paid for a silk shirt. I used to pay over double those prices more than 10 years ago for something similar.

      And you're a Wot Wots girl are you? Poor you!

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  22. Summer must be around the corner Sue, because you look hot, hot, hot
    Nice shape, fab colours, nice shoes, you do it again looking lovely and your a natural when it come to style

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    1. Summer's a long way off yet but we can live in hope :o) I am looking forward to wearing this when the milder temperatures come to the fore.

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  23. That is a gorgeous outfit. You look amazing! Need me a spotty silk shirt.

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    1. I think you do need you a spotty silk shirt too Kate!

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  24. I also have the black uniqlo silk one :) I love it - so effortless but polished, which is what we're all going for, right??

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    1. Oh absolutely - we all want that effortless but no effort required look and a silk shirt is one of the best ways to do it. A black one sounds lush actually.

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  25. you look absolutely brilliant - I love love love that shirt/blouse

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    1. Tell me that you don't actually have a spotty blouse in all those wardrobes of yours? Just seen your post about wardrobe weeding and girl - you have a serious amount of clothes - I think you even beat me :o)

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  26. I love your outfit so much. The psots and leopard are fab. I *might* have to steal your style. Im a huge fan of polka dots and you've found some lovely ones, love Liz xxx

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    1. Steal away Liz - I'm sure you could work this look no problem. I've never been that much in to spots/dots but was irresistibly drawn to these blouses - they just have such a light breezy feel to them. And timeless too so a good investment.

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  27. You look great and well done Nigel! I like how you've styled the silk spots and thanks for reminding me to wear my shirts more :-) Those Gap chinos just didn't work on me and it's extra nice to see how they can be dressed up with your shoes - love the ankle straps!

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    1. I don't wear my Jigsaw silk shirts that much but currently it's too cold anyway unless I use them as a layering piece which I'm not very good at. That said, I'm hoping to get a lot more from these shirts - they have that perfect relaxed vibe about them. And you're actually telling me the Gap mini skimmers didn't work for you? I don't believe it!

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    2. They really didn't fit the lower half of my legs. Shot putter calves. Also a touch too low in waist. I'm gonna beat that layering thing if it's the last thing I do! :-)

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  28. Probably one of my favourite looks, ever, on you Sue! LOVE it & now want a silk spotty shirt too! x

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    1. Thanks Natalie. And I'm sure you'll find a silk spotty one on your shopping travels - you've got an excellent eye for a bargain! You beat me!

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  29. Nice! Agree with GlamRosie above that its one of my favourite looks. And that photography by Nigel is sublime-you look amazing!

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    1. Thank you - its all posh lenses and stuff. I think if you have the right technical stuff - it seems to add that extra edge to your pics. It's quite interesting to see the difference when someone else takes a pic of you compared to the usual standard ones - they seem to have a little extra depth. Means that everyone can look fab ... even if they don't really :o)

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  30. I absolutely love this outfit on you and the polka-dot top is so perfect. I've never really bought anything from Uniqlo before but I will definitely keep an eye out for their silk shirts. I've been dreaming about getting one from Equipment for ages but they are so stinking expensive and I've never bit the bullet and gotten one. Maybe I should just admit defeat and go for something more budget friendly.

    Gorgeous look. So nice to see outfits on a blog that are REAL outfits and not just dress up. Really lovely.

    xx

    http://thestylecrusader.com

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    1. I don't have that much from Uniqlo but I heard good stuff about their silk shirts and Marlene tested the waters first and rated them. She said there wasn't much in it apart from the prices between the Equipment and the Uniqlo and that's good enough for me. I can't afford Equipment silk shirt prices anyway. And thanks for the lovely comment about a real outfit - I'm so normal it's unreal - I'd love to do edgy stuff but I'm just not an edgy girl - I leave that to you :o)

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  31. You look fantastic here, i especially love the shoes - wasn't expecting those! Very nice indeed! To be honest I prefer the way you have styled your dottiness compared to the other pics, although I am impressed by chung's grey jeans - an article which does not work for me, for some unknown reason. Best never to dwell upon such things. I love grey too, so it's a pity.
    The 'Nigel' shot is stunning.

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    1. Really grey jeans don't work on you? Or do you mean faded black? I can't do grey but I can do faded black if you know what I mean. Grey is a little too pale almost and makes me look chunky but the faded black works a treat somehow - strange. And I was quite drawn to the shoes and bought them before Christmas and then took them back and somehow managed to snaffle them in the sale. I'm hoping they are going to bring a slightly girlier edge to some of my outfits this year.

      And thanks :o) for the lovely compliments.

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  32. Frankly, I think you look better than any of the women you have been inspired by!

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Susie So So