Spring has sprung

Spring has definitely sprung here in London. Saturday was positively glorious (although the full-length white jeans I wore for a stroll around the common were a little optimistic bearing in mind the mud that remains omnipresent). But with the ‘roadmap out of lockdown’ finally revealed there appears to be reason for all of us to feel more hopeful of times ahead. And when hope has been a little thin on the ground, this is a vast improvement!

Last Monday, when Boris announced the possibility that come April 12th dining in a restaurant with five friends (outside, of course) may be a reality, my phone went into overdrive with messages instigating plans for dinners and drinks out.

And whilst I dream of eating out again: of good food, good wine, good company and hours of putting the world to rights with friends who I have missed painfully over the last twelve months, there was also a mild pang of discomfort. At least, I think that’s what it was. It wasn’t unease around the lifting of restrictions per se, but an awareness that my world was about to be upended again. Just when I’ve started to adjust to this new restricted reality, I am going to have to get used to a whole new rhythm again: the return of FOMO and a diary filled with back-to-back appointments and dinners, and parties.  

So, I am going to try, consciously, to carry forward some parts of my current reality into my post-lockdown life – if I dare dream that far in advance. As well as finally adjusting to grocery shopping online (I love waking up to a text from Ocado telling me Darren is shortly arriving in his Cabbage van or that this week it’s Robert in his Raspberry van), I’m also very fond of my weekly walks with friends, and having a diary that, on inspection, doesn’t cause me to break out in hives. Long may this less frenetic schedule last.

Alongside my daily strolls with friends, I have also been busying myself in recent weeks with the cultivation of my ‘Lust List’ which launches today. Every week I’ll be stocking up with all the New In delights that I really rate, so do check in here weekly for my round up of the best out there.

And while I encourage all of us to look forward to better times to come – myself included – here are a few of the things making my current existence rather more palatable.

I’m watching: The Americans. I can’t be the only one who finds discovering a boxset I haven’t seen in it’s entirety absurdly thrilling, when I seem to have completed Netflix. There are six series currently streaming on Amazon Prime, and it features my complete (and perhaps only?) celebrity crush Matthew Rhys alongside his real-life partner Keri Russell. Set around the Cold War, Rhys and Russell play Russian sleeper agents in middle-America, living the American Dream and raising a family by day, and donning disguises and poisoned umbrellas by night. It’s thrilling and gripping, and did I mention there are six series?!

fluidformpilates.com.au

Picture @fluidformpilates

I’m doing: FluidForm at Home Pilates. I have a bad back, or should I say I have no abs?! That’s the same thing, right? I’ve been told for years that pilates is the best thing for my back pain, but previous attempts have almost always ended in further injury. A lot of which, I’m sure, comes down to the fact that I’ve probably gone too hard too soon, and also not done it regularly. This is the first time that I’ve committed to doing pilates (actually anything!) daily, and I’m finding that I’m seeing results just five weeks in. Most importantly for me though, Kirsten’s cues are so specific that – as yet – injury hasn’t haunted me. In case it wasn’t clear though - this picture is not of me.

BBC Good Food

I’m eating: Tandoori Roast Chicken. I love a roast chicken - is there any food more comforting? - but if you’re getting a bit bored of the usual, this is a fantastic alternative. Marinated in traditional tandoori spices (I love lots of cumin), it’s then roasted and served with a gravy that uses coconut milk instead of stock. Add some spice to your traditional roasties and you’ve got a knock out meal.

From £55, matchesfashion.com

Picture @lisacorti_official

I’m buying: Lisa Corti tableware. I’m sure a lot of us are developing an unhealthy obsession with homewares. When we’re all spending so much time in the same place, it’s very easy to get excited about anything that improves our vista. When we’re finally allowed to have people over to sit in the garden (or even inside!) serving up some summer salads on a jolly Lisa Corti tablecloth will be quite the celebration. And until then, brightening up my dinner for one is just fine too.

I’ve just expanded my styling services to include some ‘back to work’ and bridal packages so do check them out here and drop me a line if you have any questions! As always if you’re after any advice or want me to tackle a particular wardrobe quandary you have, let me know and I’ll focus one of my blogs on it. If you’ve missed any of my blog posts over the last few weeks, do check them out here or click on the posts below and let me know how you get on with them.

Happy springing everyone.

Prue x

ADMIN: Everything I’ve included here, I’ve included solely because I really rate it. I may though, if you buy some of the items mentioned, earn a small commission from that purchase.

Every wardrobe needs one of these. And it’s only £15.

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NOTES ON A WARDROBE: Welcome to 2021

Some of you I have already met, some I am yet to meet, some are wondering if it’s worth meeting me, and others are dipping in for a slightly voyeuristic ride: to all of you, though, a big welcome to my long promised, inaugural monthly newsletter. At the start of a brand spanking new year (one for which we all have exceedingly high hopes, albeit tempered with measured realism) I wanted to introduce you to my little world and start as I mean to go on.

I don’t think any of us (Bill Gates aside) foresaw what was to happen in 2020. Long laid plans were thrown asunder; weddings, parties, holidays, promotions, house moves – all fell by the wayside. And instead, we found ourselves spending disproportionate lengths of time at home, under the same roof, with the same people for stretches of time that we simply could not have anticipated. The tenets by which we lived our lives were voided. I am, therefore, looking at 2021 as an opportunity to re-consider the principles that I want to reinstate in these now ‘precedented’ times; what’s coming with me (both theoretically and sartorially) and what I’m leaving behind in 2020.

Although New Years’ resolutions have never held great sway with me, I am approaching 2021 with a greater focus on habits – both making them and changing them. As the philosopher William James wrote “all our life … is but a mass of habits … systematically organised for our weal or woe”. I’ve long given up on trying to start the day with a glug of hot water and lemon, but writing to you lovely lot with my sartorial titbits and stylish anecdotes will become a greater focus for me this year. If you’re wondering what jeans to be buying in 2021, how to stay current without becoming a cliché, or simply updating your wardrobe without breaking the bank, I’m hoping my weekly blog will be here to guide you.

And before you get concerned and hit that unsubscribe button, fear not – I’ll only drop you a note in your inbox (assuming you’ve opted in) once a month. For my weekly hit, you’ll need to swing by here.

Whilst it’s unfair to put too much pressure on 2021, (after all, when was the last time something for which you had the highest expectations actually lived up to them?), I do hope that this year brings you all joy. Surely the only way from here, is up.

Prue x

What I’m lusting after this week:

(Click on images below to take you straight to the webpage)

Mango Trousers

These trousers from Mango (£49.99) are fantastic – so long as you know how to wear them. Pleat front trousers can be tricky: if they pull at all, they will only serve to make you look bigger than you actually are. I always advocate trying a larger size than you would normally go for. These have a built in belt, so are a great leg-lengthening style when worn high on the waist.  

Whistles leather dress

£449 for a dress is higher than my usual price point, but this dress is a great investment. Shirt dresses are wonderful on many body shapes (they become tricky when you’re rounder through the middle). Layer this over a fine-gauge knit and wear it with boots through winter, or wear it open at the neck and with bare legs through spring and autumn to give it the mileage it warrants. Pull the sleeves up a little to make the most of the waist on it too.

Sarah Chapman Skinesis Overnight Facial

 I have especially tricky combination skin which means I suffer with both acne and eczema. The treatment for one is traditionally to dry the skin out, and the other to lather on thick moisture, so my skincare routine is a constant balancing act. With the cold weather and central heating on right now my skin is particularly dry. A few drops of Sarah Chapman’s Skinesis Overnight Facial a couple of times a week leaves my skin looking more radiant and significantly less thirsty without causing an outbreak. It’s not cheap (£54 for 15ml at cultbeauty.co.uk) but a little goes a long way, and - crucially - it really does work.