Welcoming Springtime with a dress…or two

May has always been my favourite month. I suspect that when I was younger it was because it is my birthday month. I anticipate birthdays a little less eagerly now but I still love May.

For us, being rurally based it’s the month when everything wakes up. The trees bud, the flowers bloom and people re-emerge from their houses after the dark days of Winter. Every weekend there is a fete in a different village – the time of eating of cakes and winning tombolas has come.

Wherever you live in the UK, there is often an occasion for a Spring frock – a trip to the races, a flower show or a wedding. So, as part of my mission to give back to other women over 40 who are following their passion, I want to show you the latest dresses from Katya from Bombshell London. This is not a sponsored post, I just love what Katya does.

Long time readers will remember that I first wore a Bombshell dress during my trip to Paris last May. It remains my ‘best dress,’ I still love it. I’m not going to label the Bombshell style as vintage so much as timeless. The important thing is that the dresses are easy and comfortable to wear.

So, this season, Katya has added a fuller skirt to her usually fitted styles and she sent me two to show you. Unusually, in the first one you see me in a print. I’m always very cautious about wearing print because florals, in particular, can be very ageing. This one however makes me feel as though I should be sipping a martini in Amalfi. In fact in this picture I look as though I’m reaching out for one!

Fit and flare dress; d’Orsay shoes (in the sale)

The best feature of these dresses is their bodice. It is the same design as the fitted dress that I showed you last year. It displays your clavicles to their best advantage without having a plunging neckline.

The sun was very bright when we took these and my skin looks Winter white. It will be so nice to have a light tan.

RayBans

Because it was a Bank Holiday weekend when we took these, I had an audience. which is why I’m looking a bit self conscious. I’m always amazed how people like to stop what they’re doing and come and watch. I do wish they wouldn’t.

Bombshell lemons dress

So moving on from lemons, here is the dress in a solid cherry red colour. We just managed to catch the tulips in flower and there is apple blossom on the trees behind me. I was experimenting with accessories with this dress. I started off by adding clashing pink and orange but the pink suede heels kept sinking into the grass so I switched to sandals with a metallic finish that was a little more robust.

Clashing accessories are the easiest way to make a classic dress look more vibrant. As you know, whether you’re wearing a dress or jeans, I always think it is worth keeping the main part of your outfit simple but going to town with bags and shoes.

Bombshell dress, Boden shoes and clutch (past season)

The sandals are new, I’ve just bought them from Finery. Dainty sandals are an easy trend to pick up on this year because they don’t need to be high. You’ve already seen the ones with a hint of gold that I’ve bought from Sèzane. I will wear these in the same way, with jeans. I was surprised by how very comfortable they are.

Sandals; RayBans; Whistles clutch (past season)

What a very English scene this is. We stopped to watch the croquet for a while. It looks very pastoral but actually it was a match that was being fiercely fought and taken extremely seriously.

You can see the last of the Lakeland daffodils behind me here, they’ve lasted well this year.

Winters are never easy up here. From November onwards it is dark, cold and quiet because everyone hibernates. The arrival of Spring makes it all worthwhile though. It is a truly spectacular part of the world.

About Bombshell

Bombshell is a very small company. All of the dresses are designed by Katya Wildman who learned her skills working in film. Her aim is to create an hourglass fit on every woman, regardless of body shape and she uses tailoring to achieve this. All of her dresses are made in London. You may recognise the dresses as the ones that are worn by Nigella Lawson – she is a big fan of Bombshell.

Midlife lately

Saturday

So, I hope you enjoyed your Bank Holiday weekend. Saturday for us involved a trip to York. Each year there is a huge Roses competition between Lancaster and York Universities. Although I don’t live there now, I was born and schooled in Lancaster. The original War of the Roses may have been fought in the 1400s (Lancaster won by the way) but you would be surprised by how fierce the rivalry is to this day.

It is definitely in my blood and, even though they were born in Kingston-upon-Thames, my sons have adopted it too. It is said that there is no fast road between Lancaster and York because no-one from either city wants to visit the other. It certainly took a long time to get there. However, it was with great excitement that we arrived to watch the eldest playing rugby for his university team.

As you know, I always watch him with mixed feelings. I am proud that he plays but after the serious surgery he has had on his shoulder and his right thumb, along with the horror of the suspected broken neck last September, I constantly dread the next injury.

As we arrived he was busy strapping various bits of his body together and spraying himself with Deep Heat which didn’t fill me with confidence. Sure enough, after 10 minutes, he dislocated his (good) thumb. I watched him putting it back into place as he came off the pitch. He refused to meet my eye as it was strapped up… and he ran back on to the pitch. What can you say!

Here he is tackling…

…forgive me for these proud mum moments but I like to imagine that someday my great grandchildren might read through this blog. Of course Lancaster were victorious 36 – 10.

I even managed to get a photo with the boy, who said to me “don’t worry Mum, I think that was probably my last ever game of rugby – my body is hurting too much.” I have heard that so many times, firstly from Mr MC and now from him that I am not getting my hopes up.

Inès de La Fressange at Uniqlo tweed jacket (past season); Barbour sweatshirt (past season); Hush jeans; Finery boots; Autograph bag (past season); Jigsaw scarf – a splash of red to show whose side I was on!

So, that was Saturday. On Sunday Mr MC and I popped out to photograph the dresses above. We may have been fortified by a cream tea along the way.

May Day

On Monday, it was May Day and the first of the many village galas that take place over the next few weeks. This one was a scarecrow festival. The theme this year was traditional tales – it was surprising how many ‘Humpty Trumpty’ and ‘Trumpelstiltskin’ scarecrows there were. Here’s one:

This is what the caption said (the village is called Wray)…

I wanted to stop and watch a football match which was being played between two of the tiny Primary Schools that I attended (as you know, each time my mum was promoted, I changed schools with her). I’m not sure why the middle son is pulling that face – I think he was just glad to have an afternoon away from revision!

Cashmere jumper; Gingham trousers; Silver block heeled shoes

In fact it was so good to see him smiling that I gave in and allowed something that I have always refused him because I don’t like to perpetuate cruelty. I let him win not one – but two – goldfish on the ‘Hook A Duck.’

There will now be no end of whingeing from the eldest who will be aggrieved that he was never allowed to have a goldfish. I am also £60 down because of the cost of buying a tank, filters, UV light etc – who knew goldfish were so high maintenance! However, middle boy now sits and talks the fish through his revision – so they are earning their keep.

It was a lovely day – and one of those that I know is numbered. Every year I expect the boys to say that they don’t want to join us at the Scarecrow Festival. So, as the clouds rolled in, I savoured the sight of them having fun together on the fairground rides. I hope you had a lovely weekend too.