Being fifty and fab recently and a few days in the South of France to share with you #beingfiftyandfab

It's been another very busy month here at Fifty & Fab HQ!  So much so that I have neglected to get my regular being fifty and fab post done so I am combining it this month and telling you about my few days in France over the bank holiday weekend.  As well as sharing a few 'what I have been wearing' outfits.  We have family who live in France and they have recently moved near to Montpellier in the Camargue region so a visit was a must.  And what a beautiful area, so pretty but without the tourist crowds of the Cote d'Azur.  

Although getting flights and decent accommodation was a challenge.  We had to fly at 6.30 am from Luton with RyanAir (nooooo) - what is 'speedy boarding' all about then!?  That didn't work, we went through in a separate queue to board then all ended up back in the same queue to the plane.  Pointless.  I eventually found an Airbnb in Le Grau du Roi which is a really pretty harbour town - although still about 40 minutes from our family which was a bit frustrating but being on the sea was worth it and desperately needed.

Whilst the UK had mostly chilly weather for the bank holiday, we were pretty blessed in France although on a couple of days the wind was very strong as you can see from this photo (above).  We did get some beach time though.  And first of all a big shout out for this gorgeous red swimsuit - the Calasetta Swimsuit from Boden is my new favourite.  Tummy flattering and with a pretty back strap, halter neck and deep plunge, I loved it.  Okay not ideal for sunbathing but great if you prefer a swimsuit to a bikini.

I overpacked of course , well I wasn't sure if it would be hot, summer dress weather or warm, jeans and nice top weather, so I packed a selection.  I did however try to keep to a simple colour palette to make it easier to style.

I wore a lot of red and navy and my new scarf from Sweet Bea was perfect, worn here with previous season Hobbs blouse and previous season red jeans from Mint Velvet (see how I styled them last year here).

Enjoying the beach in the Camargue region, South of France

Continuing the red theme, this dress is from Coco Bay, it is the Little Flirt Dress from Billabong and it is ideal as a cover up or I have also worn it in the UK as a day dress - over the Easter weekend.

We had an afternoon out in Montpellier so I wore my Merci Beau Coup tee from Whistles (last year).  And I must tell you about the red espadrilles - I found a lovely little shoe shop in amongst the sweet boutiques (a bit like the lanes in Brighton) and fell in love with a pair of Gaimo espadrilles, but they didn't have my size.  Distraught!!!  I searched and searched online, I even contacted Gaimo but couldn't find a pair online to order.  Eventually I expanded my online search and found that Cara Shoes had a similar pair in red - ordered them, they arrived today and they are ... by Gaimo (for Cara), okay not exactly the same style but I love them - they will appear on my Instagram grid soon.

After a few hot hours on the beach we were going out to explore the medieval village of Sommieres so I opted for a dress with denim jacket over, but it turned so cold!  I was well probably not freezing exactly but really quite cold.  It is a lovely dress though - Hush last year, worn here with my faithful Accessorize cross body bag.

On the Monday my daughter and I managed to get a whole day on the beach and it was glorious.  I was at a colour presentation this week at Ridley London and Jules Standish was explaining that blue and green are calming colours and that is why we feel so relaxed and at peace on a beach and I certainly felt that, I was covered in sand but I loved just being able to do nothing, the blue sky, the blue sea and the sound of the waves - perfect thinking time.

Here are a few other April outfits to share with you ...

Top left - red tee from Zara, Top right - blue jumper from Hush and silver mules from Vionic (gift), Bottom left - blue coat past season Boden, Bottom right - pink jumper from Mint Velvet.

As you can see I am trying to incorporate more colour into my every day wardrobe following a fabulous consultation with Jo Haley Image Consultant - I am going to talk about this in much more detail on a separate blog post (coming soon)!

Thank you for reading and thank you for all your support - some of you left me really super google reviews recently which is so appreciated and helps me get found!

Love from
Michelle xx

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