What a beautiful autumn we are having, and how stunning and vibrant is this amazing dress?!  I was so excited to be chosen to share the love for sustainable style thank you to Zanne from @allthingszanne for picking me. 

​Would you like to be the next custodian of the dress?

This is the ISSEY dress from Baukjen and it is part of their #baukjenstyleshare initiative, an idea created with Carrie from @the.thistle.edit.

This stunning dress is travelling the world to be shared, styled and photographed by different people, one of the most sustainable and ethical ways to enjoy fashion is to share!

A short update this month I think, it's been a funny month and now finished off with the start of Lockdown V2.  I hate all these 2020 words ... lockdown, bubble, social distancing, masks, self-isolating, covidiot ... I am beginning to rebel and refuse to use them.  I don't have a bubble.  I have a family and I want to see them.

When I looked back at my September #beingfiftyandfab post I was still wearing late summer clothes.  Now I have moved to early winter!  The clocks have changed and the heating is on!  I am not a fan of the colder weather and heavy clothes, I do love my boots and scarves but mostly I hate being so trussed up in layers.  I'd much rather be in a light summer dress or a bikini!  There is so much more to think about with winter dressing.  

If you are on Instagram do join in with #beingfiftyandfab and tag me `@fifty_andfab so I can find you, get to know you and share a few posts!

What a stressful year it has been, unprecedented and unexpected - and now new restrictions coming with Covid-19 Lockdown V2.  In January 2020 I wrote a blog post about the importance of relaxing more and letting go of stress!  I'd had a super consultation and chat with Pilates expert, Laura who runs Zenergy Active near Beaconsfield.  Little did I know then that my plans for the year would be completely put on hold, that businesses (big and small) would struggle and the world would basically shut down.  I have always maintained that the decisions made by our government have failed to take into consideration our mental health, the bigger health issues such as cancer treatment, the economy and the future of our children.  I've made no secret or my personal struggle with it all.  And when so much has been taken out of our control, we need to focus on the small things we can control. 

This week is International Stress Awareness Week* and stress and mental health have never been more important and the challenges never more acute than now during the Covid-19 pandemic.  About 1 in 10 adults were reported to be suffering from depression and stress before the pandemic but that has increased to 1 in 5 since.  And feeling stressed and anxious can massively impact our sleep patterns.  I've often said on my blog that if we want to lose weight and feel healthier one of the first things we should address is managing our sleep and stress.  And of course, anxiety is a very common symptom associated with peri-menopause.  

It's no wonder that self-care should be at the top of our priority list, but often isn't due to leading such busy lives.

Autumn is now properly with us.  The world is still in a mess and I am still utterly fed up with it all.  But I have been sorting my wardrobe out, some things never change.  And this year I have a bit more space to do that and as we are not going 'out out' much I am using the opportunity to buy less, because I need less.  And even if I was going out, well I still have too much and need less.  Sound familiar?  I am actually too embarrassed to count how many jeans and bikinis I have.  Clearly my obsession is with the perfect denim and the perfect bikini!  But I am enjoying seeing what I have and creating outfits by 'shopping my wardrobe' more it is amazing how many combinations you can create.  If I do buy then I am choosing carefully and filling gaps - and one gap I had - black chunky boots!  Read on for a few outfit ideas and to see the new chunky boots from Cara.