Style by Claire Lopez

Pink Ladies

Why oh why do the dreaded nits always strike at the end of the day? It’s that ‘Oh I think you have scratched your head more times than normal’ and the accompanying sinking feeling which only ever seems to hit after 7pm when you are in theory on the downhill stretch. And this heralds the ensuing frantic bed-stripping, clothes washing and de-lousing of infested child, the thoroughness of which a chimpanzee would be proud, along with the precautionary treatment of the rest of the family. Never mind the psychosomatic head scratching for days afterwards, military application of tea tree spray every morning before school for several weeks afterwards, only to become complacent, forget and so it all begins again. The whole thing is beyond gross and having looked at all the vile, stomach-churning, images that Google can muster of the little critters, what I need now, is a total change and something to counterbalance the yukiness.

Enter blush – baby pink, nude or whatever you want to call it. They might not sound all that attractive (although a darn sight nicer than a nit) for a grown woman not wanting to look cute and baby-gro ready or like she has picked up something static and scratchy from the former BHS.  But bear with me because soft pinks are the order of the day and in my quest to ditch the darkness, I think this is a great option for now. Mainly because it isn’t really a colour. Well, at least not an ‘out there’ colour. It is the perfect ‘yay it’s spring, oh no it isn’t’ kind of colour. Basically it is another alternative to cream and therefore a good all year rounder.

Being as it is February, knitwear is a good place to start and I have already covered quite a few blush coloured knits on my blog a couple of weeks ago but here are some more. Hush’s Summer Cashmere Sweater £149 has all the warmth for now and looks great styled with a skirt like this. It will look fab with greyed off skinny jeans and boots plus layers for now or with lighter washed denim or white denim when the mercury hits double digits.

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I have just bought this Knitted Jumper £17.99 from H&M as I loved the side zips and have been wearing with a shirt underneath with skinny and more relaxed jeans alike.

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John Lewis’ new-ish brand, Modern Rarity, had this gorgeous longline Links Cardigan £100 which looked decidedly pinky in the store, I appreciate it may actually be at the more beige end of the blush spectrum but pretty nice nonetheless. (It is actually called dusty pink.)

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The trick with pink is to toughen it up a bit and I love this Rikona Striped Frill Shirt £49.50 from Oliver Bonas. Very girly and feminine, but if you pair it with mid blue denim as they have done, some ankle boots or trainers and a slick mensy tailored camel coat then it works. And thinking to sunnier days, with shorts and sandals this would be fab.

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M&S Long Sleeve Ruffle Blouse £25 is sold out online in lots of sizes but you may be able to find it in store. Would be great for the office with some tapered crepe trousers/joggers… Or if neither appeal it will obviously work with slimmer styles and a blazer.

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Limited has this Wrap V Neck Split Blouse £35 which is way nicer than their online image would suggest – think shiny faux-satin pyjamas.

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Or for a gorgeous silk blouse ME+EM’s Pleat Cuff Detail Shirt £165 is perfect with a suit or blazer and would work equally well paired with leather leggings.

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I would love a pink coat and saw the most gorgeous one on Whistles’ Instagram feed but it just isn’t on their site more’s the pity. And although there are a lot of blush options around, they are not particularly nice quality. It either needs to be a lovely luxurious wool or I think a boucle like this Unstructured Wool Coat £59.99 from Mango. It looks candyfloss pink on their site but was brighter than that in reality so not necessarily for everyone.

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If you don’t like the idea of drenching yourself in the stuff, then how’s about an accessory? Topshop’s Barnet Clean Backpack £29 is a chic and practical bag. You definitely don’t want a Lady Penelope pink tote so make sure the styling is clean and modern.

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On the footwear front there is loads to choose from. M&S Collection has this pair of Wide Fit Block Heel Ankle Boots £39.50 which look great with black and denim and also with khaki which isn’t necessarily a colour combo you would automatically go for.

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They also have these Leather Block Heel High Cut Court Shoes £55. They do also come in black and khaki and even though they look a bit like the sort of shoes my daughter’s dolls wear, I rather like them. Plus Victoria Beckham wears them.

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New Look has a few good options including these lovely Pink Metallic Snakeskin Plimsols £17.99. Description screams, ‘grim, run a mile’ but, yes please…

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They also have these Pink Lace Up Contrast Sole Trainers £14.99. I have seen several styles with matching pink soles and really not keen – think they need the white contrast to work.

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But I also rather like these Pink Sparkly Star Trainers £32 from River Island. Not with the rest of the bling on up top but with a simple white tee and jeans or with a nice cream knit for now.

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Probably my favourites of the trainers, were it not for the heftier price tag, are these Brayebrook Trainers £149 from Hush. Love the laser cut star design on the leather. Hurry though as they have sold out of several sizes.

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ASOS also has these Faith Kenny Blush Scalloped Edge Trainers £25 which are also very tempting, particularly at that price.

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And if you happen to be heading somewhere hot for half term, then these Pieces Haila Blush Stacked Espadrilles £19 also from ASOS could be just the thing.

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So swap your classic cream for a bit of blush this season to add in some lightness to your spring wardrobe. Pink is not just for the girly girls, you can definitely toughen it up too.

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