Style wishes

I know it's not even the end of February yet but I am dreaming about Spring! That slight hint of warmth in the sunshine, blue skies, longer days, flowers popping up out of the ground...CAN'T WAIT! 

I've got a bit of a wish list going on for my Spring style, but I'm having one big problem: I can't find anything that I want. So frustrating! The new season stuff is still starting to come in admittedly, but I am slightly concerned that most of it seems to be a) cropped, as in it might fit my 13 year old niece, and b) all the pastel shades. Now I'm not averse to some of the pastel stuff, in fact I've just bought a beautiful pair of blush pink kicks today but that will probably be my one nod to pastel, it's a tough shade to pull off when you're pale of skin and red of hair. 

So here in no particular order is what I want in my wardrobe for Spring. If you've seen any of these things please shout up in the comments! 

1. A long line blazer, slim-ish fit but with slightly baggier sleeves that can be rolled up to about three quarter length. I'd like this in a navy or a black to be classy. Think Julia Roberts in the final scene of Pretty Woman...

2. A pair of trousers. At this point I'm not fussy about anything. Today I visited about six shops and tried on countless pairs. They all look awful. Any big-bottom-ed girls out there who know where to buy trousers, please share, PLEASE! I desperately want some! 

3. All the florals - loving this trend! Any colour, any style, bring them on! 

4. A couple of nice loose (but not too baggy), cotton (but not see-through) shirts that I can wear for work tucked into skirts and paired with the mythical trousers that may not exist. 

5. Some brown/tan suede loafers. You would think this is easy but I have a couple of new demands on shoes now - they cannot be completely flat to the floor anymore (all that pounding the floor in libraryland number 2 in rubbish shoes has done bad things to my legs!) so a bit of a block heel, maybe like an inch. And they also have to be totally comfortable from day one. Blisters are evil and make your life a misery. I cannot be doing with any footwear that requires 'breaking in' - been there, done that with the Doc Marten boots that actually cut my feet to shreds back in the day - memories - ugh *shudder* 

6. A moving into Spring skirt. I'm still to decide on the actual type but maybe one that is a little bit lighter than fifty shades of grey and blue which is my current skirt situation. 

7. A three quarter sleeve cardigan that is lightweight cotton but does not contain any lace. Lace is itchy and rips easily and as we all know Claire = clumsy so not a good combo.

8. Some new trainers that are worn purely to look good with an outfit and do not, in any way, shape or form, turn into dog walking trainers. I'm still considering New Balance...

9. A white t-shirt that is good quality cotton, will wash well and is not see through. This does not seem like too tall an order but paired with the mythical trousers has yet to be discovered. What's up with that?!?

10. Blush pink kicks - YES! Tick! Bought today and already loving. 

So in summary: some pretty specific demands that give a clear indication that my style is evolving. As I move around in this 40-something decade I'm feeling a need for quality over quantity and am definitely willing to pay more if this means that a clothing item will endure countless wears and still look good. I'm also finding that I'm way more about looking as chic as I can manage (with the messy hair it's never going to be entirely chic and sophisticated) while still being totally myself which is a little bit funky, a little bit cool-cat, a little bit, dare I say, smart...? Who would have thought that would ever be a word I would use...