I am 68 and partial to a blazer. After 15 years, my beige and black blazers still look smart. However, I want another one in perhaps a brighter colour or a tweed. I am size 16-18, and the budget is up to £150.
Simply Be has some great options by Joe Browns, for £75, in sizes 12-32. There is a tweedy red jacket with embroidered flowers or this check jacket with red velvet trim and detail on the lapel (1 £80). Joules has a pretty herringbone jersey blazer in pink (2 £100) that comes in sizes 6-20, and for slightly more money, Damsel in a Dress has a tweed jacket with hot-pink lining available up to size 18 (3 £199).
I’m about to go on holiday to Australia and still need to find a light sundress. I’m 16, and can stretch to £35 if I really like it. I’m a size 6, medium height and refuse to wear pink.
River Island has this embellished kaftan (4 £35), which will look great over a bikini or with jeans in the evening. Asos has a blue embroidered beach dress (£25), or H&M has this floral-print flouncy dress (5 £13).
I am looking for some new shoes, but with a low heel, because my back aches a lot. I can spend up to £250 on a pair that I could wear day and night.
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Welcome to the club. I walk like Quasimodo in anything higher than 3in. First, can I suggest Pilates? Second, try 2in heels — they will be much more forgiving on your back. These pointed burgundy suede mary-jane kitten heels from Uterqüe (6 £90) are a favourite of Flossie, the Style fashion editor. LK Bennett has some monochrome leopard-print low heels (7 £185) that would go well with black trousers. Or Russell & Bromley has these lace-up courts (8 £255) — a classic shoe with an edgy note — that would look great with a pencil skirt or denim.
How to tackle... box bags
The smaller the dearer, or so it seems to go with handbags (see Mark Cross miniature rattan box bags and Fendi Micro Baguettes). But don’t despair, there are two joyful new brands with bags that ring in at less than £400 — the price at which serious thinking-before-spending kicks in. The British brand Yuzefi, which launched last year, and Manu Atelier, a sell-out success since the editor-turned-Instagram honcho Eva Chen proclaimed it her favourite new bag, both focus on the box bag. With its rudimentary shape, a bit like a lunch box, this a gratifying mix of cute and chic, and they come as a cross-body or with a
tiny handle, to be dangled dinkily from your fingers. It’s too small to replace your oversized work tote, but for evening, or if you’re on a city break and want to keep your load light, it’s just the ticket. Stiff leather, plenty of colourways and the lack of ostentatious logos make these brands to bookmark. Teens with a smaller budget should try Skinny Dip, which has lots of fun box bags for less than £40.
Email your questions to wardrobe.mistress@sunday-times.co.uk or tweet @TheSTStyle using the hashtag #wardrobemistress
@TheSTStyle @pandorasykes Pandora Sykes also blogs at pandorasykes.com, some of which is sponsored content