Dear friends and readers,
Welcome to the LAST edition of Midlife Fun! It is indeed the very last link-up of this year, but no worries - our awesome team (Tina, Beate and I) came up with a new link-up for the upcoming year ... MODISH MATRONS! We will start on the 1st of each month and stay open for the whole month, with a new theme each time, picked by one of us. So it is very much like Midlife Fun, only newer, better and funner (yes, it's the word)!
And now WE ARE ON FACEBOOK!
For this month, we thought nothing could be better than CELEBRATION or FESTIVITIES! So please join us with your festive outfits and/or activities, share YOUR way of celebrating holidays!
I chose a perfect winter dress by Christian Siriano for Lane Bryant that I bought earlier this Autumn. It is for sure the most beautiful, flattering, well-made and comfortable dress I own! It is fully lined, made of a thick, stretchy textured fabric - a kind of bouclé, I believe (correction: the fabric name is cloqué as Beate commented below). It fits me like a glove and really is so comfortable, which makes it suitable for both going out (for instance, seeing The Nutcracker with a friend, like I did) and staying in for a family dinner or lunch with colleagues.
A fancy dress calls for a dressier coat as well, and I adore this Isabel Toledo for Lane Bryant coat that I own for a couple of years (also shown HERE). Just like the dress, my coat is thoughtfully made, is heavy and lined for colder weather (which we have at the moment - temperature dropped to -3C or 26 F at night, brrr).
Please remember to visit my gorgeous co-hosts Beate and Tina to see THEIR ways to celebrate holidays, and of course share your links below! The link-up will stay open for a month, through January 19.
Dress - Christian Siriano for Lane Bryant (this Fall)
Coat - Isabel Toledo for Lane Bryant (2 years ago)
Boots - Aquatalia (last winter)
Purse - via TJ MAXX (old)
Necklace - Lane Bryant (old)
Rings - Chico's (old)
* * *
Linking up with Visible Monday
you look so gorgeous - natasha!!
ReplyDeletei love seeing more details of that fab dress - like the golden zipper and the fabric - its called cloqué btw. - that very chic coat is the perfect match!
and how wonderful is this beautiful and magic portrait of you with platok and jewels - so warm and full of love!
<3 <3 <3
let´s party!!! xxxxxxx
Thank you, Beate, for your warmth and encouragement, and friendship, and heart full of love! And for letting me know the name of the fabric :) - I thought that boucle was not quite right! I will correct my text for sure! You know, I am typically not a fan of an exposed zipper, but here it looks just right, in my opinion!
DeleteLet's party!!!
Three stylish ladies! I love your dress Natalia. I'm not sure what I'll wear for Christmas yet, perhaps something with sparkle?
ReplyDeleteSparkle for Christmas is always a great idea!!! Sending love!
DeleteThree fabulous ladies looking gorgeous. I love the sleeves on your dress, obviously!
ReplyDeleteIdeally my way would be in a bikini but I have to wait for the New Year for that. xxx
Oh yes, the sleeves are epic as they say! I am giggling about your unique way to celebrate, Vix - of course in a bikini, what else!? Much love!
Deleteyou look so elegant, and gorgeous!, I love your dress, that amazing texture, and it fits you really like a glove!. And your coat is also very elegant indeed!
ReplyDeleteActually, all of you look really fabulous!
besos
Thank you so much, Monica! It really feels like friends are gathering for a party, and each is dressed up and looking gorgeous! Love!
DeleteI love Christian Siriano---I have many of his shoes that he designed for Payless!! So it doesn't surprise me that he designed this fabulous dress!!
ReplyDeleteYou are smokin' hot, girl!!
jodie
www.jtouchofstyle.com
Thank you, Jodie!! I didn't know he also designed shoes, but I'm sure they are beautiful. He really has a great taste and understanding how to construct clothes for a curvy body, the quality is amazing too!
DeleteWarmest hugs!
Wohooo Natalia.You fook fabulous in this dress. It,s stretchy and comfortable like mine. Amazing for celebration.
ReplyDeleteKisses and hugs, Tina
I think we look like sisters in our dresses and with red hair, Tina! :) Sending you lots of love!
DeleteI'm in love with you nackless, that fits so pretty to the dress. The form of the sleaves is great. The colour, too. Wow. Greatings Sunny
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sunny! I also thought this necklace is perfect for this dress! Great minds! :)) Holiday greetings to you!
DeleteI haven't decided what to wear for Christmas. I have one sparkly dress, but maybe it is too sexy for Christmas...I haven't decided, but I gathered some inspiration from the three of you. I love for example how Beate paired a midi skirt with a striped top. We all usually think of dresses when it comes to festivities, but we forget that we can mix skirts and tops. However, a dress is also a lovely choice. Both you and Tina chose beautiful dresses that look amazing on you. Such fabulous and stylish choices...I really like Tina's brooch, I think it adds that something extra special to her dress. When it comes to your dress, I love how you paired it with that bold statement necklace. The green stones in your necklace match your eyes perfectly. I also really like the ring and the earrings you wore. I think that in Christmas time, a bit more bling is always welcome. I usually wear more jewellery for Christmas than I normally do, I think it is because many items have a sentimental value for me and Christmas is the perfect time to be a bit sentimental.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ivana! Merry Christmas! Join us!
DeleteYou all three look gorgeous! I love your lace dress - did not know Christian Siriano was designing for retail. He's got talent, that one. Stay warm, and thanks for linking, xo
ReplyDeletePatti
http://notdeadyetstyle.com
Thank you, Patti! I am not up to speed with designer names, mostly I learn via bloggers and designer collaborations with the brands that I wear, like Lane Bryant. CS is a good discovery!
DeleteThree lovely ladies in their festive best! The colour, fit and of course the sleeves on your dress are fabulous.
ReplyDeleteWishing you, Justin and Anya a very happy Christmas. xxx
Merry Christmas, dear Curtise!
DeleteHello Natalia!
ReplyDeleteI love this stunning dress in you, it looks like it was made for you. I love the color, cut and texture . Your coat is well matched, it is also dressy and has another beautiful texture, and that necklace....to die.
Thank you for that beautiful response on my last blog post, it made me feel so much better!
Happy holidays to you, Justin and little Anya, who is growing up so fast!
Thanks for sharing the looks other looks, I will check out their pages!
xx, Elle
http://www.theellediaries.com/blog/
I am happy to hear that my words touched you, Elle! Merry Christmas!
DeleteNatalia, you look just beautiful in this sumptuous dress with the lovely necklace , perfect for a wonderful evening. You all look so wonderful in your outfits, celebrating in style.
ReplyDeleteWishing you and your family a joyous Christmas. xxx
Merry Christmas, my dear Jill!
DeleteYou tempt me to join in but it might have to be next time. All you ladies look scrumptious!
ReplyDeleteI love Modish Matrons for a title change. I'm looking forward to reading the story behind it.
Your lovely warm stylish dress and coat are so classically elegant. In twenty years you will look back on this photo and still think it looks great. You do have an eye! May your Christmas be blessed. xo Jazzy Jack
Thank you, Jack! Do join us any time - we are open for a month!
DeleteInteresting fact about Agassi. I really didn't know that. Thank you for your comment...I enjoy our talks too. I do agree, being good at something- it is a mixture of being natural at it and pursuing it. I think that the best results happen when natural tendencies meet effort. Sometimes we might not even 'feel' like we're putting in the effort because we might love something so much. At other times, we might have 'talent' for something but we just don't have any interest in it. For example, I can't deny that I have a bit of talent for sports. However, I was never interested in pursuing it. My PE teacher would always make me do even more sports, make me join the basketball team etc...and I loved playing sports but I was never competitive in terms of wanting to do a competition of any sort. I never felt like sports could be a way of expressing myself. I simply wasn't driven to pursue any sport. Or perhaps I was aware that someone with scoliosis would probably never become a professional athlete? Probably that had nothing to do with it...lots of famous athletes have had health problems I have, I guess they were simply more driven than me. People often don't realize what professional athletes go through and how hard it is on both the body and the mind- dedicating years of your life to one competition that could go so easily go wrong- for example an athlete might get a flu before IO and all that training just goes down the drain.
ReplyDeleteYour story about Agassi made me think of another example. There is one Croatian tennis player Mirjana Lučić who achieved great results at a very young age but then disappeared for years. It turned out she had a nervous breakdown and was in therapy for years because her father would beat her up every time she would lose a match. She did manage to make a comeback (after 10 years or so).
She is still active, not one of the best (I think she was in top 100 in 2011 which is really good considering her age-she is a few years older than me) but she refuses to retire. So, I think she must really love tennis. I don't know much about tennis but I know that it is pretty rare for someone to come back to it after so many years of not training at all. I think it is great that she refuses to retire and become a coach (she had many lucrative offers to become a coach). She obviously managed to get over whatever happened to her and now she can play tennis again- and this time it is something she really wants to do.
I think that what matters is also that we do something for the right reasons. In her case, tennis was something she loved but the conditions were wrong- so she had to give it up, build a new life for herself...and so it is in life. Sometimes we have to give up even the things we love not because it is wrong to do them, but because the conditions are wrong. However, in life you never know when fate will give us another opportunity. That is why I believe it is always good to be passionate about things we love.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Ivana. I used Agassi as an example because he is famous. So many people don't realize what stands behind all this "being famous" thing. He wrote a book called "Open", you might find it interesting. I think he found the way to be happy, but for many years, he wasn't happy at all. You'd never think looking at him - talented, handsome, great at what he was doing - the whole world was at his feet. Yet, the most important world, the inner one, was a disaster. But it's only one example of someone famous. I think things like that are very, very common - ambitious parents force their kids to be something they couldn't become themselves or felt that they as parents "knew better"... No one but ourselves can decide what is "better" for us! As parents, the best we can do is to support what our kids want to pursue because they are naturally drawn to it. It is always healthier to focus on your own life and do what YOU want to do, instead of forcing your child or anyone to do what you want them to do. But it takes so much more courage and efforts, to focus on our own life and be the best us that we can be.
DeleteI think people do all sorts of things for various reasons, and really make things much more complicated than they need to be. Do what you love. And if you want to be happy, BE! That's all - this is all our job, our responsibility in life. Some will say, it is oversimplifying things. Nope. If it was that easy, everyone would be doing it. :)
Glad to join you and friends in this celebration, but I couldn´t link up. I shall try later
ReplyDeleteBesosssssssssssssssssss
I am sorry to hear the link did not work for you, Sacramento. I checked it, and it looks working on my end. Merry Christmas, dear!
DeleteYou look so festive and elegant, as do your co-hosts. I look forward to the new link-up. Merry Christmas Natalia!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Tiina!
DeleteVery beautiful and elegant dress, Natalia! Looks like it was made for you, such a perfect fit!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Olga! Glad you joined our fun!
Delete