Mum shoes

That's Not My Age has problem feet. And this means that ballet pumps and super flat sandals are out of the question. So when summer comes, I'm always on the look out for a shoe with a comfy rubber sole or low wedge heel. Sadly, said footwear is often high in frump factor and low in style. Last year whilst visiting the brother in NYC, I was delighted to find a pair of APC wedge sandals that weren't too steep - well, the gradient of the wedge was fine but the price was a bit on the high side. So delighted in fact, that I wore them out of the store, and walked all the way back to brother's apartment, only to be told as I stepped through the door that, 'They look like something mum would wear.'



Now I realise that ironic footwear doesn't work so well as you get older, I spent most of last summer trying not to look like a pensioner on a coach trip. Teaming my comfy sandals with rolled up skinny jeans and a boyfriend jacket seemed to work, and this year I'm going to try them with a shirtdress. The shoes may be a tad Mrs That's Not My Age Senior, but I'm not ready for Crimplene slacks just yet.

And, yay! Good news has arrived via The Sunday Times Style Magazine. Mum shoes are in vogue! As seen on the S/S 2010 catwalk at Stella McCartney:





Mum shoes are also available from Margaret Howell (top black & white picture), and in descending order below; Clarks Originals, Camper (with hidden mini heel) and Land's End. Just be careful how you wear them.






Don't you love it when something easy to wear slips onto the fashion radar? Or am I showing my age?

Photos:

Stella McCartney: Mitchell Sams from Marie Claire

All grown up

A funny thing happened to That's Not My Age recently. There I was, minding my own business, when up popped the lovely Julia Darlington, 45, (immediately above) and our conversation went something like this:

Julia: 'I know you. Where are you from?'
Thinking Julia was a work contact from way back when, I proceeded to run through my CV...
JD (looking bored): 'No, I mean where are you from?'
TNMA: 'Er, Blackpool.'
JD: 'I used to live with you!'
TNMA (looking confused): 'Eh?'
JD: 'I used to live with you!'
TNMA (still confused): 'Where?"
JD: 'In Manchester.'
TNMA: 'Where?'
JD: 'The flat where you never paid any rent.....'

Now, I know my memory's not as good as it used to be, and I had been on the sherry, but I just didn't recognise this sophisticated lady. And she certainly didn't look like someone who'd live in an undergraduate squat . Obviously, I hadn't changed that much - apart from wrinkles and better clothes - I still look like a student. Anyway, we reminisced about Manchester; how much we loved cheap drinks at the student union bar - even when it was créme de menthe, backcombing our hair and making jersey tube skirts on the overlocker at college. Oh yes, we were that sophisticated.

So, fast-forward twenty-odd years, Julia is now buying director at Wallis - the top image is her favourite outfit from the S/S 2010 collection - and has worked for lots of big high street retailers, including M&S, French Connection and Habitat. Mrs Darlington (married, one kid) has her own ultra-modern office with an amazing view of the London skyline, crikey, I have a table in our spare room jammed next to an old bed we couldn't dismantle. Never one to miss an opportunity, I asked my very own retail expert what her secret is, and how to look grown-up, gorgeous and well-groomed.

Julia Darlington's style tips

1. Wear less black. This is probably the biggest change I've made. I wear softer neutrals, more colour and bolder prints.
2. Know your body. Mine has changed over the years which means I can wear more figure-hugging clothes - cleaner lines just look more elegant.
3. Accessorizing is important. I've grown up with fashion and still want to look contemporary but now I just take an element of a trend and make it work for me.
4. Look for clothes with the Martini factor - something you can wear any time, any place, anywhere.
5. Go to bed early! I'm in bed by 10pm these days, I can't do it any more (don't worry Julia I wasn't going to suggest a pint of snakebite and a kebab).

And here are some more of Julia's favourite things from Wallis:



The utility look. Now we know the military trend works for grown-ups but team khaki with sequins a la Balmain and we're talking double Martini factor.



The leather t-shirt. This may have a certain Tyrolean charm but sorry Julia, I'm not convinced. And thigh-skimming shorts were fine at the Hacienda in 1984 but today they're more créme de menthe than Martini, as in, I've got to the age when I have to say never again.


Do your clothes have the Martini factor?