Looking Fabulous @ Fifty: WHAT I WORE TO A HIGH TEA PARTY

Hi everyone, hope you are doing well

A while ago my husband and I received an invitation to a High Tea birthday celebration that was taking place at the hosts house and the dress code for the party was "smart casual".

Well, the "smart casual" dress code is considered by many to be rather tricky as there are as many interpretations of it as is the number of people who have made an attempt to adhere to it. My take on this code is as follows: "Avoid being over or under-dressed because either way you will be sticking like a sore thumb" and thus the recipe to succeed lies in finding a perfect balance between casual and smart elements of your outfit. After careful consideration of the above, here is what I wore.

I started with the casual. I think you would agree that nothing looks more casual than a plain jumper worn over a pair of tan slacks, worn with a linen jacket in a similar neutral colour. I can't even begin to remember how long these slacks from Zara have been sitting in my wardrobe.

I bought them in Europe many years ago when we didn't have Zara shops in Australia at all and unless someone who travelled to Europe and came back with clothes bought at one of Zara's boutiques, we didn't even know that such a label existed. Interestingly enough, that after all these years, this slim straight silhouette of the pants hasn't changed much which reminds us that classic style is ageless. Same could be said about my linen jacket that I bought from American Apparel many years ago.

Then came the turn for the smart part of my outfit and to my strong belief nothing smartens any outfit like a pair of elegant leather shoes and stylish accessories like belts, handbags and scarfs. My regular readers know how much I love scarves and wear them quite often.

There are so many ways that you can wear them depending on what look you are trying to convey, they come extremely handy if you want to add a colour, texture or bit of panache to your outfit. And let's not forget how practical this accessory could be when you need to look smart and feel warm at the same time.

My choice fell on the scarf that combines the colours of all other pieces of my outfit which linked them all together into a complete look.

Initially, I was thinking of taking a different handbag but then I realised that at this type of party you need both hands to hold your drink in one, and the food in the other and so it was only logical to take a crossbody bag instead.

The party was really lovely. The rain had stopped, the day was sunny and warm, the food, beautifully presented, was aplenty and the hired barman knew his craft very well. The hosts made a great effort in making sure that we all had a good time, that our glasses were full and we had food on our plates.