A Jumper is for life; not just for Christmas

I spent most of NewYear's Eve cleaning and getting ready for arrival of guests so had to wear something comfy and not too precious.  So I choose my favourite pair of jeans from Next which are supposed to Lift and Shape your bottom.  They've been well worth the £45 I spent on them as they are so comfortable with a bit of give and stretch which is handy at this time of year.  I suppose they are a lower cost version of the pricey Not Your Daughter's Jeans which I've seen in magazines.  I actually bought another another pair of high-waisted boot cut ones as a 'going out' pair but they've not been so good as they have no belt loops and so I am forever yanking them up.

I wore the jeans with another less successful purchase from Next, a navy jumper with sequins.  It was bought back at the beginning of December and I have worn it a lot, getting quite a few compliments.  I like the length, the colour and the neckline, though it tends to reveal  flashes of bra strap.  But after only a couple of washes it looks terrible: the fabric is all ball-y.  I'm not sure this is a technical term but you know what I mean and you can just about see it above though it's not a great photo.  It wasn't that expensive - £28- but I expected to last a bit longer than this.  And I am not so sure I'll feel comfortable wearing daytime sequins in January anyway.  So I'll probably pack it away with the Christmas decorations.

I also made a trip to the library to return the trashy, but very enjoyable book I've read over Christmas.(TheWild Bohemians by Kate Saunders) and picked up the one I'm supposed to read for the book group I've said I'd like to join - The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco  Will wake up my lazy Christmas brain I think as it looks like a more challenging read.

For the evening celebrations I wore another more durable sparkly knit - a cardigan bought in Zara a couple of years ago - over a really old LBD which is a sleeveless shift.  Not keen on revealing upper arms.  You can just about see the cardi in the photo below.  This was taken before my bit of folly for the day - downing a delicious vodka laced gazpacho shot which along with the champagne and red wine with dinner has left me feeling a bit under par now on New Year's Day.