It's now spring and as I gingerly peel off the layers of winter woollies, my thoughts are turning to how I want to look this season.

This is not - as every year - very much to do with fashion. What may work on the catwalk doesn't work for my life of wellies and dog-walking, and by the time you're 40 you'd better know what suits you in any case. I know that I like practical, comfortable clothes that don't need much maintenance; lowish heels (2.5in) or flats; fitted, hourglass-shaped clothing with stretch etc. And I like to just pull on two or three things and go, without any dicking about.

This year, I've decided to think very carefully about colour, and since I bought only one new thing last year - a taupe print dress from Boden - I feel justified in having a few new things too. They will only be new to me, of course, as they are all second-hand from Ebay - most of them cost about 99p.

This season I'm going to seriously focus on blue to match my eye colour. This idea is an old image consultant's tip and it really works. If you wear tops, necklaces, earrings etc in your eye colour, it makes your eyes really pop and over time, I intend to have more and more blue in my wardrobe. My eyes are blue-grey but virtually any soft shade of blue works, from ice blue to sky blue to cornflower to darkest denim, and veering off into turquoise shades as long as they're on the blue rather than the green side.

Complementary colours I've decided on are blonde (my hair colour - another image consultant trick), white, cream, primrose yellow (a good complement to blue) and the nude shades of flesh through to pale pink. And tiny flashes of red, as this is a colour that blue is often teamed with. What won't be on the menu is khaki (normally one of my staples) or strong, bright colours such as lime green, mustard, chrome yellow, magenta or purple - my colouring is too subdued to look good in these. 

In a more radical step, I've also decided to eliminate black and dark brown entirely from my wardrobe this summer. Partly this is because I've been living in brown and black all winter and I'm longing for a change - and if these clothes are out on view, it's all too easy to end up wearing them. So at the weekend, into the flatpacks went all my dark clothes, not to be seen again until autumn (if this experiment works).

The next step, then, was to assess what I already had and work out what I needed to buy in order to fill the gaps.

I already have a cornflower blue tiered skirt and three dresses in sky blue and forget-me-not blue, but they are all linen and only suitable for really hot weather - I didn't wear them at all last year. I don't need any new tees, as I have half a dozen long-sleeved blue t-shirts and several strappy vest tops, as well as several blue-striped cotton and denim shirts. But I am parlous for medium-weight clothing such as denim, brushed cotton or chino fabric.  

I fixed on three new cardis (I no longer buy jumpers as they're not flexible enough), three new skirts, a dress and a couple of pairs of sandals. This will do me for at least a year and a lot longer if I buy right. 

I love denim as it's practical, the twill weave needs no ironing, and it will go with everything - cotton cardis, cashmere polos, aran sweaters, you name it. It was strange, then, to realise how little of it I had left, having dropped a couple of dress sizes over the years.

The two blue skirts shown are from Ebay - the paler one is Laura Ashley and the darker one is Per Una from Marks and Spencer. These are both brands I trust, which is important when you can't see the actual garment (the Per Una one arrived yesterday and it's a  gorgeous, clingy fishtail shape, so I'm very pleased). Then I treated myself to the coral linen skirt (below) from Boden simply because of its irresistible print (I am trying to be bolder with prints, as I tend to avoid them). It ties in with the blue colourway, and I already have cream, taupe and coral cardigans to go with it. 

The plain cornflower-blue cotton cardigan (top left) is from Cherokee, a surprisingly good label from Tesco supermarkets. The casual zip-up style (a flattering vertical line) will go perfectly with all three skirts as well as with jeans and my existing Laura Ashley chino skirt. 

Again deciding that some pattern was necessary, I then bought two more cardis - the blue and white one is ramie and very similar to a jade and cream one I once had, which I wore until it literally fell apart. The softer, more muted one in blue and brown is from Next. Again, both go with either of the new denim skirts, as well as chinos, taupe trousers, etc, that I already own.

Then I bought a denim dress that can be worn by itself on warm days or will go over a t-shirt or under a jacket. Last year I really missed my old denim button-down dress, which I gave to a pregnant friend, so it will be nice to have one again - living the life I do, I'll probably get almost more wear out of this than anything else. 

Once all that was sorted, I sat down over the weekend and made myself some casual necklaces from turquoise and blue beads - shell, agates, pearls, turquoise from China, ceramic, glass, wood and you name it: each necklace has a slightly different length, texture and mood so they can be worn together or separately.

In the sewing room are several lengths of fabric: sky blue chambray, sky-blue cotton with polka dots or white stripes; vintage blue cotton with a fine red check; heavy, embroidered grey-blue linen etc, even the most gorgeous Solbiati linen (just a remnant, but enough for a scarf). These, I'll turn into half a dozen bias-cut skirts and panelled button-down dresses. 

My last purchases are these sandals, to go with my navy Crocs (fine for round the house, but not hugely flattering if anyone's going to actually SEE me). A friend who, like me, wears orthotics recommended Fly-Flots last year, and these blue suede ones look a pretty good combination of orthopaedic design and fashion. The others are a just a plain rubber mule for days when I have chafed heels (I've learned my summer lessons the hard way) but should suit both my running around lifestyle and Normandy's cobbled streets. 

Sorted, I hope, for the summer...

There's a Guardian article here on evening T-shirts.

Bless Jess Carter-Morley. She's a good fashion commentator, but the problem with young uns is they will go around thinking that everything's NEW.

The evening t-shirt is not a new concept - right through the 1980s and 1990s they were produced - simple t-shirt shapes in silk, satin, lace, etc. I have at least half a dozen in my wardrobe dating back many a long year, mostly in black lame, peach satin, silver sequins and other useful colours. Eventually I started making them myself to save money. 

Still, they're a useful thing in your wardrobe, for anyone who wants to dress up without dressing up, and this is a good little look at new ones that are available right now.

Alright, alright, I know it's shallow, but here we go. The truth is, in an age where thinness is valued, many of us do want to look thinner in our clothes.

Anyone who's as skinny as she wants to be can stop reading here, but for everyone else (like me, after a winter of lard butties) here are some tips. 

* Aim for a long, lean, sleek line in everything you buy - don't buy clothes with volume. 

* Dress in one colour from top to toe, including tights and shoes. It's an age-old tip, but it really does work. If you tend to wear dark clothes and it seems too gloomy, make sure that your top half matches your bottom half (say, a jacket and skirt) but wear a contrasting blouse. Or wear dark brown, navy or charcoal instead of black. However, this trick also works in paler colours, including white.

* Matt dark fabrics with stretch are your best friend: think microfibre stretch tees, merino knit pencil skirts, suedette pull-on boots, poloneck sweaters. 

* Avoid texture, which adds bulk - mohair, boucle knits, guipure lace etc. If you like this sort of thing, save it for cushion covers and sofa throws, not your body.

* Stick to fluid, feminine fabrics such as wool or silk crepe, chiffon and knits. Avoid stiff, men's-type suiting fabrics or anything hard-edged such as patent leather or vinyl.

* 2-5 per cent stretch in any garment is usually a good idea.

* Don't wear your clothes too large. Jackets, coats and blouses should fit to the shoulder. Everything else should skim your figure, not envelope it.

* Don't wear shirts with a dropped shoulderline - these are men's garments, designed to make chests look broader (not something women generally want).

* Flip up your blouse collar at the back - it makes your neck look thinner. 

* Wear a long necklace or long thin scarf. If your necklaces have a tendency to drape themselves over one boob, try a heavy, flat pendant instead. 

* If your blouses gape, sew snappers inbetween the buttons for a better fit. 

* Wear your v-necks cut to the top of your bra or slightly higher. V-necks longer or higher than this, and crewnecks, tend to make your chest look vast. 

* Consider Henley necklines (round with a button-down front) or Moroccan necklines (round with a slit down the front), which bring emphasis back to your centre front. 

* Keep sleeves to elbow length or longer to hide bingo wings.

* Avoid short-sleeved garments - they're never the right length and it's usually more flattering to roll up the sleeves on a long-sleeved garment, which makes your forearm look daintier.

* Don't hide your ribcage area. This is the thinnest part of your torso, so it should always be visible. 

* Check that your bra is giving you enough uplift. Look for a 3-4 section cup, with or without an underwire, and thick straps that hoick your boobs up so your nipples are midway between your shoulder and elbow (or preferably higher). Lower than this, and your boobs will be hiding your ribcage, which will give a matronly look.

* If you have rolls of fat between bra band and waistband, wear high-rise knickers or an all-in-one control girdle. They're a lot more comfy than they used to be. 

* Make sure your clothes have vertical, not horizontal detailing. Vertical seams of the princess type are very slimming in jackets and blouses, giving a visual effect similar to boning.

* Diagonal shaping is also slimming - look for wrap tops, surplice tees, diagonal stripes etc. 

* Avoid bustline pockets and patch pockets on hips - these add bulk. Look instead for vertical pockets, or those that are inline with the side seam so they are invisible.

* Wear your jackets cut to the hip or high hip - NOT longer. A longer cut may comfort you with the idea that it covers your bum, but it also makes your legs look shorter. If you want to cover your backside, choose something with a more fluid structure than a jacket, such as a long tunic top. 

* Avoid dirndle skirts and pleated skirts that flare from the waist - they add bulk. If you like fullness in skirts, choose circle skirts, eight-gore flares or stitched-down pleats, which are flat at the waistline but flare out from about knee level. 

* Alter skirts so that they hit at the slimmest part of your knee - usually it's just above where it widens out into your calf. If you like narrow pencil skirts, have this done by a tailor because the side seams will also need taking in a bit. If you prefer longer skirts, have them about 4 inches above the ankle, in fluid fabrics, never at mid-calf length, which makes your legs look fatter.

* Do your utmost to find a good pair of jeans - then buy three of them. Look for dark indigo, bootcut, slight stretch, a proper v-shaped back yoke and the stitching on the side seams visible from the front to give a long line down your outside leg.

* For evening, think of fluid matt black trousers with black ribbon, braid or lace down the outer seam - this works on the same principle. 

* Look for shoes with a low vamp and no straps, to visually slim the foot. 

* Avoid ankle-strap shoes, and don't wear ankle boots with skirts. 

* Wear heels - if you look taller, you look thinner. If you're not comfy in heels, keep your flat shoes feminine and interesting but beware of ballerina pumps which can foreshorten the foot if the toes are very rounded.

* Consider knee-length boots instead of shoes, in the same colour as your skirt, for a long, unbroken line.

I've been looking at the Fall collections from London Fashion Week to pick out what might be suitable for the over-40s babe.

Well, quite a lot, is the answer. Leaving aside the micro minis, etc, there were quite a few usable looks strutting down the catwalk and the whole ethos so far has seemed very grown up, classic and - quite often - countrified. I wonder if this is a sign of the infant terrible, London, finally becoming an adult?

First up, from Christopher Kane (probably set to be the lead influence this season), came some interesting florals, usually on a black ground. If you like this look, you could track down a black tote bag with a big, bold floral design and that would update your whole wardrobe for the season. Alternatively, a scarf would do the trick. One other option that might be fun is to take a black coat or jacket to a professional embroiderer and have them treat the collar, revers or cuffs with some big, bold floral designs. 

From Erdem came some interesting dark florals and other prints such as these swallows, again often on a dark background. I love prints with a dark background, which were de rigeur for women in the 1930s and 1940s, because they are both practical and slimming. I'd snap these up while they're available, along with the heavy laces in black, taupe and grey that also featured in this collection. Heavy lace of this kind - guipure and its ilk - are one of those revolving wheels in fashion: buy correctly now and you could wear your pieces for the next 30 years. I'd go for a sleeveless vest and a long, v-neck top with sleeves. 

From Nicole Fahri, who produced a nice grown-up collection, came lots of classic looks in beige and black. I like this kind of thing because it's pretty much how I dress (right now I'm in a long black pencil skirt and long beige v-neck cardi with pockets, which could have been lifted straight off her catwalk) but she also showed another trend - plenty of black patent.

Patent was something that also turned up at Kane's show, so I predict the shops will be full of it, and pretty good knockoffs too, by autumn. I'd go for boots, shoes, belts or bags rather than whole coats, and certainly not leggings. 

Fahri also showed quite a lot of asymmetric garments - like Comme des Garcons but not as hostile, so if asymmetry is your thing (and it is mine), that's another trend worth exploring.  Asymmetric garments suit intellectual women who want to be noticed for their difference, not their sameness and are a great design thread for women over 40. 

If you like to spend winter in big fluffy cableknit sweaters and grey tweed, there were plenty to be found at Julien Macdonald's show, along with some very nice tailoring in dense black wools and camelhair.  Since camelhair also turned up at Fahri, that could be a go-to colour for the winter (time to get out my camelhair car coat with black chenille embroidery). Macdonald also showed lots of black chiffon, and black lace over nude chiffon - a great colourway for lingerie or sexy eveningwear. My major complaint about his show, though, was the use of some of the most anorexically thin models I've ever seen - one of the girls looked frankly like a corpse. 

There were more cream cableknits and grey tweed over at Pringle, along with gorgeous cobweb knits in black and camel colour. Apparently this uses a new technique involving soluble fibres, which washes away to reveal the cobweb pattern. Very pretty anyway. 

So, overall, classic but not in any way sombre, with lots of food for thought for next winter. But how about we get this one over with first?

As aforementioned, once you hit 40, summer dressing can turn into a total nightmare. While most of us look pretty OK swathed in sweaters, manufacturers desert the average woman entirely come summer and produce a plethora of skimpy, low-cut, short bits of nothing that only look good on a 16-year-old.

There's also the tricky issue of colour. Most women's go-to colour is black and black clothing accounts for 76 per cent of all women's clothing sold in the UK, but in the harsh light of summer, it looks a bit dreary to say the least and not everyone wants to dress in screaming shades of pink, blue and yellow as an alternative. Meanwhile, the manufacturers churn out black shift dresses all summer as if we all worked in law firms.

The freshest colour for summer is undoubtedly white, but it takes a brave soul to dress in white from head to foot and it's hardly the most practical colour if you're climbing in and out of cars or public transport or pelting along the UK's crowded, dusty streets.

Monochrome schemes, however - mixing black and white - look as good in town as at the seaside, so if you stick to black and white for your beachwear this winter, when you get back you can continue to wear the clothes throughout the British summer, if it ever arrives. 

The combination of black and white always looks crisp, which is important when you're wilting like limp celery. You can go for the more formal combinations of block colour and trad patterns like stripes and spots, or alternatively choose florals - or even both: as long as the colour scheme remains monochrome, all the patterns will tie together. Once you've pulled together your basic wardrobe, you can add accessories in any colour you like to make things ever-more summery.

Flicking through the Damart catalogue recently, I noticed how quickly you can build a wardrobe from their offerings of black and white clothes this year, and the prices are very reasonable. Therefore all the pix shown are Damart, but you can probably get this look from any high street store. 

I was very taken with the two-pack of dresses above, and the matching two pack of skirts (left), each with one plain black and one monochrome floral. They are all in pull-on cotton jersey for maximum ease of use (and no ironing) and the floral pattern will hide a bit of salt and sand as easily as city dirt. Add in both the black and white versions of this little cotton jersey shrug (above) with its cute fluted sleeve and that gives you many interchangeable outfits. It's good to see a shrug that's suited for daytime use and not just evening.  

Cleverly, Damart have also produced a matching swimdress, which means you can simply pull on the floral skirt over the swimdress to be covered for the walk back to the hotel. Or you could try this swimsuit instead, which is toning rather than an exact match. It offers slightly less coverage but a different neckline. 

This reversible skirt is also worth looking at - floral one side, diagonal striped on the other. I love reversible clothes when I'm packing and can't take much and although this skirt design doesn't exactly set the world alight, it looks very wearable with a simple tee or short blouse. 

This bias-cut floral dress (below) is very simple and flattering, with a skimming cut that feels comfy in the heat and the diagonal pattern making you look slimmer. Again, it can be dressed up with cardis and shrugs for a different look.  And for evening or lounging around, this colour-blocked maxi dress is fabulous, if you have the height to carry it off.  

Add in a couple of pairs of jeans or trousers in white and black, and that's your summer wardrobe pretty much taken care of, and if you want a bit of colour, add in some accessories in red, blue, aqua, gold or whatever other colour takes your fancy.

Have fun on the beach.