My Super Stylish Friend

Have you joined any new groups or clubs lately? If so, have you found some kindred spirits, people who you imagine might become friends as opposed to merely acquaintances? In February I decided that I wanted to learn how to play Bridge primarily because I thought it would be good for my brain to grapple with this fiendishly difficult and complex card game. 

It has certainly proven to be a mental challenge, but the true pleasure has been in the discovery of so many delightful, like-minded older women, one of whom I’d like to introduce to you today.

I spotted Joanna on the first of our beginner’s lessons even though she wasn’t on my table. Her style and elegance were immediately apparent and when I got chatting to her while we waited for a drink at the bar, I discovered that she was also friendly and very charming. Over the months when I have sometimes partnered with her, I have also discovered that at 82 her brain is as sharp as a tack and that she leads a very interesting life, moving between homes in London and Portugal with her 85 year old husband Michael, who continues to run a thriving architectural practice in both countries. She’s had an amazing life during which she has developed a distinctive personal style, so I’ll let her tell you all about both.

My Early Life

“I was born in The Hague in 1942 during the war where the Germans had their headquarters. I was the third girl to be born into the family and my parents subsequently had five boys. My father was a doctor and it was a very difficult time for us all under the occupation, especially as food was in such short supply and my father spent time trying to ensure that the patients in the hospital could be fed. Immediately after the war the whole family went to Switzerland so that my father could study to become a gynaecologist, and then we returned to Holland. It was a happy childhood, apart from the time I spent in boarding school as a teenager, which I didn’t like at all!

Meeting my English Husband.

In 1960, when I was 18, my parents decided that I should learn to speak English and French fluently, so I was sent to Oxford and then to Paris. I had such an amazing time that I managed to fail my English exam, but in Oxford, I met this very handsome student of architecture called Michael who apparently said to a friend when he first saw me “That’s the girl I am going to marry.” He did ask me to marry him there and then, but my parents were horrified and forbade it. Unfortunately, my father then died which was devastating for us all, and particularly for my mother who was left with a family of eight children, the youngest of whom was four years old. As I spoke 4 languages I managed to get a job working as a secretary in a congress centre in Amsterdam. 

Marrying Michael in 1968

My older sister, who had been with me in Oxford, fell in love with England and went to live in London. Meanwhile, I was engaged to a very nice Dutchman, but when that didn’t work out I joined my sister and was reacquainted with Michael about six years after I had first met him. We got married in 1969 and lived in a council owned flat in Fulham where my daughter was born and then we moved to a house in Chelsea where I gave birth to my son in 1973. Meanwhile, I had met a very famous American interior designer and through him, I became interested in pursuing a career in interior design because I loved both architecture and the visual arts. 

Marriage and Career

Michael was building a successful architectural practice and was getting some good commissions. One of our first projects together was the development of some farm buildings we bought and converted near Newbury. Michael designed them and we would go there most weekends to buy things for the interiors and work on the garden. Michael is a very good gardener and we made it all look beautiful. Meanwhile, Michael and I had discovered that the Algarve in Portugal is both beautiful and, at that time in the early 1970s, was completely unspoilt. There was a recession in the UK, so we decided to take our babies and go and live in Portugal for a year or so. When political unrest broke out there, we briefly lived in Holland for a year where Michael got a very good commission, but as things had calmed down, we decided to return to Portugal. We then bought a complete ruin and rebuilt it into the home that we still have there to this day. Since those early years, Michael and I have had an architectural and interior design business both here in the UK and Portugal.

My Lifestyle Now.

I’m not working as an interior designer any more but we still split our time between London and the Algarve, which we visit every six weeks or so. Michael’s current project is to convert his Portuguese offices into dwelling places, although there are constant delays and challenges with bureaucracy. Both my wider and immediate family, and especially my teenage grandsons all love to come to the Algarve, and I am often joined by my old friends from Holland who come and stay for a few days. It’s especially lovely there in May and June and then again in September and October. My daughter, who is an artist, has just moved with her family from Frome to London which is lovely for Michael as they are now sharing a studio and see each other every day. I also love reading, going to the ballet and opera and, of course, my newfound passion for Bridge!

My Approach to Fashion and Style

I’d say that I am conventional when it comes to how I dress. I am not interested in fashion but I love beautifully made clothes. I used to do lots of shopping when I was an interior designer, and now that I no longer do that, the last thing I want to do is to go shopping! So I don't buy many clothes but I do expect them to last for years. I love Caroline Charles who has a boutique in Beauchamp Place and I have some of her pieces but they were all bought in the sale as I cannot afford to pay the full price! That’s probably my favourite place to go, but I also like Armani and Joseph, particularly for trousers which seem to fit me very well. I also buy summer clothes in Portugal.

Colour, Fabrics and Accessories

Both in my clothes and interior design I have always preferred ‘fresh’ looking colours like pure white rather than brown, beige, or what I think of as ‘muddy’ colours. I love wearing the colours that I know suit me because they make me feel happy. When I am dressing up I love velvet and always used to have a black velvet jacket which I would wear with a white shirt. I also much prefer natural fabrics like cotton, wool, silk and linen. I am also a bit old-fashioned and boring when it comes to jewellery as I prefer to wear pearls and especially pearl earrings

Hair and Makeup

I have the most difficult hair which is dead straight and quite fine. I still have it highlighted about three times a year so that it’s not completely grey but I keep it shorter than I used to as it is easier to manage. I backcomb the top for a bit of height and then catch it back at the sides with combs and use a scrunchie to create a small ponytail. That way my hair stays put and looks neat for the whole day. I also keep my makeup very simple. My face is often slightly tanned from the Portuguese sun, so I might add a little powder, then I just apply some mascara to my lashes and I always wear lipstick. I recently had a makeover at Look Fabulous Forever which was great fun, but it was much more eye makeup than I would normally choose because it was a party look, although when I went home, Michael approved of my new look!

Getting older.

I can honestly tell you that I don’t mind getting older at all. When I was 40 I nearly died of septicaemia and gangrene when on holiday in Bali. I thought that I was going to lose my foot or even my leg or my life. It was over the New Year holiday so I was left without an operation for longer than usual. During that time I knew that I was very ill, but had a strange experience when the same nurse came in my room twice and touched my leg and it felt very warm. When the surgeon returned to work after the New Year holiday I was better, he decided that I no longer needed an operation and gradually I recovered. Since then I have had no fear of either ageing or dying.”

Joanna's Makeover

I hope that you enjoyed hearing Joanna’s life and style story as much as I did. I suspect that the 18 year old Joanna with whom Michael fell madly in love is very little changed from the beautiful 82 year old that she is today, illustrating so perfectly that style truly is ageless.

As ever, I love to get your positive comments on my style blogs. Joanna's wardrobe is the embodiment of Buy Better, Buy Less -  she buys relatively few very good quality items (often in sales) and sees them as long term investment pieces. She then mixes them up with high street labels in an interesting and stylish way. I hope you agree!

Tricia x

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