Today I reached my first half-century- not playing cricket (eeeghads no!), but in years, and I was thinking about how to celebrate this momentous occasion with you in a way that would be even marginally interesting to you. So I thought I’d create a photographic look back at the past 10 years of my style (which if you trawl the blog, really isn’t hard to find) all here in one place.
The Year of 2008
Yes, that’s when I started the blog, but can I find a photo of myself? Barely. I avoided the camera as much as possible in those days – in fact, the only photos I could find when I trawled my photo files were these two professional head shots I had done for my website.
What’s interesting – I still own the brown fringed jacket and the necklace 10 years later.
The Year of 2009
Still didn’t take many photos (almost none) of myself – but I did find a couple to share and this was the ear of a heavily fringed bob! 
There is Cleo peeking over my shoulder.
The Year of 2010
Scrounging around my computer and this is all I could come up with for 2010 – not sure if I lost photos or I just barely took any. I believe this was my very first maxi dress. And one of the first outings of my Picasso top with Cleo happy to photobomb my shots!
The Year of 2011
I seemed to have just started taking a few more snaps – though there aren’t lots to choose from. I do notice in the ones I could find that I wore the same necklace over and over! It was one of the first necklaces in my statement necklace collection.
The era of the midi to longer skirt too according to my photos.
And here are a few photos from a professional shoot that I had to put a bit more variety of photos onto my website.
The Year of 2012
Black and more black (it was my black back then) and my new found love of tunics.
The Year of 2013
This was the year I wore lots and lots of dresses.
I’d been wearing two pieces (top and bottom) for such a long time and then I discovered just how easy dresses are to wear. I remember disliking the neckline of the blue dress on the left, so always wore a scarf over the top to hide it.
The Year of 2014
This was the year I changed my hair from brunette to blonde – it started in January and took 6-8 months to transition to a light blonde.
It also meant I had to totally rethink my wardrobe into a lighter palette and lower my value contrast from high to medium – this took some time! I also had my breast reduction surgery which totally changed my wardrobe (and suddenly it became easy to buy clothes that fit).
The Year of 2015
I started being even more experimental – mixing patterns and prints.
The Year of 2016
Always a favourite colour combination – turquoise, teal and cobalt – my love affair of mixing these analogous colours continued.
By this time, grey had become my new black and is the dominant neutral ni my wardrobe now that my hair is so much lighter than it was!
The Year of 2017
I played more with different shapes and styles of clothing
Jackets of all styles became an integral part of my outfits.
Blazers to bombers, leather to tweed.
The Year of 2018
This year I’ve been enjoying adding more textural elements into my outfits. From lace (which I’d never really touched before) to leather look pants.
I think I’ve worn more scarves this past year than any other in my life. Before my breast reduction, scarves often felt bulkier and added too much volume to my front, but now a light and floaty scarf is a great way to add a decorative element to a plain winter knit.
I’ve also continued my affair with accessories of all kinds, not just the statement necklace, but also brooches, fun earrings and hats.
I find it hard to believe that I’ve hit the big 50 – but as my friends who have made it here before me, tell me that 50 is the new 40. But now I’m officially at 50 plus style blogger!
Are there things I wouldn’t wear now that I’d wear at 40? Well, I’m more careful about not showing too much leg and going the mini-skirt – which I’ll leave for my teenage daughter. But other than that, I’ll be wearing whatever I feel like for the next decade or so and certainly don’t feel like mutton dressed as lamb.
And thanks for coming on this journey with me – I hope you’ll stick around for the next 10 years!
Congratulations, Imogen!
May you continue on with your unique & informative blog for many years to come, I’ll certainly be following it, gorgeous lady!?
Hi Imogen. Happy birthday to you! How interesting to see how your personal style has evolved over time as aspects of your life have changed. I think this article provides a really great and practical example to your readers of how you can incorporate changes into your style and still remain true to yourself. Many thanks, Mel
Well done! Thanks for sharing your journey and for helping others board the style train.
Hi Imogen, I love your style journey, you have helped me over my personal style journey ever since I found your website way back when you had dark hair. I am in my mid 70’s now heading for the 80’s age group and still try to look current with clothing style which is age appropriate. You always look beautiful and have a perfect smile. Thanks for everything.
Happy Birthday Imogen. I have been reading your blog for at least 9 years. Your journey in style is amazing it has inspired me to work more on my style. The information you provide is very helpful and thoughtful.
Hope you have a great day. You look great
Happy birthday, Imogen!
I REMEMBER that 2015 outfit of the black and white striped shirt and shrug! Still one of my favorite outfits. And your hair transition- wow! Really hits home what a difference the right color can make and makes me wonder if mine is right!
It was interesting looking back and seeing my hair transformation as well as the outfits change! I still own and wear some of those clothes from a decade ago!
Thank you Imogen wonderful to see the transition all in one place. Many changes and as we have shared the same hair
colour transition it is great for me to see this too.
Ex-Dramatic girls now platinum! You’re looking amazing yourself.
Happy birthday, Imogen!
Thanks Tina x
I just discovered you this year and have learned so much while spending hours on your website. You are helping me understand what works best for me and why. I now look forward to putting outfits together and going places. One of the ways I like to relax is with some closet time, it’s so much fun to plan my outfits now that I have a better sense of what I am doing.
It was fun to see your personal transitions, they have been quite dramatic and you look just as amazing now as you did a decade ago. I really enjoy your blog and look forward to each new post. You are such an inspiration to women everywhere, thank you for doing what you do.
Thanks BeeeBeee that you’ve found the information here useful and applicable to your wardrobe. It took some time during my transformation to get used to seeing myself in a new way and it was a great experience to have to do it.
Happy Birthday! I cannot believe that you are fifty. I always thought you to be early forties. I love your current style and always enjoy your wisdom shared on this blog. I miss your videos with Jill and hope that you will return to those soon. I do enjoy the podcasts though. Thank you for all your hard work to help women like me have confidence and courage to dress our best and true to ourselves. I appreciate all that you do and all that I learn from you. Have a great year and continue to impact the world for good!
Thanks Rose – I think the 50 of today is a much younger 50 than my parents generation. Jill and I have recently made more videos which will be coming soon!
Happy Birthday dear Imogen! I have been a devoted fan of yours practically from the beginning of your blog and remember the steps you took in your transition to the gorgeous woman you are today. Much love to you on this special day.
Thanks Rebecca! So lovely that you’be been reading so long.
Happy Birthday Imogen. You give so many women inspiration and hope – not just in fashion but in how to navigate life (often thru fashion). Here’s to the next fifty years and more.
Happy Birthday Imogen! Loving your classic bob and the longer blonde version you have now. You look so stunning in all of your photo’s have an amazing day.
Happy Birthday Imogen! I think I have been following you since 2009 or 2010, and I have learned a LOT from you, so thank you for every post and advice you have written.
I love your pics archive. My impression is that you have blossomed since going blonde. You always looked pretty and so polished, but the transition to blonde hair made you look so much younger and happier.
I wish you (and us) lots and lots of great new posts and much of success in the future work!
Congratulations on a decade of styling, and MANY thanks! It’s funny when I first discovered your website I thought there were two women, a brunette and a blonde. Here is to many more years of great styling advice!
Anita
Oh wow Imogen ! congrats on these 10 years of style. I probably began to follow soon after you began to blog. You are one of the first blogs i began to follow 🙂
Hello Imogen,
all the best for your anniversary and the new decade. I wish you loads of health, the rest comes by itself. Thank you very much for blogging- I´ve been reading for six years, I realized, and through your dedication and passion you have taught me loads about colours and body shape. Realizing I am an Y was a revelation and helped me finding adequate clothes afterwards.
All the best and thanx again!
Anja XXX
Dear Imogen, thank you for your blog; your work on it is greatly appreciated! You are beautiful and real.
With warmest wishes,
your fan from Washington DC area,
Elena
Happy birthday Imogen.Hope you a had a fab day.Certainly entering into a new decade is a time for reflection but if your new decade is anything like the last you are in for a great ride and so are we . Love your blog. It has done wonders for me.
Happy 50th Birthday, Imogen! What an enjoyable and inspiring blog post this is, capturing a pictorial decade of your style journey. It is my goal to go back to 2008 and read every one of your blog posts. Some will be for the first time and others will be well worth a second read. I’m looking forward to reading every blog post you make in the next decade. Thank you for sharing and congratulations xx
Happy Birthday Imogen!
The colors that remind me of you are cobalt and fucsia, you look wonderfull all the best.
Happy Birthday Imogen! I enjoyed this little journey back in time. I believe I started reading your site in the 2011/2012-ish area. I remember your transition from brunette to blonde and loved following along with that too. You’re looking great!
PS-I commented on your 2 yr breast reduction update post that you had inspired me to finally go ahead and go for it and, in fact, I had it scheduled for later that year. Well, it’s been a little over 2 years for me now and I couldn’t be happier. It was the best thing I could have done for myself.
Happy 50th birthday, Imogen. Really love this post showing the evolution of your style over the past decade. I look forward to reading your blog each morning for inspiration. I turned 57 on October 16th and I am now more comfortable than ever in my own style. I look forward to many more years of reading your informative and thoughtful blog.
Happy Birthday!! You’re beautiful & a true inspiration!!
As a recently turned 50 year old myself, I really loathe that mutton dressed as lamb tag! Like you I will wear what I like but the hemlines will be closer to my knees. Nobody ever says mutton dressed as lamb to a man!
Gorgeous smile throughout and lovely to see how your style has evolved over the years!
Congratulations Imogen, and welcome to your fifties! Thanks for all the wonderful advice, and hope you continue to enjoy your amazing style journey for the next ten years and beyond.
Happy birthday Imogen. You are aging in reverse! Looking more fabulous each year.
Happy Birthday, Imogen! What huge fun is this blog post! It’s SO enlightening to see how your style has evolved – what a great exercise this might be for us all! And you were SO born to be blonde, girl….Your weight loss is SO inspiring as well. I really enjoy following you and hearing from “Down Under”. I’ve enjoyed your books and learned so much from you – keep up the great work!
Love from Kentucky
thanks Mary Katherine! If you’d put blonde on me when I had the dark hair (and I can tell you from experience of trying on blonde wigs) it looked terrible – as I didn’t have the skin of a blonde at that time – now that my skin has changed with age – the blonde works.
Happy belated birthday, Imogen. I just can’t believe that you have hit 50. You certainly do not look your age, especially after undergoing hair colour transition to blonde. I think your current hair style and hair colour suits you better as it brings out the lighter side of you (and not weigh you down). Many thanks for sharing with us your style journey. I just found your website a couple weeks ago and i enjoy reading your blog, which is always inspiring (though I’m still not very clear on topics concerning value & colour contrast).
Thanks Yean – so glad you’ve found me – and yes a very different look – brunette to blonde! And colour and value contrast are quite complex concepts too – so give yourself some time to read, then observe and see what you notice.
Happy Birthday! What a fun retrospective of your past wonderful and stylish ten years!
Thanks Carol!
Congratulations, and happy day, Imogen! It seems like just yesterday you went blonde, but that just tells me how long I’ve been reading… What a great trip through your style and color evolution! Have you toyed with the idea of fringe again now with the blonde? Or is fringe a never-again proposition?
Again, happy day, and wishes for many many more!
Thanks Liz – I have two cow-licks that require managing – and I could do a fringe again but would need to do more blow drying – and at the moment I enjoy not having to deal with the cowlicks!