Dress Of The Day with Angela

Years ago from a camping shop in the USA we bought a book entitled How To Shit In The Woods. I was not keen on the vulgar four letter word but the subject was important and I had not seen anybody else deal with it. Woods can be a problem, though you have trees. But people can suddenly appear from all directions on nearby paths. TIPS 1 First Solution - Umbrellas If forests look bad for loo-hunting, even worse comes later, last minute leaks impending, desperate decisions needed near the car park.  Sign posts to distant restaurants, monuments, everything except toilets. I must go now, before the group arrives, or we drive off along a route. Now here we are at the end of the path or trek, I have managed to hold it in all the way. However, here we are near car parks, and potential passers-by.  1 The first thing you need to hide behind is a large umbrella. You need a large umbrella, the bigger the better. Even with two of you, and one family member or friend as a lookout for strange...

  Selfie picture by Angela Lansbury.  Orange Top The orange top is a tee-shirt with a slogan which I am wearing back to front for the evening. The black sequin collar fastens with a hook and eye. I have a see-through plastic lidded box labelled bow ties and accessories. I had it at the top and had not looked inside it for months, years. I was looking for braces which I inherited from my late uncle Ronnie. I found the braces and a bonus, the black decorative collar and a black hair bow. Both dolled up my black cape blazer.  Black Evening Gloves I also had long black evening gloves. Normally, not much use except for fancy dress.  The gloves' original purpose was to create mystique. Gloves would keep you from touching hands with men, to avoid swapping sticky sweat, and germs, or showing too much flesh. Nowadays Covid-19 But an extra bonus. Warmth on summer nights, especially in air contiioning indoors, or cool evening breezes outdoors, on land, or by the swimming pool, ...

Selfie photo by Angela Lansbury. The black cape blazer is brand Be Jealous. Shein has lots of cape dresses and cape jackets. Mango calls their cape jackets cape blazers although they are in finer fabrics and look much smarter. Blazers are traditionally daytime wear. Blazers often have rough, woolly fabric of a summer blazer which keeps you covered and warm. Open arms are intriguingly revealing, subtle, just right for the evening. Gold Colour The gold colour offsets the gold or blonde hair. Also any gold jewellery or watch, or buttons.  I automatically fastened the gold collar at the front. It has slipped sideways. To avoid this happening, I think it is better to fasten it at the back. The one I am wearing is probably not available to my readers. Just as well. Nobody can copy me. You don't have to worry that if we meet we will be wearing the same outfit. You can copy my ideas and adapt the style and colour to your complexion and budget and be bang up to date. A search for what is cu...

Angela and Warren at Harrovians Toastmasters International speakers' club in Harrow, London, England, UK, May 2022. Angela's Outfit White Shoes Marks and Spencer. Size 5. White laces. The see-through lace effect goes well with frilly white blouses, lace or eyelet style, which would otherwise look overdressed against practical, sporty shoes.  Bought from St Luke's charity shop in London. They raise money for hospices. White Petticoat Elastic waist. Two tiered with gathered lower layer and crochet hem. Brand name Laura Ashley. Khaki Skirt Patra. 100% silk. Pencil shape. I think I must have bought it second hand on Ebay. For years I never wore it. I thought the colour was dull. The silk was heavy, thick, rough rather than soft and silky. However, now in 2022 I have rediscovered it. The neutral colour goes with everything. Because it is not a treasured item I can wear it all the time without worry about spoiling it or staining it. Warren is wearing a smart black suit with a bla...

Angela Lansbury in orange. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Description  Top The label says BHS. British Home Stores. I love the bright orange contrast with the brilliant white of the blouse. British Home stores used to be like Marks & Spencer but cheaper. Clothes, bedding, lamps and household items. Skirt The skirt is created or converted from a pair of trousers (Americans say pants) slit up the centre seam and rotated  so that the slits are at the sides. I looked for a blank wall in the kitchen. My first thought was to avoid the red pattern on the blind on the door which I thought would be a distraction and a clash of colour. However, my husband said it looked jolly. Therefore, afterwards I made a point of being photographed next to it. With red lipstick and red shoes I would always co-ordinate with the blind. However, you can get tired of one colour. So now I am trying to alternate with orange and pink. Teacher's Clothes in Singapore When I worked as an English teacher in a priv...

When buying a rucksack (backpack) I look for a bottle pocket at the side. Preferably two of different sizes. Sometimes a small pocket doesn't hold a tall water bottle which tumbles out. Backpack with bottle pocket.  Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. Here's a new idea. Attach a bottle pocket to your waistband of trousers or a skirt. Then you are hands free when climbing ladders, stiles, stairs at stations, onto a bus, hands free for photo taking. But the bottle is handy for a quick swig.  From Clothing Arts. In black or brown. Clothing arts. Pick pocket proof clothing. Has an extra inside press stud or zip. Pickpockets The other feature you might like is the zip over a false pocket.  Bear in mind that a group of pickpockets will crowd around you and each one will aim at a different pocket. You have only two hands. Two of them have four hands.  Useful Websites https://www.clothingarts.com/collections/p-cubed-pick-pocket-proof-travel-clothing/products/attachable-bott...

  I am wearing a white dickey (a decorative collar without any shirt, just a shirt front). The dickey has buttons which enable me to pin on the napkin to the top button. An alternative would be a brooch or pendant with a chain so you can tuck in the napkin. Whenever I dress for a dinner out, especially in summer and light evenings, I look for something light, a change from the funeral blacks of winter. But I then consider that I might stain my lovely outfit with food.  I don't want to have clothes hung up and never worn. What a waste of money - and wardrobe space. (Americans say closet.) Angela Lansbury wearing a buttonhole napkin supplied at the Tanglin Club, Singapore. You can buy two white dinner napkins for just under 15 collars (plus postage) from Etsy from suppliers in the USA. Others on Etsy offer sets of six at proportional prices. From EmbroiderybyLinda and DapperDiner. The napkins can be supplied in cotton or polyester.  Cotton or Polyester Cotton, for a softer ...

  Here I am with a Champagne bottle. The Background You have to be very careful when taking photos in ooh la la venues. Some stately homes forbid photos. Either they want to charge you money. Or they want to check who is taking photos so that if they are burgled they can guess who was the culprit or where the photos were published to attract unwanted attention. I would not want to be blamed, or censured, or feel guilty. So I reckoned a photo of a Champagne bottle which will be emptied and thrown away could not attract any anxious attention from the building's security team. What you can see is that the curtains and carpet have a co-ordinating pattern.  Accessories and Props The staff have supplied buckets for the Champagne starter drink for our lunch. It was a bring your own bottle lunch. My husband Trevor had chosen the menu from the club choices. He matched the style of drink to the food. Champagne, with almonds and cashew nuts for the pre-lunch chat, white wine with the sta...

You can buy adapters. My favourites are large clips with a tiny circle of metal. You can hang through this the hook type ear-rings for pierced ears. If the large ones pinch, you can cover them, or buy little see-through silicon pockets. The large clips are my favourites. I look for old fashioned ear rings, vintage, in this style. They are often heavy. Bold styles. However, I had a pair of hollow silver or silver plated ones I bought in San Francisco with a large clip on the back. I wore them for many summers until they got bashed out of shape. Some clips are smaller. I find these less likely to stay on. Also because they are tiny, more pressure in one place. Another style is the screw on type. You screw them on until they fit over the lobe. Lastly, the latest, are magnetic ear rings. I find they come apart. All in all my favourites are the big clip on type ear rings - especially if you can attach your pierced ear-rings. If you are in a shop and don't see clip on ear-rings, still as...

Angela Lansbury wearing a shawl from a recycled square lace tablecloth. Photo by Trevor Sharot.   I was looking at lace clothes and eyelet dresses and blouses and scarves online. And in charity shops in the UK.  Summer Sales and Bargains Many customers, like me, are shopping and packing for summer holidays as the weather turns to warm from the chilly, May. The old saying went, 'ne-er cast a clout til May be out'. Clout would be old English or dialect for clothes.)  I asked an assistant in St Luke's hospice shop, 'When are the sales?" She told me, 'Our summer sales will be from mid-June or the end of June.' That is after many people have already bought for their summer holiday, or been away and come back. Unwanted Old Lace Tablecloths I decided it was time to go shopping in my own spare room and cupboards. What a mess. Time to tidy up. I had old lace tablecloths which nobody else liked or wanted. From the year two thousand and onwards I was busy clearing awa...

  I am wearing a white dickey (a decorative collar without any shirt, just a shirt front). The dickey has buttons which enable me to pin on the napkin to the top button. An alternative would be a brooch or pendant with a chain so you can tuck in the napkin. Whenever I dress for a dinner out, especially in summer and light evenings, I look for something light, a change from the funeral blacks of winter. But I then consider that I might stain my lovely outfit with food.  I don't want to have clothes hung up and never worn. What a waste of money - and wardrobe space. (Americans say closet.) You can buy two white dinner napkins for just under 15 collars (plus postage) from Etsy from suppliers in the USA. Others on Etsy offer sets of six at proportional prices. From EmbroiderybyLinda and DapperDiner. The napkins can be supplied in cotton or polyester.  Cotton or Polyester Cotton, for a softer feel? To match your tablecloth. To wash on high heat to get rid of stains and bacteri...

  Angela wearing Anthony Sicari dress. Photo by Trevor Sharot.  The warm colour is accentuated by the sandals and the blind on the window of the kitchen door. Anthony Sicari outfit with black cape blazer. Sharot family photo. I love my 1980s Anthony Sicari outfits. The black cape blazer adds a layer for warmth. It also protects the fabric from stains, spills and dirt. However, it disguises and is at odds with the diagonal pattern on the outfit. Whilst wearing it, I did not notice this. The effect becomes apparent when I look at how I appear to others, by looking at the photo. Useful Websites Anthony Sicari You can always find half a dozen Anthony Sicari outfits, mostly blouses and tops but usually one or two dresses or tops and skirts, occasionally with a scarf, and a man's tie. ebay.com etsy.com Cape Blazers Numerous cape designs are on  shein.com

  The pineapple I grew from a pineapple top. Blue rescued top clothing.

  LookLookLook black top. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Angela Selfie on Zoom. I had trouble with this top. Was it a skirt or dress. Where were the armholes? It was two layers. The waist was too tight to go over my head. Was that the armhole? We kept pulling it this way and that. After two of us struggled for half an hour I finally got it on. Inside out. More about this outfit tomorrow. Useful Websites

 I started numbering my dress of the day when I found I was listing two posts of the same colour. Blue dress of the day. But if I numbered the second blue dress as blue dress 2 and the second red dress as red dress 2 I would have all the outfits out of sequence.  The simplest system was to number each post in sequence. However, I did not necessarily have an entire outfit for every post. This numbering sequence would be useful to find out how many posts I had written.  Comic Poems Numbering (I do this in my comic poems to find out the number of poems so I can see how many readers per post, and are the numbers of posts matching one a day.  But I try to add a poem any time I write a generic post such as how to write a poem for a Xmas card.) In the dress of the day, I do not want to give the misleading impression that I had 400 outfits when I had only 300. I need to know how many outfits I have because that is a question which readers ask.  The statistics compiled b...

  Angela Lansbury, with teddy bear. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Angela Lansbury with Teddy Bear. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Edited by Angela Lansbury. I edited this photo on a Samsung mobile phone in edit mode using the posterize option. Useful Websites Posterization https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posterization https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00086009/

One of the the Toastmasters International colours. Blue. A specific blue, with a name and a number. To promote the Singapore international Dynamic Speakers online club, we wanted three types of advertising, flyers and posters to put in the media such as Facebook and a webpage, a background at meetings, and templates for meeting posters to go in WhatsApp. We had three ways of doing that: 1 Start from scratch on Canva or Powerpoint or Photoshop and upload the logos and text we needed. Take existing material from toastmasters International marketing and change photos and add dates. Take previous items from our club and update phone numbers and group photos. Take the best eye-catching materials from the top clubs and change colours, shapes, and of course the people and dates.  As soon as we started we realized we needed up to date photos of ourselves, ideally with something showing the umbrella organization, the club, or our awards and activities. We decided to run a quick photo sessio...

 Now is the time to match up my Mickey Mouse tee-shirt in burgundy with white accessories. White shoes White skirt white hat white bag Previous view with yellow Useful Websites

I spent a long time organizing my odd socks. I am keeping socks in pairs in leftover compartmentalized orange boxed which neighbours threw out after Chinese New Year in Singapore. I still have several odd socks. Why? I found one behind a washing machine and tumbler dryer when we moved them. I found another under the bed, when I moved it. I found another in a boot. One day I considered throwing away a sock which had holes, rather than repairing it. I realized that if you throw away a worn out sock, you forget that the other one of the pair is orphaned and you keep searching for its missing partner.  You can get around this by buying two or three pairs of matching socks. (Or more.) Then, when you throw away one, you still have a pair. When you throw away a second, you still have a pair or two pairs.  I wrote a poem.  Odd Socks You're not alone in having odd socks I, too, have a box of odd socks I feel so sorry, they look so forlorn I'm sure they were twins when they were bo...

 

Having seen me hunt for sales, this American discount's advertisement for their website found me on Facebook. I took a look. Advantages All the same price. All affordable. Disadvantages The clothes were all synthetic fabrics, no chance to ask for cotton, or a pattern such as eyelet. They wanted me to pay with google pay, which I don't have, instead of paypal. They are in the USA. The postage to Singapore was about 17 dollars. That brought an order of six dresses to about twenty pounds sterling. I reckoned I might like three of the six dresses. I looked for reviews. They have a Facebook page but only two reviews. At the opposite end of the scale are expensive clothes from lala Berlin. You used to be able to bid on large numbers of items starting at a penny under a pound on ebay. I now sort by price low to high. Few, or fewer, items are in the lowest price range. By specifying low to high prices you are likely to start being offered clothes for babies and pets and pictures of clo...

  Angela Lansbury in wedding guest outfit, at Botanical Gardens, Singapore. Photo by Trevor Sharot. The Outfit Jan 17, 2016. I bought this outfit in Hatch End, London, England, at Whirligig, 511 Uxbridge Road, Hatch End, Pinner, Middx HA5 4JS. They have sales rails seasonally. My outfit consists of a skirt and matching jacket. The colours are dream cream and pale blue on chiffon. Lightweight. The Gold Sandals The gold shoes are Velcro or touch and close closure, for ease of walking through the Botanic Gardens. The Necklace The large necklace has three or five blue effect opals or moonstones. Ear-Rings The ear-rings have blue effect stones to co-ordinate with the large necklace. The Event Late afternoon wedding reception and Evening dinner.  Wedding of my husband's former colleague with whom we three shared accommodation in two different condos before the colleague got married. Possible Re-use of the outfit The outfit is stretchy and could be worn whatever my weight and girth. ...

Angela Lansbury wearing a Toastmasters International tee-shirt in black, with a DIY black skirt and Indian Mirror black shoes. Photo by Trevor Sharot. I had a friend who always wore black, She found it easier to co-ordinate. I thought it was depressing. On the other hand, I travelled on short trips with a black skirt, but not with a black top. I added a black skirt to this tee-shirt and feel that I would not wear it regularly. I need colour near my face. Especially on Zoom. When I travelled as a busy travel writer, the black skirt was good, for not showing stains and in any case was being hidden under the table at dinner. I matched it with various tops. The black skirt and black shoes went with everything.  If you wear black, it could go well with black hair, or make you look monotonous. If you have white teeth and eyes, and they are your good features, you can brighten up a black tee-shirt with a white colour. On zoom you want neck interest. Fancy shoes don't get much attention un...