Dress Of The Day with Angela

Angela Lansbury wearing pink top and white skirt. White Cap White broderie anglaise cap, brand Tu, from Sainsbury's supermarket. Bought second hand from eBay. Pink Top From brand Tu, sold in Sainsbury's supermarket. I bought mine from eBay. Laura Ashley Lace Hem Slip (Vintage) This Lace Edge Slip is worn as a skirt. I keep asking various males, 'is my outfit looks okay.'  None of them say, 'You are wearing a slip.' My son did say, "You are dressed casual.' He did not say, 'You need a skirt.' Interesting - casual! I thought I looked elegant, pretty, at least smart casual.  So, on holiday I must keep the broderie anglaise for daytime. I need to change in the evening for dinner. White has the disadvantage that it easily stains.  Hotter Sandals The Hotter sandals are style Easy. They have two hook and loop fastenings over the toes and instep and a buckle at the back. I used to not wear them much. I preferred vibrant red. Cheerful red. Not boring cre...

I bought this top on Ebay. I love the pink colour. Perfect pink. Pink goes wonderfully well with white, summer white, clean innocent white. Light-hearted white and pink. Images of candyfloss. (Americans call candy floss, cotton candy.) I love the style. Long sleeves. Roomy enough to be comfortable.  But it felt and looked as if it was wide, baggy over the bust. How to tighten it? I looked at the hanging ribbons. I looked in my sewing box. I had a similar thin pink ribbon. I thought, before I put the handy hanging ribbons, or  spend time sewing, I can pin on the ribbons with safety pins. i can slip the safety pins through the eyelets, without damaging the fabric. Come to think of it, I can slip the tiny ribbons through the eyelets, before doing any sewing. White Jacket  White cape blazer.  Missguided, size 8. Too small. The jacket does not meet across my chest.  I travel wearing a gilet with multiple pockets, so I have my travel card handy. The jacket reveals a...

  Red see-through dress with second see-through dress, and scarf. Outfit 461.  Photo by Angela Lansbury. I looked at a red palm tree pattern garment and wondered why I had never worn it. Was it because, although I like red, palm trees are green, except the stems of lipstick palms, so red palm trees look absurd? Palm trees should be green. I vaguely remembered buying it cheaply in a sale.  I tried it on and realized why I had never worn it. I don't wear see though wraps by the pool. I wear towelling wraps. A see through dress is not suitable for my lifestyle, opening the door for deliveries, going out to restaurants for meals, or walking around supermarkets, walking up and down high streets, travelling on trains, buses and planes. A see through fabric is indecent. It shows underwear. It looks absurd on older women. It is too flimsy and is likely to tear. What to do? Wear it as decoration over a plain colour garment. Another red. I looked at the reds in a pile of 'time I wo...

  Pink night dress with pink 'red tape' belt. I wanted to add a belt. I looked at pale silky ribbons and bright, matt, fuschia tape. Although the pale ribbon looked neat, the bright colours made my heart sing. I found myself muttering, 'the pale satin look ribbons is more elegant,' as I started cutting the brighter ribbon, just to see what it would look like, as I had a long roll of it, and could afford to cut off a piece which might not be right. How do you attach the ribbon to the garment to stop it slipping off? You could sew a line of stitches, vertically or horizontally, in the middle of the centre of the back.  Alternatively, sew two half pieces from the left and right from the seam under the arms.  I looked at my dressing gowns. They had loops made from the dress material. Or the same ribbon width. My ribbon was already the right size and I would have to cut the hem to make the night dress fabric ribbon. Why bother? I folded the ribbon end from the spool over the...

  Pink Night dress with infinity scarf made from hem cut off. Selfie photo by Angela Lansbury. Cut night dress. I now see my feet. Photo by Angela Lansbury. My pink night dress from Marks & Spencer which I have worn for years was too long.. I pinned up the hem with large safety pins. The Problem With The Long Skirt i had to cut it. I didn't bother looking for my pinking sheers. I didn't wait to measure it up. I didn't wait until somebody else was around to help me.  I thought, 'I want this done now. I have been meaning to do it for years. The hem is trailing on the ground, threatening to trip me up. The hem gets dirty and permanently stained. 'I just spent hours of my time putting it through soap and nailbrush treatment. That was only partially successful. So I ended up soaking the hem in bleach in a bucket. I don't want it to get dirty again.' The Spare Material I was going to cut the ex-hem to make a belt. Instead, I put the circle around my neck like ...

  Laundry bag from China. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Laundry Bag Styles I am looking for a laundry bag, a hanging laundry bag. I don't have room for anything freestanding. I already have two which need replacing.   The Basic Bag The dark, navy blue one came from IKEA. A dark colour doesn't show the dirt. In fact, the reverse, the blue has worn off revealing the white cloth. I could dye the bag, or conceal the pale patches with felt tip pen in navy. The bag was hanging from an almost oblong frame. How could I upgrade it temporarily? I had lots of leftover table napkins and antimacassars from my late parents, my uncle, the old lady from whom I bought a flat. A blue item could hang over the patch so the room looked good at a quick glance. Wording - Instructions Some bags just have the word laundry. Our bag had the message,  1 Fill bag.  2 Give to Mum. At the time, we thought that was a joke. After all, the owner of the laundry should be doing their own washing. Especiall...

  Angela Lansbury wearing the emerald green dress with a co-ordinating mother of pearl necklace. Photo selfie by Angela Lansbury. The Green Dress The green dress had no brand label. However, the washing instruction says: Made in the UK. 100% polyester Lining 100% polyester. Size 16. When you wash it, it dries quickly. Red Belt This time I wore a red belt, red sandals, to go with my red lipstick, all lively red. I intended this to contrast with other outfits based on the almost monochrome, neat all-green dress, featuring a green belt and brown shoes. Green Necklace & Ring The necklace which I have called green mother of pearl is probably abalone from New Zealand.  I added a green ring.  White Nail varnish My nail varnish is white which makes a change from red. I put it on the night before to be sure of being ready.. It comes from Tesco in London, England.   Useful Websites You can buy cheap abalone ear-rings, and one size rings, on Shein for under 5 dollars. ...

  Angela Lansbury, wearing the green dress (previously in post 454) with the St Johns School mural. Photo author Angela Lansbury. The clothes here are a bit of a mismatch. The dress is green, the shoes are neutral pale brown, the mask is orange, the cape blazer is black. I should have worn black shoes and a black mask to co-ordinate. From the point of view of the HOD club, the purpose of the award of a ribbon and the photo is to encourage a member or former member or visitor to feel that their evening has been successful and that it would be worthwhile to return and ideally, become a paying member and regular attendee of the HOD Toastmasters International speakers' training club. As a former member of the UK club, and a current Vice President Public Relations of two clubs in Singapore, and Secretary of Singapore Online Dynamic, I am aware that one purpose of the photos is to place them on Facebook and other social media to attract attention partly and incidentally to Toastmasters I...

You have seen many items I have bought on ebay which were bargains, a pleasant surprise, a great success. Occasionally things go wrong. 1 Random Colours I have a hanging laundry basket on two parallel wooden bars and the fabric is fraying and I need a new one. My friend Lynda has a lovely one with a blue edge. I searched all over the internet and on eBay I saw a red edged wall-hanging laundry bag. I ordered it. I thought it would be white linen with a red fabric edge. 2 Fabric When it arrived it was brown plastic, with a yellow edge. The material was not clear. Not cotton, which I could dye.  Oxford cloth It is described as Oxford cloth. I looked that up. It is shirt material, woven in out, basket weave says WIKI, rather than knitted, but waterproof. I think it should be soft, not noisy like a plastic bag. Not soft. A noisy plastic. When I re-read the listing carefully, I saw that other pictures showed the yellow item. The description was red,yellow.  I assumed that I would be...

Orange mask, orange book and mandarin orange. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Green dress with contrasting orange mask. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Close up of the belt closed. Photo by Angela Lansbury.   Belt open with press stud shown. Photo by Angela Lansbury. The Gorgeous Green Dress The dress is great, gorgeous, so easy and quick to wear. It matches neutral shoes, or contrasts with orange or pink or red - or yellow or white. The fabric feels rough to the touch, but you don't notice when you are wearing it. I looked at it and thought, what can I add? A belt! The Out of The Ordiary Orange and Green Belt I found an old belt with a pattern. I hadn't worn it for years. It always clashed with everything. But a patterned belt is fine with a completely plain colour dress. Yes, it went perfectly. A green and orange belt, with a green dress.  The Perfect Press Stud Best of all, guess what I found. A press stud. On the tip of the belt, which goes under the buckle. Thread it through and fast...

  Angela Lansbury wearing blue, bell-sleeve, lace dress. It was advertised as 'broderie anglaise' and lace. Lace yes. Broderie anglaise, no, not in my opinion, because that has round eyelets, each one edged with blanket stitch.  The pattern runs up and down, which is subtly slimming.  The fabric is firm, almost like furniture covering, stiff. The washing label says 100% polyester. Unbranded dress. A mystery. Made in Romania. Pencil style skirt. Size ten. Slightly small for me. Does make me look young and trendy.  I should pair it up with a blue hat. For the total look. Or match all the accessories in a contrast colour such as red, or white. However, I am happy with it as it is, with no distractions. The main feature of the photo is those fabulous, fun sleeves.  Useful Websites eBay.com eBay.co.uk Please share links to your favourite posts.

  I ordered a Percko garment second hand from ebay. When It arrived I was upset. I never thought I would be able to wear it. The item looked tiny. I looked up the manufacturers website. What was their size? What did other customers say? For some reason I decided to try it on. I pulled it down gradually. With their logo on the centre front, the neck was up , pulling against my neck. I looked at the back. It was low. I thought, that can't be right. i must have it on back to front. Let's at least try it the other way around. What does it do? it does sort of strighten me up a bit. It isn't a corset. My tummy looks large today. How does it differ from a swimsuit? It has the built in heavy elastic strips. What's to like? It does the work of a bra plus vest. What doesn't work? The clips don't reach, meet, when you pull the garment down over your hips. It's not ideal for the hottest day of the year. However, my legs and arms are free.My bust is not drooping forward ...

Gold plating of a record. (Wiki) Today I went looking for an explanation of rolled gold. Is it solid gold or gold plated? Neither. It is more durable than gold plated. However, I cannot wear it in a swimming pool and it is not durable enough to be worn all day and every day like a wedding ring. So you might see the word gold and think you are getting solid gold, but you are not. However, it is a bit more durable than gold plate. At least now I know what I am getting.  Gold plating, and silver plating, are good for items which are untouched, such as a picture frame on a wall, where you want the shiny look, without an excessive cost. Traditionally a wedding ring is solid gold because it is an investment. The wedding ring was also a symbol of the husband's wherewithal (his savings, income and generosity) and willingness to look after the bride to be who will be bearing children. (In the old days she might have been non-stop pregnant with up to 12 children, even with only 12, pregnant ...

 Yesterday, I lost. Today, I won. Yesterday, my online purchase of a posture support garment was not a success. However, today I am all smiles. My grass green skirt from Tu Woman goes perfectly with my orange top. Orange and green outfit. Photo by Angela Lansbury. The Vibrant Green Skirt I bought a green broderie anglaise skirt on ebay. I love it. I immediately tried it on with my orange broderie anglaise top. The orange of the top offsets the green of the skirt. Wow. What a wonderful combination.  I already liked the orange broderie Anglaise blouse, but - but what? But it was sold as off-the-shoulder, with spaghetti straps. that did not feel or look right. The elastic pulled on the top of my arms.  I wanted to wear it with the sleeves on the shoulder. But then the neck gaps. Should I wear it the way it was supposed to be worn? No. I am not on the beach. (Despite the hot summer weather in London, and the hot weather in Singapore, the USA and worldwide.) I can't wait to we...

 I wanted back support. I have had support bras before. Then I saw a support vest - that seemed a good idea.  I like the idea of all in one, Then the band under your chest is not pressing on a bra. Admittedly, vests with built in bust support don't work on me. The padding slips sown so I end up looking like I have four breasts, no support. But this is different. I really do need posture help. The garment was quite expensive.  But I found one on ebay. Second hand.  Price The price was good. Until I saw the postage. Why so much? Postage from the USA and Ukraine can be large. This was from the Ukraine. I felt I would be lucky if it arrived at all. I like items from China, free postage. No nasty surprises at the end of the payment process.  However, I was by now psychologically committed and I had pressed the buy now button. Days passed. Finally it arrived! Size Uncertainty The confusing thing was the sizing. Was a PK size 5 a US size 5, really a UK seven? I reckone...

  Casual caftan worn loose. Selfie. Photo by Angela Lansbury I wanted something quick to wear and loose in the heat of 30 degrees C which is about 86 degrees fahrenheit. However, in the evening, to go out to dinner, it looked too informal. So I added a belt. Casual caftan transformed by a belt. Photo by Angela Lansbury. DIY caftan A caftan is an easy outfit to make or copy. It's basically a long piece of cloth folded over at shoulder height. You seam it in down both sides, the seam a few inches in to create a frill. Stop above the waist, but below your armpit.  Cut a slit for the neck. You can cut downwards at the front or the back. Enough to get the garment over your head. Seam around the neck with a braid.  I washed this out and hung it up to dry overnight to see if it would dry quickly. If so, it would be handy on holiday. Update I wear this constantly. It is my go to dress when I am in a hurry. I wore it travelling. See later post 491.

  Laura Ashley's Lovely White Silk blouse, worn by Angela on an evening out. Photo by Sharot family. I wore my Laura Ashley blouse on an evening out to El Vaquero restaurant. I dressed up with no expectation of going anywhere. then I got an unexpected dinner invitation. During dinner I kept my clothes covered to protect them from splashes. My multi-pocket sleeveless under jacket adds a touch of colour. Later I wanted to show off my outfit without the concealing jacket and my ubiquitous cape blazer. Laura Ashley outfit. Black and white outfit 447 worn by Angela Lansbury. Photo by Sharot family. Vintage Blouse White. 100% silk. Two Black ribbons vertically across the shoulder. Five black buttons, small round buttons on shanks, covered with fabric.  Buttons I imagine you might be thinking, well, all buttons are round. No, they are not. I just bought buttons shaped like elephants. The Chinese make toggles, like the ones we have on duffel coats. The Chinese also make knot buttons f...

 Brand Adidas Would you believe, a multinational German company, second largest sportswear company in the word after Nike.  Anyday - Waitrose /John Lewis - their budget line. Autograph - Marks & Spencer - their luxury line. Canda - C & A Clockhouse - C & A Atmosphere - Primark F and F - Tesco George - Asda Jaegar - owned by M & S, see Jaegar in Wiki Levi's Nike world's largest ... North face Nutmeg - Morrisons Papaya - Matalan Per Una - Marks & Spencer Tu - Sainsbury's Wrangler Yessica - C & A Shop/Store/Company/Retailer Asda - George C&A's brands include   Angelo Litrico, Avanti, Canda, Clockhouse, Here+There, Palomino, Rodeo (ski and snowboard clothes), Westbury, Yessica, Yessica Pure and Your Sixth Sense . Damart Co UK /Damartex -  Marks & Spencer - Autograph, M & S Maternity, Per Una (and others for shoes, beauty products, home wares) (St Michael) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Marks_%26_Spencer_brands Matalan - Papaya ...

 The sock drawer and the sock sorter. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Update on July 16 - a drawer sorter for socks arrived. Low and flexible. Today I sorted a drawer. Underwear. First thing in the morning, when I have energy. And need to select underwear.  If I sort one drawer a day, by the end of the week I shall have done 7. By the end of the month, one room will be completely sorted.  If I did one drawer in each room each day, the whole house would be done by the end of the month. Make that, the end of three months or a year.  Since I need to stand up from the computer, it's a welcome break. Instead of eating, I shall do sorting. Sorting Underwear I used to lay everything flat. I thought that saved space. When packing a suitcase. So the same applies to drawers. But each time I pulled out an item, the whole lot got jumbled and would not fit back in the drawer. Urgh! Then I saw Marie Kondo, folding things into a drawer on video, on Youtube. She rolls everything or folds ...