Dress Of The Day with Angela

Another scarf from Shelley Siu, who had a stand at the Tanglin Club Christmas Fair. She was selling scarves from the company she founded, The Singapore Shawl company. This scarf is neatly kept level at the front by a linking Chinese knot. You can buy a Chinese knot set. You might need a few for all the way down the front of a jacket, like buttons, perhaps four or six, depending on the size. but to fix a scarf, one pair is sufficient. The neckline is edged by a silky fabric patterned with small hearts. The scarf comes with a matching mask in the heart pattern fabric.  I bought this scarf not only because it was red but because of the heart pattern. Everybody has their favourite patterns. I like hearts. (I also like suns and moons, sea scapes, fish, flowers, especially orchids and fuchias and roses).  I wore the mask as a headband but you cannot see it. Useful Websites Shawls https://sg.canon/en/campaign/business-insight/tips/the-singapore-shawl-empowering-marginalised-women Chinese knot

 I loved this scarf worn by Shelley, Shelley Siu, who was standing by her stand at the Tanglin Club Christmas Fair. The Christmas Fairs are wonderful. I always go there thinking that I have enough clothes and food and drink. Then I see something unique and irresistible. She was wearing this shawl, with the curved edge in contrasting black against red.  The Shelley Siu story is interesting. She is the classic entrepreneurial Chinese lady. She started out a well paid trainer for big companies. (I wish I had known - my dream job - I could have asked her about that. She left that to train Singaporean ladies who had lost their jobs. But those in the older age group were not being taken on. So she looked at Indian and America where businesses starting up cannot afford shop rents and sell products from low cost wheeled carts. Which products? Scarves. Take a simple scarf, of good quality fabric, and add fringed or tassels or cut into shapes and make an elegant and expensive item. As marketing

  Angela Lansbury wearing the white dress of the day 551, with cut sleeves. Photo by Trevor Sharot. I bought this dress in Singapore second-hand from the second-hand shop, Refash. Americans call buying 'preloved' items, thrifting. I had looked at the Refash price ranges. If I could not find anything in the lower price range, the best value in the upper price range was a full length dress.  Advantages Of A Full Length Dress A full length dress is quicker when you are trying to decide what to put on, rather than trying to match up tops and skirts of different colours and patterns. The overall effect is neater. You look taller, if you are tiny as I am, in an upright oblong, rather than in two square dice shapes, whether they are the same colour separated by a midriff or belt, or different colours. I found a lovely dress which was small. I had already rejected it on my first spinning circle around the shop because it was small. On second thoughts, I wondered if I could cut it. Mayb

 Bra inset and removal slot. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Many swimsuits and bras have shoulder pads and bra pads which are removable.  How to Remove A Bra Pad Many bra pads can be inserted and removed through a slit, at one side. If your pad slips sideways or folds in half, you can reach in and move it.  You can also remove it, if it disintegrates.  Or if you want a light weight garment or your garment is too tight. I removed a flat pad above. I was thinking, what a pity they did not provide two pads in different sizes, or sell the garment with a choice of shapes of pads, or ...?  Check Bra Pad Material? I have had other bra or swimsuit pads which were like plastic netting. But this pad was soft. Like a thick, very firm sponge. Change Size Ironically, a circle of fabric is flat, but as you cut out slices, although the circumference gets smaller, the height and shape of the dome gets larger. The cut item is likely to have a point. You can remove the point by cutting it, folding it in, or

 

  Angela wearing a short yellow caftan with yellow ribbon belt. Dress 548. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Angela wearing a short yellow caftan with a slot-through belt. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Here's how it looked loose. Loose, short, yellow caftan. Dress 548. Photo by Angela Lansbury. I was ready to go out to a meeting and looked in the mirror. My short yellow caftan was a loose design. It looked sloppy, loose like I had just got out of bed in a night dress. Also flat chested. I looked shapeless. I tied a ribbon around the waist  to see the effect. It looked good.  Like a proper fitted dress. Neater. Younger. So I cut slots in the waist seams on my left and right. You fold the fabric horizontally and make a small slit near the side seam, careful not to cut the seam. You can then use the hole or small cut to inset the scissors further and cut upwards or downwards. I check the right hand side of the garment against the left side to be sure that the two slits are at the same height betw

 The Hem Cut off the hem. The hem now has one side already machine sewn.  The cut off hem. Photo by Angela Lansbury. The piece you cut off will have straight or slightly curved edges. I had two long wide pieces, from the hems at the front and the back of the caftan. I made one into a scarf and the other one into a belt. (Or a hairband and a shorter belt.) The Scarf You only need to hand or machine sew one long side and two short ends for a scarf or tie belt. You now have a wide piece for a scarf.  The Belt Fold it in half lengthways to make a belt. The belt can, in theory, be sewn inside out. Leave one small end open and pull it through with a safety pin. The sewing is then on the inside with a hidden seam along the long outside edge. Cut two slits at waist level for the belt to pull through. Tie it at the front, so that the back of the garment hangs free. If you wear a jacket, the slits cannot be seen. You must need to reinforce them so that the slits do not split further. You could s

  DIY belt for a caftan. Photo by Angela Lansbury.  This belt is made from the handles of tote bags, removed from paper tote bags either torn and discarded or no longer needed. Usually you can unthread the end of the handle. You only need to disentangle one end of the handle and you can usually pull the other one out. Occasionally I cut the bag in order to remove the handles.  If you want to preserve a bag handle in the bag in order to carry the bag, you can thread one of the handles diagonally from one side to the other. In the dress, I first tie the two handles together at the ends with a slip knot. You could sew them or fix them with glue or nail varnish. You can tie the rope handle around your waist, if you have an hourglass figure, which I do. However, there is always the risk of the belt hanging lopsided or falling off in the street and being lost or dirty. So I made two slits for the belt with the edges sewn like button holes. The handle is a soft gold coloured twisted rope, wit

 Known your good side, the good side of your face. Or take three photos or five every time. Face forwards, left, right, and three quarters in both directions. Try the same looking up and down. Pose leaning forwards and backwards. What do we need to hide? Untidy hair, bald patch, roots which need tinting - under a hat or hair band, or a pony tail. Frown lines - under a fringe or brimmed hat. Lined neck or Adam's apple (thyroid cartilage)  - under a polo neck or high neck or scarf or choker.  Tummy Hide a tummy under an A line dress, or a long scarf. Hold a bunch of flowers. Stand behind a table. Stand half hidden behind somebody else. Place a partner seated on a chair and stand behind them. Hide half behind a door or wall, peeking out or waving or holding out a banner or welcome sign or greeting. Sit with a pet on your lap, or a soft toy. Arms and Hands Hid crepey arms under long sleeves. Lack of nail varnish - hands behind back, or holding a bunch of flowers, or a cup, or a book. 

 I had heard of the rule of thirds in photography, but not in clothes. You can look at the rule of thirds up and down or side to side when composing or cropping a photo of yourself or another human body or a landscape. I like to have the head, hair, hands and feet in the picture. Some newspaper editors, on the contrary, crop faces to cut off hair and show eyes to make eyes bigger and a small face photo bigger on the page.  I prefer central interest. Symmetry. I agree that a figure on one side can be arresting, especially if it frames the distant view. Now, what about clothes. Can we apply the rule of thirds? We can make sure that a colour accent is in all thirds of the picture, the hairband, the belt and the shoes. I look at myself in a full length mirror before taking photos. I try front view, sideways, head turned, arms out and in, up or down, forward and back. I add and remove belts. Smaller or larger bags. Complementary or contrasting colours. Finally, we take two or three photos a

  Angela in a one piece swimsuit. Photo by Trevor Sharot. I bought this one piece swimsuit because I liked the pattern of the playing cards. Unfortunately the gaps at the side did not appeal, and the lopsided look was not my style. For over a year I did not wear it. Then I was urgently looking for swimwear to go under a skirted swimsuit whose underpants had been left behind in another country. I went through my swimsuits and found this one. I was thinking, what a pity it is not two halves. If only they had made it in two halves. They could have ... Why don't I?" My next thought was, "That would spoil it. I should keep it as it is in case anybody wants to wear it.  But it's mine and unworn and I don't want to give it away. I like the pattern. I should cut it. What have I got to lose? But I might spoil it and not be able to wear it. But I am not wearing it now. " I got my scissors out and cut it in half. I went around the edge of the part of the pattern I wante

  blue cap from Daiso. Children's. Photo by Angela Lansbury. I bought several caps from Daiso. I went back to look for more, but could not find them.  Later, on a third visit, I realised they were from the children's section.  They were soft and wrapped up or rolled up easily. Daiso in Changi City Point mall, near Expo MRT railway station, next to the Expo exhibition centre, one train stop from Changi Airport, Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Dai is Chinese for big. Japanese company. Ah so. Big value but small prices. But now even bigger because it sells in several countries and continents. Useful Websites WORLDWIDE https://www.daisojapan.com/ UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stationery-Office-Supplies-daiso/s?rh=n%3A192413031%2Cp_4%3Adaiso SINGAPORE https://www.daisosingapore.com.sg/ https://www.changicitypoint.com.sg/store-detail.php?CategoryID=594&StoreID=11733

  Angela Lansbury wearing blue Sport shoes with a royal blue towelling robe by the swimming pool. Photo by Angela Lansbury. I am on the mailing list for Crocs but I still look at all the similar style and cheaper brands, especially for the deals of 20 dollars or 20 pounds or less and the colours which I want.  I wanted a darker blue to go with a towelling robe which I wear for swimming.  The Towelling Robe The towelling robe is neater than carrying around a bulky towel. I can manage with a tiny face flannel size to dry off my feet but often forget even that. (Which increases the risk of athletes foot if you don't dry your feet and leave them all day in wet shoes, so I dry my feet and change into another pair or Crocs or Croc style colourful synthetic clogs.) The towelling robe was originally a wrap around. I found that a nuisance. It constantly came undone. Even when done up, it could be too revealing. It tended to hang sideways. The hem was always a different length on the two sid

 Angela Lansbury wearing a red dress with black book pattern. Brand Harkel. Photo by Trevor Sharot.  The Dress Brand Harkel. Bought from ebay.  Size uk 20, Eu 48, US 16. What do I love about this dress? Firstly, mostly, the book pattern. I spent hours searching for dresses with book patterns, in various patterns, sizes and colours. This one was affordable, within my budget, as well as the colour red.  Although it is rather short, I hoped that being a large size it would not be too tight. I also hoped that a large size would be longer.  What I like About The Dress Design Buttons It has five large buttons, two on each cuff and one on the neck, no, more than that, six down the front including the one on the neck. No spares. I got it on and off using the buttons. Afterwards, I discovered a long zip down the side. Pockets It has two large pockets. One each side. Vertical pockets in the seams. Like the zip, so subtle, that an onlooker would not notice them. The pockets are large. The Footwea

The internet offers you a host of chances to buy and sell. Lt's look at them alphabetically. Aliexpress began in and is based in China. It began as business to business but now puts you the consumer in touch with sellers. Amazon in Seattle in the USA has a free audio tour of its headquarters. eBid has categories such as: Clothes, shoes, accessories; Jewelry and watches (American spelling), and Whatever's left. ebuygumm appears to be UK only. Lazada started in Asia. Here's the Lazada office in Singapore. On most sites nowadays the buyer can specify a price range, or search low to high or high to low. Other options are sizes, brand names, and fabrics. Useful Websites aliexpress.com https://www.ebid.net/us/ https://ebuygumm.co.uk/fees https://www.lazada.sg/sell-on-lazada? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazada Useful overview https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_shopping  

What does this prove? That you can be overweight like him and wear skimpy clothes like her but still look elegant. A traditional cha cha dress has ruffles so you can shimmy and shake, and has bright colours. What is Cha Cha? A dance which originated in Cuba. In the example in the video, you can see it is t is a partner dance, a sexy dance, but an arms length dance and a mirror image dance. A big like a tango. What To Wear For Cha Cha You have probably heard of the skater skirt. Think of a circular skirt.  If you want to remain covered up, you can add a layer of petticoats, tights, or a skort, which is like a miniskirt with attached shorts in the same or a contrasting colour. Do I have a short cha-cha dress? What about a longer one?  What else do you need? Heeled shoes in a matching colour. Heavy heels to make a noise in time with the beat. Here's another couple. Ailura  -  Own work Austrian Open Championships Vienna, 2012 WDSF World Dancesport Championships Latin 16.-18. November 2

In Singapore a good place for selling and buying second hand clothes is refash. I have found them good for buying second hand clothes. I used two branches. One is in Changi Point, near the Expo MRT, one stop from Changi Airport. Another place is Carousell. If you are puzzling over the spelling, the usual spelling of the word carousel, which the British call a roundabout, is carousel, but the company name word ends Sell, with a double ll, as in buying and selling. Wiki explains Carousell logo Carousell  is a  Singaporean   smartphone  and web-based  consumer to consumer  and  business to consumer  marketplace for buying and selling new and secondhand goods. Headquartered in Singapore, it also operates in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, [1]  Cambodia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, [2]  Australia, New Zealand and Canada. [3]  Carousell is available on both  iOS  and  Android  devices. The UK and Europe - Ebay The UK has many options. I use ebay a lot. They operate in the UK, USA, Singap

Angela wearing Toastmasters t-shirt, gift to all who attended the celebration meeting at Eminent Toastmasters International club at Dell. The t-shirt The t shirt has a red zip at the front. You can open the zip to reveal more red. I like the red. It relieves the monotony and darkness of the black. It matched my red lipstick. (And my red sandals if I choose to wear them.) Tee-shirt with the zip open. However, an open neck looks very casual. You could get a neater effect with a red camisole, or a dickey with a white collar.  The matching red lipstick absolutely makes it, if you look back at the previous picture. The writing is reversed right to left. This can be changed by loading the photo into an editing program, such as Photopad.   I knew that I was going to receive the tee-shirt because an email arrived asking me my size. I opted for medium. I asked if there was a choice of colour of tee shirt.  No. They were all the same. The correspondent sent me a picture of the front and back. I

Angela Lansbury at the Tanglin Club, in Singapore. The Orange Skirt I am wearing an orange silk skirt. it has a zip, three metallic domed buttons at the head of the zip, and two side pockets. I love the colour and the feel. Orange Bag Matched with an orange tote bag. Orange tee-shirt The tee-shirt with a pattern of oranges amuses me. I bought it for only 5 dollars in the basement of Bukit Panjang.  I went back again a couple of days later, no sign of the stalls. Sometimes those cheap stalls actually belong to the more expensive and larger shops and department stores upstairs. But the bargain basement wheeling display units show piles of stocks of cheap sale items. Orange Footwear Orange-red Crocs style clogs, with a small black koala pattern. Orange Scarf the orange scarf is to protect me from the chill of air conditioning in the lounge. The scarf also doubles as protection for the blouse and skirt when I am eating lunch, tea or dinner. White Thai Silk Blouse Orange Flower Display