Red jacket with white at night hat, Xmas jumper and Xmas scarf, dress 555

 

Angela wearing red jacket, Xmas theme jumper, white for night hat and red Xmas scarf. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

Winter Weight Wide Sleeve Jacket

For London in cold December I needed a warm jacket. It also had to have large armholes and sleeves.  I tried on several of my old jackets and long raincoats. This red jacket has sleeves wide enough to go over a thick jumper. 

The White For Night hat

As we drove around in the dark, on several occasions people wearing dark clothes and invisible to us suddenly stepped into the roadway. After a couple of near misses, I said aloud, 'They should wear white at night'. I was not wearing white. I was in a car. But I might well get out of the car and cross a car park (Americans say parking lot) or cross a road at my destination. When I got home, I went though all my hats and scarves and found a white hat.

White At Night Set

Years ago you wore white in summer and black in winter. All accessories were in these colours. White sandals. Black boots. White straw hats. Black winter coats.

Then along came ski holidays. Snow white. Plus garish colours so you could be seen speeding across the paths of others, and easily seen at a distance and found when fallen or even buried in an avalanche. White was safe and suitable. Bright colours became even better, brightening up the dark days and nights. Practical, emotional, sensible, fun.

My white hat started as a hat and scarf set. My neck was cold. 

Worse still, I kept dropping my scarf in the dirt - and nearly losing it. I pinned it together at the back of the neck with a safety pin, but did not like a safety pin so near my skin. 

I decided to sew a couple of stitches in the centre. Not very secure. I sewed a bit longer, then continued around in both directions.

I now have in effect a hood. It keeps my neck warm. Less to get lost. I feel warm and confident.

How does it look. If I take more trouble knotting it, I can make the section at the front hang neatly. (I could pin it with a seasonal brooch. For a party, a little flashing light.

You could sew it on so that the right side of the scarf is longer, so that when it is tied or looped over the left the two sections are then level. (Think of a necktie which starts with the right side longer.) However, as it is sometimes left loose, I decided to leave it with both sides the same length and will do the same if I have another hat and scarf set.

I originally titled this post white at night. When I edited the text, I changed it to white for night. I think this sounds more thoughtful and deliberate and decisive and instructive.

In addition to the last season's white hat, I am wearing a new red scarf. It was part of a scarf and gloves set bought from St Luke's charity shop in Hatch End, north west London.  The fabric is polyester and I don't expect it to last long, but I was not expecting to be in Lonon in the cold for a long time.

Cut-out pattern On the Scarf and gloves set

The scarf has the pattern embossed, or rather, carved out, on one side. That makes it reversible if at the end of winter you are tired or winter symbols. But the gloves have the pattern. But the gloves are a smaller area and if your hands are moving or in your pockets the pattern on the gloves is less noticeable.