Dress Of The Day with Angela

Angela in striped apron with arrow accessory. Photo by Trevor Sharot. We were packing to move home. We filled 225 boxes, almost our entire container. I found this large bow. Too big to pack. Not used for years.  However, I wanted a record of it, to use it to illustrate a speech or talk with the theme of take aim. So, before throwing it away, I used it for a photo.  The bow symbolises moving forward, focussing on the future. Having an aim in life. 

Waterproof fabric in pretty colours, cut from discarded, broken umbrellas. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. 1a Where is the rain  1b And when?  2 Where are the new umbrellas to buy or borrow?  3 Where are broken umbrellas?   4 What use are broken umbrellas?  5 Is it possible to repair them?  6 What can you retrieve?   1a I used to be puzzled that it was pouring with rain in my area of Singapore, yet friends or family on the other side of the island were enjoying sunshine. Why? One side of the island is wetter and therefore greener. Water grows plants, greenery. Worth remembering where it is dry if you want to sunbathe and swim or go out working, visiting and shopping. And you want to wear summery clothes. The other side is wetter. Good if you are a keen gardener and want to grow plants , without constantly watering them. Good if you like to wear coats or jackets with hoods. Good for a matching umbrella to look coordinated or act as...

 Kimono with colour run. Photo by Angela Lansbury. I hand washed my kimono in cold water. The red colours ran. I now have a streaky pink kimono. the washing label says you can machine wash it! Yet hand washing had this result. I saw the red running as I washed it and finished the washing quickly. You can buy a product which is supposed to remove run stains.  A product called Vanish is on Amazon. Just type in remove stains. You will get Amazon in your location.  However, I don't want to risk any more messing about.  I am glad I took a photo of the kimono as it was yesterday. You can see it pristine in post 238. Useful Websites Vanish on https://www.amazon.co.uk/ UK advice https://www.ariel.co.uk/en-gb/how-to-wash/stain-removal/tough-stains? USA advice https://www.cleaninginstitute.org/cleaning-tips/clothes/stain-removal-guide#:~:text=Pretreat%20it%20with%20a%20liquid,as%20much%20stain%20as%20possible.

Angela Lansbury in kimono with handsewn zip. Photo by Trevor Sharot. I had a Japanese kimono in cotton with a pretty red pattern. I never wore it. Wraparound is not a good look or feel for me. I have one dropped shoulder after breaking my clavicle in a road traffic accident. I feel indiscreet with a gap at the front, and have to constantly re-tie the belt, which is a nuisance. I new what I needed was a zip. i sewed zips into two towelling bathrobes which I use when I got to swim. (I wear them on alternate days to let them dry out). Long zips are hard to come by. I saw a discarded folding mattress with a zip-off cover. The zip was just what I needed. White, Perfect. I cut it out. I sewed it in. Simple sewing. A straight line up and down. It was not an open-ended zip. However, it was long enough for me to climb into the garment.

Angela Lansbury wearing palm tree pattern dress, with palm tree pattern umbrella. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Copyright. The palm tree pattern dress was bought in Cyprus in summer from a souvenir shop near the circle of restaurants and shops entrance to a ski resort. Bought in 2022. The umbrella was from Singapore. I matched them up in 2023.  

 A blue day dress made glamorous with DIY decoration of hite feathers and mock pearls on the cuffs. Photo by Angela Lansbury. At a wedding I was impressed by my friend's blue dress with white feathery and pearl decoration on the cuffs of the sleeves. Her outfit looked very smart and expensive and glamorous. She told me she had sewn on the decoration herself. She makes a lot of craft items, using pieces of decoration. For example, masks. Her dress has a wide circular swing hem added on. But the top is a simple blue shirt-waisted style. It is the contrasting colour which is effective and the soft effect, like feathers and lace. Her outfit is completely unique. She must have spent a reasonable amount on the fancy decoration. But even so, much less than an expensive dress.  Day and evening What is interesting is that you can transform a shirt waisted style into something so glamorous with the sleeve decoration. It\s like adding a black bow at the neck of a white blouse.  ...

  Angela Lansbury wearing a Thai silk jacket, and silk trousers, as a guest at a Muslim Malay wedding in Singapore. Photo from Sharot family. Copyright. A friend of mine from Toastmasters asked me, 'Are they all your own clothes, or are they borrowed?' If I am wearing them, they are my own clothes.  If somebody, usually a glamorous young woman, at a bus stop or on a train, is photographed by me, those are not my clothes but belong to the wearer. The same applies to clothes worn by my husband or other men. I have kept to the sequential numbering system. So I do not have 234 outfits because some of them are other women or men. Also, sometimes I feature a zip, or a pair or shoes, or handbag, so it is not a complete outfit. However, I decided it was easier to stick to sequential numbers in case I want to refer back to a post or to answer a reader's query. At first I called all the posts dress of the day because that is the name of the blog. then I decided it was more accurate t...

 The hems had come down on both trouser legs. (Americans would legs of a pair of pants.) I looked for matching thread. Dark worked better than a lighter colour.  Next where to start? Cut a length of thread. Thread the needle. No need to pin up with safety pins. The hem is already creased into place. Hide the cotton end inside the seam. Start where the vertical seam ends to keep everything straight. You can oversew the vertical seams on the horizontal part, both sides. That helps stop the thread unravelling. Net decided whether to sew a line of tiny vertical stitches or one long in and out horizontal line parallel to the hem. The fabric edging, oversewn, is still in place. So I can use that as a visual guide. I tried both types of stitch. My sewing is a bit wonky. I thought tiny stitched upright would be more subtle. However, I could not get the vertical stitches spaced and regularly with regular height. So I opted for the in and out which enables you to sew more quickly. My hu...

Angela Lansbury in red Thai outfit with elephant decoration. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Copyright. The Red Top The sleeveless linen pull-over top has large triple metal elephant decoration on the lower front. Red Skirt The matching red skirt has slit sides. The drawstring tightening the waist is cut from the same fabric. The outfit was bought in Singapore. I have looked everywhere for the elephants to sew on other garments but could not find them. Maybe I shall see more similar when I visit Thailand. The Under Vest The label reads Collezioni Italy XL  The red short sleeve top has a silky shiny look. Red Flower Hair Clip The red flower hair clip completes the co-ordinated look. You can buy one large fabric flower hair clip in your favourite colour. Or buy a set of smaller ones in assorted colours. The children's section of department stores and  Please share links to your favourite posts.

Angela Lansbury wearing a dress from refash. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Copyright. Refash sells secondhand clothing in sites in malls all over Singapore. This dress was bought from Refash in Bukit Panjang.  It is too long. I was considering cutting off the hem and using the cut part, folded lengthwise as a blet. It would have to be hand seamed, hand sewn inside out.

  Dapper Lawrence wore a martial arts outfit with salmon pink (orange pink) edging. He added a matching hat, plus matching shoes. A fancy white belt sealed the smart look.

Free Hangers I ask shops if I can have the hangers. Sometimes they say yes. Sometimes no.  Sometimes not this hanger, but you can have this one. I take any hanger. I can move garments around. Baby Hangers Baby hangers are useful for shawls, dickeys, handbags, trousers (Americans say pants). Also for travelling with a carry on bag when you are short of space and weight allowance.  Useful websites https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12693021/Pro-organizer-closet-hack-baby-hangers.html