Dress Of The Day with Angela

  Angela Lansbury wearing a complete kurta outfit with matching trousers and scarf. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Copyright. Blue Outfit's  Trousers - Fine At First Sight I loved the pale blue outfit, which you can see without the trousers in the previous post. I pulled on the blue trousers. They had wide legs. That would make a change. Hm - maybe I should wear another colour.  Red & Beige Outfit - Tight Trousers! I decided to wear a red and beige outfit, with the beige trousers. When I tried to pull on the beige trousers, I discovered the lower legs were tapered and too tight. Not only would they not pull over shoes, they would not pull over my feet. I lay them out on the bed to look at them carefully.  Press Studs I noticed a metal circle, what the Americans call a snap, and the English call a press stud. The two halves were a few centimeters apart. I pressed them together. Sure enough, they fitted. They brought the already tight trousers together even tighter at the...

  Angela Lansbury wearing pale blue kurta with matching scarf. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Copyright. Angela Lansbury wearing pale blue kurta over a long-sleeved Patra blouse. Close up of neckline embroidery. Selfie photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. The Blue Tunic Three Piece Set The tunic is a kurta. The style worn in India and the Middle East. Because a kurta a slit up both sides to the waist it is usually worn with a matching or plainer pant (trouser), usually the fabric without the glossy embroidery. A floor length or ankle length skirt uses a lot of fabric. That raises he cost. So I was very pleased wih y bargain. Oddly, the colour is much brighter blue in sunlight. In the evening I looked at the pale blue under elecric light and it seemed rather epis and wishy washy. However, I decided tha because I have blue eyes, alhough it was not royal blue which maches my skin colour, it might prove a success. I was more the pleased with the resul. If I have no worn the trousers at all af...

Green, long-sleeved vest from Patra. Selfie photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. I have a lot of Patra tops, in various colours. Patra in the UK, not the USA Patra which makes cocktail dresses. Patra, UK, started out selling silk. Now the silk is mixed with other fibers and the proportion of silk is gradually dwindling. Patra are also selling bamboo and cotton. In winter the long sleeved vest is a base layer which keeps me warm, but silk is thin and lightweight. I look for seconds on Ebay. Why wear a long sleeved vest in summer? I have been covering up for years. This habit started in Italy when I was a teenager on holiday with parents at a hotel. I wore a low-back dress. I was asked to dance by a member of the hotel staff, probably our regular waiter. I vividly remember being uncomfortable because he held my back with his hand which was perspiring. Ever since, I have been opposed to low-back dresses and tops on myself, and slightly uneasy seeing them on other women. Protection From Sw...

Angela Lansbury in beige and burgundy kurta outfit. Photo by Trevor Sharot.   The scarf is long and thin. Gossamer. Chiffon? Floaty. Photo by Trevor Sharot. The scarf needs pinning. Otherwise it slips off one shoulder and falls to the ground. Photo by Trevor Sharot. I bought this dress second-hand for five pounds from North Harrow Library. The library sells books at the front of the library to raise funds to keep the library open.  For the first time they had Indian-style outfits on sale. This type of outfit has three pieces.  The Tunic The long, kurta or tunic, is ankle length on me. The skirt has slit sides. The top fabric is lined with a plain colour. The Trousers For trousers Americans say pants. The slit sides I imagine are one reason why it the outfit includes the pants. The pants are baggy with a  drawstring waist. The fabric is light and thin.  They are pulled in at the ankle. The trousers are a plain buff or beige colour. The Scarf The scarf is very lon...

Angela Lansbury wearing a Dressline tunic style dress. Photo by Trevor Sharot. I bought this at North Harrow library for two pounds sterling. I thought red has to be good. Not a lot to lose at that price. Buyer's Doubts  I hesitated because it was faded in a line under the bust. Old and shabby. Rescue and Renovation  I still thought I could do something with it. Either use the lower half as a skirt. Or use it as a pattern. Or wear it with the top hidden under a jacket. Or sew a ribbon horizontally across the front, or two parallel ribbons. Or dye it so that the faded part took on a vibrant shade. Red Accessories I put it on and looked for red accessories to enhance the new look. My frequently worn red sandals were too bright a red.. It's surprising how shades of red here are. (And how many shades of every colour.) Smart Sandals The two-colour, browny-red shoes were a better complement. They are also an upgrade on single colour sandals. The brand is Josef Seibel. Contrasting Co...

 I bought both pink and red spectacles holders from a shop in Hatch End.  An opticians. Americans say optometrist. My husband had the red. I had the pink.  We looked at two styles. The ones which looked like fabric rope were thinner and lighter and cheaper. We thought the plastic ones looked plastic. They might crack or snap. As well as being heavy. The other opticians in Hatch End had more elaborate ones at higher prices.  If you are willing to pay about ten pounds, you can buy online a set of about ten in different colours. Angela Lansbury wearing spectacles secured by a cord. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Copyright. Useful Websites hatchendeyecare.com https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cetornie-Spectacle-Sunglasses-Eyeglasses-Decoration/  Please share links to your favourite posts.

 New to me. Sighted goggles. Enabling you to see fish underwater. Opticians in the UK In Hatch End there are two opticians offering eye tests and spectacle frames and lenses. Hatch End Eyecare, and The Eyecare Studio. If you go further afield around London, to Watford or Harrow, you can find Specsavers, Boots and others.  Elegant Frames I come back back to Hatch End because I know the people and they have a good range of elegant and interesting spectacle frames which I will be wearing every day, so it's important for me to look right. In Hatch End Eyecare earlier this year I bought a reasonably priced spectacle string holder.  Angela Lansbury wearing varifocal lenses in spectacle frame from Hatch End Eyecare and a pik cord spectacle holder from the same shop. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Copyright. World for an online search include Glasses strap, chain lanyard. Hatch End Eyecare is on the same side of the street as the railway station. You will easily spot the huge spactacle ...

  Summer sunshine yellow. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. Summer sunshine yellow. The yellow and green on the white tee-shirt match the yellow trousers. The black bag and brown shoes are hardly noticed. The black bag does have brown handles.  The eye-catching yellow effect was seen by me from some distance away. The pale brown shoes go with, echo, the wearer's pale brown hair. Top to toe. The perfect colour combination for a sunny summer day. You could wear yellow trousers with a white top for a colour block effect. But the yellow flowers creates a more delicate look. More subtle. More matching. Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts.

  Angela Lansbury wearing her second Moyabo dress with pockets. Photo by Trevor Sharot. I loved my previous Moyabo dress. I had searched for a dress with pockets. I was hungry for pockets, after a red dress from Shein left me anxiously waving my two hands around my waist, hunting for non-existent pockets, like two bereaved mothers. The first Moyabo dress I bought had a navy blue top, and a flared skirt printed with white flowers, with pale brown accents. Whilst I am not keen on pale brown, I matched the brown accents on the dress pattern with a pair of pale brown sandals. I also found a pair of sandals with blue. Angela Lansbury wearing her first Moyabo dress with lantern sleeves and larger flowers pattern. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Copyright. I loved the lantern sleeves. The elastic at the wrist kept the sleeves neat. Also the handy elasticated cuffs kept well out of the way when washing up dishes, washing your hands, doing anything. I wore the dress most days on holiday. When I got...

  Photo by Angela Lansbury. You can buy aprons in white or red with a matching tea towel from the Buckingham Place Shop. It is in Palace Street, London SW!, near Victoria station. Useful Website https://www.royalcollectionshop.co.uk/ Please share links to your favourite posts.

  My hat purchase at an art show in Finchley, north west London, was a sequinned hat. Angela Lansbury wearing a hat with blue sequins. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. This hat was a success. It looks like a cross between a straw hat and a Panama hat and a trilby. The label inside says 100% polyester. The hat is lined with white fabric so there is not scratching of your skulls from spiky bits of real or imitation straw. I could sew onto the inside band a piece of stretchy thin flat, hat elastic.  (I did that recently on my Sandeman hat.) DIY hats to decorate I later looked online to see what I could find and make in a similar style. I could buy a white hat from China. But last time I bought a pink cowgirl hat, it arrived out of shape from the packaging being bashed.  Silk and Smart Hats I found another stand selling even smarter hats in silk, other styles, such as one amusing beret. Up to three figure sums.   Silk and special occasion hats. Prices such as 40...

Red and gold colour pendant. Pendants by Martine Meyer. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.  My new pendant cost ten pounds. I bought it at an art show in Finchley, north west London. I saw the display table. The Material  The material is glass. I asked Martine how she made them. She said, "I bake them in a kiln." Baked in a kiln  means on high heat. I retorted, "I'll leave that to you!" I could string beads on elastic myself if I had the time and energy and skill. But dealing with hot and needing a kiln, or to visit one, that is a whole extra dimension. I shall leave that to other experts. Red Colour I looked at all the pendants. Which one suited me?  I chose the one which had red to enhance my plain red Shein dress. The red will also go with my lipstick, and red accessories such as shoes.  Orange and red means it goes with two colours of warm colour clothes. Support The pendant's support is a light weight and effectively colour orange fabric. Not a ribbon...

I wanted pockets on my new read dress from Shein.  I could not do a concealed zip up pocket. The side seams are securely sewn. Too secure for me to add a belt or pocket. Cutting curves is not my thing, unless a saucer is the right size to make a template. How about buying a ready-made pocket? Or half a dozen wholesale, multi-buy? Price\ I found a 'security pocket; on Amazon. It costs 3.97 pounds - free postage if you have Amazon prime.  Security The security seems to be a zip. Maybe more. How the zip fastens. Iron On I read through all the comments. Most sewers, don't trust iron-on items.  Nor do I. I have had the sticky back detach in the past, either from washing the garment, or just out of spite! One person complained that the iron on part was the wrong side of the pocket. But most people were sewing, instead of ironing on, not in addition to ironing on. Firm Fabric People pointed out that trouser pockets are often of thinner material. Yes, you don't want bulky pockets...

  Mother and daughter outfits. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. Mother and daughter outfits are delightful, at home or on holiday. Matching outfits are handy if you have temporarily lost sight of a child, or have a child but want to find the mother. Even if the tourists and host country speak a different language, you can find the mother of a crying child, or one playing happily, or wandering about inquisitively, unaware that anxious mother is running around looking for her lost offspring. Easily reunited! Identity When the parent comes to claim the child, no passport is needed for verification. Smiling mother and child, matching outfits. In a fancy dress contest, a sure winner.  Matching For fun, and a grand entrance, eg for a birthday, add matching paper crowns. Matching bracelets. Same colour shoes. If you don't find what you want, buy a ream of cloth and make matching clothes or scarves. Or buy bandannas. Or matching sunhats. Or matching football or sports outfits. Use...