Dress Of The Day with Angela

  Scalloped edge blue bolero label Petite Francaise.  Photo by Angela Lansbury. The label claims size 14, 36 ins bust 91 cm. However, as the seller on ebay described it, actually smaller. It is a tight fit on me. When I put it on, standing up, I had to change out of a long sleeved vest into a light summer vest with almost no sleeve. Even then, although I got get the arms on, as soon as I moved the arms pulled. It looked wide enough on the shoulders, but seemed tight across the back. However, I put it on for the photo, and kept it on when sitting down for lunch. To my surprise, when I stayed sitting down, upright, hardly moving, I soon forgot that the top had felt too small. That is good news. I keep turning the little jacket over to see whether I could let it out. No luck. The lining is secured to the shell, so it would be a lot of work, with dubious success. Easier to diet until it fits! The Petite Francaise Label I saw several items on ebay and a few on Etsy, and other vinta...

Antique Clothes More than 100 years old. Usually used for furniture. Not so much clothing survives that long. BNWT Clothes BNWT is an acronym, short form, for Brand New With Tags. Brand New with Tag The tag confirms the size. Otherwise the seller might photograph the item with a ruler or tape measure on top.  Pre-loved Clothes  Pre-loved is the euphemistic, positive or polite way of describing what used to be called second-hand. To confuse matters, there's a company which calls itself Pre-loved. Modern Clothes Anything in the last twenty years. Useful Websites On Vintage Clothing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vintage_clothing -ends- Please share links to your favourite poems. About Angela Lansbury - my books of poetry Poetry Pets & Pests Angela's Alarming Animal poems Poetry Workbook  My latest book, Embarrassing Moments, is on Amazon, at a bargain price of well under ten pounds My books are on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Lulu.com Take a look. You might like to buy ...

  The Black Jacket My new black jacket is old, vintage, from label Indigo Moon. But you would have no trouble buying an Indigo Moon jacket or similarly elaborate embellished top, suit, dress or coat nowadays. Ebay found me more than a thousand Indigo items. Jackets abound, in any colour combination you could imagine. Vibrant red, black or blue velour. Tee shirts in pink, purple and green. Also brown and orange embroidered vividly with gold thread and glinting sequins and gleaming tiny tubular beads. Neat and symmetrical, or mosaic and asymmetrical.  If I were still looking for a novelty, I could have bought handbags, or a swimsuit. Beautiful Buttons Five gib beautiful buttons are down the front. Plus an extra spare button inside. In case you lose a button, or want to test its durability. But the label says dry clean only. The buttons have glinting tiny jewel-like pieces, secured under a see through varnish. The buttons are fastened with black matt loops. Beautiful Braid The ed...

  Primark's Snuddie in Off-White. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Primark provides practical and pretty clothes at appealing prices. This pull on warm winter fleece has a handy kangaroo pocket to keep your hands warm. Kangaroo Pocket For Warmth I love the kangaroo pockets. So snug for your hands to hide and keep warm. Hoods Are Handy The second great feature is the hood. This garment, a cross between a hoodie and snuggle, is called a snuddie. Knitted Cuffs Advantages Knitted cuffs have two main advantages. Firstly, they keep you warm. Secondly, they stop sleeves from dragging in water when you are washing your hands, your clothes, or washing up dishes after meals. They look neat and do not flap about. Snuddies and Blanket-Like Clothes The snuddie is unlike earlier versions of hooded blankets. One version had a lining which made it warmer and thicker, maybe more expensive. Another garment was the Slanket. The fleece dressing gown worn back to front could leave you with gaps. I hate the wa...

Indigo Moon coat with pockets worn by Angela Lansbury. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Edited (background cropped) by Angela Lansbury.  Indigo Moon Clothes Without And With Pockets  I love Indigo Moon clothes. The sequins. The fancy metal big buttons. No two alike. Individual. Despite being produced long ago, they are mostly in good condition. Some of them are flimsy without linings. I bought a dozen and none of them had pockets. Lots of jackets were available. Very few coats. No coats in my modest price range of under twenty pounds including postage of up to five pounds. Then I did a search for long coat or jacket with pockets. Up popped this one. Pockets! Indigo Moon Clothes Colours The coat was in dark green, almost black. Affordable. Not the bright colours I loved. Dismal green. Would I want to wear such a sombre colour? Would it suit me? Would it look right and co-ordinate with my other clothes? I took a chance. I ordered it.  Yes, the colour is dark, dull green.  Advan...

Today yet another item arrived in the post for me. What was it? It was small. A scarf. Low cost. I have half a dozen items in my watch lists on Ebay. Different colours, sizes, all with this month's trend, passion, serrated edges. Inexpensive vests and tops, a dress, jackets. Should I ask for one for my birthday? Let's admit it. I am addicted. To shopping. Every day I look at Ebay, pay for anything which I bid on, or made an offer on. I see in whatsapp what is about to be delivered. I am inundated by notifications.  Ebay tells me you won. Ebay tells me pay now. Ebay tells me you have paid.  PayPal tells me you have just paid. Paypal tells me my week's spending total. Royal mail tells me I have a tracking number. Royal Mail tells me the item is about to be delivered. Royal mail sends a picture of the item being delivered. Each one makes me go back on line. I can't walk past a sale sign. Or a Marks & Spencer's, or a supermarket such as Sainsbury's with sale clo...

  Cocktails, cherries and hearts, pink and red on white background, tee-shirt at Sainsbury's. Photo taken and edited (cropped) by Angela Lansbury. Red lobster and cocktails, pink and red on white background of tee-shirt at Sainsbury's. Photo taken and edited (cropped) by Angela Lansbury.  Label Tu. Sainsbury's megastore. Hendon Sainsbury's Megastore Huge, recently opened, I am writing in Feb 2026.  Helpful staff. Giant building on the main road. Large ground floor car park with wide spaces. Sainsbury's Clothes Prices I used to buy from their branch in Stanmore. Here in Hendon the prices of clothes seem high but now on a discount. A huge amount of clothes. In addition to the discounts of 20% and 70%, there's a rail of discounted mixed up, odd items.  If you are looking for hair bands and colourful clips, look in the children's section. Costa, Ground Floor Costa on the ground floor with tables for two or four where some people sit for a long time. The Costa wa...

 Small Size - Suppositions I have a size small red velvet Indigo Moon Jacket which I wear nearly every day. I love it.  The sleeves are slightly tight, will not go over anything thick underneath, but okay with a blouse. What about the XS offered? Would it be wearable? Size Success Angela Lansbury wearing XS jacket, label Indigo Moon. I ordered an Indigo Moon jacket in a pinky colour, size XS. I thought it might be too tight to wear. So I would have to slit the side seams, maybe insert a ribbon, or two widths of wide ribbon to hold it in place. That was not the problem. Summer Weight The jacket is summer weight, very light, unlined. I knew the garment was light before I opened the light package. It came packed in a folded black bin liner, taped up with wide sticky back tape, with its own transparent plastic bag underneath. It survived the rain. Did not go through the letterbox but sat on the doorstep, found when I opened the front door. The fabric is thin, flimsy and unsuitable...

Angela Lansbury wearing a white Marks Limited Edition tee-shirt. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Reasons Not To Buy A White Tee-shirt in February I was searching online on Ebay for clothes with sequins when up popped the tee-shirt. I hesitated. I was not looking for  summer clothes but long sleeved jackets, coats, and maybe a dress or suit. It was the wrong time of year for tee-shirts. I also did not like one pocket. Lop-sided. Reasons Why I Bought It However, it had sequins. Also it was by usually reliable Marks & Spencer. Plus it was reasonably priced. Under two pounds, plus postage, in total about five pounds. Not much financial risk. So I bought it. The White Tee-Shirt from Marks & Spencer The label said Limited Edition. Size 12.   What Is Limited Edition? Limited Edition clothes are often seasonal. I thought most shops had seasonal clothes, except black and white underwear from Sloggi which is available for replenishing every season. Novelty is what fashion is, what ...

  Angela Lansbury at the Central London Wine Society meeting. Photo from Angela Lansbury. The Central London Wine Society met at a Civil Service Club meeting room for a meeting on the theme of Valentine's Day. We told the story of St Valentine, quoted Chaucer and Shakespeare on the subject. We tasted wines whose labels featured Romeo & Juliet, Champagne Jean Valentin, Sanct Valentin, and Château Valentin. I wore red, which is the traditional colour of roses given on Valentine's Day. The Red Jacket The red jacket is one which I bought from Ebay. The label is Indigo Moon, a vintage label. The fabric is red velvet with  the embellishment of sequins. The Red Skirt The red sequined skirt was from Peacock. Many suppliers have sequin skirts, at different lengths, colours, and prices. I saw it in the Peacock shop in Elstree in the sale and later bought it online on discount at a higher price. The Red Rose I bought a container with several artificial red roses from St Luke's cha...

 Label Shelana Blue Mock Two Part Top Worn by Angela Lansbury. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Bargain Price Clothes I ought to go for a walk every day. I live near the shops which is more interesting, for me, than walking pas houses, since I prefer people to plants.  Near Tesco is St Luke's charity shop raising money for a worthy cause, a hospice. London has several St Luke's shops, in Hatch End, Stanmore, and other areas. You can see a list of outlets on their website. Bought in St Luke's charity shop for £4. Slightly over my budget. I look first in the £1 jumble box. Then the £3 last reduction rail. Vintage Clothes Shelana of London was a British boutique producing maxi dresses and cotton lace. From the nineteen 60s to the Eighties.  This blue top is 100% polyester. Lined body with bust darts. Glinting flat sequins. Thick shoulder pads. Shelana's dresses and tops are on Ebay and Etsy I hung it on the back of a chair to show the mock cardigan effect more clearly. This style l...

Buying needles and Threaders and Thread  1 Buy self threading needles. 2 Buy Threaders. 3 Buy a sewing kit containing one or both of the self threading needles or threaders as well as assorted cottons and snaps - which the British call press studs. 4 Buy large needles with large holes. If the smallest needle cannot take the size of thread you are using, pick a larger needle with a larger eye. Finding Light 5 Sit in a good light, by day near a window or overhead skylight. 6 At night or in a dark room sit next to a lamp and hold the needle near the light source / shade. Switch on extra overhead lights. Use a torch. Use your phone torch. Or computer screeen. Needle Position 7 If you don't succeed threading the cotton though horizontally, try holding the needle horizontal and thread the cotton vertically down into the hole or eye of the needle. Thread End 8 If the end of the thread is frayed, use the other end of the thread. 9 Wet the thread with your saliva  or water. 10 Cut the ...

  I bought a silver sequin skirt To match my smart red sequin top I planned to sew more on a hat I ordered more in a job lot I did not need them, for I found My skirt dropped sequins on the ground I could not stop the moulting top From growing sequins like snowdrops My skirt's dropping glinting sequins  In every room where I go If I commit the smallest crime  The dumbest detective will know Like Greek myth creatures in a maze They'll follow all my dozy ways In restaurants, malls and small shops More well-dressed ladies also drop On New Year's Eve, in discoteques Plus places you would not expect Teens seek attention on the trains Like rainbows in drains when it rains I've found them near, I've found them far I've picked them up, stored in a jar One day I'll have a great selection In my precious free collection I'll sew them on new clothes to wear On caps and boots - braided in hair Sequin delights I love to share. So passers-by will stop and stare They...

Whatever can go wrong will do so. This is sometimes known as Murphy's law. What could go wrong? My over-long trousers could get dirty or trip me up. I could make mistakes when trying to alter them. Temporary Solution Indoors - Tuck In trouser Leg Hem  I had a pair of black trousers (pants) which I wore regularly although they were too long. I managed to wear them around the house by tucking them into socks or into my boots.  Trouble Running In the Rain With Over-Long Trouser Legs However, when I went out in the rain and they got dirty I know they needed altering. As I searched for alternatives the right length, all I could find was a similar pair in brown. I needed to alter two pairs of over long trousers.  One pair was brown, the other black. I started with the black ones which I wear more frequently since they co-ordinate with all my black skirt. Why did trouser legs need altering?  Not only did they flop about in the muddle puddles of rain, They were scary and dow...

Next tee-shirt embellished with sequins. Worn by Angela Lansbury. Photo by Trevor Sharot. The Printed Text Printed On The Tee shirt The Next tee-shirt on a table top so you can see the design more clearly. The letters spell out MERRY, a word we associate with the Christmas season because of the phrase used in songs. We wish you a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. God rest ye merry gentleman is in a Christmas carol. The same goodwill message appears on Christmas cards and on greeting cards, Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Perhaps that was why I got it reasonably priced. I bought it on Ebay for under ten pounds, despite the fact that it has lovely sequins, seems smart.  Is it tacky? the annoying way it splits the word merry into ME RR Y. Other Next tee-shirts have the text split up to make a short message or word in large letters fill two columns down the front. On mine the back is plain. Me? Why I Bought Sequins On The Tee-Shirt I bought the Next top for the sequins. I had...

  Anthony Sicari Black And White Jacket The jolly jacket is a vintage item. The label reveals that it is from Anthony Sicari, one of my three vintage favourites. (Anthony Sicari, Ann Balon and Indigo Moon. Plus, Marks and Spencer, for both modern and vintage clothes.) But Anthony Sicari has two or three collections. I have some saying Anthony Sicari Evening. This item has a label saying Anthony Sicari New York.  Sicari is Italian for a sword, dagger or similar slicing knife. How To Identify Vintage Clothes Often the name of the manufacturer on the label tells you. The label on the back of the neck of a blouse or jacket, or the back of the waist on a skirt. If that has been cut off, you might find a washing instruction label on the inside seam of a shirt or skirt with the company name small at the end. You might guess this jacket's era from the padded shoulders.   The Brass Buttons I thought it had four buttons. Metal buttons. They are probably brass buttons, I guesse...

 I loved the rose embellishment of multi-size sequins on this skirt. Silver sequin skirt with sequin rose embellishment. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. I saw the skirt on sale at Marks and Spencer in Harrow. But didn't buy it.  When I went back the sale rail had gone. I spent a week hunting all over the internet for it.  I finally found it at a higher price. I bought it.  It has a zip. The Sequin Skirt Lining The skirt has a lining. In grey. The lining is needed, not just to keep the stretchy fabric in shape. Importantly, the inside of the sequin fabric feels rough if the skirt rides up. I have not yet found the perfect top to match it. I ordered the skirt from Reskinned Resources, London, through Ebay. A pop-up questionnaire asked for feedback and I wrote 1 Have the manufacturer's number of the garment, so I know which of several silver sequin skirts I am buying.  2 Photograph distinctive  features in detail, such as inside pockets, sequin embellishm...

Inspiring Sequin Embellishment I saw a silver sequin skirt in Marks & Spencer in the sale. I don't think silver flatters me, although I tend to wear silver jewellery which is less expensive to buy. I loved the sequin roses and wanted to do the same on other garments. The roses were made up of different sizes of sequin. Buying sequins I went online and looked for sequins.  You could buy huge quantities of one size of sequin at a high price. Fine, if you intended to use a lot, for a long time. But beyond my budget. However, I bought a small packet of mixed sequins. Postage Costs - Extra or Free The postage is the killer. The postage can cost ore than the product. So I looked for free postage. Often the free postage was on larger quantities or higher priced products. Time Sewing Sequins I then decided that the time taken to create the pattern of the rose, and sew each sequin on, was too time consuming. Indigo Moon Sequin Clothes My Indigo Moon clothes had many patches of sequins. ...

Superdry and other clothing companies give students ten percent discounts via Unidays. More than 800 companies give discounts using Unidays.  Clothing Companies Offering Student Discounts Adidas Asos BooHoo Calvin Klein Craghoppers Crocs Diesel Footlocker French Connection Guess Mango Outlet New Look The North Face Prettylittlething Regatta River Island Swarovsky TK Max Topshop Shein Sports Direct Superdry Unidays gives students discounts on clothing and other items.  How To Get Discount? You can give them a university email.  Who Is Eligible? Who is eligible? 6th formers, students. Graduates for three years after graduating. If you are not eligible, maybe there's something you would like for your birthday or Christmas, and your son or daughter, or grandchild, could buy it for you as a gift. If you want to buy them something for their birthday, you could give them the money, and suggest they could buy themselves something more expensive using their discount. Useful Discou...

Winter Warmth - from layering A long winter jacket or coat with a hood is practical for concealing clothes underneath. I opened the front door, was overwhelmed by the cold, and went back inside to add extra layers. I did this in winter in London, England, in February, for extra warmth. Pink Jacket Indigo Moon Jacket Many Indigo Moon jackets and outfits are available on Ebay and Etsy. Patra Vests Double Hat Double Socks I wore long socks in red and white stripes for warmth underneath shorter black socks. The black socks hid the red and white and co-ordinated with my trousers (Americans say pants), my black skirt, black and burgundy boots. Traveling Light Layering is also good for those who want to travel light, without a heavy bag.  Also for those who want to take lots of stuff. For example, for an overnight or weekend stay away from home. Or a travel trip on a budget airline which charges for luggage, by weight or volume.   Travelling On Budget Airlines A padded coat is a...

Superdry coat with pockets. Multi-Pocket Coats On a bus in London this coat caught my eye. I liked the pocket on the sleeve. The wearer told me she liked the two pockets at above waist level. They keep your hands warm and comfy. Two more pockets below waist level are huge, ipad size, and protectively padded. We counted the pockets. Two on the left sleeve. two above the waist. Two below the waist. Two inside. Eight altogether. That makes it practical for those who want to travel light, without a heavy bag. Also for those who want to take lots of stuff. For example, for an overnight or weekend stay away from home. Or a travel trip on a budget airline which charges for luggage, by weight or volume.   A padded coat is already so bulky that nobody would notice if you wore multiple clothes underneath. For my evening out in near xero temperatures, I wore a skirt over trousers, two half slips, two vests, a white blouse, a thick |Marks and Spencer knitted long sleeve jumper and an Indo...

  Marks & Spencer M & S Collection. they say. M & S for Marks & Spencer. We often say Marks and Spencer's. But Spencer is singular. M & S Collection is one of their labels.  The Grey Marl Jumper I looked up grey marl. Marl is a term referring to rock or soil, also meaning a flecked colour., eg of two twisted yarns (thick threads). For example white and light grey. To me it looks like a light grey. Yes, there are at least two shades of grey.  A darker grey could be called granite. Grey, of course being a mixture of white and black. Sometimes you can see both white and black threads in knitted or woven fabric. Fabric and Material What is the difference between fabric and material. Fabric is fabricated, in a factory, man made, like polyester, as opposed to natural, or from a plant like cotton, or from an animal like leather, suede or wool, or a bird, such as feathers. But fabric is also created, fabricated, woven by hand. Material can be natural from the ...