Green top from Next. Whatever next? Dress of the day 721 by Angela Lansbury.

 

Next green top worn by Angela Lansbury. Photo taken and edited by Angela Lansbury.

Buttons - a big number

Eight covered buttons, neat green to match the colour of the top. Ten more tiny buttons on each sleeve
 Total 28. No spares.

Size and Shape
Next clothes are for the next generation, no longer teens, nor early twenties, so they should be designed for fuller figures. Also, not so absurd, more elegant.

Next Size 
Size 16. That copes with larger or changing weight.

Flattering Design

The design is flattering but practical. The knitted cuffs, and drawn in waist add to the illusion of curves and daintiness. But the stretchy bust and hips, and the ballooning upper arms, cover any overweight parts of the wearer. The sleeve design, leg of mutton sleeves, dates back to the 1800s.

Next Shops
My nearest Next shop is in Harrow. 

How come they are so successful? They go back a long way, before you and I were born. A successful women's wear business merged with menswear and added children's wear. The Next name appeared in 1982. Nowadays they are related to lots of other brands you may know, including underwear from Victoria's Secret and shoes from Russell & Bromley.

More than 500 shops in the UK and Eire, 200 more, some franchises, in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Plus catalogues and websites serving many more countries.

P S Photo editing note

I took this photo in an untidy kitchen with a cluttered background. 


Selfie Photo


The mobile phone was propped up on a high peninsular unit. I set it to five seconds delay and backed away. 

Multi Photo Choice

I took two photos, the first frowning, with the garment's hem at an odd angle, half folded up an inch. To cut the hemline, which was not important, I cropped the base of the photo. 

Cutting Background

I still had a the untidy background, which did not reflect well on my professional image. Also it was distracting from the clothes. I eliminated the background by tracing a line around myself with the editing sub-section called lassoo.  I saved the picture. 

Saving The Original Photo

If you want to do the same, don't worry about losing the original. See whether your system allows you to keep both by taking a test photo.

In my Samsung phone, I can keep the original and go back to it. Whilst I was babysitting, I tried cropping a photo of my grand-daughter with messy toys all over the floor. I was impressed by the clean, cropped version and sent it to the family. 

However, my son said, 'Why is she sitting floating in mid-air? It looks absurd.' So I was able to send him the original natural picture. 

However, I am happy with the more artistic version. You have a choice.


Useful Websites on Next


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