Dress Of The Day with Angela

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.

  Xavier in Zara shirt. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. Xavier looked very jolly and handsome. He had had wine. We had had wine. And the effect was definitely enhanced by the wonder shirt.  We had a very jolly, boozy wine dinner. It's a good thing I didn't have any felt tip pens in my bag. After my fourth wine I already had the urge to start colouring his shirt. I could not find anything like it online. I looked on Zara. I did a reverse image search. I tried searching for shirt websites and white shirts and batik.  I tried the search wording mens white short sleeve shirt and black and white - to no avail.  Here is one black on white shirt for men on Zara's website. https://www.zara.com/sg/en/seersucker-printed-shirt-p04589991.html?v1=251026439&v2=2205225 And another black paint daubs https://www.zara.com/sg/en/printed-stretch-shirt-p07545314.html?v1=222685906&v2=2205225 But my favourite has black palm trees, tropical https://www.zara.com/sg/en/geometric-...

Angela Lansbury wearing a Dear brand top with overlapping semi-circular panels. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. 2022. The top was rescued. Americans call it dumpster diving. I washed it before wearing it, in fact before handling it. The cut is unusual.  The outside has two overlapping semicircles. You don't tie it on like most overlapping wraps. (Which run the risk of coming undone or gapping at the cleavage showing underwear or worse. This garment has a high neck. The wrap effect cannot come undone. It looks flexible and is. But the secret to getting it on and off is the zip at the centre back. The Cut Underneath the front panel is in three vertical sections. But seamed from the lower hem to the waist, then a gap between the two outer piece to the shoulders. However, underneath is a lining in black, with a small vertical bust dart. The Brand They bill themselves - bill is an odd word, perhaps I should say promote or describe - as being clothes for business. The brand is '...

  Are you short of summer outfits? Do you have a pair of shorts with a stained front, or a tee shirt with a stained sleeve? A great idea for re-using an unwanted or unworn t--shirt. Cut off the arms to make a tank top. Use the spare fabric from the arms to make two circular or oval designs, such as leaves for the below the waist garment. Sew your double patterns neatly by hand or machine onto a pair of shorts, as they suggest. Alternatively sew onto a skirt, or even a plain dress.  I would use the arm pieces to make pockets. You could have two front square or semi-circular pockets on shorts or a skirt. Or side pockets.The neatly seamed armhole hem could be made into a hairband, or the front or link piece of a belt made with a long piece of ribbon or a doubled ribbon, with or without interfacing. (Interfacing is a stiffening liner used on jackets and hems and belts.  Security Use the spare fabric for a bag for your phone. Make a pocket on a lanyard to hold a phone. We...

  I am wearing a white dickey (a decorative collar without any shirt, just a shirt front). The dickey has buttons which enable me to pin on the napkin to the top button. An alternative would be a brooch or pendant with a chain so you can tuck in the napkin. Whenever I dress for a dinner out, especially in summer and light evenings, I look for something light, a change from the funeral blacks of winter. But I then consider that I might stain my lovely outfit with food.  I don't want to have clothes hung up and never worn. What a waste of money - and wardrobe space. (Americans say closet.) Angela Lansbury wearing a buttonhole napkin supplied at the Tanglin Club, Singapore. You can buy two white dinner napkins for just under 15 collars (plus postage) from Etsy from suppliers in the USA. Others on Etsy offer sets of six at proportional prices. From EmbroiderybyLinda and DapperDiner. The napkins can be supplied in cotton or polyester.  Cotton or Polyester Cotton, for a softer ...

  I took an existing dress as my template. I had an oblong piece of lovely fabric, black background. Shiny pattern. Evening-y.  "Where did it come from?" my husband asked. Fabric I wish I could remember. Maybe an offcut from Spotlight in Singapore. I went out to buy when I bought my sewing machine. Or the Oxfam shop or another charity shop in the UK. I wish I had listed the source. Not that it would help. I could not go back and get more fabric. The patterns and even the fabrics, the opportunities for offcuts, change all the time. But it would be interesting to know. Now I am wearing it, I find that it is stretchy. Maybe I bought it to make a wrap to go with a swimsuit.  My husband raises his eyebrows and shakes his head, "I don't have oblongs of fabric lying around."  He does. Shirts he has thrown away because the collars got frayed. I rescued them. You can cut off the collar and have a large piece of usable fabric. What To Make With Oblong Fabric? What could I...

  I found a large piece of fine fabric, the size of a small sheet. A bedcover? It looked like a throw to brighten up a faded or threadbare sofa. But a rather thin fabric. Not suitable for sitting on.  What was it for? I bet I bought it from a charity shop in the UK just because of its colours.   Just the thing for a new outfit.  Size Was the fabric large enough for a full length dress? Yes, plenty. When I folded it in half, horizontally, I could see it stretched from my shoulder to my ankles.  If anything, it was too long. The fabric was doubled on the two shorter ends.  I could make a skirt and a top. But why end up with two odd pieces? More sewing. One piece would look neater. Easier to keep in one place than two pieces which kept losing the other half. Less work to make one piece than all that cutting and sewing of edges. Where To Cut I debated with myself for a long time how to cut it. Should I leave the doubled ends, as a neat hem? I would have to...

 Dress of the Day 128 Sunday November 1st 2020. With Blue Patra gilet.Gilet is reversed so the silky side goes with the skirt. I have sewn on red buttons on the inside now the outside. Green patra long sleeve top. Red cowgirl hat. Dress of the Day 129 Monday November 2nd 2020 About the Author Of This Post Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.  Please see my other blogs and posts and share with your friends the links to your favourite posts. travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com