Dress Of The Day with Angela

  Phase Eight Today I received my dress and matching jacket from an Evri delivery driver. I took it out to show it to her. She immediately recognized the label. Phase Eight. She said, 'They used to be from Debenhams'.  The Phase Eight website tells me they are a British company. I looked at the dress style, fabric and manufacturer and washing instruction labels. The Pink Dress Information Made in China.  Size 14.  The colour is deep pink.  Silk Surprise To my surprise, it said silk. Not 100% silk. I remember when I was a teenager in the Nineteen Sixties, anything not one hundred per cent silk was regarded as a con, a cheap imitation.  Nowadays, in 2026, fifty years later, even a tiny amount of silk seems like luxury. A privilege. A joy. The lining is acetate. Inspection Feels very soft. It has a side zip. The zip is longer than the part which the manufacturer has allowed to open. The pattern is black and red flowers and leaves. Two shades of red, darker mat...

  I was looking for something summery and light to wear when giving a speech to Harrovians Speakers Club in London. My basic piece was my colourful skirt. I love the colours, the feeling of luxury. The Patra Silk Skirt Light weight. Pure silk. Label Patra. UK. Half length black underskirt.  UK Patra started in 1964/5 as a specialist in silk clothing in North London, started by a Mrs Patra who imported silk from India, later from China.  The USA has a different company confusingly called Patra specialising in evening clothes. Patra Skirt Style Cut diagonally in forward slash and backlash in several pieces.  The Silk Mix Orange Top From Patra Also from Patra. Lace up centre front. 8 loops. Size large. 55 % silk, 45% cotton.  Label Dorothy Perkins  Pale Pink Polyester Blouse Sleeveless. Size 16. Made in Romania. 100 % Polyester. Black collar. Very light for a summer heatwave. The Label Dorothy Perkins Back in the Sixties in Edgware Dorothy Perkins shops sold s...

  Dressing Gown With Zip Hand Sewn. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. I added a zip to a dressing gown from Debenhams. Red Wrap From New Zealand This dressing gown has the Label Intimo. From New Zealand. Maybe I bought it from a charity shop there when on holiday. It is 100 per cent polyester, so no bleach, no tumbling. This red wrap-around dressing gown had been hanging up on the back of an over the door hanger in the shower room for goodness knows how many months. Others which are similar have been unworn for years. I don't wear wrap arounds. They look pretty. Light. But impractical. Untidy. Show too much leg to strangers if I have to answer the front door to a postal delivery. Flap open and trip me up. Chilly in winter and mid season. Reduce self-respect and status because they shout, I haven't been bothered to get dressed. Lop-sided. Lose the belt.  What a shame that lovely silky satin fabric garment did not come with a zip. But what if I decide to add a x#zip. I looked...

  Red berries and green holly. Photo by Trevor Sharot. The jumper has a black background. The pattern is red holly berries on green holly leaves, and red and white candy canes.  Xmas Symbols I wondered, was this a Christian symbol and was it suitable for visiting family, friends, and business associates who might be Jewish, Moslem or Hindu? American Striped Candy I decided that striped red and white candy canes used to be American but have now reached the UK.  Candy canes, like British rock, are all solid sugar - and bad for your teeth, like ice cream. But in times of war (in Ukraine) and Covid worldwide, people are taking a short term view of life and enjoying pleasures now, although we are also health conscious and cautious.  Seasonal Symbols On Clothes? Green Holly What about holly?  Holly does not lose its leaves in winter. It adds colour, the combination of red and green. That was pagan. The early church tried to get rid of the winter symbols but failed. If...