Dress Of The Day with Angela

Where I buy bargains  I bought this in St Luke's charity shop which raises funds supporting hospices in London. It cost one pound from the rummage box of second hand scarves and hats and gloves.  These shops are all over north London.  Why Buy A Bargain Hat Or Scarf? I like a bargain. I like something new - new to me. If I am supporting a charity, too, that's good. I need to limit my spending on clothes. And the amount of space they take up in my home, so a small hat is good. A foldable knitted hat or woven scarf  can be squashed up beside the others. Child Size Hats I tried it on and fitted. You can imagine my eyes widening in surprise when I got home and read the label. It was for 3-6 years! It is stretchy. It could have said fits all sizes. But the label inside warns that it is unsuitable for children under the age of 3 because of small parts. Advantages Of Checking Children's Hats Now I know that I can look at children's hats and try them on to see if they fit me...

 I nearly bought a bra advertised as ice silk. I thought it was silk. Ice silk is viscose, synthetic. Some synthetics are brilliant. Less likely to be eaten by clothes moths. Maybe less fragile. Feel soft and so silky they feel as good as silk. Check your own favourite underwear and blouses and see which synthetics you are happy to wear, then note them and the brands in your diary, maybe under a blank page which you can re-label as Shopping.  Here is my silk outfit, red Monsoon blouse from Monsoon, multicolour skirt from Patra UK. Angela wearing a silk blouse from Monsson and a silk skirt from Patra, UK. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. Useful Websites https://www.xhsilkfabric.com/news/is-ice-silk-silk-the-difference-between-ice-s-28845032.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_silk https://www.xhsilkfabric.com/news/method-for-distinguishing-rayon-silk-and-poly-29097665.html

  Angela Lansbury in red silk Monsoon blouse and Patra skirt. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. The Blouse The blouse is red silk, label Monsoon.  UK size 14. You can hang it on the wall on a hook, or over the neck or a hanger, using the monsoon label. Or hang it on a hanger. Hand wash. Made in China.  It has seven tiny fabric covered buttons. it gaps at the neck but you can fill this area with the tie bow and/or a pendant. Jewellery - Pendant I am wearing a pendant with a reversible centre. It has two sides, one with a small dark red stone in the centre, the other with a small blue stone. I am wearing the red side outwards. The Skirt The skirt is from Patra in the UK. Not to be confused with another company in the USA. It is silk and feels soft. It has two thin ribbon ties to hand it up so that it stays crease free. The colours are red, yellow, black and white. I have worn it with a red top, as shown here, a black Patra silk pull-on short sleeve vest and a white top. ...

Pink cape blazer by Curve. Selfie photo by Angela Lansbury. That Striking Watermelon and Pineapple Blouse My find in the St Luke's charity shop in Hatch End, which used to be an Oxfam charity shop. (St Luke's has about 17 shops all over north west London, raising money for hospices.)  The blouse has no label. Maker unknown.  I took a fancy to the summery pattern with jolly red. I tried it on. It suited me. I bought it.   A feature is the double button. Having two buttons, one on each side of the opening, allows for the wearer's change of size, or sex if you want to fasten it differently. The Red Silk Skirt The red skirt is from Monsoon, UK size 16.  The waist is tightened with safety pins.  The colour changes from jolly red at the waist down to burgundy at the hem, That is a good place to have a darker colour. A long skirt is likely to show the dirt, or the contrast of dirt. 100% silk. Lining 100% acetate. I found it on eBay by searching for silk. I was del...

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