Dress Of The Day with Angela

Why Wash New Underwear? I was following a few forums on Facebook and elsewhere on whether you should wash underwear or all clothes. Some people say you don't know who might have checked the garment at the factory, packed it, re-packed it, posted it. Whether it lay around and got dusty, dust mites, insects, bacteria, viruses.  Whether an item was tried on in the shop, then put back in the package. Or posted out, tried on, wrong size, returned still with the tag attached, but touched, and against somebody's skin. Washing Donated Clothes  When I lived in Northwood in North west London I used to shop in the Cancer Research shop. I queried the cleanliness of donated clothes. An assistant told me that everything was washed in their washing machine at the back of the shop.  I think every charity shop should have a washing machine, and mark which clothes have been washed if some are washed and others not. Risks Of Unwashed Items How do you know that donated clothes are not night ...

  Sequinned top label Top Shop. Zip-up cosmetics bag to place inside or sew or safety pin inside. Wide ribbon to create a gusset. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. Upcycling Small Sequinned Tops I keep seeing lovely sequinned tops which are too small for me. I don't need a top which is too small. But I do need an evening bag. I envisage turning one of the sequinned tops into a small, smart evening bag to take on holiday.  Are Small Bags Practical? Is a small bag useful? During the day, or out in the city in the evening, I like a big bag to carry home possible purchases. However, you might want a small bag, if you are just popping down to the hotel's restaurant for a quick coffee, or cocktail, or happy hour in an all day club lounge. Straps Supplied Not only do I have the fabric for the bag, already sewn up the sides and seamed across the top. A sequinned top with spaghetti straps often already has potential cross body straps, already sewn securely on one side of the potenti...

  Shop Selling Scarves, Hats & Gloves I bought the hat, and the scarf, sold separately, from St Luke's. The series of shops raises money for hospices. Cost of the Hat and Matching Scarf The items both cost £1, so £2 for the pair. The Label - F and F I found the scarf first and quite liked the pale pastel rainbow. It  might match  raincoats or jackets in both pale pink and pale blue. It would also add jollity to black or white.  But I usually go for brighter colours. Besides, the tassels were a bit bedraggled. The scarf had no label. I hesitated. Where was it from? Then I saw the matching beanie hat. Hurray. A set!  What's more, the hat had a label. The heading of the top of the double layer label inside the hat said F & F. Who was that? A supermarket, I was sure. Which one? Not Sainsbury. I recently realised that the manufacturer or seller puts their company name and address at the end of the label. Way down, beyond the ten language instructions on how t...

  Photo by Trevor Sharot. Primark Top Size medium. Made in China. Drawstring hood. Colour changes from pink at the hood, shoulders, chest and upper sleeve, to cream at the wrists and waist. Knitted cuffs and waistband. I bought it in St Luke's in Hatch End, NW London. Their shops supporting their local hospice are in Pinner, Harrow St Anns Shopping Mall, Hatch End, Another group of hospice shops is in the Sheffield area of England, and they sell clothing and furniture. So, if you want to put together a colourful and co-ordinated outfit, find a bargain, affordable clothes, or to support charity, you have several choices. Going abroad? Primark stores are in Australia, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia. Useful Websites For Primark & St Lukes St Luke's in London https://www.stlukes-hospice.org/shops/find-your-nearest-shop/ St Luke's in Sheffield https://www.stlukeshospice.org.uk/shops/find-our-shops Primark Clothes Stores Online ...

 I bought a pair of pink shorts only because they matched my pink hooded jacket. Before buying the shorts, I had dithered. I suspected I was never going to wear shorts with my favourite hooded jacket. I looked at the shorts and thought - I really need a skirt. If only I had a skirt. I wish I could convert the shorts. The price was only one pound in St Lukes. So I bought it. Why not turn the shorts into a skirt?  I cut the shorts up the A shape seam between the legs. That left a notch at the front and back. I found an old bra with lace and cut it up to fit. The colour was not quite right. Later I saw some baby clothes in St Luke's.  Perfect pink. Perfect match. Three for a pound. One was from Marks & Spencer. Two had patterns. One was plain. I cut the plain baby outfit in half and used safety pins to cover both gaps, lining up the hems. I sewed the triangular patches using matching pink cotton.  I was very pleased with the results. I had converted shorts into a sk...

  Angela Lansbury wearing long summer jacket by brand Outrageous Fortune. This outfit consists of a colourful, multi-colour duster coat from Outrageous Forune, a black five tier dress worn as a skirt with the wide rushed top hidden under the long black tunic top from Primark (described in my previous post) Black Socks - Plus Comfortable Sandals The sandals are brown with double close hook and loop fastening. I chose this style rather than heels because they are practical for running for a bus. I changed from light, summer colour socks into black socks to go with the clothes. Black sandals would have looked better. Contrasting colour socks and sandals show the colour of the sandals. I tried on two similarly styled long, loose jackets, both colourful, over the tee shirt and skirt, to make the plain colour black more eveningy and dressed up. The other jacket was a better cut and had cost me more, but this cheaper jacket had black in the pattern so it matched better. The Jacket Label L...

  My black background tunic, or long tee shirt, from Primark is size 2. The neck label also says Made in Bangladesh.  The pattern on the front says Botanical index. When you look carefully, under each flower is a number, not a name. Flower # 1 to Flower #10. The flower colours are red, orange, yellow. blue, with green stalks. Primark Times & Places I checked Primark opening times. Their store in Harrow was open until 7 pm on Monday June 16th 2025. Harrow is a huge interchange with buses at the bus station opposite the shopping mall going all over London and to Heathrow, and the railway station connecting to central London. Primark sells clothes, shoes, bags, underwear, shoe liners, all sorts of handy and cheap items. St Luke's St Luke's in Hatch End opened at 9.30 in the morning. Useful Websites https://www.primark.com/en-gb/c/women/nightwear-and-lingerie/lingerie-ranges/ https://www.stlukes-hospice.org/shops/? Please Bookmark so you can quickly return to this post and sha...

Shein Choices Angela Lansbury wearing a wide trouser Shein outfit from St Luke's. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Shein Styles - Dresses  I have been buying dresses with matching jackets from Shein. These co-ordinated outfits look smart to go to dinner on holiday in a hotel or restaurant. Shein Styles - Trousers (USA Pants) Shein uses the words pants, wide leg pants, and causal pants. Shein and news (Daily Mail) and other social media sites (Facebook) show me Sheirn ads. They all bombard me with tempting ads for wide-legged one piece outfits or two piece outfits. And three piece Shein outfits with cardigan jacket, tank top, and wide leg trousers with elasticated waist, in multiple colours. I have saved some of these to Pinterest where I have a board called Dress of the Day, but it has so many pictures that I find it hard to locate anything. On this site you can search in blogspot within this blog for specific words. But I have so many posts, more than 500 that it helps to know the number o...

 Wake up colours were on my mind when I chose a bright yellow tee-shirt. It co-ordinates in bright liveliness with my pink jacket. Bright Butter Yellow I was in the mood for something bright. At home. A yellow tee-shirt. Yes, yellow. I had been looking for something yellow for a while. Then I saw the tee-shirt. It was not a great style. But if twas the colour I wanted. Pretty Pink What would go with it? A pink jacket? Not really. I tried on the jacket. Yes, pink and yellow are primary colours, both bright. I once had my colours analysed on a one-day course in Singapore, at a silly (large) price. What suited me, my skin, complexion, eyes, and hair. Royal blues. Vibrant reds. Emerald greens. Deep yellows. Not pale pastels. Nor muddy, murky, autumn colours. Bright summer colours were right for my skin tone. Smiling summer colours. Co-ordinated Skirt  What colour of skirt? I had skirts and other garments in pale pinks, baby pinks, and salmon pinks. The wrong pinks.  What coul...

  Only One Pound As you will have noticed, I have bought a lot of items from St Luke's. I have so many clothes. No room for more.  And I can't keep spending money. So I occasionally smuggle in a one pound item which I can't resist. No postage cost.  According to their website, they currently, in April 2025, have seventeen shops. Alphabetically by location, Edgware, Harrow, Hatch End, Pinner, Harrow, Wembley. One is a superstore. One is a furniture shop. Another is electrical. Useful Website https://www.stlukes-hospice.org/shops/ More Money - Online If price is no object for you, and you want to support a charity, St Luke's has an online outlet on ebay. The prices are much higher, mostly brand names, silk, or otherwise valuable or rare items. Plus postage.

  Pink broderie anglaise hat. Photo by Trevor Sharot. The pale pink hat with the brim is broderie Anglaise. I have a lot of broderie anglaise for summer, so I hope that hat's colour will either co-ordinate or contast. The label is John Lewis age 6-8. I was considering giving it to my grand-daughter later. Meanwhile, I am on the small size so it fits me.  But I shall want to add a ribbon to secure it, either tied under my chin or at the back, or perhaps a piece of hat elastic. I add ribbon to most hats with and without brims, to stop the hat blowing off in the wind, or falling off as I look down.   It cost one pound sterling from St Luke's charity shop in Hatch End, one of several such shops in North West London. They usually have one rummage basket of adults clothes which have not sold and are reduced after a certain number of days. A separate box has children's items. I love to buy and bag a bargain. I also like to know my money is going towards hospices caring for ...

Angela Lansbury wearing an orange dress. Photo by Trevor Sharot. I bought this orange summer dress in winter in the one pound box of unsold items in St Luke's. Firstly it was in my latest favourite colour, orange. The orange colour, with pink, has taken over from red as my favourite colour. A second attraction was that the dress had my favourite broderie anglaise on the hem. Taking photos of oneself is a useful exercise. The bad photos are as useful as the good ones. Bad photos warn you of what needs fixing. I can see from this photo that the black underslip or black leggings show through the broderie anglaise. Instead of intensifying the orange colour, the black makes it look murky, dirty, dusty. White or orange would be better. Anyway, the dress was a success. Alongside the orange roses, still out at the end of November and the start of December In London. My husband commented on the colours, "A peachy dress, a peachy girl, a peachy wife."  Shop Locations St Luke's ...

  Angela wearing a rainbow top from Priark, and green jacket from Shein. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. The top From Primark. I bought it second hand from St Luke's. it was a bargain, in the one pound box for items which have not sold fast, or the occasional loss leader. (A loss leader is an item sold at a loss in order to attract customers, either to come in and buy that, and preferably return on a regular basis loiking for bargains. Primark sels clothes in the UK and elsewhere at affordable prices. to buy an item in the bargain bin in St Luke's is a double bargain. The Cape Jacket\The green cape jacket is from Shein. I bought it in a sale. I bought several cape jackets, mostly long, this one is short. I went into St Luke's looking for a condolence card. I found one. It cost 50p. a condolence card from Tesco would have cost me one pound fifty. I spent the same because I bought three cards, the other tow to go in my card stock box.  My other purchase from St Luke'...

  Angela Lansbury wearing a green Christmas outfit from Ann Summers. Photo by Trevor Sharot. I put on the orange-red neck warmer from Patra in the UK. Neck Warmer The brand is from Patra, from the UK, not the Patra in the USA. These neck warmers are available in several colours. Light. Handy cover-up for a low neck. Mostly silk so it is soft, and not bulky. Skirt The red skirt is labelled Anthony Evenings. This seems to be a brand of Anthony Sicari. I bought it second hand on either Ebay or Etsy from the USA. It is part of a suit, size 22.   It was much too large for me, so I tightened the skirt with large safety pins. I meant to sew it, but never got around to it. The fabric is thick, so the safety pins are not pulling out nor tearing the fabric.  The Green Xmas Outfit The popular story says that the original Santa was dressed in winter green, like a Christmas tree, or holly. Red was supposedly a colour chosen for a change by the artist for an advertisement for a departm...

 Angela Lansbury wearing Boss Lady t-shirt label J5, bought from St Luke's. Photo by Trevor Sharot, edited by Angela Lansbury on a Samsung mobile phone. Angela Lansbury wearing a Boss lady t-shirt. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Gold Foil T-Shirt I bought my Boss Lady t-shirt from St Luke's for one pound. Now that many customers are on holiday or have returned from holiday and no longer need new clothes (or bought whilst on holiday - and are now post holiday budgeting - the summer sales are on. Is boss lady an oxymoron. Is a boss lady different from a lady boss? I bought this bargain for only one pound in London.  To make it more suitable for an evening event, I added a gold sequin collar. First I tied the collar. But it hung down over the lettering. I turned it to throw one end over my shoulder. It still hung down. Finally I tucked it in. Gold Shoes I bought the gold shoes for three pounds from the same shop. The gold went with the t-shirt. Unfortunately they are too low on the toes...

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...

Union Jack Tunic with seqin pattern on front.   The Union Jack top or tunic in sequins was in the centre of the shop at the front. It was eye catching. I had to have it. Selecting Sequins First, I felt the fabric. I had had a disaster with a red sequin top I bought cheaply in the same shop. I thought it would be fun for the last night gala farewell at my writer's conference.  My husband hates sequins. He is a conservative. Like Prince Charles. He does not want to be outshone by his wife. Gaudy. Unsuitable.  He won't be there. My chance to shine. Literally. I like sequins. It was cheap I bought it. In a hurry. Didn't even try it on. Sequin Failure However, when I got the top home and tried it on, I found the sequins were large and sharp edged and uncomfortable. I thought they would tear any item I wore underneath on top. Not to mention my own skin. Label The label is Fever. The symbol is a red heart with a diagonal arrow through it pointing North west to south east. The si...

New Blue Dress 464. Worn by Angela Lansbury. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. Isn't that blue a humdinger? It lifts my spirits. Lovely beautiful vibrant blue. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.   I love this dress. It feels very soft. Being dark, it does not show creases nor tummy bulges nor panty lines .The Beautiful Blue Dress The blue dress has a U shaped neck. Short sleeves. No belt - but it is tight enough to be figure hugging. It is size 14. Label B.C. Best Connections. It has slits both sides so you can walk and mount steps. And cross your legs when sitting, Made in India. 95% viscose. 5% elastane. So it's stretchy and form-fitting. I bought it from St Luke's charity shop for five pounds.  Many charity shops advertise clothes online. The cheapest items on ebay are 99p. The UK postage is mostly a minimum of about 3.50 pounds. So the total of the item and postage online would be a minimum of about 4.50 pounds, usually more. That makes the cheapest dress from a ch...

  Pineapple Pyjamas by Damart. Selfie photo by Angela Lansbury. Almost invisible are the five pretty, pearly buttons, in an unusual flower shape with six scalloped petals. Each button has two holes for sewing. One pocket. Pattern, yellow pineapples, green leaves, green background dots on white background. Green edging on collar, placket and pocket (not on sleeves). The label has soft edges. The washing label says 100 % cotton, keep away from fire, wash similar colours together, Large.. hand wash at 40 degrees, do not tumble dry, iron on two dots temperature,  The Pineapple Pattern I love the pineapple pattern.  It makes a change from flowers. I am tired of flower pattern pyjamas.  Cartoons and brand names and pictures of toys and bears look like I am a 5 year old, or in my second childhood. Or a teenager. Or a college student. I want something sophisticated, oriental, a summery pattern because of the short-sleeves, meaning the outfit is to wear on holiday, in summer,...

  Angela Lansbury in dog theme blouse. Photo by Sharot family. A year ago I would not have bought a blouse or any garment featuring dogs. I would be afraid that dog lovers would approach me and ask, 'Do you have a dog?' When I admitted that I didn't, they might lose interest, or feel that I was misleading them, pretending to be an animal lover when I was not.  (My excuse being that I travel too much to own pets.) The conversation might simply go nowhere, or a potentially friendly conversation might come to a halt. However, my sheep pictures with the sheep apron is one of my favourites. I wear my sheep apron every day. Nobody asks me if I keep sheep. If anybody asks me if I have a dog, I shall reply, 'I shall answer that tomorrow' when I wear my dress with the elephant, my jacket with the giraffes, and my hat with the eagle'.  Blouse Dog theme. Bought from St Luke's charity shop. Cuffs, seamed, with no opening nor buttons. Label, brand Tu, size 14. Tu means y...