Dress Of The Day with Angela

Does this suit me? Am I suited and booted?  We use many idioms and similes when describing body parts, people and clothes. For example American and British Spelling I usually refer to the English language. It is a language shared, and mostly understood by people who speak it at home, in business and read street signs and literature all over the world. However, calling it British English not only adds in the Welsh, Scottish and Irish and overseas speakers of English, and Americans and Canadians. It distinguishes the local spelling and accents, British English, American English, Australian English, Singlish, and so on. Therefore when distinguishing accents and spellings it is clearer to refer to British English. American spellings are simplified. Webster, a printer who produced dictionaries and school textbooks and workbooks, decided to simplify the language and do away with double letters, jewellery becomes jewelry. Similes and Metaphors The word simile is for phases using similar t...

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 ...

I was looking for a skirt to wear with my pink outfit. I saw my green broderie anglaise skirt. I tried it on.  I love the colour.  A new look. The front of the skirt is broderie anglaise (nowadays also called eyelet). However, the complicated pattern of the broderie anglise made the outfit too busy, clashing tih the pattern of the top and distracting.  As I pulled it off, I turned it inside out. Could I wear it that way?  Yes. Turning the skirt inside out worked well for me. Another look from the same garment.  I took a selfie by propping my phone up on a low table and setting the timer to ten seconds. I had it on reverse so I could also see myself. That gave me time to try various poses. because the phone was on a low table I had to lean forwards. It did not show my shoes. But all I wanted was enough of the green to show the green skirt. The Green Skirt TU WOMAN label. The Pink Tee-Shirt The Pink Cape Blazer Jacket The jacket has two large roses in embroidery....

When I read descriptions, I often wonder what the truth is. 24 hour chat line - automatic answering service which tells you our opening hours, during which this message is discontinued and all phone ines are busy As New - such a horrid colour and rough fabric and funny cut with long arms and short bodice, too tight to wear,  as seen - full of moth holes, do not store with other clothes, only to be worn when trekking in Iceland backless - the reason it's so cheap is we only gave you half the dress fabric beautiful - (private seller) but not beautiful enough for me to want to keep it, (shop) actually we are a shop, but this has no label, no description, we had to say something choose currency - can we please charge you double by going into another currency and charging you a fee classic - completely lacking in any style delicate item - do not wear with jewellery, watches, belts, under any jacket or coat, and do not talk with your hands. Wear once only do not bleach - sorry about the ...

Angela Lansbury wearing pale blue jacket from Cotton Traders. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Red skirt from Marks & Spencer.  The Pale Blue Jacket Label Cotton Traders. Six pockets.  Buttons. Fabric linen, cotton. Two quarter belts at the back at waist level. (like epaulettes). The Red Skirt Marks & Spencer Broderie Anglaise, diagonal. The red skirt is worn over a shorter dress to fill the gap between the hem and the socks. The Red Dress Label Roman. Size 12. Red Sandals Red. Leather.  The brand is Free-step. Useful Websites https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_Traders romanoriginals.co.uk style number 70913 https://www.cottontraders.com/ Please share links to your favourite blog posts.   On the trip to Albania, at Tirana airport (Tirana is the capital) I was standing behind a girl who had the same colour jacket. She said it belonged to her sister. It was from another company and had no sleeves, but the same pale blue with handy big pockets. It was from H &...

I started looking at duck bags, given away at a stall selling food, with a minimum spend. Hec has white ones one day, yellow ones another day. A queue at a food stall usually attracts others, either curious to see what you are selling, or keen to join the line, assuming that it means the staff is good, or better than the others. In addition to people standing waiting for orders and free bags, he got lots of publicity.  He was good enough to tell disappointed customers that they could buy duck bags online. So I went online to look. I found tee shirt patterns and bags, and jewellery, featuring ducks, cats, butterflies and elephants. (My previous posts have featured various animals patterns, dogs, horses, flowers, leaves, fish, seashores, pineapples, pine trees, coconuts.  The stall holder had only 30 of them. I usually go out in red or white or black clothes with a red or white or black jacket to look swish, literally swish and swing.  I started my search online for matchin...

  Angela wearing red, white and green, the colours of the Italia flag. Photo by Trevor Sharot. For a trip to a dinner at an Italian restaurant, featuring Italian wines, I planned on wearing the colours of the Italian flag, red, white and green. Oops. I am glad I loaded up the flag. It is green, white and red. In my Italian colours outfit, the skirt is green, the shoes are red, the jacket is red, the top is red and white. I don't think anybody except me noticed the significance of the colours. If the Italian tourist board had been there, giving out little Italian flags, they would have noticed. Red Jacket The red jacket is also called a cape blazer. Sometimes described as open sleeve. The label is Be Jealous. The red jacket adds vivid colour to accentuate the red in the red and white top. You can see another view of the red jacket in another outfit in post on dress of the day 586. Red cape blazer. Red and white top with ruched sleeves. Red Free=step sandals. Photo by Angela Lansbury...

Angela in red Chinese New Year outfit, dress of the day number 579. Photo selfie by Angela. Edited by Angela on Samsung phone using filter posterize. the filter added colour to the background.  I wanted  to wear red for Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is so called in China, Singapore and other countries or cities with large Chinese populations. It is also known as Spring Festival, and Lunar New Year. Red is the auspicious or lucky colour. Everything is red. Red lanterns. Red packets with gifts for children and unmarried adults. I selected a red and white broderie anglaise dress. This was bright red, with a slight contrast of white, broderie anglaise, suitable for smart casual day wear. However, it was not smart enough for the evening.  To make it more festive for the evening, I added a lacey, red sequined bolero. Then a red scarf with small silver dots. My first selfie taken with my phone captured only from my bust upwards. Angela wearing red outfit, dress of the day 5...

An eyelet bonnet for a baby - worn by Angel. Photo by Angela Lansbury.. Copyright. The eBay picture of the baby dress which I bought for the accompanying broderie anglaise (eyelet) hat.  You can convert adult's clothes into children's clothes, and turn baby clothes into adult clothes. Cutting Down Adult Clothes When I was a child, my mother would cut up old, thinning and torn white sheets. All sheets were white. She had learned to re-use everything in World War 2. The war ended in 1945, but rationing in England, in the UK, went on until 1952. Keep For The Family Baby clothes sets can be kept, labelled, listed, in case you have another child.  Donation To Charity Or give them to charity. Some charities collect only perfect condition items. However, the most needy might accept a stained or torn item. For example, when I was clearing out the spare room cupboard for my French au pair girl, Caroline, in the 1980s, I said, "This baby outfit must be thrown away - it's stained...

  Broderie anglaise head band from Shein. Worn by Angela Lansbury. Photo by Angela Lansbury. At first I was a bit disappointed in the head band. It had two good points. First, the hairband had good broderie anglaise. (The modern word is eyelet.)  Secondly, I was intrigued by the wire inside the two halves of the bow - which enabled you to bend it at any angle. Like ears, as you see above, or flat. What a pity the headband was not made of bendable wire. It was too tight. Uncomfortable. For an hour or so I was unaccountably despondent. Then I went back to the headband to consider. What could be done? Slide out the stiff hair band and insert another?. Wear it sideways? Wear it flat on top like a pancake? But how to stop it sliding off? Tie it on with a pale colour, cream or white ribbon. How to fasten the ribbon?  Under my chin. A simple bow. It might not stay on if I were running for a bus. However, it might stay put whilst I sat at a zoom meeting. I tried it for a Zoom mee...

Angela Lansbury wearing pink top and white skirt. White Cap White broderie anglaise cap, brand Tu, from Sainsbury's supermarket. Bought second hand from eBay. Pink Top From brand Tu, sold in Sainsbury's supermarket. I bought mine from eBay. Laura Ashley Lace Hem Slip (Vintage) This Lace Edge Slip is worn as a skirt. I keep asking various males, 'is my outfit looks okay.'  None of them say, 'You are wearing a slip.' My son did say, "You are dressed casual.' He did not say, 'You need a skirt.' Interesting - casual! I thought I looked elegant, pretty, at least smart casual.  So, on holiday I must keep the broderie anglaise for daytime. I need to change in the evening for dinner. White has the disadvantage that it easily stains.  Hotter Sandals The Hotter sandals are style Easy. They have two hook and loop fastenings over the toes and instep and a buckle at the back. I used to not wear them much. I preferred vibrant red. Cheerful red. Not boring cre...

  Angela Lansbury in the pink, wearing a pale pink eyelet dress, dress of the day 435. Selfie Photo by Angela Lansbury. Background I chose a background of dark pink roses to match, or complement, the pale pink dress. The dress looks a bit shapeless, a shift dress. But at least it fits. A bra with more uplift might look better. Perhaps a belt at the back. (My other purchase of a wrong size dress, which is a rival, small, size eight dress, is waiting, untouched, on a chair, as if watching me, challenging me to dare to try it on.) The Dress The dress is size 16. The style is neat - it has a zip in the back. The sleeves are bell sleeves. It is lined, except for the sleeves and a band around the waist. The lining end a short way above the hem so you get a slight see-through effect at hem level. The brand is Studio. The washing label says Sudio Retail Ltd BB5 4EE. Made in China. Shell 100% cotton. Lining 100% polyester exclusive of trims. Their website has their brand and other brands of...

  Angela Lansbury wearing orange outfit with small octopus. Photo by Trevor Sharot. The Broderie Anglaise Blouse In Orange I love the vibrant colour. The neck detail is nice for appearing on Zoom online meetings and group photos. The washing label says 65% cotton, 35% polyester. Made in China. No brand label. What do I like about the design?  1 The lace across the shoulders, adding high level interest.  2 The V shape pattern below the neck. 3 The curve upwards, guiding your onlookers' eyes up to the face. 4 The scalloped hem. Angela showing the neckline of the orange top. Photo by Trevor Sharot. The Skirt A petticoat with a lace hem from Laura Ashley. The Shoes Sandals My favourite sandals. Red. Such a jolly colour. Comfortable. Quick to take on and off. Free-step. Size 4, but both the ankle strap and front are Velcro. (That is a brand name.) The Socks Blue Airline socks from Singapore Airlines. The big Brazilian beach bag Advertising the region of Ceara in Brazil.  ...

  Angela Lansbury wearing a blue eyelet top, over a white camisole with a red belt and red hat. Selfie photo by Angela Lansbury. Blue Is Best Blue is best if you have blue eyes. But brown eyed girls also wear blue. Author Catherine Lim met me for lunch in a slim royal blue dress. She looked terrific. (She always does.) Blue eyelet top Eyelet used to be known in the UK as broderie Anglaise, which is French for English embroidery. Blue top bought via eBay. In a bundle of three eyelet tops. (The other tops and the bundle system are described in previous posts.) Peacocks label. How to Make Collars And Buttons Fasten Flat If your collars spring up at the corners, you can order rounded collars, stand up collars, or button down collars.  If the shirt or blouse or dress develops a gap between the top two buttons, you could add a press stud between the buttons. A small press stud is quick to sew on. Advantages of Camisoles Camisoles are often worn to conceal. They hide bra straps or br...

Orange eyelet blouse. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Label Papaya Woman. Size 12. It has 6 small thick brown wood effect buttons down the front. The label says Made in India. Matalan Retail. It has a handy spare button. 100 per cent cotton, although it has a slight sideways stretch. Orange Eyelet blouse. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Orange eyelet blouse, full length. It has a tie-together triangle. When I was a teenager in the England in the UK in nineteen sixties in summer we wore or bought broderie Anglaise (now known as eyelet), which was always in fresh white.  Now in the 2020s (writing in June 2022) the colourful Asian countries have impressed us with the fashion of eyelet garments in all colours.  Red, orange, yellow, dark green, black. White eyelet outfits can be enhanced by white nail varnish and white toe nail varnish with white sandals or open toe shoes. Orange Accessories To go with an orange eyelet dress, the ideal co-ordinated accessories would be orange shoes, an orange ...

  Some of these apparent dresses are just long tops. That is okay, if you want to wear them over long skirts of a dark colour. Look at the sizing charts to see the length. Some of them are not eyelet all the way around but have a plain white back. Admittedly the sleeves show the eyelet fabric all the way around. My eyelet dress 378 with sleeved blouse and contrasting red Cape Blazer by BeJealous. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Useful Websites ebay.com https://www.thestagewalk.com/product/clothing-dresses/rebecca-eyelet-two-way-tiered-dress-in-magenta Just under 50 dollars, not in their Hari raya sale in April, great colour, but short. Two way means you can wear it off the shoulder Babydoll top in white worn with assorted other garments from shorts to blue trousers https://www.thestagewalk.com/moments/stylin-for-cny shein.com

  Angela wearing white eyelet dress, and long-sleeve white eyelet blouse, with red cape blazer by BeJealous. At Raffles Holland Village, Singapore. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Red and white covered outfit 378. Red and white, blood and bandages effect. Wedding dress shops warn you against white and bright red.  Covered but cool. (Cool from eyelets.) Angela Lansbury in broderie anglaise or eyelet dress. 379 bare-shouldered dress. Outside raffles mall, Holland Village, Singapore. Photo by Trevor Sharot. On March 17th I wrote about my friend's red eyelet dress from Thailand, which I admired. A week or two we met again and she was wearing a white eyelet dress. This time she said she had bought it in Singapore and it was a Singapore brand and she would take me to the shop which sold it, The Stage Walk in Junction 8 at Bishan.  Selfie photo by Angela Lansbury. Yenny, President of Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters' International speakers' training club, is wearing a white eyelet...

 My Singaporean friend Yenny was wearing a wonderful red dress.  She said, "It's loose and comfortable and never creases." I commented, "It's what we call broderie Anglaise, in England, usually sold white. The words are French for English embroidery. The fabric used to be cheap, folksy. But then it got hard to find and fashionable and expensive. Maybe it's getting easy to find and affordable again. Where did you get it?" Yenny replied: "I bought it in Thailand. There's lots of it there. They call it eyelet." Red eyelet dress from Shein 28 Singapore dollars. It is 65% polyester, 35% cotton. (Non-stretch.) You have to click on the word description to find out the fabric. You can read reviews.  On ebay I found this: Useful Websites Background information and a couple of photos in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broderie_anglaise Lots more photos in Wikimedia If you associate white broderie Anglaise (called whitework) with clothes which are old-f...

  Hearty Kiss in red and blue with lace collar. Photo of Angela Lansbury by Trevor Sharot. The blouse with the pretty collar has the label Intermode. I cannot find them. I think I bought this in Singapore from one of those tiny stores which look like a garage inside Far East Plaza in Scots Road from the bridge walkway across the road. Desk Bell Desk bells with the words Ring for a KISS are widely available. Balloons The heart balloon must be saved from a meal out on Valentine's day or sold off cheaply at Tesco's the day after. Collars and Dickeys I looked all over the internet for lace collar, embroidered collar and cut-out collar. You can also search for dickey. If you can find the Chinese websites, they have a dozen styles. They fabrics range from thin and flimsy to stiff and scratchy through absolutely gorgeous with colourful motifs and embroidery.  From America you can get modern and vintage collars at ten times what I would pay for a blouse. On the other hand, if you wore...