Dress Of The Day with Angela

  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...

 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...

  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 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...

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...

  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...

  Angela Lansbury in vintage Anthony Sicari top. Photo by Trevor Sharot Red Anthony Sicari top. I usually prefer to buy Anthony Sicari in sets of three, top, skirt and co-ordinating scarf. But I could not resist this riotous red. Besides, articles from the USA to UK cost more in postage than the garment, but this was on ebay.co.uk so it was posted to my UK address at a lower rate.  I did not have a three piece matching outfit, so I had to add my own red items. Red Sandals The red sandals are Free-Step size 5. I wear them when travelling. If you have to removed shoes at security in an airport they save time. Also convenient if you need to remove shoes for a mosque or Asian temple or home. (Or somebody has a new white carpet and you can see they are in slippers and barefoot with a baby crawling on the floor and shoes on a rack by the doorl) Red Umbrella To complete the look I have a red umbrella. I use it against rain. You can use it against sun or simply to provide shade, at ho...

You can find something for everyone, from army surplus clothes to vintage wedding dresses and designer bags. Some of the high end manufacturers and stores are offering to buy back items which they refurbish, and give you a voucher to buy something new from their stock. I buy a lot from ebay, and occasionally from etsy. I know I could sell on there, but packaging and shipping is too time-consuming, confusing and troublesome. However, HEWI, standing for hardly ever worn it, has two levels of service One  gives you more money and lets you ship things out yourself. The other collects your unwanted items and takes a larger commission. if you need the space, anything is better than nothing. Are you hoping to find free items, buy bargains, or sell cheap or second hand clothes? Here are your hunting words: Useful Words army surplus stores, bargain basement, car boot sales, charity shops, consignment shops, flea markets, garage sales, op shops, opportunity shops, resale shops, surplus store...