Dress Of The Day with Angela

 Multi-colour pearls Very classy. Different. The wearer said she could not remember where they came from. Pearls, and mock pearls, can be the classic white, dark shiny grey, pale silvery grey, or dark pink. She was wearing matching single pearl ear-rings. A single one colour pearl. You can also buy ear rings in drop styles with pearls of two contrasting colours. Years ago, the late nineteen sixties, on a student trip to Japan, I bought a grey pearl bracelet on sale. At that time grey pearls were second class and unwanted by buyers, and cost less. Forty years later, the grey pearls were prized for being different, exclusive, and cost more. Then along came triple colours. Instead of boring plain white. A classic necklace can be all pearls evenly matched in size. Or very slightly different, from the smallest at the clasp, each slightly, imperceptibly different, with the largest hanging down at the centre Budget Buys In Necklaces If your heart is set on multicolour spherical bead neckl...

  A friend's fun fan at Writers' Summer School in Swanwick, Derbyshire. Photo by Angela Lansbury. In the hot weather in August in England we kept falling asleep in the conference centre rooms. The local staff told us they were tired. Despite the electric fans which whirred  away noisily, several people had trouble staying awake. Others resorted to hand held fans. This fan was bought by my friend from a market in Spain. Markets are good places to look for fans. And supermarkets in hot countries. If you want to make your own fan, or recycle an old one which is wearing thin, check this fan. The pattern is one you might find inspiring. It consists of seven circles, roses or  spirals in three repeating colours.  They are summery colours, green, yellow and a warm colour. Note the curved edges. On eBay I found fan design ear-rings from France. See my dress of the day 199 about making concertina fold fans. Angela Lansbury with a concertina fold pink paper fan with gilt edges...

You can buy adapters. My favourites are large clips with a tiny circle of metal. You can hang through this the hook type ear-rings for pierced ears. If the large ones pinch, you can cover them, or buy little see-through silicon pockets. The large clips are my favourites. I look for old fashioned ear rings, vintage, in this style. They are often heavy. Bold styles. However, I had a pair of hollow silver or silver plated ones I bought in San Francisco with a large clip on the back. I wore them for many summers until they got bashed out of shape. Some clips are smaller. I find these less likely to stay on. Also because they are tiny, more pressure in one place. Another style is the screw on type. You screw them on until they fit over the lobe. Lastly, the latest, are magnetic ear rings. I find they come apart. All in all my favourites are the big clip on type ear rings - especially if you can attach your pierced ear-rings. If you are in a shop and don't see clip on ear-rings, still as...

  Why Add Ear-rings? Do the ear-rings complement and complete the outfit? Or do they distract? I thought they completed the outfit perfectly. You have to look in the mirror and keep trying accessories, removing them, replacing them, until you get the effect which makes you feel good and happy and smiling. Use Your Mirror The effect when you are seated showing only your shoulders and neckline and cleavage on Zoom or in a head and shoulders portrait is not the same as when you are standing. To see the effect of the selfie, your camera is your own mirror. Why Add A Necklace? Does the red and black necklace distract? Maybe. I wore it because with a full length picture the red picked up the red colour of the underskirt and red evening shoes which have glass sparkles. The bulky red necklace also covered the cleavage. Hope for Fly Away Hair - Moisturizers My skin has dried out and sagged on my face and my hair has dried and become fly-away. The cure for fly-away hair is conditioner. Ideal...

  Ear-ring clips  Most of the ear-rings you buy on-line and elsewhere have tiny clips.  Two styles are sold. One sort has hinges. Another type has a screw. I have tried buying the clips alone from: 1 Craft shops and  2 Online jewellery making suppliers and  3 A jewellery sales and repair shop on the St Ann's mall opposite the railway and bus stations in Harrow. The jewellery shop is upstairs on the first floor. (Americans would say second floor. The British have ground floor so the first floor is the upper level). As a result, when I have time to spare and I am in a shop or department store, or second hand shop, I often look at the ear-rings. If a pair of ear-rings is cheap and has a large ear-ring clip, I buy them. Even if I don't like the style. The latest, fourth idea is magnetic ear-rings. How do they work? Just two round magnets. One goes behind the ear lobe, the other in front. Amazingly the magnet works through your ear lobe. You can stick a button, or an...