Dress Of The Day with Angela

  Photos by Angela Lansbury. The Purple Top I ordered this online from ebay. It was XS, extra small, yet is quite big enough, quite large on me.  When I opened the packet, I wasn't sure if I liked the purple fabric, but I liked the turquoise and silver sequins. I was pleased that the sequin pattern was repeated on the back. I think front-only printing often looks cheap, as if the manufacturer or seller has economized on the quality of the cloth and the effort of lining up the pattern and not wasting fabric.  On the other hand, what is missing from Indigo Moon garments? Pockets. I shall manage. I usually wear a vest or jacket with pockets.  Any other hesitations, buyers's remorse? Also sequins on the back might damage something else. Clothes, such as a jacket or coat or scarf worn on top. What about the chair or car seat when you sit and lean backwards? What about tearing the fabric if you rest on a couch or bed for a nap? That hasn't stopped me from buying several In...

  Angela Lansbury in Anthony Sicari drak pink top. Photo by Angela Lansbury. copyright. I needed an outfit to go out to a wine tasting. I would be seated all night so the skirt was not important, only the top. I would be drinking wine, white, orange, and red wines. So I needed a top which would not get stained. Synthetic fabric. Not white. Preferably patterned. I have several Anthony Sicary outfits, mostly tops, a few with matching skirts, one of two with the matching scarf, and one red jacket. Most have some red or pink. One or two are mostl black or navy. Warm Colour, Warm Fabric  I wanted to wear a different one. And not the dark colours. Something in a warm colour. But not bulk sleeves. Why? Because I was wearing a black woolly cardigan. Why? Because I was going to be sitting in a large hall which was unheated and cold last year. The sleeves of the Sicari top were thin fabric, not knitted like the bodice. So I wore a blouse underneath. Another layer. The White Blouse The w...

  Angela in Animal print, fluffy, wrap coat. Photo by Trevor Sharot. I bought this for one pound in the St Luke's charity shop in Hatch End in NW London, England, UK. I didn't think  I would like the pattern, but it feels very soft. It is 95% polyester. I have called it animal print because I get confused beween leopard and tiger, especially if the pattern is a bit abstract. Usually, tiger pattern is stripey, leopard pattern is spots. You might recall the phrase, a leopard cannot change its spots. Style As for the style, it has no buttons. Just a fold across.  You can use a belt. But that makes it look bulky. Adding Fastening It is warm and attractive, almost seductive, if you hold the collar together or folded over slightly. To keep it done up attractively, wtihout having to hold it, I am considering adding some kind of closure at the neck. I would like something small and inconspicous, such as a snap or hook and eye. Maybe it would look good with a fancy button on top f...

  Jacques Vert Blouse with buttons in between the embroidery. Photo by Angela Lansbury. The Jacques Vert Blouse converts a summer dress into a winter evening outfit. Photo by Angela Lansbury. I thought this was my favourite Jacques Vert blouse. Then I did a search for Jacques Vert blouses on this blog. I discovered a red and white one which is totally different, a simple pull on style. But this blue embroidered white one, plus size, shirt style, has more features to delight and interest anybody and everybody. Amazing buttons, as well as interesting embroidery. I'll start with the fabric and come to the unusual buttons later. The Fine Fabric - Polyester? I remember the days when polyester first came out in the late ninetten fifties or sixties. When shopping my mother would look at labels and go for traditional cotton. Cotton was breathable. Polyester was cheap, sticky, hot, looked shiny and synthetic. The worst was polyester bedding. Sheets in cheap hotels which looked clean but fel...

Harrovians toastmasters club. This year I went to Harrovians. The two leaders of the meeting, husband and wife, were in matching jumpers. I thought that was very effective. I then received a notice from the sister club of which I am also a member. Time for me to get out my Xmas outfit. Years ago I would not have bought a seasonal outfit. I thought it was a waste of money to buy seasonal items which you only wear once to a party. Too twee.  Might offend non-Christian friends. Then, one year I saw one in a sale.  Now, when asked to dress in Xmas theme, I can oblige.  In theory I should keep it in a suitcase up in the attic or an outroom such as a store room, maid's room, scullery/utility room.  The suitcase would be labelled Xmas with a all the decorations.  However, I tend to keep most things out. This works well if you want to find it in a hurry. I did. iwent to my cupborad of thick woolly jumpers and found it immeditely on the top of the pile. Xmas jumper Backg...

Mercerised thread spool. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. Why Does Thread Break?  I used to wonder why my thread kept breaking. I asked a lady in a sewing materials shop. She said that the more expensive cottons are waxed so that the fine threads bind together.  I had previously thought that the thread on the wooden spools was more expensive because of the cost of the spool. Now I realise that threads are not all the same quality.  Thread Monthly I just found a really handy guide to different types of thread. From Threadsmonthly. Beeswax - Threading Needles They suggested that if the end of your thread is fraying, so that you cannot thread a needle, you run the end of the thread through beeswax. That is really handy.  I had a pot of beeswax and did not know why I had it or what I was supposed to do with it. If you cannot get the fraying end of your thread through the small head of a small needle, you can switch to a smaller needle, but that might make large holes...

  Angela Lansbury wearing a blue and white blouse by Jacques Vert. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Copyright. Where From My policy, as I promoted it on a speech to Agora, to shop in my own home, browse in the wardrobe and the spare room. Rescue my own clothes.  Move clothes around to alarm the clothes moths. Discourage them from feeding baby moths on my precious clothes.   Jacques Vert translates as Jack Green. The French name sounds much more glamorous to English speakers. The name is not from one man called Jack Green, but from two tailors, one whose first name was Jack, and the other whose surname was Green. (See Wikipedia for the full story, simplified and verified.) The item I am wearing is vintage. Made in England. 100% polyester. Wash on 30 degrees centigrade. Size 10. Short spin. Do not wring. The Style The style is interesting. The double bodice resembles the front of a cape blazer, but without the cape effect at the back and without the slit sleeves.  The back and ...

Angela Lansbury in green eyelet dress, by green car, with green and multi-colour umbrella. Photo by Trevor Sharot.   I bought this eyelet dress on eBay. I was looking for an eyelet dress. (Eyelet dresses used to be called broderie anglaise. Once folksy, now fashionable. In the old days only white, now also in black and all kinds of colours.) What did I want? Preferably not white, because I already have one in white and would like a change. I bid on this attractive lime green. I won the bidding at only five pounds but the postage was over three so the total was about eight pounds. Still a bargain. The dress price ticket said twenty pounds! As the old saying goes, you win some, you lose some. This is one that I won, in both senses of the word. I won the auction. I won a bargain. The Dress Brand & Label The neck label says Made in Italy. The hip length lining's inner hem has two labels. Both say the same. The wording reveals a brand name, Euro Miss UK Made in Italy.  100 % vi...

If you are thinking of having a blouse made, or making one yourself, here are some features  you might like to copy. The fabric is simply 100% polyester, mainly white. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Buttons  The blouse has triple gold buttons on each cuff and triple gold dome buttons on the neck. With ribbon fastenings for the buttons. You could sew the spare button onto a headband, scarf or hat. This would co-ordinate the look. If I did this I would keep the item with the matching button close by, on the hanger, attached to the blouse with a safety pin, or folded into the blouse, or even half in the solo blouse pocket. Spare Buttons The blouse has two handy spare buttons attached to the washing label. One if the gold style. The other is the four hole button hidden in the placket. Also a flat black satin edging to the cuffs. The cuff edging matches the black edge to the collar. This is practical. The blouse looks clean. No crumpled nor fraying edge. The effect is decorative. The blac...

  The Scarf - Shopping Scarf by Thomas Calvi, ten pounds, from a motorway service station shop between London and Swanwick, Derbyshire, driving back south. The Print You have to stand as I did, arms out, to show the full effect of the print. I chose a plain colour jacket in coral pink, picking out the colour of the scarf, plain rather than print to show the print on the edge of the scarf.  The Scarf Fabric The fabric is see-through and light-weight. It does tend to run easily. If I see a thread hanging, I cut it off before it can catch on something and pull tight. The Buttons This scarf is the same construction as the one in the previous photo. Two long oblong scarves hang, one over each shoulder. The two scarves are fastened together, down the front by three bottons, down the back by another three. The buttons are simply sewn to fasten the two scarves edge to edge.  The buttons are four and a half inches or eleven centimetres apart, buttonhole to buttonhole.  The Ca...

  Dress 160: Apple green silk sleeveless tunic by brand collection Komunseide (vintage - they have ceased trading);  you can buy their clothes on Ebay. The word Seide is German for silk. Nouns in German have capital letters. Red silk button up blouse with two breast pockets, by KJ Classics.  Asymmetrical pinky red flower skirt by Topshop, with side zip, polyester outer and stretchy miniskirt lining. Worn with accessories: hair slide with large green flowers, four pleated fabrics in green in dark and mid-tone. Green sequin clip-on ear-ring.  DIY Hints For Home Made Clothes The asymmetrical hem is a great idea if you are short of fabric. The wavy edge to the piece which goes up looks good. With a see-through fabric it is better to have an attached underskirt. Useful Websites https://sg.topshop.com/ https://www.indifferentlanguages.com/words/silk About the Author About the Author of Books Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Like my pages...