Dress Of The Day with Angela

I joined a new (to me) group on Facebook, called upcycling clothes. My husband thinks I have too many clothes. I have two solutions.  1I am hanging clothes over the bath. Bathroom washing line. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. 2 I am putting them in the laundry bag because I have nowhere to store everything. 3 I already have hall hooks - for hats and coats. 4 I have wardrobes with hanging rails. 5 I have stacks of pull out plastic drawer. 6 On top of them I have plastic boxes with lids. Not as good as drawers.The lids are not see-through. The highest one cannot be reached. You have to lift the top two to get to the one underneath. Drawers are better. 7 I have hangers with multiple bars for trousers. 8 I have over the door hooks. They are useful. Until you overload them and they pull off.. 9 I have big cardboard boxes in storage with light weight tropical clothes from living overseas. 10 I have racks over radiators. I asked this question (shown in Italics) edited and improved an...

  Ask in your local shoe shop, or shoe repair shop. Or look online.

I had a pair of toe-post shoes. They were a size too large. But the main problem was that the toe post was uncomfortable.It rubbed. Why? It was not plastic. It was stiff fabric.  When I inspected the toe-post to try to diagnoze the problem, I saw that it had a ridge along the vertical seem. I wore the shoes for three minutes between the bed and bathroom. Later, the next day, I came home early evening wearing white socks. I thought, I can wear the shoes again briefly before bed. I went to put on the toe post shoes. Then I realised I was still wearing my socks. Oh no!  Maybe I could cut a slit to divide the socks' toe along by the big toe. So that they would look like mittens. I have seen socks cut like that, or constructed like that. I put my foot into the shoe. But maybe I could wear the socks intact, stretching them between the big toe and the next toe. This required some pulling of the socs' toes to make room for my toes. Serach words include yoga soc...

In Australia and the UK and USA most people have shoes. Shoes are needed by athletes in poor countries who need good shoes for running people in poor countries without any shoes needed for walking Why do you need shoes? To avoid or reduce Animal dung - from cats, cows, dogs, more  ant bites poison ivy rusty nails snakes thorns verrucas  Australia Shoes for Planet earth has collection points in Australia. Recycling for yourself Many websites claim that you can clean up old white sneakers (lace ups, often with canvas tops) by putting them in washing machines. You might get a few extra wears out of your shoes by adapting them. You might want to invest in shoe glue. Straps  Or straps. for flat shoes or heeled shoes. Search for detachable straps. Sets Or do what some people do with socks, buy two or three pairs. When one shoe or sock wears out, you bring in one of the spares. https://sg.shein.com/1pair-Clear-Shoe-Strap-p-11126966-cat-2865.html?skucode=I631td6cu27l&currency...

  Angela Lansbury, at a contest. Photo from Saddiq.  Where To Sit? You can see me in the front row, wearing red. It is always good to sit in the front row. As a contestant I was placed in the front row. If you are speaking on stage it is convenient to be at the end of the row and near the front and near the central aisle so you can get out in a hurry. Red makes me visible.The shoes, the top and the lipstick are all matching. Pin-on Microphones The organizers arranged for us to all practise pinning on the microphones at the right height and checking that they worked.   On previous occasions, at contests, there had been delays to the event and stress to the contestants and confusion about the timing of the speeches, and whether to re-start. Why? Because the battery had died or the contestant forgot to turn on the microphone. So we were briefed to ask, 'Can you hear me?', before starting to speak.  Masks We had all been sitting, half of us with masks. I removed min...

Angela and Warren at Harrovians Toastmasters International speakers' club in Harrow, London, England, UK, May 2022. Angela's Outfit White Shoes Marks and Spencer. Size 5. White laces. The see-through lace effect goes well with frilly white blouses, lace or eyelet style, which would otherwise look overdressed against practical, sporty shoes.  Bought from St Luke's charity shop in London. They raise money for hospices. White Petticoat Elastic waist. Two tiered with gathered lower layer and crochet hem. Brand name Laura Ashley. Khaki Skirt Patra. 100% silk. Pencil shape. I think I must have bought it second hand on Ebay. For years I never wore it. I thought the colour was dull. The silk was heavy, thick, rough rather than soft and silky. However, now in 2022 I have rediscovered it. The neutral colour goes with everything. Because it is not a treasured item I can wear it all the time without worry about spoiling it or staining it. Warren is wearing a smart black suit with a bla...

Sometimes you need to be sitting down. As in this restaurant photo showing me dining in at B & K salt beefr bar and deli in London. I am eating lokshen (noodle) pudding. When You Must Sit Many speakers need to stay seated.  Practical and Social Reasons They may be eating dinner. Holding a baby. Cuddling a kitten. Reading their notes. Reaching for props on a desk. Medical reasons  Have ankle, knee or back problems. Solutions include: Tell everybody in the audience your problem. Ask the chairperson to explain you are sitting down (with, or without, giving a reason). That way you won't waste time during your speech in the explanation. Angela Lansbury. Selfie. Hair plaited to keep it out of the way. I saw a speech in London given by an older man who had difficulty standing for a long period. He told us he had considered sitting down but he thought that he would not be seen by audience members at the back. So he bought and brought to the meeting a bar stool. It was the sort wit...

  Angela in reversible orange dress with scarf turned into a cowl. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Orange Dress This orange dress is one of my favourite lievely colours. I searched online for reversible dress in red, orange or pink and found this. You can buy lots of reversible dresses online through ebay and other sources such as J D Williams catalogues.  This side has a flower pattern. The reverse is an abstract print. The fringed scarf has the abstract pattern. This is less obvious if the scarf is tied up rather than left hanging straight. How To Tie The Scarf You need a large scarf which  hangs down to waist level or longer.  1 Tie together the two central  pinched side hems, about where the waist high last button and last buttonhole would be on a blouse. (I first tried to tie it at bust height but the scarf would not go over my head at the next stage.) 2 Half way up, about bust height, you twist your scarf into a figure of eight. Put the lower loop over your head....

The Orange Tee-shirt With Shoes The Tee-Shirt Look carefully and you will see three pairs of beach sandals on the tee-shirt. The Skirt The skirt has shoes in several styles. The background colour is yellow, which goes well with orange. The Black Waistband The black waistband is a wide black satin effect ribbon from a roll of ribbon sold by hallmark, the gift card people.  I normally avoid waring belts if possible. They cut you in half and make you look shorter and draw attention to a low or unsupported bust. You can see that I have tied another piece of the ribbon around the hat, to co-ordinate.  The next outfit, dress 180, shows the tee-shirt top reversed with a different skirt. Useful Websites On Clothes Amazon Ebay Wikipedia About the Author Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. She evaluates speeches, judges speech contests and runs language workshops. She also draws caricatures. Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts wit...

  The comments I received on Facebook included the words: beautiful, charming exquisite, glam, cracker. 'Bet it's silk.' 'I feel a little envy, on a muddy Welsh farm.'  The scarf was made by cutting the hem off the dress which was too long. I cut the fabric using pinking shears to create a serrated edge which won't fray. The drawstring at the waist is held neatly in place by a row of stitching above and below. This is a useful idea to remember when sewing your own clothes. Caften Fabric If you are using a bought caftan as a template or pattern for your own diy caftan, you can make a simple day caftan in cottom by cutting an old or new bedsheet. A ribbon can be threaded through two small slits at the right and left seams.  Silky Fabric However, if you want a smart evening caftan made of superior cloth, you can copy this idea for a neat drawstring waist from my silver caften. Draw the horizontal lines at the waist of your garment with tailor's chalk.  Why tail...

  Dress of the Day, 108, Best blue, best foot forward. Photo by Trevor Sharot. I am wearing a Jacques Vert blouse with royal blue embroidery on a plaquet which has zig zagging buttons.  Jacques Vert plus blouse. What does plus mean? Plus size? The Dress is Berkertex imitation velvet, but according to the washing label it is polyester. The reversible scarf, is black one side, dark green the other with a blue tinge. It looks like velvet but, is probably the same sort of fabric as the dress, polyester.  The scarf is fastened with an antique brooch. The heavy cardigan coat is black with applique black velvet and tiny iridescant beads. Notice the return of the umbrella with the cat's head handle. The umbrella has a canopy in black with black cat's paw prints. C lick on the picture to see the footwear. The black ankle boots are by German brand, Josef Seibel.  Comments and captions please.

 September 16 2020. Hurray. Wedding Day of our only son. At last, despite postponements due to Covid 19, a cut in the numbers of guests allowed at the ceremony, and at the reception in the restaurant, and self-monitored home stay quarantine in the UK for two weeks before the wedding.