Dress Of The Day with Angela

 I bought these online from Ebay which has a huge number of Indigo Moon outfits from the UK and USA. I had bought two Indigo Moon belts which I loved and thought I would look for Indigo Moon bags to complete an outfit. Indigo Moon jacket and matching bag with author Angela Lansbury. Photo by Trevor Sharot.  Jacket Indigo Moon. Usually I go for those with sequins for sparkle. However the embroidery and bright contrasting colours are so jolly that I love this jacket even without the sequins. Matching A Bag and Jacket It is quite unusual to have a matching bag and jacket, unless both are made in a specific pattern, such as a tartan, or Burberry. Making A Matching Pair I was wondering what I could do to make a big bag to match this or other outfits. If you start from scratch you can buy extra fabric. Or use offcuts to decorate a bag with a plain background. Or embroider the same pattern, on both bag and jacket or coat. Pick flowers, hearts, seasonal themes, whatever. Another optio...

I bought a tarten pair of pyjamas in a red and black and white pattern. Label Senza Sleepwear. Angela Lansbury wearing a red, white and black pyjama set by label Senza. Then I bought a similar patterned shirt by label Shein.  Angela Lansbury wearing the Shein shirt. Why buy another garment so similar? Well, one was pyjamas, the other a shirt, or blouse. One day I was rushing to an appointment when I accidentally put on the pyjama top instead of the blouse!  They looked so similar, I don't suppose anybody noticed. I had a jacket on top most of the day. I felt happy.  The only difference was that the pyjama top had an open neck.  It looked so similar that I don't think anybody except me would have known the difference. The pyjama top felt and looked better. It is in a soft fabric, loose and comfortable.  It goes with a black skirt, a perfect match. It is an alternative to wear if I am washing the shirt by hand overnight and it is not yet dry next morning.. In fact...

 Tartans, plaids, Burberry. Black Watch. Angela Lansbury wearing red, white and black Shein blouse at a Toastmasters International speakers' club. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. This blouse label is Shein. I thought the red colour was jolly, black co-ordinates with black skirts and accessories practical. White adds freshness, cleanliness. Only when I looked at the photo did I realise what was wrong with the pattern. The horizontal lines on the left and right don't match up. The two sides have been cut separately. They should have been either from one piece, cut vertically down the middle, or not economised on fabric but lined it up.  Why was it made like this? How did it get past the supervisor, past quality control? Maybe it is 'seconds', a sale item.  Maybe an amateur. Maybe cost-cuttiing. Somewhere I read an article investigating how clothes are made so cheaply. The manufacturer in a village or city where lots of people are seeking work offers work where each p...

When I was a student I wore a a black watch tartan tunic. The dark colours, black, dark green and dark blue, co-ordinated with black accessories such as shoes. Dark colours looked good with my hair which was then a dark mousy brown.  When I went to Scotland several times as a tourist from England. The shops in Edinburgh and all over Scotland sold tartans in all colours. As a tourist I simply went for the colour I liked. Unfortunately complete outfits were beyond my budget.  I knew that an army brigade wore black watch tartan in the old days. I was dimly aware that on ceremonial occasions different groups of the military, guards, and civilians would march in identifying colours. I wore tartan because I liked the pattern. In Scotland I was offered tartans as a tourist. Now I wear a lot of red. As a child I wore blue to match my eyes. My school uniform was dark green. I liked red to get attention, especially as I am being photographed, travel and am short of sleep and need red to...

  Angela Lansbury in tartan blouse and Gordon Tartan headscarf. Dress 324. photo by Trevor Sharot. I was looking for tartans to wear when I gave a talk on Scotland, Scots language, Scottish people. I found a blouse but was not sure I could identify the tartan. Then I found a scarf. The label clearly identified it as Gordon tartan. If you buy a kilt, it comes with a white blouse with a jabot (centre front frill in white descending at the neck). Long white socks contrast with heavy black shoes. A decorative sporran.  (A sporran is a fur pouch hanging down on a string from the waist as a purse). Useful Websites Tartan Clothes https://www.lochcarron.co.uk/ Please share links to your favourite posts.

  Angela Lansbury is wearing a red, white and navy blue plaid shirt. Dress  587. Photo by Trevor Sharot. The H & M Red, White and Blue Plaid Pattern Shirt  The shirt is labelled H & M. Made in Bangladesh. It has two spare buttons, one in each size. Seven buttons down the front placket. Two on each cuff. One smaller button fastening the slit up the wrist from the cuff. H & M started in Sweden and is now in many countries worldwide. H & M stands for Hennes and Mauritz. It is a man's shirt, in good condition, with long arms. I considered cutting off the cuffs to make a shorter flared sleeve. However, the geometric pattern is more rigid and suits the cuff.  It is a casual shirt, but not a feminine style, more practical. The cuff has a wide placket with one buttonhole, and a narrower one underneath with the button. I could use either one of them to make a tab. A shortened tab sleeve might be cooler in Singapore, especially in the very hot summer. Colours T...

When I was a student in London, England, I used to like wearing a skirt in Black Watch tartan. After I married, I used to go every year to a  Burns Night, January 25, is celebrated in Scotland and by my Scottish neighbour in London, England.  This year, when I told Singaporean and Malay members of a Singapore-based Toastmasters Club that January 25th was Burns Night, celebrating Robbie, Burns, they asked, 'Who's that?' I replied, "The man who wrote the words of Auld Lang Syne, which is sung worldwide on New Year's Eve." In Singapore, New Year's eve is long gone and they are now busy with Chinese New Year, or the lunar year. The Singaporean's have a word, Kiasu, which means trying to get ahead of other people as well as the fear of missing out. Having missed out on the celebration of Burns Night, I made up for it next day by wearing the tartan shirt I had had waiting for a week, along with a tartan bag.  I cut the Scottish flag off a row of bunting  fla...

   An American cowboy or cowgirl hat is easy to recognize and quick to put on and you can buy one cheaply from fancy dress shops online. You wear a cowgirl hat in Texas or to a fancy dress party or when talking about the USA. Not for New York. Angela in a cowgirl style hat and cowgirl style shirt with handy mother of pearl effect poppers instead of buttons. Of course, the British version of a cowgirl shirt, bought in the UK, comes in a UK version, a tartan which is Scottish. Party shops will sell cheap outfits and fancy dress hire shops hire out Elvis outfits, dresses from the Forties (WW2), the Fifties for a 50th birthday party.  Hats and wigs come in all colours and styles. Dress hire shops also hire out outfits for weddings. hat hire shops will hire out fancy hats for weddings, mother of the bride and mother of the groom, useful if you are traveling overseas, as I did for our son's wedding in the UK.   But let us look at various countries, in Alphabetical ord...