Sunday 29 October 2017

Autumn serenade

It was clear that the wonderful late Summer weather wouldn't last. We are, after all, nearly the end of October, and already a month into what is supposed to be Autumn!

The forecast for last weekend looked very dire: we were promised wind blown days with lashings of rain.

As there was a charity shop event on Saturday and we expected to be inside most of the time, we didn't really mind, but were nevertheless pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a timid sun when we woke up.

Weathermen these days!


I love the print of this dress, with swirls of purples and pinks, as well as its floaty, lined fabric.

However, once I put it on, I wasn't too sure. In spite of the funky print, the dress's shape is a bit frumpy, especially with its high frilly collar. If I remember correctly, it originally even had a ribbon tie, which was bothersome and therefore swiftly removed.

Wearing the collar open looked a bit silly, but then again, so did wearing it closed! I was about to consign it to the give-away pile, when I thought of a solution: why not emulate those turn of the century ladies and wear it with a brooch pinned to the collar?


These photographs were all in a box which came from my Mum's side of the family. While I haven't got the slightest idea who the ladies on the left and right are, the one in the middle is my great-grandmother Aloysia. I do wish I'd inherited her hair!

My "brooch" is actually a scarf clip, one of a handful I've picked up while brooch hunting.



I also replaced the existing narrow self-fabric belt with a wider, green one, breaking up the expanse of  fabric. I chose green, as I already had a cardie in mind to wear with the dress, in olive green trimmed with purple and sporting purple buttons!

Still finding the dress too plain, I then added a necklace, its olive green beads (a nod to the cardie) accompanied by petrol blue and brown ones.


My final piece of jewellery was this green-stoned ring, which has swirls of pink in it, referring of course to the lilacs and pinks of the dress. I also added a pink flower corsage to the cardie.



My outerwear consisted of my recently bought lilac woollen jacket, to which I pinned a wooden duck brooch, a spotty aubergine scarf and my burgundy booties, which have been to the cobbler's!

On my arm, the brown handbag with the fishies I found at the flea market a couple of weeks ago.



When we returned to our car after our first charity shop, we couldn't resist nipping into the park for a a little turn. The sun had disappeared by now, and we took an umbrella as dark clouds were threatening to release the forecasted rain.

But we shouldn't have bothered as the wind had soon dispersed the clouds and more and more patches of blue sky started appearing.



Autumn has begun in earnest here, painting the leaves in golds, reds and browns.



The wind rustling in the tree tops makes them dance, then gently float down to join the thick blanket underneath, prompting a leaf-kicking moment and a bit of silliness.



Some of the trees stand proudly ablaze with colour, trying to hold on to their bright Autumn splendour for another day.



A winding footpath leads you to the heart of the park, leaves crunching beneath your feet with every step and, in spite of the busy road nearby, it's easy to imagine you're walking on a woodland path, about to enter a fairy tale world and leaving civilization far behind.



Looking skywards, the majestic trees seem to go on forever, taking on a Jack-and-the-beanstalk quality. Soon, the trees will be leafless and look eerie and forbidden in Winter's twilight.



All too soon, we'll be saying goodbye to these bittersweet October days, so we'd better make the most of their sensory delights.


Foliage is dying down, seed-heads turning brown and shabby, while a lonely butterfly pauses on a patch of green to rest its wings and mourn Summer's passing.



Limbs stretched and heads cleared, we returned to our car, and continued our charity shopping adventure ...



But that will be for another post!


28 comments:

  1. Look at all those glorious colours in your park, how lovely!
    Your purple outfit really stands out against the Autumnal shades.
    You've done a brilliant job de-frumping that frock. The print is lovely and you've disguised the neckline wonderfully with all your accessories.
    The clocks went back last night and it's already dark. Your vibrant colours have cheered me up. xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The clocks went back here too, but you're even one hour earlier than us, so it must be dark really early now ... That's what depresses me the most about Winter ... xxx

      Delete
  2. The autumn colours are glorious! Good lord I LOVE the wooden duck brooch, so cute!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Gisela! I can't get enough of autumn colours ... xxx

      Delete
  3. You look absolutely radiant in those shades of green and purple. The jacket looks like it was made for the dress. I'm glad you were able to make it work-the colours and print are so great.

    Yes-get outdoors and enjoy all nature has to offer before winter sets in.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Goody. I did have my work cut out de-frumping that dress. Then I didn't know which jacket to wear, until I realized I'd just bought that lilac jacket! xxx

      Delete
  4. Theses colours are amazing. Pink and violet, I love it so much with this jacket and how cute is this duck brooch :)
    Thank you for wonderful autumn pictures, so colorful.
    I wish you a nice week, big hug Tina

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Tina. I always feel the need to dress in colour, especially this time of year. Soon, the dark and drab Winter days will be upon us, with everybody wearing dark, depressing colours ... xxx

      Delete
  5. totally loooove your autumn musings and photos!!!
    <3 <3 <3
    and if you ever get tired to style that dress - i would take it - sooo chic!!
    xxxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Beate, and that dress has got your name on it, should I ever get tired of it ... xxx

      Delete
  6. A purple vision! I love how you de-frumped that dress. And it's clever how many brooches you wear at once, I should emulate that! Today is the first morning that feels properly cold, October was especially mild this year. X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I love a wardrobe challenge. As for the brooches, well, if you've got 300 of them, it would be a shame to only wear one ... xxx

      Delete
  7. so gorgeous autumn colors, I love them!, and also love your purple outfit!. That dress looks totally cool, perfectly combined with your olive cardi and lilac jacket (lovely color combo!), and I love that you wear as many brooches as possible!, that's fabulousness!
    besos

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Monica. If this time of year is good for one thing, it's the extra layers allowing you to wear extra brooches! xxx

      Delete
  8. Super job of reinventing your dress. I've got a few pieces that just needed the right accompaniments to make them wearable. Isn't it satisfying when you figure it out?
    xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love playing around with accessories and yes, it's definitely satisfying if you hit upon the right combination. xxx

      Delete
  9. The nature photos are lovely and your outfit positively zings against the background,
    I like the way you wore the dress and the olive green looks good, so does the jacket, nice layers :-)
    I like brooches myself, so I love seeing yours. xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Sally! I love layering! It's about the only good thing about this time of year ... xxx

      Delete
  10. Gosh, look at all those beautiful Autumnal photos! Such wonderful colours and textures and the colours of your outfit stand out from them so strikingly. xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Cate. Nature does dress fabulously in Autumn, doesn't she? xxx

      Delete
  11. The trees in the park are the most beautiful colours!

    I love your outfit - so beautifully co-ordinated! That was such a clever idea to put the scarf ring at the collar. I've got a couple of those that I haven't yet thought of what to do with but now you've given me a great idea...

    The green jacket is fabulous and what an amazing duck brooch that is.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I never knew what to do with scarf rings either. Even with a YouTube tutorial, they don't make sense to me. I often wear them to "tame" a pussy bow or tie on a dress. xxx

      Delete
  12. I love how you've built up the layers of this outfit - well done! The purples are gorgeous with olive - one of my favourite combinations. Such fabulous colours outside! I love this time of year! You've inspired me to try to de-frump one of my own dresses!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Sheila! Isn't it great how we blogging girls inspire one another? xxx

      Delete
  13. Oh my, such gorgeous colours! I love this time of year with a passion, it's so beautiful. And I love your lilac jacket, such a contrast to the foliage in the park xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So glad you love Autumn too, Melanie! I love being out and about on a gloriously sunny Autumn day. That really makes my heart sing! xxx

      Delete
  14. That's a beautiful dress! I love how you styled it with a brooch (of course!) on the collar, you fit right in your family photos! Gorgeous colors, and Fall photos are splendid. Isn't it such fun to kick fallen leaves? :)
    Warmest hugs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Natalia. I can never resist walking through layers of fallen leaves or kicking them around ... xxx

      Delete