Tuesday 17 October 2017

Don't go down to Doledrum

At the tail end of the week before last we were treated to some grey and utterly miserable days, with the rain turning the wind-blown leaves into a soggy mess, the wind tugging at umbrellas, turning them inside out and out of shape.

On days like these, there's cotton wool in my head and I would like to close my eyes and have a nap. A very long nap! You know, the one where you wake up and it's Spring again!

My lunch breaks were desultory affairs, as even my favourite pastime, having a rummage in Think Twice, was proving fruitless.


Imagine my delight when, walking past one of Antwerp's best known second hand bookshops, I saw this book in the window. There was no way I was going to let this one go!

I was more than ready for the weekend, which I started early by taking Friday afternoon off.

It had been raining heavily in the morning, but thankfully it had eased off by the time I met my friend Inez for coffee. Afterwards, we paid a visit to Think Twice, not expecting much. However, they'd just started their latest sales with 30% off on everything, and we each bought a dress, mine being this colourful psychedelic shift


Saturday proved to be another dreadful day, but with the addition of a significant drop in temperature.

As I'm in the middle of my wardrobe change, I already have quite a few long sleeved frocks to choose from. Surely, a couple of layers underneath and on top of this thin and unlined Paisley print shift dress would do the trick? After all, it isn't Winter just yet!


And I wore my first pair of opaques of the season! These bottle green ones were part of my birthday present from my friend Ingrid.

Green beads, navy booties and a blue round-necked cardie with a vintage brooch were the finishing touches.



I charity shopped this sumptuous green velvet jacket last November, and it now proved to be a very necessary final layer. The blue, pink and green floral scarf came from the same shop, while the brooch pinned to my jacket, a polished piece of beech wood, was brought back from Wales.



Saturdays are for charity shopping but, with one of their events coming up, for which they keep a lot of the nicer stuff behind, we didn't expect to find much.

Still, a a couple of things came home with us.



Mr. S. bought a Harris Tweed jacket, which he changed into immediately as the one he was wearing was far too thin for the cold snap we were having.  Admittedly, it looks much better on him than the jacket he found a couple of weeks ago, which was a bit broad in the shoulders, so that one will be re-donated.

My finds were a cute King Louie cardie ...



... as well as a yellow crushed velvet scarf and a red beret, both of which I left the shop wearing. Yes, it was that cold!

I also picked up a brown woollen jacket ...



... which I wore the next day, when we went to an indoor flea market in Antwerp, providing my own, portable sunshine with the ochre yellow scarf and flower corsage.




The dress is another one from my recently unearthed Autumn/Winter collection, in a light, but lined, polyester fabric, with three quarter sleeves and a pussy bow.

I love its Autumnal orange, brown and cream print, on which I based my accessories: orange necklace, cream butterfly brooch and cream and brown flower brooch. I cinched in my waist with an ochre yellow belt, and a cardie in the same colour went on top.




I wore another pair of opaques, in burnt orange this time!

Browsing through my blog posts from October last year, it seems I wore the dress then too, but styled slightly differently.



Now, on the flea market, which frankly speaking didn't live up to our expectations. For one thing, there was no sign of the Brooch Lady, whom we had come for especially.

After trawling a couple of aisles of uninspiring stalls, selling children's clothes and tasteless tat, we happened upon a stall run by two older ladies, whom I have bought from before.

They have a table piled high with costume jewellery (I promise to take a photo next time), so I was feeling like a child in a toy shop, especially after they gave me an under-the-counter box full of wonderful stuff to rummage through.


My bounty consisted of seven brooches, a carved celluloid scarf clip (bottom left) and a pendant with three tiny edelweiss (bottom right).


Oh, and there were these two necklaces as well. The one on the right has enameled discs, delicately painted with flowers and, judging from the closure, is quite old.

My final find was this chocolate brown handbag, the rim of its metal frame having a lacy pattern of leaves and, rather oddly, fish!



Wait a minute, is that a ray of sunshine I detect up there?



In fact, we have been enjoying a couple of days of glorious Summer weather as I write ...

So, Summer did not yet completely desert us after all!

Linking again to Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style!

38 comments:

  1. The Ossie Clark book looks good, are there plenty of photos in it (no pie charts!)
    Love your psychedelic shift and that funky cardi and you can't go wrong with a Harris Tweed, can you? I'm glad Jos has found one that fits perfectly.
    Your outfits are fabulous especially with the huge yellow scarf. xxx

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    1. No pie charts in sight, but plenty of photos, although I would have loved it to have even more ... I always seem to grab that yellow scarf when I'm in doubt. xxx

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  2. Your outfits are wonderfully colourful and creative. Each layer adds a bit of interest which I adore. I would love to go thrifting with you. Mind you...that might be dangerous since we have the same taste.

    I'm very fond of that warm yellow too. It is the quintessential fall colour.

    That bold cardigan is gorgeous! It looks like a Gucci.

    Suzanne

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    1. Thank you Suzanne! I agree that thrifting together might be dangerous ;-) I do love autumn colours and generally think they are more "me" than any other season's. xxx

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  3. So many wonderful clothes and accessories! You know I'd steal that Autumn dress from you if there weren't an ocean between us. Blue and green...and what an incredible velvet jacket-you look like a goddess in it.

    I couldn't wear anything out of a thrift shop as they rarely clean anything before putting it out where I live. The prices do reflect that, but everything gets lint rollered (to remove pet hair as I'm allergic) and then washed.

    I didn't realise barrel clasps were an older thing-I'll have to take another look at my necklaces.

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    1. Thank you Goody! That jacket is very strokeable as well. I just wish it hasn't such an open collar, which rules out wearing it when it's really cold. There's such a difference in the thrift shops here, but the things sold in this one are quite clean. There are others, though ... xxx

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  4. Well what a cheery selection of outfits. I love the first shift you bought, and the crushed velvet scarf. I'm still layering, not cold enough yet here for big coats so I'm in a velvet jacket today. My husband has just bought his first Harris Tweed jacket, they're indispensable for a dapper gent! Xx

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    1. I'm still layering as well. Although I've got quite a collection of warm coats, I'll only wear them when it gets colder. What a coincidence that your husband has just bought his first Harris Tweed jacket as well ... xxx

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  5. i´m blinded by all the color you wore lately! totally fabulous!!!
    and fab finds! now jos is hooked on tweed too - the BW has ca. 10 tweed jackets by now....... all different of cause! ;-D
    i´m back to summer gear on midday since a week - but in the evenings and on the bike i need a loden jacket, beret, shawl and mittens - and i wear knee length leggings under the skirts to still enjoy bare calves :-)
    hugest hugs! xxxxx

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    1. Thank you Beate! So Jos doesn't have to feel guilty if he buys yet another Tweed jacket then ;-) I've started wearing tights, and generally once I started I'm not stopping until April at the earliest. But I don't really mind ... xxx

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  6. Oh Ann your outfits are getting better and better, I’m clapping my hands with glee here. Imagine if we were next door neighbours, we’d be raiding each other’s wardrobes daily.
    I’m also chapping Jos finding that Harris Tweed jacket it’s a beauty. Philip found one the other week for £10.
    So proud of our boys xxx

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    1. Oh, thank you Lynn. I wouldn't mind being your next door neighbour, and not just for the wardrobe: you live in such a beautiful area! xxx

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  7. I forgot to add that I’ve got bottle green tights as well. I’m going to experiment wearing them with blue. I’ve worn them with an orange skirt. I’ve got some Clark’s bottle green loafers and a green wool jacket xxx

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    1. I've got an orange dress with some bottle green in the print. Now that's an idea. I'll wear them with my bottle green tights next time! Thanks for the tip! xxx

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  8. Oh! I love the brown floral dress! I love autumn colours and that dress looks wonderful styled with the yellow cardigan or the orange! Love all those brooches too XXX

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  9. I am loving the yellow crushed velvet scarf, it maybe autumnal but it's a lovely summer colour too. Why must we all wear darker colours in the cooler months?
    It was nice to see the sun reappear for a few days wasn't it? It's cooler here today, and there is drizzle - the worst kind of rain! Oh well, I guess we can expect more of the same. We'll just have to keep our spirits up with beautiful charity shop finds until spring, where we can celebrate it's arrival with beautiful charity shop finds ;)
    xx

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    1. I seem to have a thing for crushed velvet lately, as I picked up another scarf a couple of days later. I'd like to think that my Winter wardrobe is as colourful as my Summer wardrobe, but if I'm really honest I usually steer away from light colours in Winter ... I really enjoyed those late Summer days! xxx

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  10. I love that psychedelic dress, all those purples and greens look fabulous!, lots of possibilites!
    And you really rock layering, that cute paisley dress is lovely, and the velvet jacket too!, it looks like a warm jacket, perfect to add a luxurious touch!
    Glad that Jos got a jacket which fitted him nicely, that's cool!
    And I'm loving your 'portable sunshine' outfit, so fabulous!, autumnal colors are so great! and you look gorgeous!
    besos

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    1. Thank you Monica! Can't wait to wear the psychedelic dress ... The velvet jacket is lovely, but the collar is too open to wear on really cold days ... Perfect for this time of year, though! xxx

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  11. I enjoy following your thrifting adventures. Time to refresh my winter wardrobe,I think.

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    1. Thank you! I'm always looking forward to the new season's wardrobe! xxx

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  12. What an intriguing book!

    I just love both your featured outfits - so colourful and beautifully co ordinated and accessorized. I also loved your finds. I cannot resist a patterned cardigan and I admire your brooches especially the white one and the yellow beads and scarf.

    Our weather has been the reverse of yours; warm but dull and the past two days it has been cold. Cold enough for tights, scarves and jackets/coats and it looks like it will continue.

    Love Jos's Harris Tweed jacket.

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    1. Thank you Veronica! We have been enjoying quite a few late Summer days, but now we're plunged back into Autumn. Good for you to escape to Corfu for a couple of days ... xxx

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  13. I love the psychedelic and the Paisley print, the Autumnal oranges are fab...but wow, I absolutely love the green velvet jacket, it's gorgeous.
    The weather here had been a mixed feast too, rain, low temperatures, then the sun comes out and for a few minutes it still feels like summer, it makes getting dressed in the right clothes a challenge. Looks like you've managed with flair though :) xxx

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    1. Thank you Sally. I usually put together a couple of possible outfits for the week to save time in the mornings. But sometimes I totally get it wrong, when it turns out to be warmer/colder than predicted. That's where layering comes in ... xxx

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  14. What an amazing find that book was! I would love to flick through that! Do treasure it! I also love the last outfit on you Ann. Those Autumn colours really suit you xx
    www.vanityandmestyle.com

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    1. Thank you Laurie. The book is quite fascinating. I love anything to do with that period, really. xxx

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  15. A fantastic array of outfits that you're wearing there, Ann. I love the green velvet jacket and 'Hooray!' for coloured opaque tights!! I've been wearing mine a lot now the weather's getting cooler.

    Great looking Harris Tweed jacket there as modelled by Jos. That's always going to be a classic xx

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    1. Thank you Liza! I do love my opaque tights, and can't wait to wear all the colours I have. I will probably be more than tired of them in a couple of months, though ... xxx

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  16. You always cheer me up with your excellent colour schemes in your outfits! Ooooh, I say, you did well with that brooch bounty! I like the brown tortoiseshell bird! The velvet jacket is really bonny too!x

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    1. Thank you Kezzie, and I'm glad to be able to cheer you up! The brooch habit is getting out of hand though. I've found a new way to store them all, which I will post about soon. xxx

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  17. Harris tweed jackets are so pricy, Jos did really well to find that one. If I ever make it to Belgium I am dragging Pete into ALL the charity shops, you seem to have such good ones.

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    1. If you ever do, you get a free guide! But just like your charity shops, they aren't always up to scratch and need regular visiting. xxx

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  18. I love the velvet jacket! I have a green velvet one myself, I'd forgotten about that, as it's in a different place to the rest of my clothes. I hope it still fits since I gained some weight, up top shall we say! Love the red beret too, just found mine yesterday and it's been mothed, so I'm not happy about that, I'll have to put my thinking cap on and see what I can do with it. xxx

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    1. I'd love to see your green velvet jacket, Melanie, and hope it still fits. So sorry to hear about the beret. Is it really bad? xxx

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  19. You have an amazing wardrobe, Ann! I love all the outfits here - great combinations. The first dress is stunning, and the green velvet jacket stole my heart!

    Lots of love!

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    1. Thank you Natalia! I've been wearing the jacket for another walk a couple of days ago, so that you will be able to see it in more detail. The back is very special too ... xxx

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