Wednesday 13 December 2017

Rainy days and Sundays

Waking up on Sunday before last, we realized that Saturday's reasonably dry weather had been a one-off!

Yes, we were back again to yet more rain, coming down in buckets, pelting against window panes, creating puddles and turning the roads into minor rivers.

Feeling the dampness in my bones, I'd been pottering around the house without much enthusiasm and I would have flopped myself down on the sofa for the mother of all naps, if we hadn't found out that Expo 58 was having one of its rare Sunday openings.


Still wearing my Princess coat, I acccessorized it differently this time, with a burgundy knitted hat, a pair of red leather gloves, and my yellow crushed velvet scarf.  Nothing new here, you've seen it all before, including the tan bag and slouchy boots.

I'm sure you're dying to see what's beneath the coat? Ta-dah!


You didn't expect all that yellow, did you? The world suddenly seems just that little bit brighter.


Would you believe that this cheerful little frock is living in the black section of my wardrobe? Although I have quite a few of these black, printed dresses, I only have one plain little black dress and a plain black maxi, which admittedly has gold thread in the bodice and sleeves ...

I added an orange belt (only just visible), a yellow cardie and yellow honeycomb textured tights.



The white diagonals in the dress are picked up by my vintage black and white intertwined beads, while the brooch which I pinned to the cardie in its turn compliments the yellows, oranges and reds.


Are we done yet? I'm getting cold here!

Now, in order to avoid confusion, I must tell you that while Expo 58 is the name of a shop selling all manner of vintage items, it is named after the other Expo 58, the Brussels World Fair which was held in that year.

The shop is a veritable treasure trove, but a little bit out of our way, constituting a two hour roundtrip, which is why we only visit it a few times a year.


Trundling along the motorway in the pouring rain, the rain battering the roof of our car, an unnatural darkness descending on the early afternoon, we were starting to question whether this had been good idea.

However, any doubts vanished into thin air once we stepped inside the shop.

Stefanie, the shops's owner, who is a follower of my blog, bade us welcome with a cup of hot chocolate, which was simmering in an old fashioned cast iron pot on the gaily burning stove.


Thus fortified, we were ready to rummage the shop's shelves, nooks and crannies.



The revolving rack of vintage clothing obviously didn't escape my attention. While it was clear that the groovy shoes were way too big for my petite size 4 feet, I tried on several dresses, deciding on the two Jos is holding up for inspection.


The black, orange and yellow long-sleeved frock is handmade and at first sight had one or two minor, easily resolvable issues, but the multicoloured floral one, a Diolen delight, was in perfect condition.

Taken in better light conditions, the close-up does the colours of the print infinitely more justice.



My wardrobe has its fair share of Diolen, a popular 1960s/1970s polyester, its bright colours and prints vying for attention.

In fact, my heart skips a beat whenever I spot the Diolen label in a garment!

As the dress in question is short-sleeved, it will be put away for Spring, but I can't wait to wear it when the time has finally come!

Then I spied this rack, which in a previous life was a shop display rack for zippers.



The zippers in question were made by Métalsa, which apparantly was owned by that institution of haberdashery, DMC.



DMC has been producing haberdashery, and in particular all kinds of thread, in its factory in Mulhouse, France, since 1746, and DMC threads are used virtually everywhere!

I googled Métalsa but, apart from some zippers being sold on Etsy, any information on the brand remained elusive.



Obviously I wasn't planning on using the rack for displaying zippers, nor as a handy gadget for hanging up my hat, scarf and gloves!



No, its purpose was clear from the beginning, so it has now started its second life displaying my ever-growing collection of necklaces! Sorted by colour, of course!

Oh, and it suddenly dawned on me that I still have to show you Saturday's charity shopping finds!



This faded Jesus print appealed to us because of its pretty embroidered frame, the print itself asking for Jesus's protection of the family. That's sorted then!


Another irristibly wacky thing is this naive children's wall art, probably dating from the late 1960s.



Finally, a pair of gloves and yet another pair of boots!

The deadstock gloves were found at the bottom of a carton. They aren't real leather and have a slightly musty smell, but at € 0,50, who am I to complain?

The boots, which have a decorative cut-out pattern at te top, have already been worn and thus proved their worth.

Keep warm and dry, wherever you are!

34 comments:

  1. What lies beneath? In your case, glorious yellow!!! I love that action shot of you taking your coat off and of you shivering in the cold. Great pictures!
    A cool name for a very cool shop. How lovely that the owner follows you and appreciates yours and Jos's incredible style.
    Those dresses are wonderful as is the artwork and the zipper display.
    Do you get Salvage Hunters on TV over there? You'd both love the stuff Drew finds in old factories and stately homes. xxx

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    1. I've heard about Salvage Hunters, but unfortunately we don't get it here. It sounds right up my street! xxx

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  2. I just love your new necklace stand, perfect! Although I'm a bit worried you now appear to have as many necklaces as brooches?? I think I would get lost in that shop for a long time, despite not wearing vintage I do love looking through it all. I do believe we both have the same size dainty little feet, I don't know many people with my size so it's great to know I'm not alone! xxx

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    1. Guilty as charged: I do have quite a lot of necklaces, the majority bought from a long defunct vintage shop which sold them at € 10 for five. I bought some every time we visited ... Oh, and two of my girlfriends have a size 4 too, maybe it's more common here in Belgium? xxx

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  3. What a great way to display necklaces! What a fantastic idea to have hot chocolate on the stove, somehow your vintage shops are so much cooler.

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    1. I'm not sure that our vintage shops are much cooler in general, but Expo 58 really is one of the best! xxx

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  4. That is a wonderful use for the old zipper display. Love your yellow cheerful outfit and that super black and white necklace.
    Suddenly craving hot chocolate...

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    1. Thank you Goody! I'd been looking for a good storage solution for my necklaces, and had something like this in mind. The black and white necklace is one of my favourites! xxx

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  5. I really love your dress and it looks great with the yellow cardie and tights. The brooch and necklace complement the dress so well. Your necklaces are fab and look great displayed like that! XXX

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    1. Thank you Sacha! The display looks like it's in a shop, doesn't it? xxx

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  6. just love the colors and patterns of vintage dresses - you´ll never find such elaborate designs anymore.....
    the expo58 shop looks like vintage paradise!
    well done with the former zipper rack - your pretty beads deserve such a showy display.
    this boots look like new - gorgeous. yesterday i casually looked in a mall into the high boots section - not only one was made with real leather! not to mention the questionable designs...... sigh*
    stay warm and cozy! xxxxx

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    1. Expo 58 is indeed vintage paradise. It's a good thing it isn't nearer to us, or I would be in there all the time! I hardly ever find any decent boots on the high street either, but have been lucky in the charity shops, it seems! xxx

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  7. so lovely to see you styling all that yellow!, brighter than sunshine!! Gorgeous!, I love your dress and how fabulous it looks with a yellow cardi and those textured tights!, and those accessories!
    You Rock!
    And I'm glad that you were received with some hot chocolate at the shop, that's the attitude!, even a rainy day looks better with a cup of hot chocolate!. Those dresses look amazing too!
    I'm in love with those Diolen advertising, so cool, and totally fascinated by the display rack, so useful and cute, it looks perfect with all those necklaces on it!, sorted by color! that's lovely!!!
    besos

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    1. Thank you Monica! I should wear more yellow, which would compensate the lack of sunshine. I love the Diolen advertising too, in fact, I just love vintage ads. I sometimes buy old magazine just for the ads! xxx

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  8. I love, love, love your tights! I keep seeing women wearing mustard tights here and know I really have to get some.
    I love the zip display stand. That would've come home with me too, although I probably would've used it for zips! And I use DMC cotton thread for my crocheting. I love the vintage adverts you found for them. xx

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    1. I've had these mustard tights forever, but I've been seeing this colour in the shops now, so you should be able to find a pair to your liking. I've inherited quite a stash of cotton thread from my Mum and maternal grandmother, and a lot of them are DMC. The spools look quite lovely in themselves. xxx

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  9. Dear Ann, yellow is a great therapy against rainy cloudy days:) You look gorgeous! It is cold outside and you are right to go in these cute vintage shop and have a cup of hot chocolate.
    Xo Tina

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    1. Thank you Tina! Yellow and hot chocolate, what more could you want on a cold December day? xxx

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  10. What a fantastic way to spend a rainy day!

    Your bright warm yellow is a great replacement for the lacking sunshine.

    That shop sounds amazing. Just looking at those racks of bright coloured dresses makes me drool.

    You chose a wonderful rack for your necklaces. What a find!

    Suzanne

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    1. I'm sure you'd go wild in there, Suzanne. There were quite a few dresses which made me drool. Not always my size though ... xxx

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  11. I do love that yellow crushed velvet scarf, it's not a colour that suits me but it looks amazing on you. So luxurious.
    It sounds like an amazing shop, and the display rack is just the thing for necklaces - what a fabulous idea!

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    1. Thank you Hazel! I never thought yellow was my colour, but I seem to receive quite a few compliments when I'm wearing it. xxx

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  12. Oh, I am so impressed by your new necklace display find! How lovely to have all the necklaces visible at once. I colour sort my necklaces, too.

    Love your outfit and the Princess coat is so lovely. What a fabulous brooch you chose to wear with the outfit.

    I love the look of Expo 58 - wish we had one here. There were quite a few vintage stalls shops in Leeds when we were there a few weekends ago but unfortunately we didn't have time to look round them.
    xxx

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    1. What a shame you didn't have the time to look around those stalls! Maybe next time? I'm very pleased with the necklace display, it makes finding what I want so much easier! xxx

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  13. I'm sure I could spend hours in Expo 58, it looks right up my street. I love both prints that you picked up there and the zip stand was an inspired purchase for your necklace collection. How nice to get a cup of hot chocolate, I could do with one myself right now. xxx

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    1. We always spend hours in that shop! I'd seen the display on our last visit, in Summer. I didn't know it was for sale, as it had some items displayed on it. So glad nobody else saw its potential ... xxx

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  14. I somehow managed to miss this post until today.
    Your yellow outfit is very uplifting, perfect for these grey days. It's cold and icy here today.
    The photo's from Expo 58 look so interesting, I would have loved to be there for a browse.
    That's a fantastic necklace display. xxx

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    1. Thank you Sally! Needless to say, I am very pleased with my new display, and it does making finding the necklace I'm looking for much easier! xxx

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  15. Those vintage suitcases would have to come home with me! Well, at least a couple! I love your princess coat too Ann. It looks fabulous on you.
    Laurie xx

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    1. Thank you Laurie. I love that coat so much. We've got quite a few of these vintage suitcases, the majority containing vintage Barbie clothes ... xxx

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  16. I wasn't expecting the yellow! Coordinated to the hilt as usual. I would welcome a hot chocolate today, damp and cold here, brr! X

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    1. That hot chocolate was very welcome after our long drive in the rain! xxx

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  17. I love your cheery yellow legs! The princess coat is really special too!!

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