Who'll Stop the Rain?

It soon became clear how much luck we’d had with the weather on our day trip to Bruges, as the delicious Autumn day we’d been treated to turned out to be a one-off.

That weekend, the last one of September, was a total washout, as was the week that followed.

There was nothing much on the agenda that weekend, which was a good thing as any plans for doing something out of doors would have been scuppered by the endless and relentless rain.

In the final run-up to my seasonal wardrobe swap-over, I was trying to give some of my unworn short-sleeved frocks the last chance of an outing.

Admittedly, the Autumnal print of this dress prevents me wearing it at any other time of year, but this dull, grey Saturday was just perfect for it, providing some well-needed sunshine.

The dress is an old wardrobe staple and there’s every indication that it was handmade. I thought it would have become too snug by now due to the dreaded menopause playing havoc with my waistline, so I was delighted and greatly relieved, to find it was still a perfect fit.

And aren’t these covered buttons sweet?

I piled on even more sunshine by adding ochre beads, while I opted for a tan belt to define any waist I’ve got left, and tan leather boots. These were a € 2 charity shop steal last year.

The back of my coats cupboard revealed this bright ochre cord jacket I’d almost forgotten about. Any out-of-season jackets are folded and put away in the cupboard’s bottom drawer to save on hanging space, and for some reason this one got wedged at the very back.

For want of something better to do, we did a round of the charity shops and wouldn’t you know: the first thing to catch our eye was this giant vintage tin decorated with Bruges scenes!

Yes, I know, I wasn’t going to buy any more tins, but surely at € 1,50 this serendipitous find needed to come home with us.

The jewellery display yielded no less than seven brand new painted wooden bangles, and I found another King Louie dress as well, which you’ll get to see later in this post.

On Sunday we woke up to rain drumming on our stairwell skylight and trickling in never-ending rivulets down our windows. The outside world was looking soggy and sorry for itself, so staying in and not doing very much at all (not my forte!) was the only option.

While pottering about upstairs and tentatively lifting the lid of the huge antique linen chest my out-of-season clothes are stored in, I noticed this dress lying on top of the vacuum bags containing all my stuff.

Short-sleeved, but in a thick knit polyester fabric, it’s one of those dresses that often fall by the wayside.

I was glad of its Autumn flavour, not to mention its warmth, when I wore it to work later that week.
I added a matching orange belt but wore a contrasting mustard cardigan, to which I pinned one of my recent flea market brooches.

My ring is a medley of all the outfit’s colours. It’s made of fused glass and I bought it – together with four of its friends – from a stall near the busy Dijver canal in Bruges on our recent day trip.

Here’s a look at the others.

Surfacing from the metro on Wednesday morning, my heart skipped a beat upon spying golden sunlight illuminating Antwerp’s Art Deco skyscraper and my office building, which is on the right, with the overhead tramlines intersecting the deep blue sky.

I just had to stop for a photograph, even if I was in the middle of a busy pavement with people milling all around me.

Less than an hour later, this was my view from the office window.

But never mind, as I was wearing my new-to-me King Louie frock!

As it is short-sleeved, my first thought was to add it my pile of soon-to-be packed up things for next Summer, but then I had an aha moment!

Layering a long-sleeved t-shirt underneath meant I didn't have to wait to wear this groovilicious frock. I opted for a matching colour, but will try it with a contrasting one next time, as I've got long-sleeved tops in every colour under the sun.

I did choose a contrasting, burgundy belt, which prompted me to dig out my beloved burgundy vintage boots found at Think Twice last Winter.

A string of graduated, colourful wooden beads, a vintage bracelet and a purple hued plastic ring were my other accessories.

And oh, my huge wooden fish brooch! I'd been sorting my bangles and found it lurking underneath. What with all that rain, it certainly wasn't feeling like a fish out of water, and felt quite at home pinned to my dress.

My final outfit was another attempt to stop the rain and lure the sun out of her hiding place.

I combined a green skirt (which is looking decidedly greener in real life) with one of my all-time favourite blouses. I picked up this vintage beauty with its almost over the top flower print in green, yellow, pink and white, at Think Twice last Spring. 

My accessories were a wide tan belt, green plastic ring, green beads and an Autumn leaf brooch, which I pinned to my bright yellow cardigan.

And although I didn't manage to magic away the rain, wearing my own portable sunshine definitely made me feel happier.

Linking to Nancy's Fancy Friday, do go and check this lovely lady out!