The last of the August outfits

I know, I know, it's October already, and the weather has turned decidedly Autumnal these last couple of days. The wind has been fierce but thankfully we have been spared of any damages Storm Amy has caused elsewhere. Leaves were being tossed around like confetti while the rain which kept lashing against our windows put paid to any outdoor activities. 

The perfect time to write a blog post, if only its subject wasn't the final fortnight of August, when temperatures effortlessly reached the mid-twenties and more.

In fact, I'm getting goosebumps just looking at the sleeveless dress I was wearing on Friday the 15th of August to combat the day's highs of 29°C.

The dress, with its scattering of purple and burgundy wildflowers, was a charity shop find in September 2023.

My matching cat brooch and necklace with its graduated wooden discs were flea market and charity shop finds respectively.

The temperature took a dive to 22°C on Saturday, taking with it Friday's hazy sunshine and replacing it with a gloomy sky and some scattered showers, particularly in the afternoon.

Remember the cotton tiered off-white skirt sprinkled with lavender flowers I charity shopped at the beginning of August? Well, I was wearing it that day, combined with a sleeveless green blouse trimmed with pink rick rack. The blouse, which is by Belgian label Who's That Girl, was found for a pittance in a charity shop in Poperinge during our September holiday in 2020.

As the rain we were sent by the weather gods dictated that we spend the day indoors, we drove down to the charity shop in nearby Mortsel for a rummage.

The thrifting gods must have taken pity on me, as I was rewarded with no less than three dresses. Above, from left to right: moss green plaid dress in 100% cotton from the Danish Nümph label, handmade teal floral vintage frock with matching tie belt and 100% cotton no-label maxi dress made in India. The latter was on the XL rail, but turned out to be an S, its bodice being a tiny bit snug.

There were three lightweight Summer blouses as well, from Spanish label Sfera, Esprit and London- based Emily and Fin respectively. Isn't the latter's birds on a wire print delightful? 

The final item to make it into my basket was this button-through King Louie skirt!

And speaking of skirts, I picked this floral pleated maxi one to wear on Sunday the 17th.

The weather, with its mix of clouds and sunny spells accompanied with a temperature of 23°C, might have been an improvement on Saturday's, but I still didn't take any chances and opted for a sailor-style short-sleeved jumper as the skirt's companion. A green stretchy belt with bamboo buckle and green squirrel brooch completed my outfit. 

We were invited for dinner by our lovely neighbours across the road, where we sat outside in their recently completed garden. The dinner was to thank us for looking after their cats Bobby and Billie, who were recently joined by a very playful third kitten, Pip.

As the evening progressed, there was a nip in the air, so that I was thankful for the blankets supplied by our neighbours. Still, I was glad I'd had the presence of mind to bring my denim jacket.

Ms. Sunshine honoured us with her presence again in the first half of August's penultimate week, when the temperature soared towards the high twenties once more.

The dress which got its annual outing on Tuesday the 19th was yet another charity shop find.  Although it's actually more like a glorified apron than a dress, I fell in love with its printed cotton fabric edged in red piping when I stumbled upon it back in September 2023. I mean, it's even got real pockets, so what's not to like?

As Think Twice was having another round of sales, with prices down to € 6 on Monday and € 5 on Tuesday, I couldn't resist going for a rummage during my lunch breaks.

On Monday, this William Morris print curtain couture zippered jacket insisted on coming home with me, while the bright pink cap sleeved knit with its openwork yoke wormed its way into my affections on Tuesday.

I also fell hard for this pink cotton Trachten skirt, which I wore the very next day for my weekly cappuccino catch-up with Inez. 

A green short-sleeved jumper, tan belt with faux mother-of-pearl buckle and translucent pink pearls completed my outfit. My navy sandals were bought in the closing down sale of a Belgian chain of shoe shops last year.

As usual, we ended our lunch break meet-up by doing the rounds of the rails. With prices now down to € 4, there were quite a few things which caught my eye.

There was a funky short-sleeved vintage shirt by Finnlene, which I ended up packing for our September holiday, a brown pleated leather belt and - my best find! - an Orla Kiely tote bag.

I then unearthed this black floral King Louie sundress from a rail of mediocre offerings and, finally, snapped up this block printed cotton blouse, made in India by Shilpa.

A look out of our bedroom window that evening was rewarded by this magnificent sunset!

The weather gods were in a fickle mood, presenting us with a mix of clouds and sunny spells on Friday the 22nd, although thankfully there was no sign of the forecasted rain. The temperature, too, kept going up and down like a yo-yo, the thermometer now barely registering 20°C.

I wished they'd make up their minds, which would make deciding what to wear a whole lot easier.

After some dithering in front of my wardrobe, I decided to give the handmade vintage dress I charity shopped the other week its first outing. And what a joy to wear it was! This one's definitely going to be a wardrobe staple for many years to come.

My accessories were mainly of the orange variety, although I wore a pair of matching teal shoes (a Think Twice find in September 2023) and chose a teal plastic bracelet - a fast fashion find many years ago - to keep my vintage carved orange one company.

Almost the same scenario on Saturday, although this time around we were treated to some drizzle in the morning.

Having been quite negligent lately, I greased my elbows and gave the kitchen and bathroom a thorough cleaning. And no, I wasn't wearing this outfit while doing so.

I spent the rest of the day inside, pottering and reading, but surely that's no reason not to get dressed up!

My cotton retro print circle skirt was a charity shop find in December 2019 and is something of an oddity. In spite of the fact that a label has been sewn in, I am sure that the skirt is handmade and that the label is a personalized one. It's got a visible red side zipper and features random felt circles and visible stitching.

I combined it with another charity shopped wardrobe staple, a blue and white short-sleeved knit jumper. The multi-coloured beaded necklace, cat brooch and stretchy belt are all long-time favourites as well.

There were plenty of sunny spells on Sunday, giving a boost to the temperature, which climbed to 22°C.

As we'd been cooped up inside for long enough by then, we were raring to go for a leg-stretching and head-clearing walk, for which we drove down to Fort 5 in the neighbouring village of Edegem. 

I was wearing the pleated leather belt I'd picked up from Think Twice earlier that week, a red Tricel short-sleeved jumper, blue and orange leaf-patterned blazer and orange and brown wooden beads. But I'm sure that all eyes are on my skirt, which is the indisputable star of my outfit, which I happened upon in a vintage per kilo shop back in March. Isn't it spectacular?

Having finished my latest read, I made a start with Irish novelist Colm Tóibín's - of Brooklyn fame - Nora Webster. 

I'm sure you'll be relieved to read that we're heading into August's final week. I know that I am!

Consequently, these are the last of the August outfits.

First up is this green and white green squiggly striped Rayon dress I picked up from Think Twice in July 2023. I was wearing a pink squishy belt last time I wore the dress, but as it has given up the ghost in the meantime, I wore it with the dress's very own belt, which rather disappears into the dress's pattern.

Pink accessories to the rescue!

My shoes, which are from the Spanish ART label, were bought in 2022 from an outlet shop in the small - and increasingly empty - shopping centre near my office. They are among my most comfortable footwear.

And here's the very last one!

The tiered cotton skirt was a sales bargain from C&A in the Summer of 2022 and one of the skirts I reached for the most during the Summer months. This time, it got the company of the Emily and Fin blouse I charity shopped the other week. The eagle-eyed among you might note the yellow bird brooch I pinned to it. 

My necklace and stretchy belt are regulars on the blog, but I don't think my yellow shoes ever made it on here. I found them in a charity shop near my dentist's practice back in May.

I'll be back with another travel post, in which we venture a bit further afield, in a couple of days.

But then there's that backlog of September outfits I've got waiting in the wings. Will I ever be able to catch up, I wonder. Too many things to blog about, too little time!

See you soon!