Thursday 8 December 2016

In the velvet darkness

The days are short
The sun a spark
Hung thin between
The dark and dark.
~John Updike, A Child’s Calendar, 1965


The darkest days of the year are almost upon us. We have also been in the throes of some bitterly cold but fortunately dry weather.
In the morning, I'm leaving the house while it's still dark, wearing many layers to protect myself from hypothermia during my commute, and it's dark again before I even leave the office in the evening.
It's a good thing I like wearing coats, hats and gloves!

At work we are being swamped with orders, which is kind of a tradition of its own in the weeks leading up to Christmas. I even worked through most of my lunch breaks last week. When I eventually did go outside, I made a beeline for Think Twice, as they were having their last sales of the year.



I'd stumbled upon this handbag while out shopping with Princess Inez on the Friday before last, but I didn't buy it at the time, as it was somewhat out of shape. I guess I was lucky it was still there when I went back for it, but as the price had been reduced in the meantime, it was definitely worth the gamble. I've stuffed it full of scrunched up newspaper to get it back into shape.

At the same time, I bought another handbag which you'll get to see in the outfit photos later in this post.








I also found this fabulous velvet skirt, featuring some of my favourite blues and greens, although with my colour blindness, I'm not too sure which is which.

I already wore it to work this week, combined with a jumper in the exact shade of one of the blues.











Oh, and before the week was out, we had a minor disaster at home. One evening, just before going to bed, our kitchen tap, one of those single lever mixer taps, cleanly broke off, with the hot water still running. There was nothing for it but to completely turn off the water supply ...


Under strict instructions only to come home with an old-fashioned tap, with separate handles for hot and cold water, Jos went out and bought this antique style beauty, which was actually the only one of its kind which didn't cost a fortune.



By the weekend I was knackered, and with the temperature still barely above freezing point, we only briefly ventured outside for a short trip to the charity shops.

You have seen the coat before, but not the handbag. This is the one I was referring to earlier.








I've actually got quite a few these black printed dresses in my wardrobe, most of them featuring flowers of some kind.

I guess they need to come out more often.












Outfit details:

Coat, beret, handbag and dress: Think Twice
Boots, cardigan, beads and belt: charity shopped
Brooch and gloves: Blender Vintage Shop
Scarf and ring: retail


At first we thought we needn't have bothered, as there was a Christmas market taking place at our shop of choice, with the ubiquitous Christmas soundtrack in the background, free mulled wine and lots of merriness.

However, once I'd found a quiet spot in the book department, I knew I wouldn't go home empty handed.


At least one of these novels by Vita Sackville-West will be next on my reading list.


Having just blogged about my vintage paperback collection, I was happy to find this lot.



As we continued our browsing, still well away from all things Christmas, I stumbled upon a silk scarf (€ 1,20), some vintage beads (€ 1,50) and a gorgeous pair of green vintage gloves, which all seem to go rather well together.


The gloves, which are pristine and were still in their original plastic packing, were peeping out from under a heap of cheap tat which was languishing in a basket at the till. Typically, they weren't priced, but after giving it some thought, the shop attendant said they were €0,25!

We handed over our money and ran!








The rest of the weekend was spent pottering around the house, but - busy bee that I am - I wasn't as lazy as some other member of our household!

On a positive note, we did book our holiday cottage in Wales for next June.

It's just over six months away, after all.





30 comments:

  1. I'm loving your velvet skirt. I have one in browns, golds n reds. It's a charity find favourite of mine.
    You are bang on trend with the florals Ann, so am I. Anyway just because it's winter doesn't mean I have to give up my summer frocks. An underskirt, woolly tights and a cardi usually solve any keeping warm problems.
    Lynn xxx

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    1. Thanks Lynn! I'm not exactly wearing my summer frocks, as I have quite a selection of long sleeved ones. But I've got my slips, tights, cardies, and if necessary, thermal underwear, at the ready! xxx

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  2. Both bags are wonderful-you must have an incredible collection.

    Good choice on the faucet-It really looks vintage.

    I understand the leaving in darkness, coming home in darkness routine and you have my sympathy. If we we're neighbours, I'd bring you a cake and some cocoa to break up the gloom. Time to break out the seed catalogs and start ordering for spring. Hope the cold breaks soon.

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    1. Oh, cake and cocoa, that's an idea! As for the bag collection, I could say the same about you. I keep saying I should stop buying, but how can I resist them if they turn up that cheap ... xxx

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  3. love it if 2.hand shop stuff has no clue about vintage :-D
    very chic crocodile!! perfect with that coat! bright flowers on black suit you very well and the new psychedelic skirt is fabulous!
    sorry to hear you miss out on the daylight. but here the weekend - i wish you a gorgeous stroll with some sunlight strewn in :-)
    great fix for the tab!
    xxxxx

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    1. I'm happy to say it's not real crocodile, Beate. It's a kind of vinyl, which makes it very weather resistant. I can't resist a black dress with bright flowers ... xxx

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  4. Oh I love those gloves! The detailing is so pretty! Why oh why don't they make gloves like that anymore! It's difficult to find gloves anyway, that aren't leather, suede or wool and when I do find them, they're satin, which for every day wear is rather glitzy! xxx

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    1. Thanks Melanie. I was lucky to be able to buy quite a few deadstock pairs from a vintage shop last year. They were selling them at € 10 for 3 pairs. Unfortunately the shop is now closed ...xxx

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    2. I have one deadstock pair, but haven't the nerve to remove the tag! I got two pairs of gloves yesterday actually, one black and one pink, the pink I swiped from a display, I think it was meant to portray a tea party and in one fell swoop I probably ruined their display, oops! xxx

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    3. Haha, I have been known to ruin displays too, Melanie xxx

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  5. Such amazing purchases, I like particularly that velvet skirt and those Green gloves (bargain!).
    You look gorgeous in your floral dress, pretty accessories and fab bag!!
    besos

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    1. Thanks Monica. Now that I've seen the photos, I realize I should wear that dress more. It can be combined with so many different colours ... xxx

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  6. What a fabulous find the velvet skirt was, I love both the vibrant colours and the design. You did well this week, I'd be interested in reading Siegfried too and the bargain beads, scarf and gloves combo are gloriously colourful. x

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    1. Thanks Fiona! I'm intrigued by the Siegfried Sassoon book too ... xxx

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  7. I used to work underground so at this time of year I felt like a mole, up in the dark, work in false lighting underground, then home in the dark. I used to make myself go out at lunchtime no matter the weather just to get some real daylight!

    Love the velvet skirt and green beads.

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    1. Oh, that must have been awful, Gisela. I'm quite lucky that we have huge windows in our office. xxx

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  8. Oh no about the taps! That's terrible! I love the gloves you bought!!x

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    1. Luckily I have a handy husband to deal with a crisis like that! xxx

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  9. Oh, that blue and green print velvet skirt is wonderful! I do like all your handbags, and the tap is lovely.

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    1. Thank you for your comment. Not only does the tap look lovely, it's quite an improvement compared with the one we had before, which I always hated. At least, now we have something we both love. xxx

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  10. Oo, Wales next June - a potential meet up for us perhaps?? Let us know, we might be able to join you for a coffee!!

    I love the new tap, we have recently had a similar old tap put in our kitchen, to replace the '80s one.
    xx

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    1. Oh, I'd like that very much. We are in North Pembrokeshire, but we might be able to meet somewhere half way? We'll be there from the 19th until the 29th, and any day is OK for us. If you have any suggestions, please pm me via Facebook. I'd love to meet you! xxx

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  11. Wow, that velvet skirt is a stunner! Again, I love your colour choices, the selection of scarf, beads and gloves look fab together and you got a great deal on that bag, eventually. So pleased you got your tap fixed, things like that just always happen in Winter, but the new replacement is fab!

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    1. Thanks Claire. The skirt seems to be getting a lot of love. I also wore it to work when my boss was here from Miami last week. Don't know if it had anything to do with the skirt, but he said I looked younger than ever ;-) xxx

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  12. Hello, Phoebe!!
    Love the wild velvet skirt and those pretty green gloves. I love a floral print on a black background so I'm a big fan of that dress on you.
    Glad the taps were replaced without too much hassle. It took ages to find some brass ones for ours, the right style was easy, the font was often really naff and horrid. xxx

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    1. I'd love to say that Phoebe is saying hello back, but she's just giving me a blank stare. As usual. I have a selection of floral and other print black dresses, as I simply can't resist them. xxx

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  13. What a fab collection of books!
    I love days spent just pottering at home, they're few and far between but always welcome :)

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    1. So do I, Hazel, but you're right, we're always busy doing something or other. I had an unexpected "pottering" day last Saturday, as the weather was too atrocious to go out. I loved it! xxx

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