Wednesday 6 February 2019

Say cheese!

As January seamlessly segues into February, this wishy-washy Winter continues.

It hasn't yet been really cold here in Belgium, the temperature only dipping one or two degrees below zero at the very most, nor have we had any significant amount of snow.

Instead, there's been an endless string of dull grey days, more often than not accompanied by relentless, non-stop rain.

The lack of sunshine has seriously depleted my Vitamin D levels, leaving me worn out, with my energy levels at an all time low.

If you hadn't noticed yet, January and February aren't exactly my favourite months!

But once again, I am finding solace in the rainbow of colours offered by my wardrobe.



Why not wear a bit of raspberry red for a change? It was love at first sight for this gem of a dress, bought at Antwerp's Episode shop, which is part of a chain of vintage clothing shops of Dutch origin.

In spite of it being only a short walk from my office, I only frequent the shop once in a blue moon, as its prices are a bit higher than what I'm used to pay at Think Twice.  I have to admit they've got some really nice stuff, though, and the shop is spaciously laid out ever since they moved to their current premises.

I gladly made an exception for this delightful fit-and-flare frock, its print a confetti of white and yellow dots and dashes.



The tiny bits of yellow in the dress's print prompted the wearing of more yellow, starting with a belt with a round metal buckle.

My yellow cardigan made another appearance, yet again providing instant sunshine, while the brooch I pinned to it, a rather heavy metal orchid, ties in with the red tones of the dress. It was charity shopped in Shropshire last Summer, but I can't remember where exactly.

The multi-coloured, wooden beaded necklace, was a recent charity shop find.



Yellow would have been the obvious choice, but I'm wearing red opaques here, and I opted for my  burgundy boots, which are both comfortable and pleasing to the eye.

When it's raining, which it has done rather a lot lately, and I have to commute, my default go-to boots are either my slightly worn slouchy boots or a pair of flat-heeled tall ones, both in a rather uninspiring shade of taupe. 
I have a fear or ruining my "good" boots and shoes, so maybe I should take a leaf out of Sheila's book and carry them to work in a shoe bag.


I almost forgot to mention the transparent yellow plastic ring I was wearing! And aren't those buttons the sweetest? They do look a bit like raspberries, don't you think?



Apart from my yellow beret, my outerwear consisted of a vintage coat I found at Oxfam about 3 years ago. It's got nice deep pockets I can shove my hands in, but the lining of both is torn beyond repair. 


The embroidered crushed velvet scarf in a lush shade of purple was a € 0,50 flea market find.

So, this is what I wore on Saturday before last.
Now, if the weather had been dry, we would have put on our walking boots to brave the muddy paths of the nearby park. However, as it continued to rain, we had to make do with a trip to the charity shops.


The first shop we went to was the one with the scary owl, and I have to admit that I was a tiny bit disappointed that he was no longer there. I can only hope he's gone to a good home!

This Guernsey Pottery cheese board, complete with ceramic mouse, came home with us instead. 



A vintage pussy bow dress with squiggly stripes in cream and brown, with a sprinkling of red, was my next buy. I already wore it work this week, but for now you'll have to make do with Angelica modelling it. 

The wide burgundy patent belt, which came from the same shop, was a perfect match.

And so are these two cardigans! I was quite spoiled for choice that day.



I'm always on the lookout for cardigans to add to my collection, as I do wear them on a daily basis, except during a heatwave. 

These chunky knit ones are great for this time of year: a flower patterned H&M cardie and a textured pink one, which I'm guessing was someone's handiwork. 


I seem to be accumulating a lot of skirts and this time I was drawn to this fabulous navy, red and white bouclé pencil skirt. Here's Angelica modelling it with a red and white pussy bow blouse which I shopped from my closet. 


This finely knit fitted cardigan with its ajour hearts is from King Louie. I've lost track of the number of garments from this brand that I've come across in charity shops and over the years I've bought dresses, tops, cardigans and a jacket, all in perfect condition, at the fraction of the retail price. 

Not that I'm complaining, but I do wonder why so much of their stuff is donated to charity. It's quite good quality and most of it seems to be hardly worn at all. And it doesn't come cheap either.


My last find of the day was this fabulous red felt hat, for which I paid a silly € 1,50, its style harking back to the 1920s. Although I think Twiggy looks quite fetching in it, I'm promising to style it for you soon.

In other news, we have finished work at my parents' house, so that we finally have our weekends back. Yay!

And last weekend, the weather cleared up long enough to go for a walk, which I will tell you all about in my next post.


38 comments:

  1. Love that raspberry dress and its raspberry buttons - the round-buckled belt is perfect with it. I greatly admire your coordinating hosiery with your outfits! Yes, stop wearing out your boots, my girl, and carry your good shoes to work - it is not that bad. ;-P

    Cute little mousies, love the King Louie (I have never even heard of this brand!), and wow, that hat is gorgeous, what a steal! Hope your week is going well, Ann!

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    1. Thanks Sheila! I'll have to find away to carry my good shoes to work without straining my back ;-) xxx

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  2. What a fabulous raspberry dress, Ann! Those buttons do indeed look like raspberries! I love how you've styled it with yellow. Such a pretty and sunny combo! That pottery cheese board is so cute and that felt had is great! I look forward to seeing how you style it! You must be relieved to have your weekends back! Hope you're having a great week. XXX

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    1. Thank you so much Sasha! It's exhilarating to have my weekends back ... So much time! xxx

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  3. i´m green with envy!!!
    last week we entered "our" 2.hand shops in dresden - and it was disappointing. at least in the ladies section, the BW found a cool british jacket and a silk scarf. but for me - absolutely nothing - instead garish, worn half to dead fast fashions from the 90s.....meh.
    luckily for you - i´m to big - otherwise i would steal from you that red dotted dress and the printed cardi and the red hat!! so! ;-DDDD
    warm hugsies from the snowy mountains! xxxxx

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    1. Oh, what a shame, Beate. But we often go into charity shops without finding anything at all. And the majority of their stock is worn half to dead fast fashions ... from last year! xxx

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  4. Oh that raspberry dress is beautiful and I love the yellow with it! You have bought some very nice things but that red dress is such a standout for me :)

    Thank you so much for joining the #weekdayWearLinkUp :)

    Hope that you are having a great week so far :) We have had a break with the heat and humidity and had some rain which has been a wonderful relief! I guess you wouldn't mind the dull days if they didn't come around too often!

    Away From The Blue Blog

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    1. Thank you Mica! We are currently having a break with the grey and rainy weather, and are enjoying some early Spring-like days! xxx

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  5. Love the skirt and the had is gorgeous!

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  6. love your raspberry dress with the yellow cardi, such a fabulous color combo!, it totally uplifts my mood! Lovely brooch and beret too!
    And how cute is the cheese board!
    Loving your bow dress and all the cardis you have!, having assorted cardis to wear is fabulous!, they add an interesting layer and warmth!. Love particularly the pink one and the King Louie blue cardi.
    I'm also amazed every time I've found quality pieces which look unworn. I've been told that they could come from a store stockroom. Who knows!?
    besos

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    1. I'm glad to have uplifted your mood! I'm such a cardigan girl, especially as layering is key! xxx

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  7. The raspberry dress and yellow cardi look fabulous on you, and give us all a much needed ray of sunshine! Love the red hat and can't wait to see you wearing it. XXX

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    1. Thank you Linda, and I'm planning to wear the hat soon! xxx

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  8. You saved the best till last! That hat is fantastic! Wow! I cannot wait to see you wearing that piece.

    I'm loving that textured cardi too.

    Suzanne
    http://www.suzannecarillo.com

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    1. Thank you Suzanne! I couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted that hat! xxx

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  9. So glad you're getting your weekends back! Yay!

    I love the little mouse on the cheese plate how sweet! You have been hoovering up some great finds. I love your first outfit; the orchid brooch is beautiful and goes so well with the dress. Loved the squiggly striped dress, the lovely cardigans - ajour hearts are a new one on me. Love the boucle pencil skirt and the hat is fabulous. Can't wait to see you wearing it.

    Hope you get some sunshine soon...
    xxx

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    1. Thank you Veronica! It is such a joy to get my weekends back. I was starting to feel exhausted! I was thinking of wearing the bouclé skirt and hat together ... xxx

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  10. Sometimes it is worth paying a bit more for a wonderful item and that red and white dress is superb. It will go nicely with the red hat too. here's hoping the sun comes out soon.

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    1. Thank you Goody! We are finally having some sunny days! xxx

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  11. Wow what a wonderful red dress! And so cute this cheese plate :)
    A very huge hug and many greetings from Thailand, Tina

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  12. Raspberry is such a gorgeous colour and with the buttons too, I love that dress.
    Lovely coat, it looks so cosy, perfect for the damp grey days if winter.
    Have a good weekend xxx

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    1. Thank you Sally! I had a feeling you'd love that dress! xxx

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  13. I loathe January and February! I am so tired during these months! Your new dress is lovely though I think the buttons remind me of Lychees rather than raspberries! The new hat is a corker- very much like that! The mouse dish is so cute.
    I have a coat, a vintage Jaeger one that my friend Ellie (aged 70 something) bought with her entire first paycheck in the 60's or 70's and the lining is all ripped- it's so nice though, that I tolerate it!
    I haven't forgotten about the tights- just need to send you an email!x

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    1. I hadn't thought of lychees, but you're absolutely right, Kezzie! And nobody sees the torn lining, do they? xxx

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  14. Oh dear. I think I would prefer the wild temperature swings that we have been enduring here, over the endless days of rain and dull skies. But yes indeed, you have certainly embellished a gray month with a rainbow of color and confetti. I love the raspberry red, the multi colored wooden beads, and those two beautiful cardigan sweaters. Not to mention that very cool crimson hat! I certainly hope you see some blue skies soon!
    ❤️❤️
    Elle
    https://theellediaries.com/

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    1. I do agree, I'd rather have wild temperature swings than those interminable grey days. But we finally have some sunshine, so yay! xxx

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  15. The dress definitely is "The raspberry dress", those buttons are adorable! You do seem to find quite a bit King Louis, they have some nice stuff.xx

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    1. Thank you! Yes, King Louie does have some nice stuff, and I've been lucky to find so many pieces in the charity shops! xxx

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  16. That raspberry dress is a joy, what wonderful buttons. I'm becoming more and more obsessed with that shade of red, it seems to go with everything and never fails to lift my mood when i wear it.
    Your hat and that little mouse are fabulous finds! xxx

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    1. Thank you Vix, and welcome back! I do hope the UK weather's not been too much of a shock! I'm always surprised at how red lifts my spirits. I definitely need more red in my wardrobe! xxx

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  17. I absolutely love both dresses and the cheese board is very sweet. I hope you have been getting a bit of sunshine we have finally had some lovely days here.

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    1. Thank you Gisela! Yes, we've finally had a couple of sunny days here. It almost felt like Spring!

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  18. January and February are never very nice, are they? I can understand why Vix goes away at this time of year.

    I'm always amazed by the amount of King Louie stuff you find. I'd never heard of the brand till I started looking at TopVintage's website, and it isn't cheap, so it is strange so many garments seem available secondhand. All the more bargains for you! Cardigans are ace. Such versatile garments.

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    1. Yes, I find it strange too, Mim. I've bought one or two frocks from them retail, before my second hand years, but the rest - and I've got quite a bit - was all charity shopped. I'm not complaining, though ;-) xxx

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  19. Those buttons do look very much like raspberries, they’re very sweet, and the dress itself is lovely!
    You should absolutely wear your favourite boots and shoes, nothing should be reserved for ‘best’, life’s too short, and our favourite things always make us feel at our best, which can lift the spirits no end.
    Isn’t it a shame when the weather forces you into the charity shops, instead of out for a walk ;)
    I’ll look forward to seeing that lovely red hat in a future post - which of course you might have already done, and I just haven’t read it yet. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do!
    xx

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    1. Funnily enough, I still didn't wear the red hat, so you didn't miss anything ;-) xxx

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