Sunday 5 January 2020

These short-lived days of leisure

Wow, that has gone quickly, hasn't it? I'm talking about the Christmas break, of course, that ray of light at the end of the tunnel guiding me through the final working weeks of the year.

For the first couple of days, time seemed to be suspended, but then the train of days picked up speed, until all of a sudden time was up, and I was back at the office, as if it was only yesterday that I closed its door behind me with a sigh of relief.

Now how did that happen? It's the new year and I haven't even finished telling you about the old. There are still quite a few outfits to share, for starters.

I didn't finish work until December 24th, but the final weekend before the holidays, with only one more day of work to get through, already felt like a little taster of what was to come.



The week had been a particularly stressful one and, arriving home on Friday night, I was feeling quite frazzled and in need of a long lie-down. Hibernation sounded like a good idea: wake me up in Spring - or at least when all the Christmas madness is over!

But Saturday dawned, and I was feeling a whole lot better after a good night's sleep, especially since I was hearing the siren call of the charity shops!

So let's get up and get dressed! I plucked this pussy-bow frock from my wardrobe. Scored in a previous Think Twice sale for the princely sum of € 2, this was its first wear. I'd dithered over this one in the shop, but in the end its purples and pinks, not to mention its print which somehow manages to combine stripes, chevrons and diamonds, won me over.



I tamed the pussy-bow with my great aunt Josephine's diamanté scarf clip, added a wide chocolate brown mock-croc belt, magenta opaques and a fuchsia bed jacket-type cardigan to which I pinned the peacock feather brooch I brought back from our last UK holiday.

Oh, and I wore my red boots!



We spent a relaxing couple of hours having a good rummage in our chosen chazza's, picking up this heavy 700+ pageTaschen book on Design of the 20th Century at one of the shops.

Trawling the aisles of clothing in our second shop, I couldn't help but notice the huge choice of boots displayed at the bottom of the clothing rails. And what did I spy, with my little eye? Only my holy grail of footwear: a pair of green boots!  Tentatively lifting them from their hiding place to look at their size, I couldn't believe my luck when I saw they were a 37, which is my size!


There seemed to be a little problem with the zips, which kept getting stuck, but having been faced with, and solved, similar problems more than once before, we took a chance and took them home. 

Just as we thought, the zip problem was easy enough to solve. They were priced at € 6 but the guy at the till mislaid the price tag after removing it, and asked if € 4 was OK. Well, who were we to say no to that?



Needless to say, I had to wear them straight away, and I thought they would look a treat with Sunday's outfit.

The dark olive green shift dress, with its off-white, pink and lilac print, was another Think Twice sales bargain. With its dropped waist and worn with a slightly longer strand of off-white beads, I thought it had a certain 1920s vibe, but in a 2020s kind of way. 

I opted for fuchsia opaques and a ditto long line cardigan, to which I pinned a green faux-leather hair flower worn as a brooch.

I was so pleased with this outfit that I wore it again in its entirety for my final day of work on Monday.



Skipping Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, as I've already shown you my outfits, we're moving straight to Boxing Day, on which we went for a walk in Middelheim Sculpture Park.

This is a tradition we've unwittingly started two years ago and, as we wanted to continue in the same vein, we had been anxiously eyeing the weather forecast, hoping for a dry day.

Much to our relief, rain was only expected by mid-afternoon so, instead of doing an afternoon walk as usual, we started out by late morning.


There was a definite chill in the air, so I dressed warmly, topping my outfit, which you will get to see later in this post, with a vintage coat which recently joined my collection.

How fortunate that there was this pink painted wall - part of an art installation - to compliment my vintage dusky pink Kangol beret and burgundy faux-fur wrap which I bought in the January sales two years ago.


We wandered at will, coming across Orbino (2004), a container installation by architectural sculptor Luc Deleu (top left) and Walking Nuns (1960-61) by Elia Ajolfi (top right), while encoutering our own ghostly reflections in Belgian Funhouse (2004) by Dan Graham (bottom left).




The same art installation which contained the pink wall, also provided a wooden catwalk, which was perfect for more outfit photos. I was joined by Running Girl (1976) by Kurt Gebauer (top right) and Will to Live (1952) by Hildo Krop (bottom left).

We then made our way to the recently opened Collection Pavilion, where you can (re)discover hidden works from the collection of the museum, which are normally stored in depots closed to visitors.

An initial selection of artworks has been unpacked there and put on display for the public.


Clockwise from top right are Model for Sculpture Zoo (2006) by Thomas Schütte, Chiaro di Luna (1932) by Arturo Martini and - a particular favourite of mine - Expearience Trap (2018), by British artist Alalia Chetwynd, who currently goes under the name of Monster Chetwynd. And no, I didn't make a typo in the title!


Starting with Steel-Sculpture (1951) by Hans Uhlmann, we go on to Henri Rouart (1889-90) by Medardo Rosso and Gummi Girl (2006) by Yoshimoto Nara, ending with Boy on a Chair (1977) by Kurt Trampedach.

We got talking to a musem guide who told us an anecdote about the boy on the chair who, years ago, was part of an exhibition in the museum's Braem Pavillion. At the time, security was being provided by the local police force and on one particular night watch, the officer on duty mistook the boy for a real one and attempted to arrest him! 



After our visit to the Collection Pavillion, we were drawn further into the park by a peculiar tapping sound, which seemed to originate from the tangled branches of a copse of trees.  Peering into the canopy, we finally spotted a woodpecker going about his business, but catching him on camera turned out to be virtually impossible.

Instead, I'm introducing you to two more works of art, Demeure N° 4 - Lanleff (1961) by Henri Etienne-Martin (left), and Two Pregnant Women (1952-53) by Charles Leplae (top right).



The museum café offered a welcome break for our customary cappuccinos. We'd ordered Croque Monsieur (toasted sandwiches) and were given a small flying saucer-like device (it's in on the bottom left of the photo of me) which would start buzzing once our order was ready for collection. Jos kept eyeing the thing anxiously in case we would miss it.


The sky was darkening with the forecasted rainclouds, so we made our way back, leaving the park the way we'd come, through Artist's Entrance by John Körmeling (top right and bottom left) with its distinctive mid-century flavour.

On the top left is another one of my favourites, Firmament III (2009) by Antony Gormley, of Angel of the North fame, with Two Figures in Relation (1954) by Bernhard Heiliger on the bottom right. My eye was caught by one of the museum's silver chairs, which someone had put between the two figures in question, giving a whole new dimension to the sculpture.


It started raining soon after we'd returned home, but there was a brief respite later in the afternoon, enabling us to make some outfit photos in the garden.

I was wearing a wool skirt by Escada and purple cardigan, both charity shopped, and a psychedelic print blouse from Think Twice. The beaded necklace was another charity shop find, while you might recognize the brooch as one of my latest flea market treasures. My zebra print belt was a retail buy back in November, but has already more than earned its keep.

I'll be back with more December break outfits in my next post.


43 comments:

  1. I can't believe that purple and blue pussy bow dress only costs you two pounds, it's such a pretty dress. I really like how you styled it for its first wear too. Very pretty red boots! The green boots you found in your size are also stylish. You always find awesome items. The dark green dress is soooo beautiful. The print is amazing too. Such a steal too.

    That museum sounds like quite a place to visit. How funny that the police officer mistook the sitting boy statue for the real thing and proceeded to arrest him. It doesn't seem so unlikely for the photograph could have fulled me. It really does look like a hippie boy sitting down.

    Your long tartan coat is beautiful and I like your red fur stole...such a great styling. You look tres chic. The red and purple styling is also quite dashing. I so like the red psychedelic shirt and the purple cardi and skirt you paired it with look great together. I like this colour combo, it's very bold.

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    1. Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Ivana! I think you would like the museum too! xxx

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  2. That museum made me think of Koller Moller museum in Arnhem. I love those kinds a musea. What a bargain those boots and they are gorgeous. Also love the purple skirt, very classy. Back to normal life as of tomorrow!

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    1. We really have to visit Kroller Muller and have that coffee with you, Nancy! xxx

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  3. I'm sorry you were so frazzled leading up to Christmas! Your new boots though- WHAT a find! I would be SO chuffed if I found those in my massive size in the charity shop- they are so chic! And what a bargain!
    The museum is so cool- I love those sculptures!
    I love your tartan coat with the Kangol beret. I have a lovely black Velvet Kangol beret that I got in the charity shop- since cycling all the time, I barely seem to wear my berets! Must remedy that!
    Good luck wtih the return to work!x

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    1. Thank you Kezzie! I know, I was so lucky with those boots, I couldn't believe they were my size and all! xx

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  4. What a fabulous sculpture park. I love the walking nuns. I also thought the young man in the chair was someone having a bit of a rest!!! I said it on Instagram already but I love your dark green boots. I have been looking for a bottle green velvet dress for years! One day. Carole.

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    1. Oh, how lovely to get your comment, Carole! I must remember that you're Carole, with an "e", though. Sorry I spelled your name wrongly on IG a couple of times! I love those walking nuns, too! xxx

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  5. Green boots have to be one of the rarest items. Even green shoes and handbags are scarce. That you bought them at such a bargain is even better.

    Always nice to visit interesting places with you and the sculpture park never disappoints. Hope you got some rest over the break and that the New Year treats you well.

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    1. Thank you Goody! I'd been looking for green boots for ages, they were elusive in the "real" shops as well! xxx

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  6. Love your coat - it looks really cosy and warm!

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  7. Gorgeous outfits, I loved following you around on your walk to and in the art gallery.

    I sure know the siren sound of charity shops. Oh the joy of finding a bargain treasure!

    Loooove the red boots - they look utterly fantastic. And oh the green boots, they are one of my holy grails too. X


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    1. I knew you'd understand about the siren call of the charity shops ;-) The red boots are among my favourites, and they are super comfy too! xxx

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  8. What a lovely trip out to that sculpture park, the perfect way to blow away the cobwebs!
    Isn't it crazy how we dither over secondhand stuff sometimes? Thank goodness you decided to splash out on the 2 euro dress, it looks fab as does the flapper inspired outfit, the luxe coat and your mash-up of winter brights.
    The boots were a great find, they have your name written all over them and I can't resist a Taschen book either.
    Hope the return to work wasn't too taxing - now the madness is over you can start looking forward to the Summer! xxx

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    1. I often dither about second-hand stuff, because I have too many clothes already. But I'm trying to at least adopt the one in, one out system. Taschen books are great, aren't they? xxx

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  9. the escada skirt never dreamed of being worn with a psychedelic blouse - but it is a glorious outfit!!!
    love the modern 20s number and your new coat and green boots!
    the sculpture park is such an insiring place. and that there is coffee and sandwiches makes it even better :-D
    hugsies! xxxxx

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    1. ;-) I'm sure you're right about that Escada skirt, but it did seem to get along fine with the blouse! The modern 20s outfit is one I was very pleased with! xxx

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  10. oooh! Red boots, green boots, brown boots! I love them all! I adore your coat with the faux fur wrap, very warm and toasty! Happy New year! XXX

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    1. Thank you Linda, and happy new year to you too! xxx

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  11. I love all the boots, red and green are both fab. The cosy coat is perfect and the longline cardi/flapper outfit looks great, a lovely look.
    The sculpture garden is a gem and I can see why the young man sculpture was mistaken for real, that slump on a chair looks so lifelike! xxx

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    1. Thank you Sally! The sculpture park is such a great place for an impromptu walk! xxx

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  12. So many gorgeous outfits and beautiful colors.

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  13. Oh those boots are amazing!!! What a score and hopefully they made up for the stressy before Christmas time in the office.

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    1. Thank you Gisela, and those boots certainly marked the start of a relaxing holiday! xxx

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  14. All fabulous outfits - I'm particularly enamoured with the 1920s does 2020s one, and I would have worn it again too! It's nice to see a slightly different proportion on you, with the longer necklace and cardi.

    Wow, what a STEAL on those green boots! They are magnificent!

    I love all this wonderful sculpture - I just spent some time Googling Robert Larin (due to the necklace I had on today) and grooving on the brutalist looks, which some of these sculptures reminded me of. What a lovely Boxing Day!

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    1. There are quite a few brutalist sculptures in that park and they're among the most intriguing. I was very pleasantly surprised about the 1920s does 2020s look myself, especially as it was totally unplanned. xxx

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  15. That Escada skirt is what I call a super sweet find.

    I've been on the lookout for green, purple and blue boots for a while. You were very lucky finding the green ones.

    Your art park is a great way to spend a day.

    Suzanne
    http://www.suzannecarillo.com

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    1. Thank you Suzanne, and I agree about the Escada skirt. I only noticed the label after I got it home, though! xxx

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  16. that last outfit is my favourite but I'm most impressed with your green boots - what a bargain, I'm glad you could fix the zipper issue! I never find shoes in my size in opshops - although I always look just in case!

    Hope that your week is off to a good start! My first week back at work after the Christmas holidays so it is a busy one here! Totally get that feeling of returning to work after a break!

    Away From Blue

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    1. Thank you Mica! I'm surprised to find lots of shoes in my size in the charity shops. xxx

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  17. If I ever get to Belgium (I've only ever driven through it) I will make sure I visit your 'Think Twice'. What fabulous finds you get there and the colours and prints are just lovely. I loved your new vintage coat, loved the fur stole and the wonderful berets. And of course, the lovely beads, brooches and gorgeous coloured tights.

    The green boots are gorgeous; I am living in hope I might, one day come across a pair!

    The park and its sculptures looks a brilliant place to visit. My favourite was the 'Walking Nuns' - those headdresses!

    That book looks soooo interesting...

    Hope your week is going well.
    xxxx

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    1. You'll have to put Antwerp on your list of places to visit, Vronni, as there are no less than 4 Think Twice shops. Having them all within walking distance of my office means I can visit them a lot and increase my success rate! xxx

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  18. Just stopping by to wish you a lovely day!

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    1. And same to you, Ivana, how sweet of your to stop by! xxx

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  19. Goodness, did they ever whiz by faster than Santa Claus and his team of reindeer. I was, admittedly, eager to welcome the new year into our lives, but by the same token, a free more days of festive lights, feasting and family gatherings wouldn't have been a bad thing in the slightest. Happily, there's always next December to look forward to. :)

    May you have a truly fantastic 2020, dear Ann!

    🖤 Autumn

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    1. Thank you so much for your lovely, heartwarming comment, Autumn. You have remained in my thoughts through the years, and I was immensely please to reconnect with you on Instagram! xxx

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  20. Lovely dresses, and lovely pink cardigans enhancing both the lilac first one and the green second one. I think it's really fab that you match your cardis and tights, and you always pick the most amazing brooches and accessories!. Brilliant!
    Love your walk through the park and those magnificent sculptures, and love your purple outfit with the psychedelic blouse, such a fabulous combo! and fab accessories once more! Gorgeous!
    besos

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    1. Aww, thank you Monica! Indeed, I try to match my cardies and tights, as I have both in a range of colours ;-) xxx

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  21. Green boots win! How great to find something you really wanted.

    I'm not surprised you repeated that outfit; it's fab.

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    1. Thanks Mim, I'm so pleased with these boots, but as they're such a rarity I'm reluctant to wear them too often :-) xxx

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