Sunday 23 February 2020

What's new pussycat?

What's new indeed? We are well into February by now, with the month of March only a week away, and still this sorry excuse for a winter is dragging its heels.

The days, most of them dark and damp, keep chasing each other across the weeks. Sunny days are few and far between and have a knack to avoid the weekends, which have been filled with livid black clouds, ominously threatening stormy weather. On days like these, the world outside our window is looking wet and bedraggled, with any sudden and short-lived rays of sunshine to be treated as tiny miracles.

My thoughts keep returning to those blissful few days we spent in Bruges. How lucky we've been with the weather! I can only be thankful for this rare stroke of luck.


I find that coming down from holiday mode is becoming increasingly difficult as the years go by, so I usually allow myself a transitional day to come back to earth in a bid to keep the post-holiday blues at bay.

And what does one do on such a day, which once again proved to be of the interminably grey variety?  I'm sure you'll agree that only wearing colour would do the trick.

There's nothing new about the vintage Lapidus of Sweden dress I plucked from my wardrobe. An old Think Twice find, I fell in love with its yellow and tan floral print, even if it was missing one of its buttons and its previous owner had added a rather incongruous crocheted lace border at the hem. The latter was swiftly removed, and I was overjoyed to find the dress came with a spare button, solving the first problem in mere minutes.



No pockets though, just fake pocket tabs which, same as the collar, have a strip of plain yellow in the same fabric the buttons are covered with.

Both the multicoloured necklace and the belt with its tortoiseshell buckle were charity shop finds. The brooch is part of a haul from an antiques centre in Carmarthen, Wales, back in 2017, while the orange opaques were a gift from the lovely Kezzie. The chartreuse long-line cardigan is from Belgian brand Mayerline, by way of a charity shop. In fact, only my ring and boots were retail buys.




If we weren't none to pleased to be back home, our black furry monster could be heard meowing pitifully when we were unlocking our front door. 

Was she glad we were home or complaining that we'd left her in the first place? Look at that eternally grumpy face! Nothing new here either! 

While I was assembling this collage, it struck me that it must have been written in the stars that we were bound to have a black cat at some point, as all these objects firmly pre-date the arrival of Phoebe in our lives. We even owned a grumpy black cat mug!



We got home on Wednesday and taking Thursday off as well meant that I only had a one-day working week to slowly ease myself back into the daily grind.

Still, I wasn't sorry when another weekend rolled along, even if the weather forecast was looking pretty dire. It's no use having temperatures of around 13° Celsius when a storm is brewing!

Saturday was the proverbial calm before the storm but still a bit of a washout, so that a walk of any kind was out of the question. 


Nothing new about my outerwear, all of which you've seen before, but the dress I'm wearing is a recent acquisition, found at Think Twice on the same day as the navy and white houndstooth dress featuring in my previous post.

Zig-zags in lilac, cream and brown make up the print of this vintage shift dress. It's got a stand-up collar with a floppy side tie, which I fastened with a white on blue floral cameo scarf clip.

A vinyl, oval buckled belt in the palest of lilacs was added to accentuate my waist, while a sky blue long-line cardigan and opaques in a similar colour completed my outfit. 

I could have opted for tan or blue boots, but I thought my green ones made the outfit a bit less matchy-matchy. Also, they desparately needed breaking in, and I'm happy to report they did just fine!


The porcelain cameo brooch was a last-minute edition as I felt the dress needed another adornment. 

A closer look at the side tie is offered on the right, along with the ring I picked, which seems to reflect the dress's colours perfectly.


At first, it seemed that the charity shops were competing with the weather in utter blandness, but then I found this fabulous coat, new with tags, from the French L33 label. It was mine for just € 8. It's a Spring weight, so it's currently waiting in the sidelines.



On Sunday, we huddled inside Dove Cottage, while storm Ciara was raging outside. Before she arrived, though, we were able to briefly nip outside to show you what I was wearing.

I love this navy fit and flare dress, with its cheerful blue and green print, but for some reason it hadn't yet been worn this Winter. Well, I do know why, of course. I simply have too many dresses, which all have to wait their turn! But do I care? Not in the least!

Green seemed to be the perfect choice of colour for my belt, opaques and cardigan, to which I pinned the peacock feather brooch I bought in a Welsh charity shop last Summer.

My necklace with its filigree leaves is from Veritas, a well-known chain of Belgian haberdashery shops. I found it new on card in an Antwerp charity shop last year.



If the charity shops didn't deliver, the latest Think Twice sales certainly did. On the two days when everything was  € 4, I visited all four of their Antwerp shops during my lunch breaks and ended up with a more than decent haul.

The green crepe dress - the photographs do not do the actual colour justice at all - is waiting for replacement buttons as I don't like the ones it currently has. I'm thinking of pink but I haven't found what I'm looking for in my stash yet.


Initially, I thought this green, yellow and white plaid dress, with its ginormous sleeves hemmed with Broderie Anglaise, was a handmade affair, but then I found a factory label hidden inside. I can't wait to wear it in Spring!


I've always loved green and blue together and whoever said the colour combination shouldn't be seen need their heads checked, in my opinion.

I can't wait to wear this cotton Summer frock either!



Other finds were a bright blue floral maxi dress edged in yellow, a funky print shift dress (centre picture), three skirts and two blouses. Don't they make a cheerful collage?

And finally, this chiffon dress complete with pussy bow and pleated skirt made its way into my wardrobe. I fell head over heels for its white, blue and berry watercolour print.


But I've not only been buying things, I have done quite a bit of selling as well. Last weekend, a lady I met at our last flea market in July, came over especially from Holland for a rummage through my no-longer-loved and no-longer-fitting items, and I'm happy to report she bought more than half of my stock. 

That's not to say I wasn't a bit sad to see some of it go, but on the upside I'm definitely left with enough space to accomodate my new purchases.

I'll be back with the last episode of my Bruges travelogue soon.



40 comments:

  1. You look so cheerful in yellow! I am feeling the end of holiday gloom definitely after a week off! Ahrgh!
    You did well in the 4 euro Think Twice event! I love the checked dress! Glad you managed to sell some things!
    I love your Phoebe look-alikes- collection! They are brilliant!

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    1. Thank you Kezzie, the end of holiday gloom seems to be getting worse the older I get, but having another holiday to look forward to certainly helps! xxx

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  2. You scored some beautiful items! Love your yellow dress as well.
    Ready for some spring here too.

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    1. Thank you Goody, still no sign of spring here, I'm afraid! xxx

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  3. fabulous finds!!! those dresses are divine! especially the green one..... ;-D
    weather here is gray and stormy too - but for some reasons i have not much time to moan about - life is busy at this times at BWH.
    pheobe is such a beautiful cat! lisbeth is greeting her :-D
    hugsies - my dear! xxxxx

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    1. Thank you Beate, and I'm glad to hear you don't have time to moan about the weather. It normally doesn't bother me too much, but it's been grey and wet for far too long now :-( xxx P.S. Phoebe is greeting Lisbeth back :-)

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  4. Some fabulous outfits here, Ann - they shout Spring even if the weather isn't playing nicely. The yellow outfit is gorgeous, loving the Missoni-esque vibes of your zig-zag dress and the cheery fit and flare frock.
    Cracking finds, as ever. I hope it won't be too long till we see you in your Spring coat - half the UK has snow forecast here today!
    Love Phoebe's grumpy face and your collection of black cat memorabilia. xxx

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    1. Thank you Vix, and you loving Phoebe's grumpy face definitely made me smile. I hope to be wearing those Spring dresses and that coat very soon! xxx

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  5. Wow I love the cat brooch from 2017. It's soo cute!
    And the colours of the zickzack dress are great. You find some wonderful items. This floral maxidress looks amazing. Can't wait to see you wearing it in spring :)
    A very huge hug and greetings from Thailand, Tina

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    1. Thank you so much, Tina, I can't wait to wear my new finds either, but the weather isn't playing nice ... xxx

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  6. Ooh, what a nice selection of pretty clothes. And congrats for unloading some of your old stuff which, as you note, makes room for new. Turnover is good for our closets.

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    1. Thank you Ally. I agree that turnover is good for our closets, even if I was still sad to see some of my old and no-longer-fitting stuff go! xxx

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  7. Goodness me what a fabulous bumper haul! Everything was fab but I have fallen in love with your Spring weight coat and that amazing maxi dress. Both are gorgeous and I can't wait to see you wear them on a post.

    We have had the same grey and damp weather and it feels neverending doesn't it? Still your colourful outfits are a great antidote to the weather and it will soon be Spring!

    It';s so good you managed to clear out your wardrobe and make some some dosh too; I bet the space was immediately taken up with your new haul!
    xxx

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    1. Thank you Vronni! I know, it had been a while since I had a bumper haul. And yes, the space was immediately taken up, especially as most of the stuff I sold was no longer i my wardrobe ;-) xxx

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  8. Oh, there's our girl Phoebe, looking as grumpy as ever - she is a lovely little fuzzy thing. I have a collection of black and tuxedo cat Christmas ornaments, most of which have never been seen on the blog, since I haven't put my stuff up since before we got Vizzini.

    Loving your cheerful outfits here, Ann. The yellow dress is awesome, and I love the lilac with the brown/blue dress, but your blue/green look is my favourite (love that feather necklace).

    That new-to-you coat is a stunner (is that felted string/wool that makes up the design?), and I love both of your maxis.

    We had a big windstorm here last night and lost power briefly. There are branches all over the roads today. I hope you get some sun this week! All the best to you for the week ahead, my dear.

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    1. Thank you Sheila! I guess we are lucky to have kept power and not sustain any damages at all. Still haven't seen much sunshine in the meantime. The label in the new coat says it's 100% hemp! xxx

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  9. Wow, you've had a total bonanza on the bargain-swagging front! That shift dress print with the patterned plates is amaaaazing, and I love the green dress you're going to change the buttons on. And the zigzag/bargello print dress is gorgeous too. It reminds me of a skirt I no longer have and now wish I still did...

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    1. Thank you Fig, it had been a while since I had such a total bonanza! xxx

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  10. Love your cheery yellow dress with the tortoise shell buckle belt. What a marvellous find.

    Grumpy Phoebe is still so cute. Our two foster kittens, Sonny and Cher have black fur too. They are so adorable and start purring as soon as they want to come into the living room with us. To think that they never meowed or made a sound in their first couple of weeks with us! Now they let their needs/wants be known!

    The fit and flare, navy and green dress is just perfect on you.

    It's so exciting to sell some of your clothes and make some space for other things, I think. X

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    1. Thank you Jess! I know, you'd forgive grumpy Phoebe anything. Sonny and Cher were so adorable, I bet you were sad when your fostering time was over! xxx

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  11. The spring coat is fab, let's hope you get to wear it soon fingers crossed. The weather here seems to be getting worse rather than better.
    I do like your leaf necklace and brooch combination I always notice the accessories! xxx

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    1. Thank you Sally, I'm hoping for Spring too, but there still isn't much sign of it! xxx

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  12. I really like that first yellow dress on you and you have so many cute additions to your wardrobe! It's difficult to pick a favourite but I do like that one at the end with the red in the print and the pleated skirt :)

    Hope that your week is starting well :)

    Away From Blue

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    1. Thank you Mica! The one with the red in the print is my favourite too! xxx

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  13. The only down side to a black cat is that they never look good on photos. Castor always looks like a black ball with eyes. How good that the lady bought that much. What a fantastic bargain that coat is. Love to see you wearing it! Get a subscription to your blog woman! Lol!

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    1. You're right about black cats being hard to photograph. Re. subscription, I know, I need to figure it out! xxx

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  14. That yellow and tan printed dress is fabulous. I love the accessories you paired with it. I agree that it is the perfect pop of colour, just what one needs after a vacation. A transitional day sounds great. I rarely travel anywhere for more than a day or a weekend but giving oneself time before returning to work makes sense. This is a great post vacation look. Very feminine and stylish. I find that a good outfit can often cheer me up.

    Your black cat accessories are so lovely. How nice you had most of them before Phoebe came into your life. You could say that it was meant to be. I love black cats, well I like all cats but there is something special about black ones. They can be grumpy. My husband once scared a black tomcat belonging to our family friends. A few years later when we visited (we haven't been to their home in ages), the cat destroyed his shoes. He remembered that my husband scared him. Cats are special creatures indeed.

    The coat you picked up looks gorgeous. I'm sure you'll wear it a lot. Your Think Twice purchases are all great. You found so many pretty things.

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    1. Thank you so much, Ivana! We once had a cat who hadn't forgiven my brother for not giving her fresh food on time while we were on holiday. She got her revenge when he was visiting us at Christmas, when she peed on his coat! xxx

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  15. I think we all need another short holiday after returning from a holiday. I think it's quite common for people to return home exhausted.

    Your yellow dress is stunning. Can't imagine why a crochet border was added, but good thing you removed it. It's also the perfect colour to wear on dull, miserable days.

    Phoebe is gorgeous and photographs so well. A lot of people are quite superstitious about black cats and are scared of them. Such a shame, as their colouring is so striking. Our foster kittens are black too and I just adore them.

    My gosh, I'm so impressed by your latest haul. My favourites are the green/yellow plaid dress, blue maxi and the watercolour dress. Can't wait to see them on you.

    A clear out is one of those necessary evils. We all have to do it at some stage. Glad you were able to sell them. Have a great week.

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    1. Thank you Suzy, it had been a while since I had such a big haul. Such a shame that people tend to be scared of black cats! They are adorable, although hard to photograph! xxx

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  16. Colourful clothes are a necessity when the sky is grey. I may look for somehting yellow ... and blue. Yellow for the missing sun and blue for the sky. However, today is a beautiful day. Have a nice March with lots of sunshine. Regula

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    1. Thank you Regula, and I'm wishing you lots of sunshine as well :-) xxx

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  17. I may have just gasped aloud over that absolutely beautiful vintage plaid frock. It's autumn (with notes of all three other seasons, too) colours and classic, charming design are completely up my ally.

    Awesome finds and adventures one and all, dear Ann. A huge thank you for sharing them with us.

    Many hugs & happy weekend wishes,
    ♥ Autumn

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    1. Thank you so much Autumn, and the pleasure of sharing is totally mine! xxx

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  18. Hooo Ann!!! I just love those pretty cute necklaces and the tortoiseshell buckle; it just goes smart along with those beautiful yellow floral print dress and those tan boots. I envy those zig-zag lilac dresses especially the floral scarf clip which gives an extra elegance to the dress to you Ann. The spring coat is just fab!!! Do have a look at http://www.bloghasting.com for the latest wedding collection photographs.

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    1. Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Andrea! xxx

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  19. What a fabulous haul! I love the colours and print of the final dress particularly.
    I always find it hard to capture the true colour of my green skirt too, it always looks a little duller in photos.
    xx

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    1. Thank you Hazel! My camera doesn't see to get on with green, never capturing the right shade, so that I end up having to do some editing! xxx

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  20. Good lord you did do well in Think Twice! I look forward to seeing how you style them all.

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    1. Thank you Gisela, and though I can't wait, the weather keeps playing spoilsport! xxx

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