The Autumn Dress That Never Was

Oh how I love summer!

The days are warm, still and sunny.  I could not ask for more.

Early morning coffee outside with the birdies.

A sundowner on the patio to round off the day.

I am a very happy bunny.

Very happy actually, as I was taken out on Friday night. 

A proper date night, none of this B&Q, Waitrose and knicker buying malarky.

Now, in my previous post I touched on how I needed blogging to stretch myself when dressing in retirement and gave you a perfect example with my East black linen 2-piece which I (finally) realised I could split after 15 years!

Examples of my closed-box thinking where clothes are concerned must be like buses, because, hey, here comes another.

This dress.  I'd bought it in 2003 in September.  So for that simple reason I associated it with autumn, and winter or spring at a stretch, and wore it accordingly.  Or maybe it was because of the earthy colours , who knows.  I didn't wear it for some years, it was a slow burner.  When I eventually did it was in autumn or spring, always with brown, though when I look closely at the pattern, there isn't actually any brown there.  I knew it was a summer dress because of its weight and style yet I wore my summer dress in every other season but summer.



The Photographer wanted me to wear a flowery dress.  I tried on a brightly flowered jersey number from Madeleine here but if felt just too warm on such a gorgeous day.

I slipped on this little wisp of lined silk and it felt just right for a summer's evening.

Then I pushed the envelope further!  What about accessorising with a sludgy pink, break away from the browns?

I slipped on my pink Marks wedge sandals, my recently rediscovered pink Tula bag and slipped OTS the silky knit La Redoute cardi.  Pink worked. Matchy matchy, but I happen to like that!

And after 14 years I discovered that this dress is perfect for summer, it just needed to start seeing other accessory colours.

(You can certainly now see how I need to keep pushing myself via this blog, don't you? Dressing really is Rocket Science to this dear old Pout!)

After having gone crazy with my iconoclastic train of thought, I reined myself in a bit with jewellery.

I thought simple gold would work and as it was a special occasion I pulled out all the stops.

I added gold ormer earrings and a larger ormer to a chain along with a gold Swiss vreneli, a long-service award. A bracelet filled chukka with charms.  (There's a story there but that's saved for another time - this was supposed to be a quick post and look where I've got already ... still at dressing stage and I'm nowhere near finished!).  Diamond rings, oh it went on, I really pushed out all the stops for this date!

Then, dressed, finally, we walked along to the coast and to our favourite restaurant, La Reunion.  We enjoyed aperos on the balcony, overlooking the bay.

I wanted to make an effort for the old fella as we were out to celebrate a special occasion relating to his residential status.  He was one happy bunny too.

And because it was a special occasion, I noted that he'd also pushed the boat out with the jewellery.  He was wearing his Skagen watch.   He explained that this is his dress watch, which comes out of the drawer for special occasions.  How stylish is that?!

Me wearing my Skagen watch, doing a Howard and Hilda, I'm afraid.

Hendrick's G&T just like it's supposed to be served, apparently, with thin slivers of cucumber.

Watching swimmers cool down as I too cooled down, sipping elegantly through my straw.

Watching beachgoers barbequeing their tea on the beach.

And then it was our turn to tuck in! 

I'll just slip in tiny pics of my pea fritter with pea shoots and my cod with lentils, spinach and samphire, and hope that the dieters won't even glance at these insey winsey food shots.

Later, the walk home on a very hot and balmy evening, first back along the coast.

Then a tiptoe through the cricket field, a short cut.

A house that thinks it's castle.  And a photographer who thinks he's a spectre.

And yes, strolling blissfully, having changed my heeled wedges for something far more comfortable for the walk home on a hot summer's evening.  My faithful Clarks metallic toed flatties. (Yes, I was wearing pretty much all the gold I have, right down to my toe tips!)

You see, I went prepared.  I've done that hot summer's evening walk home before and had had the blisters to prove it!

So, I'm sitting here in the welcome coolness of this room, wondering if I am the only person on this planet who restricts herself to a specific season to wear an item of clothing, based on nothing more than the time of year she bought it or its colours.

Or have any of you fine ladies discovered after a long period of time that you were wearing something designed or appropriate for a totally different season?

A la perchoine.