What She Packed, What She Wore

Last week I showed you HERE some of what I'd packed in my carry-on (whilst pilfering space in The Photographer's check-in 😉).

But what would it be like to pack without luggage weight restrictions?

  Well La Duchesse knows  -  she drove down from Holland where she now lives, and was able to bring over exactly what she wanted for her stay with us in Guernsey.  She said it was like having her wardrobe on holiday with her, and who hasn't sometimes dreamed of that?!



So let's meet La Duchesse, seen here outside our town church.

And here's who she co-habited with in Guernsey.

Bertie!  Yes, La Duchesse looked after him whilst TP and I were meeting up with his American family in Sussex and Devon recently.

 She generously finds space in her travelling wardrobe boot for carefully chosen gifts.  Lots of them!

It's like Christmas and birthday rolled into one!

So that's the backstory to today's post.

Let's go see what she packed in her boot (trunk)!

Dresses.  Beautiful summer dresses.  She had a whole string of social events whilst she was here - you wonder how she had time to take all those beautiful seascapes she shared with us eh?!

She packed 6 dresses, 4 were worn. 

The dress style in Holland is super casual so she doesn't normally wear dresses at home; her trip to Guernsey was an ideal opportunity to get the frocks out !

She packed 5 blouses/tunics, 4 were worn.

2 skirts, 0 worn

12 T shirts, 6 worn (too hot)

11 prs trousers, 6 worn (too hot)

5 pairs of leggings, 1 worn (too hot)

She packed for all eventualities but el skorchio prevailed throughout her visit, so leggings and long trousers were mostly surplus.

16 pairs of shoes, 14 worn!

5 bags

A whole range of necklaces and bracelets.

Now let's take a look at some of the outfits she put together from that little lot.

Her elegant new Joseph Ribkoff was worn for a wedding.

She dressed low-key elegant for a white and gold themed lunch/Herm party to celebrate a friend's 50th, perfect for the day.

Her beachwear worked its little socks off, thanks to el skorchio.

Doesn't she look a beach babe?

So, in summary, she was pleased with her holiday packing.

She wore a huge amount of what she'd brought over and loved having a choice each day.

Will she be back soon?

Well she left TWO hairdryers in her room - I think that's a "yes"!

Successful travel packing is all about pitching it right for the weather, where you are,  who you're with and what you do.   

The Four Ws!

 And getting that right can be a challenge no matter what your suitcase size.  

La Duchesse was pitch-perfect on the where, who, what -  and even the weatherman didn't foresee 3 weeks of el skorchio.  So 3 out of 4 ain't bad eh?!

Now let's hear what you do when you are unrestrained with your holiday packing.

Do you fill your boot (trunk)?

Or do you pack much the same as you would in your normal carry-on?

A la perchoine.

Mama Mia - Here I Go Again!

Hi peeps, before we get started today I just HAVE to share with you.

(Credit Evoke Photography)

Isn't it an amazing shot?

Did you see the eclipse? The red moon?

It was cloudy evening but the clouds cleared for us to enjoy this fabulous event.

So, here I go again - another film review!

This is what I wore, see yesterday's post for details.

And we went to see Mama Mia, Here I Go Again!

We chose a matinee performance again so the audience was mostly mature, our kind of people.

The Photographer wasn't the only bloke in the cinema this time, the island ladies managed to drag out four others!

And as we were heading outside after the film there was much grumbling in the aged ranks about how we were all crazy to have been indoors watching a film on such a glorious day.  But that's just typical of the wild and bonkers things we pensioners do!  

We're livin' life in the fast track, folks ...

The Film

Well, it was a fun film.   I won't tell you the storyline, it's an upside down version of MM1.  The script was clever and the film filled in the gaps that perhaps lurked in our minds after the first offering.

It seemed a film of two halves as it got off to a slow start but then suddenly perked up and everyone started oozing energy and talent.  Though Lily James was vibrant and brilliant throughout, what a talented lady she has proved to be in this film.

Again as with the previous film, one gets the feeling that the older and more established film elite had a blast making this, having the chance to let their hair down and show us little snatches of what they're about when not doing their day job.

  

I love that all the actors' singing voices are used, it gets the audience to bond with the characters.  

I particularly loved the performances of the three older guys, er, not that I'm biased or anything, but what's not to love about them?  Colin Firth should do more comedy, loved him, especially in the finale.

So, the finale.

Cher rocked it, what a voice. Meryl was cleverly brought into the story and her musical performance was superb and poignant.  I shed a few tears at this point - didn't expect that from Mama Mia. 

And did I mention that the older guys were fabulous?  Oh, Here I Go again!

Oh and the finale was The Best Ever!

I rocked it too!

I found myself caught up in the mood and when I got outside I found myself dancing.

And we STILL don't know who the father is !

Now, come on girls!!  Let's get this party started!

 You can always subscribe or follow me using the buttons on the right sidebar.  It makes like that little bit easier for you, and I'm all about the easy life in my twilight years!

I post my outfit pics on Pinterest too, BTW.

A la perchoine.

Mama Mia - Coral Again!

Yup, here I go again - wearing coral on repeat.

So me and my man had a movie date and my matinee performance of choice was Mama Mia 2.  

And for my date afternoon with The Photographer I found myself in coral again.

The Outfit

 

I teamed my crazy-print trousers with M&S plain T top (£7.50) and bronze sandals.

Love this T, BTW, it's super-silky so drapes well.

I draped an old jumper from Next, just in case.  Well, you never know with the AC in cinemas, eh?

Playing Mind Games With Colour

Previously I called this jumper pink, now I'm calling it coral.  

I like colours that can bat for more than one team.  Just changing the colour name in my head gives a piece a whole new colour spectrum to play around in!  Have you tried that mind game?

I am enjoying the fun I'm getting from coral.  It's such a vibrant summery colour, but yet soft and feminine too.

It feels a little strange to think that just a year or two ago I was in pinks and greys and beiges and now I'm bursting it out in some crazy colours, like coral and bright blue.

My cool coral mix was just right for the film, which I'll tell you about in my next post.

Earlier and in the heat of the day, I'd worn the T with a white linen skirt, very old from H&M.

The styling may be rather plain but it totally worked for a hot day of car purchase negotiating.

How are you handling the temperatures where you are?

ON YOUR SCREENS TOMORROW

Mama Mia - Here I Go Again!

And I know this may be stating the obvious but you can always subscribe or follow me using the buttons on the right sidebar.  It makes life that little bit easier for you, and I'm all about the easy!

I post my outfit pics on Pinterest too, BTW.

Please pop by again soon.

A la perchoine.

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary ...

… how does your garden grow?

Well, the answer is perhaps a little too profusely this year.  I can't keep up with it.

The pergola has got totally out of hand. 

This has been my focus since I returned from my hols. I've thinned the grapes and strung up with new growth of vine.  And hacked back the invasive passion flower, creeping in on the left of the photo.

You can't see my good work, of course, as these are the before shots.

Grape clusters are forming, and that's a good thing.  So I'm making sure they have the room and the energy to do their grapey stuff.

Roses are blooming.  I have white, salmon pink …

… a pretty pale pink ...

... and yellow.  I love seeing yellow next to blue, here next to agapanthus. 

This colour combo makes my heart sing. 

Another heart singing colour combo is orange with purple. 

I have the orangeness of the dainty crocosmia, but not purple.  Maybe next year.

In the meantime, I'm making do with white agapanthus and the deep copper coloured leaves from the drooping peach tree branches

That's how my garden is growing right now.  Profusely.  The grass is parched yellow, but let's focus on the good stuff.  The sun is shining (every single day!) and we have lots of pretty flowers to enjoy.  And grapes.  My next garden post will reveal the crop that will become Chateau Pout 2018.

So, dear reader, how's your garden growing? 

Are you feeling the scorched earth that is the Northern Hemisphere's summer this year? 

And if you are in the Southern Hemisphere, what's growing in your garden right now?

A la perchoine.

Summer Madness Starts With Coral

… and where will the madness end?

Hello to you, my sweet gorgeousnesses of the blogosphere!

For those of you in the summer season right now, I hope you're enjoying this summer sparkle as much as me!  And for those in the southern hemisphere, I hope you're keeping snuggly.

I recently told you about my little bit of summer madness (see HERE), in Where Corals Collide.

Well rather a lot of corals did collide and fell right into my shopping basket!  

And now I am basking in the glory that is coral and, to be honest, trying to make some sense out of the sheer quantity of what I rather rashly bought whilst enjoying the delights of a Sussex M&S.

So you'll be seeing a lot of this pretty colour as I try out the pieces IRL and integrate them with my neutrals.  Coral is a feminine yet fun colour and oh what fun I'm having!

The coral madness started with these print trousers. My heart pit-a-patted when I saw them and I found myself moments later in the M&S store with my arm groaning from the weight of the coral capsule I had created around this inspirational print.   'Twas a moment of summer madness.

Yes, these are statement trousers but when I find a print I actually like I just have to pounce.  The good news is the print isn't just about the coral so there's plenty other colours to play around with, stretching their wear within my over-generous wardrobe.  And I'm excited about the prospect of seeing where I can take these trousers. 

The trousers are a linen mix, so super-cool in these el skorchio temps, and just in case 'im up there is a reader of my blog, I am enjoying this long hot summer very much, thank you, so keep up the good work.

And yes, having just talked about el skorchio, you see me wearing a jumper!  Well it's soft and lightweight.  It has a slouchy style and a band across the back neckline, to keep the v in place I'm guessing.

  The idea of a jumper on a hot summer's day sounds a bit bonkers but I was off early morning car-hunting and this seemed right to start the day.

Accessorising with cactus flowers.

(Please forgive the messy deck, it's work in progress I'm afraid as I'd been cutting back the grapevines when these pics were taken and I'm a messy gardener). 

What a striking match and just outside my back door too.

I took a break from my car search to stretch my legs in this spot, near the Vale Castle.

In the background are the islands of Herm (a.k.a. Paradise) and Jethou.

So, I've been getting comfortable with coral.  And garish trousers - they are soooo not what I would normally put on my legs. 
Whatever is happening to me? I'm doing pretty crazy things lately and the summer madness is creeping into the strangest places - you should see the bonkers car I've chosen as a replacement for my granny car!



Now what about you, my lovelies?  Are you feeling the summer madness?
Is the headiness of summer encouraging you to do something totally bonkers?
You know what, I'd love to just hear from you!


A la perchoine.


COMING UP
More coral!
What I did on my holiday
Ultraviolet
Here we go again!



La Duchesse's Notes From A Smaller Island #8

Here ends La Duchesse's current series of beautiful snapshots of her recent holiday in Guernsey.

Appropriately, today's subject is sunset.
The time of the day when the sun creates its own masterpieces.

.

And this masterpiece happened in a moment ...

... she snapped as a seagull soared against a red sky, reflecting the sun's daily display of power.

Thank you, dear Duchesse, for sharing these moments with us.

A la perchoine.

What I Packed, What I Wore

Or it's snappy acronym, WIPWIW
Or its more fitting hash tag,  #WHENwillIeverlearn?

Hello my lovelies.  Have you been on holiday recently?  How did you fare with your packing?

Me?  Yes to the first and, errr OK, to the second.  Just OK, for I wore so little of what I packed (as usual, WHEN will I learn?!) I did a lot of repeat wear, which I usually do (when WILL I learn?!!).  And I quickly went into uber-casual mode, which I always do (when will I LEARN,?!!!).


So grab yourself a cuppa as this post is quite a tome!  Sorry but I can't help myself, I like chatting to you!
Now let's take a look at what I actually wore in the Devon countryside!



Tops

I packed white, yellow and navy striped Ts, grey/white T, 2 navy/white Bretons (why TWO?!), navy/white blouse, multi-coloured chiffon tunic, navy cami. white vest.

My default outfit was white shorts or cut offs and white t shirt (Peacocks).  Seen here zjujshed up with my faithful silk scarf, a hint of Breton sweater around the neck and the colour of the butterfly accentuated with a larger than life Mae West vest.  TP wore a saxe blue polo and terracotta shorts (M&S)

Here the white T is perked up with a blue/aqua tassel necklace (Peacocks).

This is my holiday T (M&S, really old).  It always travels with me in warm weather.  It's got splodges of grey and crystal beads and it's all about the drape with this T.

Blue stripes were abundant in my WIW shots, M&S and Primani respectively.

And here on Dartmoor, yellow stripes from M&S.

That was IT, as far as tops were concerned.  #embarressed. 

Dresses

I packed a few.  Yellow print, navy bardot, maxi.  And this one.

I wore this simple and cool coffee linen dress on repeat.  On the 4th.  In Hastings Old Town.  On the clapper bridge in Postbridge, Dartmoor.

New Purchases

Time to mention here that I forgot my sun hat and our heatwave necessitated me grabbing a lovely straw hat (above) from M&S  It has a glam twist of  soft brown leoprint fabric and because all we fashionistas know that "leoprint is a neutral", I was able to wear it with EVERYTHING, of course.

I bought bronze sandals from M&S as I find that my white Clarks sandals can get to look a bit clumpy and pedestrian with certain things, like this linen dress.  And then I wore these new sandals for pretty much the rest of the hols; they became instant go-tos, so comfortable and with a hint of sassy-walk about them too!

Cardigans

I packed yellow, white and navy.  

I wore none of these.  Instead, on the few early-start days when it was a little fresher, I frequented this Ultraviolet knit from M&S which I bought on arrival in Sussex and instantly loved.

Bottoms

I'd taken blue jeans, white jeans, posher white trousers, white cut offs, white shorts, white linen skirt.

I'd been living in shorts for weeks, so why oh why did I pack just the ONE pair?  I wore my white shorts on repeat and freshened them up twice during the holiday.  I wore white crops a few times and wore blue jeans once on the flight over and on this fresher day above, when meeting up with double-cuz and her partner on their boat moored at Noss Mayo, Devon (so cute).

In the farm's vineyard.

I wore this beach kaftan after swimming.  It's from East and was passed on to be by a kindly cousin - so it's 2ND LOVED, Terri!

Black

Black and white popped in a few times.  I have to admit that I started out with a fairly tight colour range of white, yellow and navy.  Coffee strayed in.  And black.    It just doesn't feel natural to travel with zero of this staple neutral, so I bunged in a black t shirt at the last minute.  As you do.

Here, I threw my shorts over my black bathers, so this black "top" cheekily sneaked into my capsule too.

And here a simple black T, my last-minuter, accessorised with the Egyptian hand necklace.

Jewellery 

I never travel with truly expensive stuff, like real gold or silver jewellery, heirlooms and irreplaceable items.

My jewellery was my holiday pack of inexpensive disposable bracelets, necklaces and earrings, which the exception of a silver Egyptian hand wall hanging (seen above) which has become a staple.  It was gifted to me, to which I added a necklace extender to turn it into a beautiful necklace.  And there is an additional plus to this, for I discovered that if I flip the front side over (which has black beads) it becomes a simple silver adornment which goes with just about EVERYTHING.

Jewellery Makeover Tips

1.  Take a look at pretty objects, things you like, and consider whether they can be re-purposed as jewellery.   A necklace extender (try Amazon) works magic!

2. Look at jewellery and flip it around a bit to see if it can become multi-purpose, i.e. not dictated by a particular colour.

"Activity" Wear (yeah, like that's gonna happen!)

I took a navy/green/white tankini and plain black bathers.  I wore the bathers only.

I took the leoprint beach cover-up, as shown above.

Footwear

I packed wedged espadrilles, metallic toe flatties, white sandals, silver flip flops, white pumps, Birkies.

I wore the flatties and the white sandals a few times, the white pumps once for the boating, the Birkies every day and my newly-purchased M&S bronze sandals a lot!

Handbags

Grey Primani crossbody travel (houses accessible my travelling needs plus Kindles).

Taupe crochet crossbody every other day.

Simples!

Outerwear

I packed my white East denim jacket and my H&M denim shirt, which I wear as a shacket.

I wore neither. 

It was El Skorchio, don't ya know?!

Packing

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my carry-on weighed in at 7.1kg but my shoes and toiletries were in TP's larger check-in! 

And as you can see from the above, I could easily have packed one quarter of what I took and have been comfortably dressed for the whole trip, for that is what I actually wore.

Make-up

I packed little make-up and most days were make-up-free.  I got that one right!

I wore variations of the following: CC cream, Touche Eclat, Clinique mascara, trio of taupe eye shadow, Rimmel lip pencil, Clinique chubby lipstick, Body Shop gloss balm.  

On no make-up days, I wore just lip balm.

What The Photographer Wore

He wore polo shirts and shorts ad infinitum.  And he felt sooo good in his M&S purchases of same.

He bought shorts in navy and stone to add to his existing packing of terracotta and a burgundy/blue small print.  And beautiful colourings of polos.



And on this day I discovered he'd "twinned" with his Boston brother!  Don't they look cute together?

Did he wear jewellery?  Yes he did! His son gave him this obsidian healing bracelet for Father's Day and he has worn it solidly since.  Every.  Single.  Day.  I think he likes it!

So, my dear reader, that's my packing. I totally overpacked.  I just don't learn.  My observation after many summer holidays is that I go super-casual after just a day or two and go into repeat-mode like there is no fashion post to write when I get back home!

I hope that you find this post useful as a reminder of what you really need on holiday, which should guide you to what you should sensibly pack.  Maybe.

And what about you?  Have you learned to pack what's right for you from your previous holidays?

A la perchoine.

COMING UP

Holiday shots

My shopping spree try-outs

Mamma Mia!