The Pout Hits The Wine!

OK peeps, I've got something new to show you today! 

I've been thinking of wine recently.  No, not the fall-down-water, but the colour. 

Wine is so warm and rich and perfect for this time of year.  I'm seeing it with grey and with black, of course, but also brown which is not a colour that I would automatically pair it with.  Well, at least not since my school days. I'm thinking gym slips and knickers, peeps!

My colour inspo was a scarf I accidentally bought off Amazon.  I'd been a-searchin' round for pressie ideas and in the blink of an eye I discovered that I'd pressed the 1-click-buy.  Has that happened to you?!

 It was incredibly cheap and the picture confirming the purchase was of a grey, wine and ivory combo.  So in the days before it arrived my thoughts strayed to that colour combo.  On reflection, I think that was the default scarf on the site as when it arrived, it wasn't the scarf pictured all the way through the confirmation and shipping process emails I'd been getting.  But hey-ho.

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The scarf's got a lot of brown in it.  Well, there's an idea, thought I.  And as I'm applying the 3-ways-2-wear principle (catchy, huh?)  to this new item in my wardrobe, I began experimenting.

First with grey, my original plan.

For starters, let me introduce you to my new "dress".  It's a snuggy-winter knit.

It's a bit (a lot!) shorter than I would normally wear.  My knees have nowhere to hide.

  

It's sleeves are long, so the dress has in-built mittens!

I've discovered from these pics that these grey boots don't lend themselves to anything but jeans and trousers, which they do extremely well, BTW. 

Top tip, consider the diameter of the ankle boot top when getting your legs out, ladies.

 I tried with a different shade of grey opaques a few days later, toning in more with the colour of the boots but still the tight ankle of the boot brought down the look.  Oh dear, is Gabor calling?  In a half size larger?

Silver goes beautifully with the wine and grey combo.  I wore a silver leaf pendant, layered with my lovely new silver necklace from my special little people.  How I do love it; it's rapidly becoming a go-to.

Here's the scarf.  Yes, The Photographer could have told me that the scarf was trailing on the ground!  But at least it's showcasing well.

So that was my day of wine and grey, accessorised with a plethora of strewn autumn leafage.

Then today I've moved on to brown.

I pushed the boat out and  bought some M&S chocolate opaques and they are a perfect match for my old brown Gabor knee boots (which I love, so supple a leather and they are lined in a softer and lighter suede, so scrummy!).

I chose a chunky wooden necklace, a pressie from one my lovely readers, La Duchesse.

As the look I'd chosen was informal, I paired it with a brown leather wrist band.  You can't see it in any of the pics, though, but it's there, you will just have to trust me on this one - and you know you can!

And then I played around with my new blanket scarf.

The Photographer With Fashion Views declared this look "messy".

And it got rapidly messier.  I tried the casual draping over the shoulder again. This time it didn't touch the floor, purely by luck rather than Photographer vigilance.

I have a friend who rocks the pashmina-over-the-shoulder look.  You know, that Judi Dench look, so casually elegant.  I just can't hit it, though, it always looks a bit strange on me.  Are you someone who does this casual draping thing?  Any tricks you can share?

I think the scarf goes so well with this outfit.  It picks out both the wine and the brown.  I just need to get my head around the blanket scarf thing.  It seems too big, cumbersome.  Like I'm draping myself with, errr, a blanket.  And as that is not normally my wont, I struggle.  Seems a bit period drama to me.  Perhaps I should check out how Cathy wears it in her Wuthering Heights look.  I wonder if she Instagrams it? Or Pins it?

Turns out Cathy wasn't into blanket scarves after all.

On to another of my challenges.  What I am discovering is that it's quite difficult to keep a bardot doing what it says on the tin.  Keeping off the shoulder.

The bardot neckline shifts around, up and down.  Now generally I see this as a good thing, as it presents me with the gift of so many neckline options, changes.  I like change.  The Photographer doesn't like that I like change.  It usually means us shifting around furniture.  And occasionally shifting it back again, if I find my improvement isn't actually an improvement.

Apropos that, I told him this morning that I like that he has a good attitude.  He tells me what I see as good attitude is actually pragmatic subservience.  What are your thoughts on that bombshell, ladies?!!

And whilst we're in Photographer Corner, as he was taking the abundance of wine and brown shots he muttered "I can see this being one of your posts that I won't be reading". 

 OK, scrub what I said about "good" attitude earlier, this is downright bad/recalcitrant attitude!!

But how I have digressed.  I was talking about the Bardot neckline.  I have discovered that a pin slipped into the back of the dress sort of disciplines this cheeky strumpet of a collar.

My bardot seems to be holding fast with this tweak.  It's still sitting smartly as I type.  If this good pin work continues, I'm going to make it a permanent feature with a few deft stitches.

Once again, the Dotty P design team will thank me for this little innovation.

So, grey done; brown done.  Black to come.

But I also want to see how this baby performs with jeans.  You see, it is actually sold as a sweater, but on my 5' 3" and-a-bit frame, it can become a dress as well as a sweater.  One of the few benefits of being vertically challenged.  Ooops, digressing again, Pout!

Yes, back to those jeans.  The dress/jumper (drummers?!) would go beautifully with blue or grey jeans, of course. 

But I see it with some tight faux leather or waxed black jeans.  I haven't clicked the Nordstrom buy button on the former (sorry Mrs R, I still think they will bring too much attention to my trotters).  I haven't clicked the M&S buy button on the latter either.  Perhaps it's not so much that I am a wimp when it comes to the more risqué of legwear, but that I'm a bit dubious about sizing (more on that in another post ... hopefully).

Right my dear friends, I've rambled enough and The Photographer wants his trunch.

 Before I sign off, here's what the dress looks like on the optimum body, a tall slim model.

You see, they style it as a jumper, albeit a very long one.

It's under £20 and can be found here.  Such a rich colour and so snug.  The grey is selling out fast.

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I've found a similar here also available in grey.

I leave you with more wine and grey.  Just when I was strutting my stuff in my wine and grey ensemble above, the clever Janice of The Vivienne Files only went and posted on grey and wine here.  What do they say about great minds?!

A couple of pieces sprang out at me from her post.

This beauty is from Dotty P so is close to home.  Most versatile and something that would fit

nicely into our wardroes, eh?  Certainly it's manna to my wine themed wardrobe.

This gorgeous wine cashmere number from L L Bean is divine. Pricey, but if you're reading this, TP, and in your view I've been nice rather than naughty ... or perhaps it works the other way round with blokes?!!

Whoa, stop your friskiness, Pout.  Let these lovely people close this post and get on with their busy lives.  And you go downstairs and get The Photographer his trunch!!!!

A la perchoine.

LCS - In Search of the Ruffle

LCS.  The acronym for Last Chance Salon.  Yes, I loved Jean's play on words so much that I tweaked my title for this November series.  Thank you, Jean.

I was going out on a lunch date and being brave and fearless as I am, I wore another of my wardrobe "challenges". 

A white ruffle blouse which I've had for about 15 years and I can't think of a time I've ever worn it. See, yet another example of how I defiantly pooh-pooh the "if you haven't worn it for (insert any period from 6 months to 2 years but definitely not 15 years!) then chuck it out"  approach.

I think I've taken it out periodically over the years, washed it, intended to give it another try ...  and it never happened.

With my ruffles I wore a chunky cardi.  I think it was my first ever Woolovers order so that dates it about 5 years +.

As well as hoarding clothes, I hoard inspos.  This one came from the first ever blogger I found, Lady of Style.  The lovely Annette posted something similar very early on and I kept a photo of it but it's on my old laptop, so sorry I can't share.  Just take my word for it, this outfit is in the spirit of Annette's.

When I first saw the idea and tried it out a few years ago, The Photographer With Fashion Views declared it "messy" and pooh-poohed it (this household seems to have a propensity to pooh!).

When I sported pretty much the same outfit again here, no pooh-poohing occurred.  I think his views have softened.  Or maybe ennui has set in ...

Moving on, I took this outfit out to lunch and the extra layer of the shawl was just right for the temperature, which is cooling :-(.  We met a friend at La Grande Mare.  I do have yummy photos but I'll refrain from posting them as some of you virtuous ladies may be on a pre-Christmas diet.  But suffice to say, 3 fabulous courses, £12.50.  One cannot possibly argue with that, eh?  We are towards the end of this year's Tennerfest and a shout out to my Guernsey readers, the LGM's is absolutely the best Tennerfest meal, as always.

I got home and thought "Hey, don't waste an outfit by wearing it just the one way, leverage it!"

So I tried out a look I'd been hoarding for a few weeks, found on Pinterest.

I searched around for ruffles to achieve the Pinterest look and found these items at M&S.  But as often happens, before I clicked "buy" my searching revealed that I have similar in my stash, so I ear-marked them for the look.

I didn't have the fancy belt but this was a start, I felt.

The jacket is from M&S, ca. 1995, so it's getting some 2nd lovin'.

It's a tux and I used to slip it over evening dresses for a light outerwear layer.

I have never before worn it with anything other than evening dresses.

It sort of felt funky this way.  Edgy.  Lady Leoprint.

Masculine tailoring meets frilly feminine.

So the day was a day of mega achievements

I tried out looks I've been hoarding for weeks and even years.

I wore my 1995 tux, 2017-style.  A15 year old blouse I don't think I've ever worn before has been put on the LCS programme and it has achieved 2 out 3 of the 3-ways-to-wear discipline I'm applying to new and old items in my wardrobe.

What can I say?  This was a good day.

You know, I'm quite excited about trying the tux and ruffles look in the real world. I feel just a little edgy in this outfit.  Is this a look you fancy trying?  Or perhaps have already tried?

And have you been giving anything from your wardrobe a Last Chance?

Oh, and just before you go - I'm a bit stumped on a third way to style my ruffles.  Can you help?  Can you come up with any ideas?  I'd be so grateful if you can so please pop in your ideas in the comments box below.

(And Vronni, hope you like my work with the photo sizes!)

A la perchoine.



Birds on Shirts

Hello, dear readers.  Hope you are enjoying your Sunday.  It's a bit wet and grey here.  A perfect day for sitting in my garret and chatting away with you!

I recently picked up on a blogger's maxim (can't remember whose) that when she buys something she thinks first "can I wear this in at least three different ways".

Well. I bought my Zara shirt recently and I've already notched up a few ways.

And when one of my blogger besties mentioned that she had some sort of shirt and bird arrangement, we said "hey, let's collab".  I'm looking forward to seeing what the lovely Anna has in her aviary.

Before we get started, I need to apologise for the rather weak photos.  It was a windy day and the place I found that gave a little shelter had me backing up against the sun. 

But I wanted to give you outdoorsies as the shirt has birds on it and I wanted the birds to be in their natural habitat!


OK, well what springs to mind with a shirt like this is jeans.  Striped shirt and jeans, It's a heavenly pairing.



Here, the shirt is simply worn with M&S jeans and old Jones nude heeled loafers.

In some shots you will see me attempting to batten down the shirt tails as these little birdies just wanted to fly!  Eventually, hands firmly in pockets seemed the best way to keep these shirt ends in check.

The shirt is made with a striped fabric adorned with beautifully embroidered cranes.  Their little feet are mustard, so instantly in the shop I was thinking jeans and mustard cardi as one of my three ways.

And then, with mustard and stripes done, here the cardi appears to be tossed aside like a worn-out teddy.

Now you may see me in a callous light at this point, tossing used items aside, but in my defence, know that Mr Tipper Truck, my teddy of 49 years, is lovingly placed on the bed next to me as I type.  So if any of you dear readers were concerned about teddies in my care being abandoned, rest assured that was just a figure of speech - no teddies have been callously discarded during or prior to the writing of this post.

Tip'a Truk (for he has reinvented himself as a rap-teddy) is not for tossin'!

Ooops, The Pout is off on one of her digressions again.  Focus, Pout!!!

My second way to style the shirt is influenced by one of my blogger besties across the pond.

Kellyann wore her shirt , also striped, with jeans, a chunky handbag and cute booties.

You can see that I'm not a handbag person any longer - just look how I'm holding my Gianni Conti brown leather bag.  So very handbag-newbie!

Why oh why did I not copy Mrs R's pose, so much more glammly nonchalant.

Back to my crane shirt.  It's got that longer in the back arrangement.  Think I will come to appreciate that more and more as I develop my old lady derriere.

And then I thought, hey Kellyann made a feature of her statement necklace.  So I quickly pulled back the collar to do the same.

Hers is one of those pretty floral statement pieces that I just wish I could find.

I worked the look with what I have, that being the old belt hardware necklace; I thought the matching was subtle as its bronze elements echo the brown leather in the shoes and bag.

OK, that's look No. 2 sorted.

For my third look I switched shoes to metallic toe flatties.

I added a navy linen mix cardi.   And I attempted to hold down those flying birds again!

I added a matchy matchy bag, a light stone Tula bag.

Over the shoulder is how I feel most comfortable with a bag.  If I have to wear one.  These days I make sure I am wearing deep pockets and leave those bags at home most days.  In my dotage, it's one less removable item to worry about leaving in a restaurant.

I have to say I have worn this shirt quite a lot since it came home with me, and each time the base is a pair of jeans.

But my fourth way was with white jeans, seen here in Brugge.  My accessories are an old battered Tula backpack ... oh yes, and a carrier bag filled with Belgian chocolate :-)!

The above are everyday casual outfits (not tailored!) and based around the old faithfuls, blue jeans.

However,  I have been getting truly excited about styling this shirt with my Next linen summer skirt, seen here.  Maybe this stripey shirt would work with it, maybe with a trendy half tuck ... and pearls.  Yes, I fancy another attempt at floral and pearls.

However, my focus has been on the house this week and I've had no time to experiment further.

Yes, the house is getting a good seeing to - a clean and de-clutter.  I have often said in my brutally honest way, that I only seem to really look at the house with a critical eye just before guests come to stay, friends are popping round for drinks ... or even at the mere hint of someone potentially popping in for coffee.

Then, and only then, do I look at the house with the eyes of a visitor.  And what I see needs cleaning, de-cluttering, re-arranging or removing.  Guests will be coming to stay shortly, and when I looked around with that critical eye, I realised that I haven't had one of these must-tidy-the-whole-house events since March.  Six months of turning a blind eye to the mayhem!

 So I have been doing great, if exhausting, things in the house this week.  Bags have been filled for the charity shop, no longer needed items have been identified for onward selling or dumping, things have been re-organised better, or maybe just organised !

Oh, dear readers, I just love this process!   But you probably do this on a on-going rotating basis and you are always house-ready for guests.  I'm probably revealing a bit too much of my slobby side.

And, excitedly, I had a real duh moment yesterday.

We have two double bedrooms.  My eureka moment was hey, instead of switching clothes to and from wardrobes during the seasonal changes (note cleverly avoided use of non-vernacular "transitional"), why not designate them winter and summer bedrooms, keep the seasonal clothes in the appropriate room and the out of season room becomes the guest room.  Oh, it was an idea so cunning that I immediately stuck a tail on it and called it a weasel.  Cunning, because it saves me a HUGE amount of work in autumn and spring.  And I like anything that saves Pout energy!

Oh my, how I have again digressed.  As I often do when chatting away to you guys.  

Focus, Pout!

OK, here's the shirt, hot off the Zara website.

Now, why don't you pop over to Anna's blog here and see what bird she's got fluttering on her shirt.

And then maybe drop me a comment telling me how you style your stripey shirt?

And finally, birds on shirts, flying away with the wind ...  

I leave you with a seminal song.

A la perchoine.