2016 Reflections - Best Buys

I'm a bit different to most lady bloggers. 

Firstly, I don't buy many clothes as I have to be careful with my pensioner pennies.  I mostly "shop my wardrobe" these days and have fun re-discovering things by wearing them in different ways. Capsule wardrobes help in this process.

Secondly, I'm much bigger than most other bloggers of this ilk.  I was shocked a few days ago to read a lady who is 5 ft 8″ and a UK size 12 (US 8 -10) describing herself as being at the larger end of the scale for a style blogger.  Well, I am not a style blogger as you know, but I do post outfits I wear day-to-day as part of this blog's raison d'etre and I must therefore be at the hugest end of the scale.
The fact that I am at the largest end doesn't deter me - maybe it should, I've not given it too much thought.

So, mindful of the above. when I do shop then a lot of thought is invested in the purchase.  And by that rationale, even a Primark piece must therefore be classed as an "investment piece" in Pout World! 
I consider cost, my age,  my size and body shape constraints and my pensioner lifestyle (when will I wear it and how often).

Through that process I identify what I think I need (like!), waste time research on the internet and save photos on my Kindle.  I then spend a few weeks wasting more time familiarising myself with the saved photos (The Photographer views this as simply procrastination).  Then either of the following usually happens through my so-called procrastination.  1) if I do make a decision to purchase a targeted item, it is by then usually sold out in my size, and 2) I discover I have something very similar in my clothes archives.
So the process saves me money!

But occasionally, a purchase is made and they are usually successful.  So most of my purchases during 2016 have also been "best buys".  And here they are, in no particular order.

My black Uniqlo Light Down puffa.  It's excellent; I've worn it most days through the winter. 

It.  Ticks.  Every.  Box.

 

 

Dotty P navy Bardot dress.  I adapted it to "cold shoulder" so I could wear a big-girl bra.

It takes me from easy-casual through to more dressy-lady-like (shown here).  Thus I've worn it loads through the summer.  An easy dress to wear and wash.  And.  I.  Feel.  Good.  In.  It.

The pics also show the Clarks metallic toe nude flatties I bought in spring; I've worn them so much as they go with dresses, jeans, shorts, you name it, and are a walker's dream.

Magasin linen-mix tops, (2), bought in Copenhagen.  I have worn these tops sooo much.  They're just perfect, on their own or layered (OK I do need a bit of tuition on layering tidily!).

These picks also show shorts.  Yes, shorts.  On me!  They were a total wildcard for me but once I found them I spent the rest of the summer in them, if I wasn't in a dress.  My legs shouldn't wear them but as my legs will only get worse, if I don't wear them now then I never will.  So I did.

I bought Next and Dotty P shorts in denim, beige and white.  A perfect colour suite. 

But here I want to also highlight my Birkenstocks, bought in Copenhagen and from then on, I wore them most days of the summer, even if just for a quick beach trip.  So blissfully comfy to slip into.

 Next ivory layer blouse.  Worn it loads and it makes me feel fluffy and feminine.  Goes with so much, so easy to layer

Scarf from Primani.  Colours are pink/black/grey/ivory = goes with so much in my wardrobe.



Peacock grey jeans.  For me, jeans must be made of a thin fabric, otherwise I feel claustrophic.  I loved these.  So light and a nice "worn out" grey too.

 

Peacocks white jeans, ankle length and cropped.  Again, these meet my fabric criterion.  They washed so well and dried quickly.  Loved 'em.

Observation: Peacocks seem to produce good jeans.

M&S scarf in grey/ivory/black and jade (or teal!).  It goes with the abundance of greys and blacks in my wardrobe and, of course, this M&S jade (teal) cardi.  Both items worn much during through the year.

So there you have it.  As I skim through this post, it would seem that my interpretation of  "success " and "best" is "worn a lot", because I like it on me.  I'm wondering, what do you think looks best on me?

I have to say that doing this little reflection exercise has its benefits.  It has helped me identify what works for me, at this time in my life; what I enjoyed wearing, and what was worn time and time again.  I think when I did shop (which seems rather a lot!), I shopped wisely and successfully. And I'm mentally storing what I've learned from this analysis to take with me when I go shopping again.  It may be some time though - via the lovely Janet of thegardenerscottage I've kinda committed myself to a no-spend January.  I'd like to think I could go further than that ... 

Fancy joining us?

Do you do sometimes take a step back to analyse your wardrobe and your recent purchases? 

Identifying what gets worn a lot?  Because you truly like it?

And is there anything in my Best Buys that you have or that you particularly liked?

It's 2017 - let's hear from you!

A la perchoine.



The Shorts Affair Continues

Hi peeps, thanks for popping in.  Hope you are enjoying the lazy, hazy days of summer.

I've been having some family time in the sun, including a super few days with the GKs. 

Along the way I squeezed into the long-awaited denim shorts.  Well, not really squeezed, this latest batch of shorts are rather loose.  But I guess that is practical when the weather is hot.

. 

These are from Dotty P.  I think there's something wrong with the website, it shows only 3 styles left.  Must be an error.  As you can see, they are sort of knee-length denim and, trust me, they are extremely comfy.  You also get a glimpse of my fave tankini too, old and from Bravissimo.  I was ready to hit the beach!

Now, I think these are the pair from Next here.  These are favoured by GD and The Photographer. 

So subtle is the difference between the two pairs that I'm not entirely sure which is which!

Worn with a Next longline navy camisole and black hat shading sea-ready face!

At the moment I am doing some positive thinking on my dalliance with shorts.  It may be just a brief encounter.  But if I can forget about what I look like and think of comfort, then maybe, just maybe, shorts and me could turn into an LTR.

How are you doing with shorts this summer?  On?  On and off? Or totally off?

So far beige chinos and jean-shorts are sort-of doing it for me.  And the longer length and the thicker fabric is the combo that stands up to the challenges of my chunky legs.

The old negatives are fading with the good choices I'm making.

GD finds my shorts try-ons/wearing amusing (embarrassing).  Apparently the big issue is the knees (like I didn't know that).  But she has a different take on my knee issue.  It would seem that when my knees bend it doesn't look like they're bending. 

I'm still trying to visualise that one!

Do you have any tips or fixes with shorts that works for you?  That you could share with me? 

 'Cos me and my knees need all the help we can get!

Now, what else have I been up to?  I'm getting to that stage in life when I have to check the diary or my camera to see what I was up to yesterday.  Sound familiar?

OK, so the photographic evidence tells me that I met up for a bite to eat with some girlfriends at our local, the Rockie which is down on the coast.  The one with the nice sunset view over the sea.  Trouble is, my little pensioner eyes only get to see it when the nights start to draw way in, because I'm usually home again by 8pm!

But the pink clouds were a pretty sunset-substitute!

Back to the outfit.  It was a lovely evening so we enjoyed the walk to and from the pub.  I shaded my eyes from the sun with the Next sunhat and as the vibe was casual, I allowed myself to stay comfy in the Birkies. 

I really have learned to make sensible choices for the pub-walk, eh?  I arrived home blister-free!

 

The Next linen mix navy cardi came too.  In my bag the whole evening.

This old Primani jersey maxi dress is just so useful on summer days like this one.  I do believe it will enjoy a place in my suitcase next week when I go to France.

And tonight my guest Marianne has met up with a friend for dinner in town.

Looking so lovely wearing a white/grey toile de jouy style print skirt in  a simple A-line.

I leave you with another try-on.  With my recent holiday in mind, I ordered  this vest, to bring perhaps a little lift to my wardrobe and my days.  Not sure about it.  It trapezes out at the hemline and looks a bit strange on me.  With shorts anyway ... well, wouldn't anything?!

Will try it on with white capri jeans tomorrow.  Because Marianne's come home today with a real pensioner-priced pair for me - £3!!!

A la perchoine.

 



Park Life

Welcome to another BIG post, peeps.  For I was spoilt for choice on pics of my outing to Sheffield Park, East Sussex.  So you get loads.

I wore a blue stripey top bought recently from Magasin in Copenhagen.  It's linen-ey, it's light and it's long.  I'm loving it!

I teamed it with a long-line white camisole from Next.

And finished the little ensemble off with white Peacock crops and Birkenstocks as there was much walking ahead. I think the look is fresh and comfortable for a day of summery stuff.

So, OOTD done, now allow me introduce you to Sheffield Park and Gardens.

The First Earl of Sheffield bought the house and grounds in 1769 and appointed the renowned gardener Capability Brown to create the gardens, lakes, woodlands and park.

These chestnuts stumps are several hundred years old.  The trees were sadly damaged during The Great Storm of 1987, so were lopped off.

But much good news is found in nature and these chestnuts have started growing again from the base.

There are wonderful walks to enjoy in the park.

The house is not open to the public but the park and gardens are, fortunately - I wasn't trespassing, honest!

BTW, you do realise that I offer myself merely as a yardstick in these photos, an aid to determining the size of plants, trees etc ...

... and not because I think my clumsy, awkward poses add any other value to these shots.  You do get that, don't you?!

I have to own up to being a bit of a sucker for a good gunnera manicata.  What's not to like?

You can see from the trunks that some of these trees were planted hundreds of years ago.

This tree trunk slice has been marked with notable milestones since its birth several hundred years ago, like the reigns of kings and queens and significant events.

Brown made clearings to provide glimpses of the house from the gardens.

The ponds are covered with blooming water lilies.

The base of a giant Redwood.

Brown created clearings to tease the eye with so many beautiful views.

There are reflections to enjoy on the still waters.

Several small waterfalls were created to provide a feast for both eyes and ears.

It takes an army of experienced gardeners and volunteers to maintain the park at such a high standard.



The ducks live a very comfortably life here.



You just have to admire the substance of a well-established gunnera manicata.

These nodules are air supplies for water-embedded plants.

The walk through the park is a eye-feast of shades of green and copper brown.

Big trees abound!

Sculptures have been made from weathered wood.

And every trip to a National Trust property finishes with pop and a sarnie.  Here I'm enjoying a spunky ginger beer with a tasty chicken, bacon and spring onion sandwich.  Yum!

Later I visited my Sussex aunties and some cousins and had a super time chatting away.

I switched my stripey top for this khaki/green loose top from H&M, bought recently in Copenhagen.

It was beautifully cool for the hot late afternoon.

And later still, I slipped in to yet another outfit!  I wore my long print dress seen here, but I took no photos.  However, I can report that it was the perfect dress for early drinks on the terrace with some cousins and their hubbies and for a pretty darned tasty supper later on.  The evening ended with a silly card game (P.I.G., played it?) on the terrace, the air warmed by a nearby chimenea.  The game was so silly that I couldn't quite get the hang of it.  I wanted to apply brain power to it but it would seem to win you have to be, well, just very silly!

Isn't summer just the best?!  

What are you doing on these hot sunny days and warm evenings?  

Maybe changing outfits a bit more frequently, like me?  

Taking a lighter approach to every day life?  

Maybe behaving a tinsey winsey bit summer-silly?!

A la perchoine.