Hi my dear readers. Hope you're having a better day than moi.
I'm trying to find an off-white cardi for the warmer months when my cosy Windsmoor is just too big and warm for the job. You'd think it would be so simple. Turns out it's quite a quest.
This M&S cardi is described as neutral and made of merino wool. It's actually a pale grey and it's gossamer thin, which is OK for summer you'd think, but it creases. Big time creasing.
I've hung it up for a week and the creases don't disappear, which is no good for a summer cardi which gets bunged into bags and generally thrown around. Yes, that's me in summertime, a cardi abuser.
Here's what it's supposed to look like. If it looked like this IRL it would definitely be a keeper.
And here's what I want, this winter cardi's summer sister.
When I realised the M&S cardi was not going to cut any sort of mustard, I went a searchin' and found another on the Debenhams site.
It's heavier than the first cardi, but still creases. And it's a pinky beige IRL. So again no mustard has been cut with this one.
Again the website piccie was giving me the illusion of the perfect off-white cardi.
An off-white version of my White Company cardi would be ideal. This weight, this cut, oh how ideal would that be! And this one is a stuff in the bag and come out lookin' good sorta summer cardi, so ideal for someone like me who abuses her summer cardis puts her cardis through their paces.
I'd like to try this one
It's from M&S too.
But you know, I'm getting disappointed at being disappointed. There's a big divide between pics and reality with these off-white offerings and as texture and colour are important to me, well, seems like the solution is the High Street. Unfortunately mine is quite miniscule.
So I'm drawing a line. I'm walking away from this search. I'm off the off white. No more searching, ordering, try-ons, returns. I'm going to wait until the perfect off white summer cardi finds me!
So maybe I'll just work with what I have right now.
Maybe utilise this utility jacket to the max in these coming weeks. Which ended up being my OOTD. Minus the shoes.
You may spot the tags on the espadrilles. They're a try out too.
So as I sign off today, I'm wondering if you've come across the perfect lightweight off white summer cardi that's totally doing it for you.
And whilst we're on this subject, what is your summer cardi of choice? Colour? Off white?
Happy Mothering Sunday to all the wonderful mums on our precious planet.
You work tirelessly, you give unselfishly and you love unconditionally
- you deserve a good pampering, today and any day!
And I feel I've already had a good pampering with my new cardi. It was love at first wear. I am #overthemoonhappy with this new piece.
I am the picture of Happy Bunniness when I wear it!
Yesterday I introduced it to you, styled in top to toe berriness and my Happy Bunny face.
I continued excitedly, trying various tops with the berry coated jeggings, knee boots and new cardi combo.
It looks fresh when layered with an ivory top from Next.
Feminine with a touch of lace from Dotty P.
And I happen to love leoprint with berry so this Next top was right up my strasse.
Returning to a more casual look, this time a grey longline cami and a low-slung belt, also from Peacocks (remember, esoteric colours = buy within the brand).
I thought this deserved a change of boot so I switched to grey suede anklies.
Can you see how much Happy Bunny is exuding from just one face?
Perhaps an air of cockiness?
You'd be right, I AM feeling cocky. Smug. For I started the day with one outfit and ended up with half a dozen!
I added just one piece to my wardrobe, the berry cardi. I created five new outfits for my berry jeggings at the blink of the eye. A small addition to your wardrobe can bring big changes to how you wear a certain piece. And of course here I'm just tackling the berry jeans. There are so many other outfits this cardi can spawn. With biker jeans, with blue jeans. With a black skirt, with a denim skirt. Oh the permutations are perhaps not endless but there are certainly shedloads of 'em.
Yes, third piece trickery was at play today. I'd realised that my berry jeggings didn't have their own third piece to create a "suit". For as Janice of The Vivienne Files (HERE) espouses, a same-coloured cardi creates a suit. And a cardi-suit is perfect for the more casual retirement wardrobe as it creates a smarter cohesive look without the formality of a jacket.
So my suggestion to you is to look at a fave piece of clothing and think how many more outfits you can create with the addition of just one new piece, that vital third piece. It truly is mindblowing!
Have you discovered the usefulness of the cardi-suit?
The retirement suit?
I'd love to hear.
Thanks for popping in today.
Now, I'd be filled with happy bunniness if you subscribed to my blog. I love numbers and your subscription would make my little number that little bit bigger. It'll cost you nothing!
And I love hearing from readers, it gets really matey when the comments pop up and I feel I'm not talking to the ether.
If you're a frequent reader but haven't commented, well, why not now? It would bring joy to my day to hear from you!
Hi my dearies, I hope 2018 is treating you fine so far. I think the general trend for the new year is for us to resolve to have no resolutions. They don't seem to work and tend to be rather draconian, perhaps that is why they aren't favoured. I prefer a light touch with most things these days. Little tweaks to our lifestyles make a difference.
So no resolutions other than to tackle things with that light touch.
Like reoccurring minor health probs. Of late I get sinusitis each year around Christmas time. Yeah, great eh! But now that I recognise what it is and that it's an annual thing, when the going gets tough I don't fret but simply take to antibiotics after a few weeks. This winter's started on Christmas Day and I'm now on penicillin and feeling so much better.
I have to start feeling better because of a big parcel which has arrived at the door.
#so excited as it contains a little surprise. More on that in my next post!
In the meantime, I keep snug in grey suede boots and a muffler.
My Dotty P bardots are perfect for this time of year.
I can play around with the neckline, depending on the weather ... and my state of health! Such a great innovation. Here I wanted snuggly neck rather than chilly bardot shoulders.
The bardot and coated jeans combo (yes, THEM again!) is starting to feeling like my Winter Uniform at the moment. But I need warmth and comfort and they are delivering that in spades. Simple winter dressing, easy pickings when I want an outfit to find itself. And all I can add on this is that it could be a lot worse, it could be harem pants and t shirt, ad infinitum, which is what I wore during last winter's poorliness!
I'm wondering if you have a Winter Uniform? Something that you find yourself not wanting to prise yourself out of? Or going to with little thought? Maybe it looks a lot like mine. Or maybe you stay uber-glam even as the temperatures drop or when you're feeling poorly.
And now let's move away from what this sniffly old bird's wearing and see what a truly beautiful bird wears!
His amazing OOTD, every day. Brown, purple and electric blue - who would have known those colours would work together?!
This beautiful pheasant has been popping round to the Chez Pout Bistro of late. He's been picking up the morsels dropped by the diners who can make it up on to the bird table and the hanging feeders. He's too big to swing from the feeders so for him it's the easy pickings, no effort required.
Check out his white shirt collar!
He's become really quite matey. He's curious about us. I'm thinking he'd like to pop into the house, but I'm not too sure how Bertie would take it.
Hi there, sweet people. I bet you're starting to rush around now that we've hit December. Christmas is coming up for real. I'm guessing quite a few of you find yourself surrounded by lists, like moi. And if it ain't (sic) listed or diarised, it don't (sic) get done.
I already have one man down - today I realised I missed a hairdresser appointment over a week ago. Little appointment card details didn't get transferred to the diary, you see, so this was an appointment guaranteed to be missed. I have to grovel to the hairdresser tomorrow.
So, we're jingling into to December. I impressed myself in November. I decided I would go a month without a vice. And I did it! My chosen vice was crisps (chips). Not one crisp has passed my pout in 30 days. Well actually 34, because I haven't gone on a crisp binge come 1st December. No I am sailing elegantly and confidently into the month without any desire for my salty addiction.
You see, I decided that if things need addressing, then I'm going to take a light-touch to them. Just calmly tell myself this month I won't eat crisps. I can eat crisps in December, if I want.
It's been so easy to get crisps out of my system with that approach. I haven't gone charging into December, frenziedly tearing open a pack of M&S reduced fat sour cream ridges (which I adore!). Nope, I haven't missed them, not one little crumb - the small broken bits are my thing. My jam, I think the Americans say right now.
Crisps were becoming a naughty habit of mine. They were my mindless eating. During November, I made up little dishes of more healthy foods in the evening. Sliced apple, shelled walnut halves, little sticks of a good cheese, grapes, a few cheese biscuits. It actually felt far more elegant, simple, controlled. Conscious eating.
That's going to be my approach, I've decided. Make small changes to my life. A light-touch approach. Baby steps, each time I identify changes that are called for.
I haven't got any Lent-style deprivations lined up for December, I'm not obsessive about this month thing, but January is going to be the classic, G&T/wine free. Fancy joining me?
So it perhaps sounds like I'm setting myself up for failure by moving on to my OOTD and stating that I'm still a bit of an old wino. To qualify that, I'm still feeling the love for the colour.
I bought this bargain of a fancy sleeved wine top a few weeks ago.
I thought initially that the sleeves were too long and would get in the way when doing chores, like washing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom etc. They don't ... I just avoid chores. Simples!
Isn't it wonderful what a blog can reveal about its author. I saw spots on this pic and realised it wasn't my top that was speckled, it's the mirror. Clear proof that I'm avoiding chores.
This winemance has sent messages to my brain to search out more wine stashed away in my wardrobe (goodness, I'm starting to sound like I have a real problem with the stuff!).
I remembered I had a wine-coloured jacket, which I bought a few years ago but I don't think I've ever worn. A blogger lured me to it; it fitted her climate and lifestyle, doesn't really fit easily into mine. But 'tis the mini season for jackets, so I slipped it on.
I added grey suede boots and a grey muffler.
I decided grey jeans with this little ensemble would look too contrived, I thought blue denim gave more of a just-threw-these-things-together look. What do you think?
As the day was quite mild, this little OOTD was all I needed for a trip to M&S Food Hall and a sellotape buying expedition, for 'tis the mini season for sellotape too.
My nail finish didn't look too bad with wine, thought it might clash.
These have lasted more that 3 weeks. Got to think up a new colour by Thursday, Pout nail day.
Seems we ladies are divided on the issue of nail gel. 2017 has been my year for trying it out. My nails have grown for the first time in 3 years. But let's see what 2018 brings.
Later, I swapped the jacket for a down jacket and the grey suede for black Chelsea boots.
And I enjoyed my morning constitutional along the east coast.
The day was looking calm but moody.
The clouds later turned to rain clouds.
But no matter, I've made a cup of coffee and I'm up in my garret chatting with you guys!
Thanks for popping in, my dears.
I'm now off to assess where I am with my lists and will charge back into Christmas preps.
How are you doing with your lists? With your preps? Got your house dec'ed up yet?
It's getting a bit brrr over here, though remarkably our temps are about 4-6 degrees higher than mainland UK, which is hovering around 0c today. So we haven't had the UK's snow but we've had a few hail showers.
It's dawned on me lately that our seasons have mini seasons within them. Each on its own has an array of weather suiting different types of outfits.
We're around 6-11c in the next week, then I expect the temperatures to drop in December.
A couple of months ago I made a mental note to get out my khaki utility jacket for autumn. Then before I managed to kick that mental note into action, lightweight jacket season had been and gone. Dressing opportunities are like Black Friday bargains, I've discovered. Blink and you miss out.
My khaki jacket experience made me realise that I have to strike when the mini season presents itself. No blinking.
Right now, sweater dresses are ideal. But they won't be in a few weeks. So I am striking out at these beauts during the sweater dress mini season.
Are you feeling the love for sweater dresses right now?
For an early morning airport run I slipped on this old Monsoon winter white sweater dress.
And that's exactly what happens with sweater dresses. Slip them over your head and you are done.
It's a dream of a still-loved dress. So comfortable to wear and just look at that colour! You don't get much more neutral than winter white. So just about any accessorising goes. Here, chocolate knee boots and opaques.
A cashmere paisley scarf with furry pompoms creates a snug outfit.
And whilst the temps are relatively high, I did more slipping on, firstly with this long East merino cardi, also in chocolate brown.
Then it got messy.
I wanted to try the dress with an old suede jacket, also chocolate brown.
There's a limited mini window to wear little jackets like these. They're really too warm for indoors but in a few weeks time I will freeze if I go out the door in this little shortie. So, as with sweater dresses, I seized my mini season window for this jacket too.
Then it got really messy. Bearing in mind I was doing an airport run and one has just one window of opportunity for making it aboard planes, in true Pout form I wanted another wardrobe tweak.
"I wonder what the jacket looks like with some furry neckage?" I said, curiously.
"No" said The Photographer, "No more pictures, we're outta here".
Now I am a stubborn Pout. So I wound the furrage around my neck ...
... and started taking selfies.
The Photographers next comment is unpublishable.
The Photographer works to mini window rules too, it would seem.
My mini window of opportunity had just slammed shut.
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.
U
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.
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!!!!
