Being ... The Photographer

What's he like Mavis?
He's a real tasty geezer.

Why do I open today's post with the intro to The Piglets' Johnny Reggae?

Well, The Photographer was once described as "a pretty snappy dresser for an old geezer" and as I write about him today, that line is swirling round in my summer-addled brain.

Perhaps it's the unaccustomed recent heat that draws me to introduce this post to you with an old 70s hit.  Maybe it's because this old geezer in his 70s is a hit with me!

The Photographer's been getting a lot of compliments on this blog lately.   So I thought I'd give him his own style post.  For style he has.  I put the post together and made that a little Father's Day surprise treat for him.  He's let me share it with you.




What's his style in retirement?

Well, he pays great attention to colour co-ordination and what he feels is appropriate for the occasion.  So he needs very little bossing guidance.

Let's see all of this in action.

He's so definitely a jumpers man.  With a leaning towards zipper jumpers.

Here, Sct Hans Aften, Denmark, in a pure wool Peter Grabby zipper sweater and black jeans (yeah, I'd never heard of the make either but we're entering Boyzone here!).

 And below wearing a navy cashmere merino zipper jumper from Woolovers - I've heard of them :-).

Yes, he likes his zipper jumpers.  He has several more.  

His style is jeans and jumper or shirt.  End of.

Left.  Brown cashmere (M&S Limited Collection, we all heard of them eh ladies!)  In Mads Norgaard, Copenhagen (heard of him too!).  Bored, as the shopping was for me.  

Right.  Yes, he has was sooo bored ... until he spotted that there was a mens' section!  I came away empty-handed, he came away with a new striped jumper.  

This often happens when we go shopping for me.  He doesn't like shopping but he does rather like hijacking my shopping trips. 

 His all-time fave shirt.  Birds Eye custard yellow.  It's by Oakman - how's that for a butchy Boyzone brand naming.

He chose this shirt to say goodbye to his fave house, his home in Devon for 40 years.  He will say it was just coincidence but what did I say about dressing for the occasion ... ?

A few years ago he hit on this style.  A Rohan suit jacket, charcoal, worn with jeans and a shirt.  He declared "I have found my new smart casual uniform".  And since that day he's rolled out variations of this often and with great success.

He feels relaxed in his uniform.  He thinks it looks hip.  So do I.

Men's dressing is so easy.  It's uniforms.  Not just for business wear or black ties.  Even smart casual is built on a uniform.  How many times have you seen chinos, blue shirt and brown loafers at an informal event or on office mufti days? And now they have added this winner, the hip suit jacket, shirt and jeans uniform. They've got dressing nailed!

Does your other half have a uniform?

Like this? Or something that's all their own work?

When the heat cranks up he wastes not a moment in switching to Jesus sandals.  And recently, shorts.  

Bit of an aging hippie, it turns out.

He loves his jeans.  He recently bought a couple of pairs, denim and grey.  During the try-on at home, he declared that they were "old man's jeans", a bit baggy and shapeless.  And they were.  

I had to quickly source some slim-fits through Marks online for this demanding dresser.   I think slimmies take years off him. 

Pure Knitting Pattern Man, eh ladies?

Dark wash slim jeans from Marks.

Here's just a tease of his grey slimmies for you, until I get a better male model pose out of him.

His recent success was his wedding outfit (Rohan*).  He wore charcoal and white.

I'd say this is more James Bond than Knitting Pattern.  Licensed to Thrill!

Unbeknowingly, I too wore charcoal, with ivory (a subtle variation). We do this often.  It looks like we've planned our matching outfits.  We haven't.  It's embarrassing.

We look a bit Howard and Hilda from Ever Decreasing Circles.

Do you find yourselves in an unplanned Howard and Hilda situation?

And what do you think of your partner's style?

Is yours a real tasty geezer?

A la perchoine.

* I've heard of Rohan.  It's a unisex brand and I have a few pieces from my Trekking Around Dartmoor period.  You won't see these pieces, this blog is where I sassy!

Birthdays, New Stuff and Scarf Dilemmas

Another day older and deeper in debt ... I owe my soul to the company store

Well, that's how the old song goes but fortunately when The Photographer became another year older he did not owe his soul to the company store or indeed to the local restaurant, for I paid for his treat!

What a happy boy, eh?!

I'd had a birthday recently.  The day itself involved cousins and M&S Chinese takeaway food.  It was a lovely evening.

Let's see if that's what The Photographer chose to do.

Anyway, first things first - what to wear?

 

 I don't normally wear new stuff but Tadaah!! 

I want to tell the world that I have something new to wear!

For our BB dinner I wore my new Zara gold metallic top featured recently in A Box With A Past. 

M&S black wool skirt, Limited Collection black modal vest, Clarks croc print block heels. 

The Zara top here is asymmetric and has wing sleeves.  I was unsure about both as I don't normally do either.  They took a bit of getting used to but by the end of the evening (and half a bottle of Puilly Fume) I was feeling pretty relaxed with the style :-).

Topped with the Zara ecru jacardi first worn here.

Please don't fret, there was no night time chilly beach walking involved with this Jacardi outing, just a couple of warm taxi rides!

Hey look, plaid and pearls, again!

But getting me out the door is no mean feat.  First, the Peacocks tartan scarf as above.

Then, not quite happy with my choice, I tried a Tie Rack silk square in black/grey/ecru.  Naah.  Didn't like that either.

 But as Cinderalla stories always end, the third scarf was "just right".

I (eventually) left the house with the Zara leopard print.  

A Zara hat trick!

Only then, finally, was The Pout ready to get out the door! 

Yes, out the door we went.  No takeaways for The Photographer  - it's fancy restaurants for him!

A la perchoine.



Travelling Traditions

 Oh it just has to be done!

That little tradition I've created.  Me, at the airport eatery, here seen seasonally with its fine Christmas tree in the background.  Again!

But no matter what the season, my little tradition involves me "cheersing" you with a glass of Sancerre.

And it always involves a plate of nice seafood.

It's such a lovely stop between train journey and flight.

So today I give you my top tip for making travelling that little bit more pleasurable, dear reader.

Get to the airport that little bit earlier, enjoy some seafood and Sancerre then sit back and relax.

For travelling I wore M&S black jeans, Limited Collection modal vest top, Woolovers cashmere.merino cardi in light stone, finished off with Gabor nubuck boots.

I had just a few items in my travel case for my short break in Sussex, so unfortunately you are seeing a few variations on the same recycling of pieces.  But the carry-on was particularly light, so it's all good, eh?!

Now I am really getting a lot of mileage out of this Zara leopard print scarf.  It's in tones of black, grey and stone, so goes so well with many Pout OOTDs.

It blends in with this stone cardi but provides a fine contrast for other colours, like the lavender jumper that also found its way into my travel case.  So a bloomin' good buy so far!

 Bye-bye uber-light travel case, you did me proud.

A la perchoine.