Slightly Off-Colour

Just popping in with a quickie peeps as today's going to be an el skorchio and I want to max out on it!!!

And I've maxed out on this dress over the years.

It's a go to in summer as it's so easy to wear, skimming the bumpy lumpies and covering my legs' insaney veinies!

I wore it to a christening this past sunny Sunday.

It's from Madeleine and it was described as a beach dress.  Well I call it a posh tea dress and wouldn't dream of beaching with it, though perhaps the Puerto Banus set might wear a posh frock on the playa ...

Now the thing is, I love the quality of Madeleine's pieces, but they are a bit too pricey for my pensioner's purse to support.  However, on a good day with the wind in the right direction, I can just about afford a splurgette.  

And the magic formula for those splurgette conditions?

How to afford a Madeleine dress on a pension

1.  Their beach dresses look like "real" dresses but are in a much kinder price bracket.

2.  They have AMAZING sales.

Get those two stars sync-ing in the heavens and you've just bagged yourself a classy dress!

Accessorising Prints

Now this surprised me ... I normally team this  dress with bright pink as I've always seen it as the print's dominant colour.  

But on closer inspection, I was drawn this time to the red and coral in the dress, so I wore coral jewellery and slipped over my lovely Woolovers coral bead-embellished cashmere cardi.

And I was sooo excited, the two looked fabulous together.  

But ok, that cardi stayed shoved in my bag the whole day (el skorchio, don't ya know?!) but I knew it was there and I knew it was the perfect playmate for this pretty jersey, er, beachdress.

And yes, although the cardi picked out the coral in the dress, the red peep toe espadrilles married in the print's red.  And hey, the (unworn!) cardi was so far removed from the charity-find shoes that there was no jarring of the eyes when looking at this outfit in its pre- el skorchio state.

Do you agree?

And do I worry a little too much about precise colour matching?!

Well, forget colour matching as a precise science!

Yes, my second tip today is that you can pick out the tones of colour from a print and,  indeed,  generally can get away with the slightly-off mismatch of colour if the accessories individually are kept at some distance.

Now,  enough with the tips, I'm off to the beach for a cool-down dip in the sea.

Enjoy your day!

A la perchoine,

Mary x.

Most Commented Post of The Year

It's that time of the year when we bloggers reflect and analyse and identify our nominees and winners, and those that panned.
Sort of like the bloggers' self-award season.

Today I've searched out the post which engaged you most, which I share with you below.  I am so grateful for all your comments and thank you taking the time in your busy  schedules to drop me a line or two throughout the year.  It's wonderful to engage with real people, to form ether friendships, for me it's the best reward from blogging.  And it's good to know that you're out there and I'm not just chucking my posts into a dark ether void!

On to the subject matter of this popular post, the dress.  I was disappointed when I first tried on this dress, but thanks to your solid support for it and TP's persuasion, I kept it and I have to thank you for you were all right and now I love it!

Firstly, here's the dress when it became a keeper.

It's a beach dress in Madeleine's eyes, so I styled it with glitzy sandals.

(Aaah summer, how I miss you ...)

I found a complimentary cardi for it and that made a big difference too.

This beach dress isn't just for summer either as I've worn it in the transition months too.

For example, I wore it a few weeks ago with berry boots and bare legs.  Yup, light years out of my comfort zone!!

So without further ado, here's the winning post in the Most Commented section.

 When Reality Ruins Expectation's Day

1 May 2018

Oh my friends, this has just GOT to be my blog equivalent of a Disaster Movie.  My Titanic.  Or that volcano movie, can't remember what it's called ... Volcano! maybe?

Whatever.  It's all gone wrong in the space of an hour or two.  About the same length of time as a movie ... spooky that, huh?  Coincidence or am I really living in a First World Disaster Reality right now?

Or, to put it in a less melodramatic way, I'm not having a good day.

I had been waiting for a warm, sunny day with little wind in order to show you the Madeleine beach dress out in the open air.  On a beach, perhaps. 

Yes, you heard right, Madeleine calls this type of dress a beach dress.  I call it a "posh going out for a summer supper" dress

.

 I waited and waited and the day of optimum outdoor bloggy conditions just hasn't arrived and according to the forecast, it won't be arriving for a few days.  So I got fidgety.

Fidgety because in my mind I had great plans for this dress and wanted to see what this baby could do in IRL.  I'd listed a whole string of ways I could wear this little bluey lavender piece of soft jersey.

Au naturel, with a tan - that certainly hasn't happened.

Grey shoes and cardi

Taupe cardi and shoes

With a tied striped shirt and espadrilles - and I don't even have any!

Black wedges, cardi and elastic belt

Black wedges and biker jacket

I think you're getting the picture.  I could see lots of ways to style this simple cutie.  And styling it needs this time of year when pasty skin and goosebumps just don't do it justice.

So I needed some styling (covering up) and had high hopes.

But when I put it on, it felt instantly, well, meh.

So grumpy old me starts blurting out the negative stuff ...

That's it, I don't like it.  It just doesn't work for me.  It's going back. 

Hey, it looks OK.  Try it at least with one cardi.  That one at the top of the pile.

(That's The Photographer chivvying me along.)

My response?  Still meh.

So that's as far as I went with my "styling" of this little beach dress.

"I'll just have to see what I can do with this bunch of pics" I huffed and puffed.

Sadly my bad day didn't stop there.  The only half decent editing software I can easily use started playing silly-buzzards.  I spent about an hour getting out these few low-res pics.

I tried another edit method.  It doesn't crop well, so I don't usually use it.  I played around with the colour enhancer to try distract the eye from the bad editing.

I lost my legs during this episode.

I became quite grumpy.  (You are guessing right, that is an understatement).

It's a shame as I was giving you spoilers about the dress.  

And I was personally triumphing over it, as I had only by chance discovered the Madeleine is shipping to the Channel Islands again.  So this beach dress was me dipping my toe back in Madeleine/s stylish water again.

So I turn to you, my fashionista readers, can you help me?

Can you see how this dress could be styled, other than au naturel and with a long-awaited tan?

If I am to wear this before said tan appears, I need to wear it with a cardi or a jacket or ... what?  Can you tell me?

  Can you be the one in the disaster movie who comes up with a mind-blowing solution that plugs the whole in the ship? 

The hero who finds a way to divert the lava away from the hospital? 

The one who I saves mankind, the planet, and hey, whilst we're on a roll, the universe? 

If that all sounds like too big an ask, well I'd be happy if you just came up with some styling solutions which gets me to keep the dress and puts a smile back on my face.  Oh and if you can recommend a free or cheap photo editing package, then that would be good too.

Thank you.

Well you gave me your thoughts and ideas and I am so thankful that you did because the dress is pretty darn perfect.

So on reflection, my friends, I say -

listen to feedback, for others sometimes see potential that you just can't see right now.

A la perchoine.

Tuesday Travel - Imperial at Pleinmont

I continue to travel my doorstep.  No airport delays, no currency exchange risk, no packing panic, none of that.  Just choose a location,  decide what to wear, point the car in the general direction and go!

So some weeks ago I did just that.  It was a lovely evening so the choice was easy - the Imperial at Pleinmont.  The drive along the west coast on an evening like this is spectacular, and it certainly feels like I'm on holiday as soon as I feel the wind through my hair, as I drive along the red granite coastline in my new open-top.  

Yes, this was out first evening out in our convertible so I just had to max out on the experience by choosing the furtherest possible destination from my house!

What to wear was easy too.  Ultra violet.  Dress from Madeleine, cardi from M&S.

And we did our point and go and headed down to the island's furthest south-westerly destination, Pleinmont.

But who needs a cardi on an evening like this?

We were greeted by the friendly duo made up of A and J.

The view from our table was just perfect.

We ate early so the restaurant indoors was quiet.

Dunno why I do these selfies, but it just feels right.

My nails were shellac'ed in a summery pink with a glitter overlay.

My nailist told me they said "take me out".

I told The Photographer the story, whose take was that she and I had cooked up a cunning ploy to get me wined and dined.

I then used any and every opportunity to flash my glitter nails in front of The Photographer.  "What do these nails say to you?" I asked on repeat. "Collusion" was his answer, also on repeat.

What it took for him to actually take me out was a flashy new car!

I had a delicious crab salad.  It was huge!

TO had a yummy seafood fritto misto.  I, er, 'helped' him with the chunky chips!

We later went out on the deck, from where this beautiful view can be s I asked in - as a sip or two of chilled white is soaked in.

The outside eating area is dog-friendly.

The Imperial - lovely food, lovely staff, lovely location.

If you're an islander or an island visitor, A and J and the team are waiting to give you a pleasant experience out Pleinmont way.

And then, because we dine early, we could enjoy the drive and the views all the way back home again.

Here, Fort Grey, known locally as 'the cup and saucer', for that is what it looks like.

A la perchoine.

Thieving Thursday - Taupe and Cream

Hello my lovelies, thanks for popping in today for more thieving!

Kellyann commented last week that most of us reading or writing  this type of blog will invariably be seasoned thieves when it comes to stealing styles from magazines, TV characters, people on the street and other blogs.  Heavens I've done it all and done it most of my life!

The steal starts when you spot something you like and think "I'd like to copy that look".  In my case, it's usually followed by "and I've got something very similar (and very old) lurking in my wardrobe (archives)".  And so my steals are usually borne.

Today's started with me stalking a cardi.  Yup, like I need  another cardi! But I was drawn to a winterweight version of my summer trapeze cardi which I wear A LOT. 

Source Madeleine website

As I looked at the pic I realised that the look was very me, but a me about 15 years ago.  I have light cream trousers from back then (a silk/linen mix), but they are just as in the picture - extremely wide.  And as much as I liked all those neutrals, the outfit doesn't quite work for the life I lead now.  It's a bit, er, too posh!

So I adapted the look to make it wearable for my retirement life.

I started with the silk/lace cami (La Redoute), added the kind of linen trousers I wear throughout the summer and topped this with my taupe trapeze cardi from The White Company (all old).

I added a silver belt and a taupe shoulder bag, then added silver jewellery to echo the belt and chain strap of the bag, and pewter sandals.

And thus, for no current outlay, I was able to steal a look that I fell for when lusting after yet another cardi.

Now maybe style stealing doesn't appeal to you at all.  Maybe you're lucky enough to have your own unique and gorgeous style and copying some else's is something you've never thought to do.

But if you have, would you like to share a success, or a failure?
And do you have a source you go back to time and time again?
A specific magazine, an actress, a member of a Royal Family?
I'd love you to share your experiences in the comments section below.

Don't forget, you can follow me or subscribe to this blog or Pinterest and now, taadaaahh, you can find me on Instagram.
You'll find the links you need in the right sidebar.

Looking forward to catching up with you again soon,

a la perchoine

Desperately Seeking Ultra Violet

Well, I am nothing if not patient.  You may recall me buying a dress from Madeleine, SEE HERE FOR A RECAP.

I wasn't totally convinced that I truly liked it but readers and The Photographer decided things for me and I kept the dress.  My reticence was due to the colour.  It looked blue in the photos but IRL it had a hint of purple in it.  And as I'm an old-fashioned matchy-matchy girl who likes to have at least one item that matches a new purchase, I do believe that was what had been holding me back in the decision process.  I realised it would be difficult to match.

And it was.  

The nearest I got was a kimono, but that went technical on me - when I unpacked it and realised it had a design fault.  It needed ironing.  So I haven't worn it.

Hey, don't judge me - there's more to life than spending time ironing a kimono that will just crease again within five minutes of wear.

So I put the search on back burner after my epic kimono fail.

Then whilst on holiday I chanced upon a cardi in M&S which had a hint of purple in its blue and I was 99.999% sure it was the same colour as the dress back home.  So I pounced.  You've already seen it a few times on the blog, because, well, I love it.

I checked the label of the cardi and it announced as "ultra violet".  Well duh!  It was only the Pantone colour of the Year!  And of course the clever people at Madeleine would have chosen that colour for my dress.  So yes, it's a match folks!

I'd been saving the dress for something special and now that I was all matchy-matchy it was queued up for a date night on Tuesday.  The date night was deferred. Yes, that went technical on me too, to be explained in another post.   I got to wear it finally on Friday night when TP took me out to dinner.

I kept the accessories simple, with just one silver leaf pendant and a silver bangle, and followed the theme through to the sandals, jewelled pewter sandals from M&S.

As we left the restaurant and strolled around the pretty coast, I slipped on the cardi to proudly show you its matchiness. It's like a suit!

And here you can see how fanatic I am about matchy-matchy - I arranged the sky to match too!

As you will note, the dress looked blue in my old post.

 

And here's the shot from the Madeline website.

A Top Tip

Madeleine clothes are beautifully made and stylish but usually way above my pay grade.  When I flip though their glossy catalogues I imagine myself having the sort of clothes budget befitting of a lady spending her winters on the yacht down in Puerto Banus.   

So normally the clothes are prohibitively expensive.  But I have spotted deviation in their pricing - they create cute little beach dresses which are just within my range, so over the years I've bought a few pretty beach dresses from a brand that I love but can't normally afford.  That's how I get my Madeleine fix!  Sneaky eh?

And thus, dear reader, when you find a brand you love but your pennies don't stretch to actually purchasing any goodies, look at other parts of the range that may be more affordable.

And now it's your turn.  Do you not rest until you find the perfect match for a dress, skirt, trousers?

Or are you a trendy non matchy matchy gal who finds the idea of my matchy cardi search a total waste of time?!

Please tell me about your views on matchiness or just pop in to have a chat !
Oh and don't forget, follow me or subscribe is good too.

A la perchoine.

When Reality Ruins Expectation's Day

Oh my friends, this has just GOT to be my blog equivalent of a Disaster Movie.  My Titanic.  Or that volcano movie, can't remember what it's called ... Volcano! maybe?

Whatever.  It's all gone wrong in the space of an hour or two.  About the same length of time as a movie ... spooky that, huh?  Coincidence or am I really living in a First World Disaster Reality right now?

Or, to put it in a less melodramatic way, I'm not having a good day.

I had been waiting for a warm, sunny day with little wind in order to show you the Madeleine beach dress out in the open air.  On a beach, perhaps. 

Yes, you heard right, Madeleine calls this type of dress a beach dress.  I call it a "posh going out for a summer supper" dress

.

 I waited and waited and the day of optimum outdoor bloggy conditions just hasn't arrived and according to the forecast, it won't be arriving for a few days.  So I got fidgety.

Fidgety because in my mind I had great plans for this dress and wanted to see what this baby could do in IRL.  I'd listed a whole string of ways I could wear this little bluey lavender piece of soft jersey.

Au naturel, with a tan - that certainly hasn't happened.

Grey shoes and cardi

Taupe cardi and shoes

With a tied striped shirt and espadrilles - and I don't even have any!

Black wedges, cardi and elastic belt

Black wedges and biker jacket

I think you're getting the picture.  I could see lots of ways to style this simple cutie.  And styling it needs this time of year when pasty skin and goosebumps just don't do it justice.

So I needed some styling (covering up) and had high hopes.

 

But when I put it on, it felt instantly, well, meh.

So grumpy old me starts blurting out the negative stuff ...

That's it, I don't like it.  It just doesn't work for me.  It's going back. 

Hey, it looks OK.  Try it at least with one cardi.  That one at the top of the pile.

(That's The Photographer chivvying me along.)

My response?  Still meh.

So that's as far as I went with my "styling" of this little beach dress.

"I'll just have to see what I can do with this bunch of pics" I huffed and puffed.

Sadly my bad day didn't stop there.  The only half decent editing software I can easily use started playing silly-buzzards.  I spent about an hour getting out these few low-res pics.

I tried another edit method.  It doesn't crop well, so I don't usually use it.  I played around with the colour enhancer to try distract the eye from the bad editing.

I lost my legs during this episode.

I became quite grumpy.  (You are guessing right, that is an understatement).

It's a shame as I was giving you spoilers about the dress.  

And I was personally triumphing over it, as I had only by chance discovered the Madeleine is shipping to the Channel Islands again.  So this beach dress was me dipping my toe back in Madeleine/s stylish water again.

So I turn to you, my fashionista readers, can you help me?

Can you see how this dress could be styled, other than au naturel and with a long-awaited tan?

If I am to wear this before said tan appears, I need to wear it with a cardi or a jacket or ... what?  Can you tell me?

  Can you be the one in the disaster movie who comes up with a mind-blowing solution that plugs the whole in the ship? 

The hero who finds a way to divert the lava away from the hospital? 

The one who I saves mankind, the planet, and hey, whilst we're on a roll, the universe? 

If that all sounds like too big an ask, well I'd be happy if you just came up with some styling solutions which gets me to keep the dress and puts a smile back on my face.  Oh and if you can recommend a free or cheap photo editing package, then that would be good too.

Thank you.

A la perchoine.