Last Chance Salon Success

Hellooo.  Hope all goes well with you, my ether friends.

I've been out enjoying our sunny start to Spring.  Just a couple of days after our Siberian freeze, I was out on the beach enjoying temps that had moved from -5c to 7c.   Who would have thought? But it was still chilly at 7c.

So I wrapped up warmly and headed for the beach.

Look who's got old lady eyes!

This was a good opportunity to show you a success from my Last Chance Salon (See HERE)

I was considering dumping this jumper, then gave it the Last Chance Salon treatment (See HERE).

Well, the good news is that I've worn this jumper at least once every week throughout the whole winter.  Turns out it's a go-to for jumper and jeans days (and there are many!), so it's not a dumper jumper after all.  Success!

It was a bit blowy on the headland but this infinity scarf kept snuggly in place.

The scarf was thoughtfully knitted for me by a dear friend.

The grey jeans are from the M&S sale, £8.  I didn't like them because they felt thick and clumpy on the back of my thighs.  Claustrophic.  I think they are what Anna of Mutton Style describes as Farmers' Jeans.  You know, thick work-wear rigid denim that you struggle to move in.   

I washed them but that didn't affect the thickness and that feeling of being hemmed in.  

Too thick for our winters thought I (not knowing what was lurking in the east ...).

But hey, only £8 and too much faff to return to M&S so I kept them even though I suspected they'd end up as dumpers.  

Then last week, when it was really cold and warmth around the legs was suddenly a pleasing thought, I gave them their LCS opportunity.

Well, I've worn them 3 times in the last week and I don't know if it's the wear the fabric is getting or it's me not bothering about them so much, but you know, I'm starting to like them.

So I really do recommend taking a LCS approach to items of clothing you are feeling iffy about.  Give them that last chance.

So tell me, has your snow disappeared?  From the Northern Hemisphere's readers' comments I think this transitional period is all over the place, with temperatures swinging 10-15 degrees within a few days.  It's still snowing heavily in parts of northern Britain, yet here we're about to hit 12c. 

Oh, enough of this weather talk, Pout!  

I'll let you lovely readers go about your busy days/evenings.

I'm working on some outfit posts

 so please pop back and check out what I'm wearing now that Spring is popping in on Chez Pout, and hear about some of my plans for this exciting season.

A la perchoine.

Last Chance Salon

Happy Guy Fawkes day to all my UK readers, hope you're having a blast!!
And good day to you all, wherever you may be.  Sunday here and chances are it will be Sunday where you are too.  It's been a beautiful autumn day, a tad on the blowy side but crisp and dry.   Good drying weather, as my mum would have described it.


Now, my news!  I have presented myself with a bit of a challenge.  For November initially, but potentially a little longer.

My fun Floridian friend, Kellyann, has just completed a month of the Common Threads Challenge.  The idea is that you identify five pieces of clothing then wear at least one of them each day throughout the month.  And for those who don't like sticking to the rules, rules can be tweaked, eh Kellyann?! 

Well, I thought about doing this in November but I have taken a slightly different approach. 
I'm using it as a platform to try out stuff I haven't worn for a while, or things I've never really got into the swing of.  Each day I have a short rummage and grab an item or three.  Some things I know instantly I will never EVER want to wear again and they are dealt with appropriately.  But if they are a "hmmnn" then my plan is to test-drive them and see how many times I wear them in the month.  If I've grown to like them in 30 days, they're keepers.  If I still don't feel the love, they're ditchers.

There really is no more science to it than that but I see it as an opportunity to truly consider items that are hanging in my stuffed wardrobes and cupboards.  I really don't like the idea of manicly pulling stuff out and sparing it 5 seconds thinking time to decide should it go or should it stay.  And the Marie Kondo approach which gives a piece a little longer than 5 seconds still isn't long enough for this hoarder procrastinator.  I need time.


So over the coming days you may see random items appearing on your screens and potentially they will sneak in again as the month progresses.  It's their last chance to prove they are keepers.
Last Chance Saloon kept swirling around in my fuddled mind as I thought up this plan, so that's the tag it's been given as we hit November.  

Like this Uniqlo soft slouchy jacket.  It's been hanging around in my wardrobe feeling most unloved and it deserved some of my LCS treatment.  It needs some 2nd lovin'.

Why haven't I been keen on it?  I don't really know.  Perhaps it is because I've teamed it with black a lot of the time, which is maybe a bit too stark for this tone of stone.  So I tried it with grey jeans, a black and grey striped top and black boots.  Touches of black are there, admittedly, but I think the grey softens into the jacket rather than fights  as all-black does.

It's too soon to tell, but I'm going to try this out with a few more variations in the coming weeks.

And where did I take this OOTD?  To the hygienist!

I think I've mentioned it before on this blog but my approach is that if you dress nicely, those you meet will appreciate your effort and reciprocate the niceness.  Karma Dressing.  Did it work on this occasion?  Well, let just say that as I left her "chamber" she shouted out "Nice seeing you".  And I found myself responding with "Nice seeing you too".  Yup, she enjoyed the experience and so did I.  Perhaps the dressing-nicely approach had worked,

I know she sometimes reads my blog so - love ya, H !!

So, with nicely polished gnashers, I am heading smilingly into November.  What else did I try during these first few days?

This jumper.  It's quite a few years old now.  Because it's uber long, I feel it makes me look tub-like.  But I saw the lovely Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb wearing a cosy jumper recently and she reminded me that I have something similar and maybe I should give this piece a chance too.

Hmmnn.  Undecided on this one.  I still don't find it too flattering (probably designed for a body more elongated than mine) but it is cosy, so who knows where this will be come December 1.

Maybe in the pile over my left shoulder! 

As you can tell by these selfies, The Photographer had abandoned me again.  But I'm hoping that you are paying scant attention to me in the amateur pics and are instead homing in on that corner.  Yes, wardrobe de-cluttering had already started a few days earlier.  The pile there is made up of perfectly good fleeces, but I have accumulated so many of them over the years and there really is a limit to how many a girl can squeeze into her busy wardrobe calendar. And behind my head is box I am now running, where I ditch items I grab which are just not going to cut any mustard EVER again. 

So, my dears, I hope you are impressed that the process has already been started, as evidenced by the activity in this spare room.

Now, my dearies, is this something you fancy doing too?  Last Chance Salon-ing?

Is this slow-burn approach to wardrobe cleansing for you?

Giving some try out time to items in your wardrobe that you rarely wear these days, or items you never really got into?

I think this approach will suit me better than blindly stuffing no-longer-loveds into bin bags. 

Yes, an Englishman may need time, but so does your Pout when it comes to ditching decisions.

A la perchoine.

The 12 Piece Travel Capsule Exposé !!

Hi peeps, I've travelled to the UK for a few weeks' break.
So what does any self-respecting blogger do?  Yup, here comes the travel case post!

I travelled in black jeans and jumper, ivory sleeveless top, ecru jacardi and leoprint scarf, black boots.

Now here's a fun story.  On arrival at London Gatwick, I found myself lurking outside the mens' toilets, as you do (calm down, I was waiting for The Photographer!).  A lady came towards me and we spotted immediately that we were wearing the same coat. So we smiled in recognition of this coincidence as she walked past, then she turned back and we started chatting. Turns out the jacardi is on sale and my pretty Irish new BFF had bought the grey version too (which I was torn over when buying my ecru version).
Funny how a piece of clothing gets complete strangers chatting together like old friends.

 The thing about this jacardi, as I call it, is that it's quite distinctive.  As well as the airport anecdote, I walked into my double cousin's kitchen the other day.  She looked at me and instantly said "Zara!  Looked at it at the airport shop back in November, wish I'd bought it." 
It's a sort of once-seen-never-forgotten piece.

So, fired by the carrot my BFF had dangled, a sale price of 13 Euro, I went on to the Zara website.  No sign of it, so it must be sold out already.  Sorry peeps, but no surprise really.  But there may be some left "physically" in a Zara store near you ...

But, I digress, bigly (sic).  In my little carry-on I packed this little lot.

Grey and white jumpers, grey cardi, pink and leoprint sleeveless tops, black and grey jersey tops,black cami, grey jeans; down coat (bagged up and out of shot), scarf, brown boots, snakeprint flatties, beret and gloves, just in case it gets chilly, notebook, spare specs and filofax as, evidently, I haven't yet left the 90s - and you should see the size of my mobile!


So that's 12 capsule items, in blogger-accounting.

And my Wild Card - the item you can bung in at the last minute without counting it per blogger-accounting.  It's the black pink and taupe splodgy jersey top.  I threw it in because it's coming up for its 4th summer and I have worn it 0 times.  So I am challenging myself to wear it this holiday.
Wish me luck!

So that's Exposé No. 1, the truth behind the "12" piece travel capsule.


Here's some of what I've been wearing so far.  The first reveal is a bit of a shocker actually. 

Shocker, you ask?  Well, here's the first wearing of a M&S tie top, bought recently in the sales.

Grey jersey.  Long sleeves.  High neck.  What's to shock?

Well, it was how I tied the knot at the bottom.  Without looking in the mirror I tied a simple knot, with the ends dangling.  You will have to use you're imagination at this point, for I've now popped the photo in my bloopers file.

 I went out for the day wearing the top. The. Whole. Day.

Only when downloading the photos for this post did I spot that the tie arrangement looked a bit, errr, embarrassing! 

Why oh why did I not check myself out in the mirror?!  There ensued Tiegate (and that's putting it genteelly!).  TP now tells me he'd given me the heads up when photographing.  He delicately suggested I might want to "re-tie" as it was "bunched up".  Too subtle for me.  Maybe he should have asked which side I "dressed".

No matter, as I did what I always do - I ignored him.  To my detriment, it now seems.

And the top's no longer on their website so I can't see how it's supposed to be tied, decently.  Anyone else having problems with tie tops?  

That's Exposé No. 2, nuff said on that one - so moving swiftly on ...

And here I'm wearing a pretty reserved mix but I must point out the beads.  I hit my fave charity shop in Battle on Saturday and found three necklaces that mix perfectly with what I've brought over.  £1 a-piece.  Bargain!

And finally ...

Although I bring a core capsule over with me when I come to Sussex, I do also have what I call a "visiting wardrobe" that I can tapp (sic) into.  The visiting wardrobe came about by an unfortunate event a few years ago.  TP was held at the NHS' pleasure - not HM's, I am pleased to say!

We were over for a few weeks and I had packed an appropriate travel capsule.  But TP ended up unexpectedly in hospital for a few weeks, poor thing,  And he then convalesced for a few more weeks.  By which time, we'd moved from late summer into early autumn. 

What's a girl to do?  I hit the shops in the area!  Primark, M&S, Next  ...

I picked up some disparate items, like undies and socks, a few tops, some boots and outerwear. 

You get the picture - I'm an opportunist!

Quite understandably I hadn't packed these things for what started out as a 2 week August holiday and ended up as a mid-October departure.  

Simply put, I'd packed for the wrong trip.

I tell you all of this in the spirit of transparency and openness.  For although I show you my little carry-on's contents, this wasn't in it ...

Another rogue item will pop up in my next post too, whilst I'm fessing up ... and probably in many more posts to come!

You see, I don't always restrict myself to my 12 piece.  I augment.

And that, dear reader, is Exposé No. 3.

So on those blogger's travel capsule bombshells, I bid you adieu,

A la perchoine.

Walkin', Munchin', Not Much Filmin'

Such a gorgeous day.  Cold but sooo sunny.

I decided to plonk my hat on, rather than try out the jaunty tilt.

Yes, today I was a right plonker!

Can you spot me?  Walking along the ruettes?  Little roads, or lanes, in patois. To my French readers, can you tell me what "lane" is in real French?

Look at that blue sky.

I love the light playing on bared trees at this time of year.

Such a beautiful mix.

A pensioner's gotta take a breather now and again.

 And a little pre-prandial walking justifies a lot of prandial!

My camembert.

The Photographer's absolutely yummy carrot and coriander soup.  Must make this.

Beef bourguignon, garlic ciabatta.

The Photographer's Shepherd's Pie.  Must stock up the freezer with some of this comfort food.

The portion sizes may look big on screen but they are nicely small, perfect for a pensioner's appetite.

And the yummiest pear poached in red wine!

We met up with a golf mate/friend/very nice man for lunch at the club.

I think this stainless steel artwork possibly references the sea in front of the club,  maybe leaping over the sea wall in a storm!

A superb lunch is always guaranteed at the LGM.

And you wanna laugh?  I tried to film the 3-4 minute drive home from lunch, which takes in beautiful coastline, beaches and sea. It was supposed to be my little treat for you.  

I filmed 3 seconds of the shawl on my lap.  And I attempted to load it on to this post. 

I think I failed in every respect ...

A la perchoine.



Red and Black - 4, Dressing The Pout

 

 

 

Dressing The Pout

 



Tell me ladies, how do you wear your hats?

 

 

At a jaunty angle?

 

 

Or simply plonked on your head?

 

Well, that wasn't my only dilemma yesterday when Dressing The Pout.

 

 

I also I had shirts to contend with.  Bloomin' shirts!

 

I first tried a black Next shirt under the jumper, creating the a layered column look. I felt claustrophobic in it.

Maybe I'll feel better in something lighter.

Switch to an ecru Monsoon much softer silk shirt under my red festivity.

I felt like I was going to work, ca. 1995.  Or that I was a school marm.

 

I moaned and muttered tetchily about my look over breakfast.

"Nothing wrong with looking like a school marm now and again" responded the ever-diplomatic always hedging his bets Photographer.

 But, hold on, maybe he wasn't being diplomatic, maybe he wanted me to dress like a school marm.  There followed a full 5 minute interrogation on this very subject.  His lot is not an easy one.

 

Interrogation over.  Turns out school marm was not a look he had been harbouring.

So I felt comfortable-er when I ditched the shirt immediately after breakfast, substituting the trusty old black modal vest.  Predicable maybe, but the vest creates zero claustrophobisity so obviously that was going to make The Pout feel comfortableacious.

 

Oh spellchecker's gone mental during that paragraph! But I had fun.

 

 

So, shirts. You know there's something about shirts and me.  Or rather, not shirts and me.  I don't feel comfortable in them.  I'm OK if they are loosely open with a vest or cami under.  But closed up I feel claustrophobic and dare I say it, a tad manly.  And don't get me started on the Crisp White Shirt ...!

 

Am I the only lady in Blogland who doesn't like shirts?

 

So having deliberated for 45 minutes over what-to-wear-under-a-jumper-even-though-the-item-is-barely-visible, I was now ready for the next stage of Dressing The Pout.

 

 

Neckage.  These days my neck needs hiding from the world.  It needs neck-cammo.  So I pulled on the Tie rack silk scarf, casually yet elegantly :-) slung over the shoulders.

 

But hey, I was going out, so didn't want that scarf a-slippin' and a-slidin' under my coat, so it was lashed around my neck, cowboy style.

 

Then on to footwear.  Clarks lace-ups.  With heels.  High heels.  I am so proud of myself! 

A bit 1940s, a bit on the school marm side of dressing but the thing is, because the heels are high yet uber-comfortable, I feel good sassy walking in them, so I walk like I feel - Confident Lady. 

 

 I think the way shoes get you to walk and get you to feel about yourself is very important.  "Do these shoes get me to hold my head high and walk like a lady?" is the test I apply in shoe shops. 

It's important.  To me. 

And oh the temperatures are dropping.  We got down to 3c yesterday with 60 mph winds.  It was brrrrr.  But no snow :-(.  So, another scarf.  This one there for warmth, not neck camouflage!

 

So, "brrr" calls for headwear too.  Thus the final stage of Dressing The Pout is to find a hat.



 

  

 

And that's where we came in.  How do you wear your fedora?  Plonked or tilted?

 

 

So, dear reader, today we have Dressed The Pout.  It's a gruelling process, eh?

A la perchoine.



 



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.