Which hat is she wearing today? My fellow swimmers ask when I emerge from the cubicle at the pool. Yes, after a brief hiatus over the Summer, I'm back in my trademark hats and not wanting to disappoint my friends, I'm trying and rotate my collection.
On Wednesday I wore a plum fedora, a rare retail buy from Principals (remember them?) almost ten years ago.
Obviously, at this time of year, I get dressed in the dark (I rarely plan outfits in advance) and there's always the worry of whether the combination of separates I think look okay when I put them on might end up clashing horribly in the cold light of day. Thankfully this 1970s Oasis Trading block printed blouse and vintage silk maxi skirt worked out just fine.
Thursday marked the first outing for this black wool Warehouse fedora, charity shopped for £1 a couple of weeks ago. I teamed it with a vintage Dollyrockers maxi dress, a generous gift from dear friends Lynn and Philip in the days BC (before Covid). It was a cold start to the day so my 1960s suede coat (charity shopped in 2018) got its first outing of the season. I risked going out in my beloved Clarks' platforms which turned out to be mistake, I used to be able to walk for miles in them but with my wonky hip I was as wobbly as a newborn calf and soon regretted leaving my stick at home.
I love this late 1960s Ayesha Davar cheesecloth maxi dress but it's just too long to wear without heels. The bottom part is embroidered so, not wanting to lose the detail but turning up the hem, I folded a section between the embroidered parts and sewed a pleat on the inside instead, not sure if that makes sense, but it worked.
There wasn't much of any interest in the charity shops this week apart from this....Isn't she a stunner?
"Alice Blue Gown" was painted by the English artist, Arthur Paine Garrett (1873–1955) and features Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884 - 1980), the American writer, political activist and socialite (and the daughter of the US president, Theodore Roosevelt). A beautiful woman whose signature style were her azure gowns, she was constantly followed by the press, keen to record her many escapades. Far from the demure image in Alice Blue Gown, her father once said; I can run the country, or I can control my daughter, but I cannot do both. She often smoked in public, shocking behaviour for women of the time. She had a cushion in her salon embroidered with the statement, If you don't have anything nice to say, come sit by me.
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| Alice in the 1920s (SOURCE) |
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| In 1903 (SOURCE) |
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| An Old Sweetheart of Mine also by Arthur Paine Garrett (SOURCE) |
My print dates to 1920 and the frame is original (it still has the warehouse label on the back) so, at over 100 years old, she's a proper antique. Not bad for £5!
Here's last week's charity shop find, those Portuguese tile stickers, in situ. Note the Victorian tiles around the sink, the tile plant pot and the Mucha wall tile....obsessed, moi?
Vinted continues to thrill. This is my latest purchase, a vintage dress by rare British Boutique label, Sujon, who made dresses using Liberty fabric in the early 1970s. I couldn't believe my eyes (or the price) when it popped up in my feed. I can't wait to give her an outing!
Cat action! This was the scene when I was writing this post.
Thanks for reading, see you soon!
