Christmas Outfits

 Planning outfits for Christmas parties this year has been an interesting process because I've been avoiding (though not entirely) buying new things.

First of all I spent most of my disposable income this last quarter on Farrow & Ball paint!  There are other wardrobe issues at play however, beginning with the fact that I seem to have a strange wardrobe collected over the last few years of either very dressy outfits (tulle dresses, a taffeta skirt, an opera coat) or completely denim outfits (top to toe JCrew chambray shirt and jeans).

I had most of my wardrobe packed away for the move in three large duffel bags and I decided it was time to go through them to see what I was working with.

This Robert Noble JCrew skirt suit from 2009 is my top pick from my own archive.  I absolutely love this shade of red, a true red with a yellow undertone that corresponds well to the brown leather buttons on the jacket.  I wanted to attempt to wear it with my leopard heels (JCrew, 2015) and a white silk camisole from London brand The Fold.

 I like that the background of the leopard print is white, it pairs well with the camisole and sets off the red, what could be more Christmassy than red with white?

 That's one outfit sorted without a new purchase.

How about those denim outfits?  Truth be told it's often what I wear during the day, and Christmas week will be no exception.  I'll be busy cooking, cleaning (laundry never stops, especially with a house full of rascals) and walking Scout.

 I've been looking for a plaid, oversized coat to throw on over my daytime uniform of Canadian tuxedo, big wool sweater and boots.  I found one at H&M that's made of recycled wool (their Premium Conscious line uses lots of recycled wool and many items, like this coat, are made in Europe).  It was one hundred dollars, a better price even than the vintage plaid coats I found on eBay.  It's oversized, warm and fluffy:

I'm pairing it with a vintage Ralph Lauren sweater in a floral lambswool that I found on eBay for twenty five bucks.  The wool is super thick and soft, I highly recommend vintage Ralph Lauren items if you can find them, my top tip would be to remember that sizing was different in the 1980's, this sweater is a size medium but fits like a small.

Oversized plaid coat H&M Conscious.
Scout's fur coat her own.

 Another trick for adding some Christmas colour to older outfits, a new red nail polish of course.  I bought one that goes well with my old Smythson red clutch handbag.

New Chanel polish.
No719 "Richness"
Smythson clutch handbag, old.
Adding Christmas colour to my black tulle dress.

It hasn't been completely all about shopping my closet however, I've had to replace my cardigans that complete many an outfit, and I wanted to add a couple of dresses that are more suitable for day.  I ordered some things online and once I decide what to keep I'll assemble a few more outfits... stay tuned for Part Two later this week.

I hope you're having a lovely Sunday!  Are you planning Christmas outfits?  Have you added in anything new or vintage recently?
xoxDani

Paisley and Leopard

 I did some slapdash sewing and found new life for my antique wool paisley throw.
The throw is very dear to me because I bought it from Ellie's store, and those of you who were also fans of Ellie and her wonderful blog Have Some Decorum will understand the special qualities of this paisley.  Special because she herself chose it at a brocante in Paris!

Ellie was a big fan of paisley in decorating, and this piece in particular was quite old with a lovely tassel trim.  I used it as a tablecloth for about a year, and then as a throw for this little sofa, but alas Scout had her way with it and it developed a couple of significant holes.

What would Ellie do?  I think she would have kept on using the paisley in decorating in some way, so I've made pillow covers, two quite large ones, out of the best bits of the fabric.

 They really suit the feeling of this room, it is the small bedroom in our house, on the second floor, that we use as MrBP's dressing room.  The room is filled with tweed and books and an ancient rug that MrBP's great-grandfather brought back to Vienna at the end of the first world war.

 I have a portiere hanging in lieu of a door, which while not an excellent choice for a bedroom works perfectly in this kind of space.

The shelves are filled with books and also boxes of ties and baskets of socks and boxer shorts!

Speaking of books, tonight I'll be going to the Christmas potluck for my Fun Bookclub.
I belong to two bookclubs, one serious and one fun.  Why the distinction?  Well for example, the December bookclub for my fun club is a potluck dinner with lots of chatting and laughs, and a book exchange game.  We don't read a book to discuss for this event because let's face it, it won't be discussed anyway.  This bookclub is made up of women who have quite serious jobs, a few psychotherapists, doctors, a woman who runs an estate business, another who sits on various quite serious sounding boards.

My serious bookclub is smaller and made up of women (and one man) who are my closest friends, but we always discuss the book in minute detail and if one hasn't read the book you might consider not attending!  For our December bookclub we're reading a book about the hospital at the centre of Hurricane Katrina (Five Days at Memorial), not exactly a light read.

 I love both of these bookclubs and I'm quite glad they're so different.  It makes for a fun change!

I'm planning to dress up a little bit tonight, and by that I mean wearing my leopard shoes (well, changing into them once I wrangle my snow boots off) with my black outfit.

I think that leopard, like paisley, is a neutral!
Do you belong to a bookclub, serious or fun?
I'll be spending the morning outside with Scout, we've had our first significant snowfall overnight and it's a winter wonderland out there.  We'll go to the park and run around like little kids (or at least Scout will).
Enjoy your day today,
xoxDani

Green Christmas

 We've been waiting for the temperatures to go below zero and the picturesque snow to fall so we can have some good photo opportunities while picking out our Christmas tree, but I don't think it's going to happen.  We'll be navigating the mud as we pick out the perfect tree this weekend.  Do you have your tree up?

Doing your best to eat your vegetables?

 Me too, but I also wanted to show you this antique paisley tablecloth which I bought from Ellie's Shop.

Antique paisley tablecloth I luff it.

 Care to see the drapes we installed in the foyer?

Here they are open.

Here they are closed.

 I look like a green puffa marshmallow in my wool stuffed vest but I don't mind.  It's from The Rose, a UK shop that sadly has closed.

Wearing the Green Puffa with Brora greens on a country weekend.

 Back in town I've been wearing my JCrew blazers from years past.
I'm a fan of houndstooth with leopard how about you?

JCrew houndstooth Robert Noble blazer 2006.

 We went to the country for a weekend of hiking in the mud (that had originally been planned for skiing- but never mind).

The food was decidedly vegetable-free.

 Having trouble sleeping?  Me too, even with cozy flannel and all of the darkness typical for this time of year.

Insomnia, even with flannel coziness.  Oh well.

 Cleaning like a maniac before your Christmas festivities begin?  That's par for the course but I could really use an extra pair of hands... fortunately the Rascal Uni kids are finished with exams soon.

 How do you store your tablecloths?  I like this system of labelling the hangers with the size and then hanging them in my laundry cupboard:

Ironed and ready to go.

 I hope your Christmas preparations are going well and that you are feeling festive.
I was feeling extremely disorganized until I made a list which was like taking a valium: very calming.  That's the power of list-making.
Put your feet up and relax awhile (maybe with a Brandy Alexander), and whatever you do avoid the malls.
Cheers Darling Tooties,
xoxDani