Lace-up shoes

Wendy is off on a jaunt to Paris and has given careful consideration to her packing, not least what  shoes to wear for maximum comfort and unknown weather conditions. Footwear is a problem for me, the styles that look so beautiful in the shops rarely seem to fit my feet. While the shoes are elegant my feet are not, they are wide and short. I go to London on a regular basis and need footwear that doesn't fall off my feet as I travel about town. It's no problem in winter when boots are the order of the day but at other times of year my shoes don't always fit with the clothes that I want to wear. I've got several pairs of lace-ups - they are old, they are comfy, they are NOT stylish but they are what I wear!
Last week in London (in the rain) I wore these Agnes B black shoes, styled rather like a trainer. They've got a lovely red leather interior which is pleasing, although I'll admit that they do look rather beaten-up in this photo!

The green shoes are so old that I can no longer read the makers name. They are Italian and the leather is very soft. The laces started out as finely rolled leather in the same green but fell apart (after fifteen years or so!) I wore them today with jeans because they are a good light, mid-season choice and I felt like a bit of colour.

I'll be sad when they finally wear out.

For Patti's Visible Monday here are the other bits of colour that I wore, a cotton Boden cardi, a necklace with a few turquoise beads and a turquoise ring.

I've been working in the garden and my legs are all scratched to bits with twigs and thorns.

The velvet laces are packing up on my navy Pied a terre shoes. I popped into town but couldn't find any replacement laces.

So I consoled myself by buying some gold sneakers!

How I'd love to be able to wear fabulous shoes and still be able to walk. Can you?

Fringes etc..

Every month a couple of magazines come through the letterbox and I have a flick through them, marvelling at the prices that people are prepared to pay for various items, and coveting some of them, in spite of their being of no relevance to my life whatsoever. The mags seem to rush me through the year; as soon as September arrives so does my October edition. When I've finished flicking through the pages my life in jeans continues undisturbed until the next month. But this time I noticed fringes, not on the clothes, although there are plenty, but on the models and people being interviewed. Their fringes are SHORT.

Very short.

So I've been to the hairdresser and had a bit of a chop. All I've got to do now is pencil in some eyebrows!

In last month's magazines I fell in love with everything that Armani had to offer. That man is a genius - I would/could/dream of wearing any/all of these clothes.

The same velvet trouser suit seen in both the magazines.

A fabulous coat.

And I could live all winter long in this outfit,  cosy, colourful jacket, cropped black pants and those shoes with their colour link to the jacket. Mmm..

Do you have a favourite designer?

Folk Art

There's a room dedicated to folk art at the American Museum and it's full of covetable things.

I especially like the paintings.

All the objects have an engaging vigour to them.

This small bas-relief carving was tucked away in the corner of the room and rather hard to see, but well worth the effort of standing on tiptoe and craning my neck to get a better look.

The museum is famous for it's permanent collection ofAmerican quilts and they must have inspired countless women, including myself, to take up patchwork  and/or quilting. On this trip I didn't visit this collection in the main part of the house but saw a small display of period English quilts with accompanying information about the maker. Loved the instruction, not to be used on the maid's bed!

It's a lovely place for a day out.

(And the cafe is good!)

Colourful book launch

Today I went to the American Museum in Bath where my friend Janet Haigh was having a book launch. Read all about it on her blog.

I knew that it would be a colourful affair

and I wasn't disappointed.

Those Heart Space gals are a colourful lot,

with their handcrafted necklaces

and love of pattern.

We had a lovely time.

What did I wear? Just about the only patterning that I possess,

a Boden floral jacket

with a lightweight cashmere scarf.

Trying my best not to let the side down!

Edible necklaces

At the agricultural show there were four-legged animals aplenty and lots of things to see. I love the big marquees with their smell of crushed grass and the peculiar light created by canvas - and, of course, I'm a sucker for a chunky necklace. So, what's not to like about the edible necklace competition? Five carat, oops, carrot, designs! (If the competition were for grownups then I would enter.)

They are wonderfully creative - egg and chips, anyone?

It's lovely to think of seven, eight  and nine year olds sitting at home and working on their designs. Who knows, it may be the start of a brilliant career.

 

I wonder how many 'jewels' were eaten during the threading process!