Did you get a fright seeing this photo? I bet you did haha. While searching for my summer dress pictures, I found old photos of me, trying on different combinations. In search of the answer to the question: How to create a good outfit? These pictures were never meant to be published. My friend Anja (Curly Traveller) took them only to document what I put on. But I had to laugh so much over these photos, I wanted to share them with you and let you laugh as well. I don’t mind making a fool of myself in order to achieve that. 😆
Now remember…. this was a long time ago, my hair was still brown. Anja nor I knew how to use the camera. It was indoors and even though the quality of the pictures is poor to begin with, I made collages of three pictures, which diminshes the quality even further. Otherwise you would have to click through too many of these bad photos.
I wasn’t posing, hence the dark look on my face. Normally I treat you to a smile. Not so much in these pictures. Showing my grumpy true nature haha.
Above: a white pencil skirt with a brown belt and brown shoes. Don’t know what to call the colour of the shirt. And why not throw in an orange scarf?
Below: without the scarf. Bottom right corner showing the belt of the shirt tied at the back. Top right corner, with a silk skirt and a little orange belt on the skirt (and talking…).
Below: the same silk skirt, shirt belt tied at the waist. Top right: belt hanging loose. Bottom right: shirt over the silk skirt.
Below: same shirt but in the colour grey, different belt. 
Below: the series “yellow top with white horizontal stripe”. That look on my face hahaha.. And yes, that is my closet you see on the right.
Below: two different scarves and another necklace. The necklace in the bottom right picture is hard to see (bedroom curtains in the background).
Below: necklace, scarf, scarf. Hair is getting into a mess. And I think this is a different top. This one is the colour corn but soft, not hard yellow. Hard to see in these bad pictures.
Below: necklace, necklace, necklace. See the proportion difference between the longer necklace on the left and the shorter necklaces on the right? The longer necklace is better.
Below: oh heavens … how wrong can you get? Trying to mix patterns with a blue and white striped top and a blue and white checked skirt. Diffent belts, different necklaces. Lost from the start, this is terrible all the way.
Below: no, it doesn’t get any better. 
Below: before I show you the last two pictures, here is a hilarious shot.
Below: the jacket is too long for this outfit. All my jackets either suit trousers or skirts but can never serve both purposes.
And this is why I hate trying new combinations with existing clothes. Your bedroom is a mess, you have to hang everything back on hangers and in the closet. No fairies to clear everything away. And the result??? Mwah… nothing to write home about. OK, I found out that a long necklace in a V is best on the yellow/white striped top. And the orange shirt with the silk skirt had potential (I gave everything away so I suppose I wasn’t really impressed). The corn coloured top I am wearing with another scarf which is not in the pictures.
You see… it is hard work to get a good outfit.
Greetje
PS.. and the next photo is another one that was never meant to be published. It is me on the beach of Javea this June. To support Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb, who is battling for wearing what you like, no matter what age. Theme of this week: a bikini or any kind of bathing suit at any age if you wish so. In I will wear what I like. Had I known I was ever going to publish this picture on the blog, I would have done my hair and worn sunglasses. I am trying to hold my belly in, but there is so much of it haha.
Oh heavens, Greetje, this made me smile because haven’t we all been there, done that and got the t-shirt! But this is a very endearing post precisely because it resonates so much! Yes, I need those fairies to clear away the mess. Where the hell are they????
But this is how you learn, isn’t it? Trial and error and all learning will provide useful in the end! Love that ‘hilarious’ shot! Your face is a picture.
And thank you for the lovely comments on my blog recently. Been meaning to thank you for them.
http://petitesilvervixen.blogspot.co.uk/
Always nice to see your blogposts. So little time to visit. And I though a lot of people would recognize this clothes trying procedure. And although I love clothes, I hate this. But as you say, I do learn from it.
Ha,Ha! I totally agree:a great work to get a good Outfit!! And nothing is as precious as the eye of a good friend….apart from that, those outfits aren’t so bad, but taking photos without posing can be dangerous!! 🙂
( and that is why I immediately delete them… )
I kept them for reference to see what worked and what didn’t. But forgot all about it. Now you could enjoy them haha.
OMG girl—-this is my mom and I every time we have a styling session (although I am the fairie that puts everything back. It’s short lived though because mom is not quite as organized so when I come back in two weeks….clothes are everywhere!)
You know how a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Well those photos with the different length necklaces are very aha!!
And sometimes I think we get somewhat too critical of our outfits! I think an overall nice look can be just as beneficial as a “perfect” look! Because luckily (besides on the blog) very few people will have the opportunity to examine every small detail in a split second pose. In fact, I believe that most people are too busy with their own lives to really care about how others look a majority of the time!!
Thanks for the smiles & giggles today Greetje!!
jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
I am glad you smiled and giggled Jodie. That is what I wished for. And you are very right: people are far too busy with their own lives to notice what you are wearing and whether that is fabulous or not.
LOL…it’s often the other way around Jodie!
Brava…I applaud you for keeping it real Greetje! So many of my more colourful dresses just don’t go with ‘anything’ beyond a single pair of shoes and some bracelets. It does make it simple to put an outfit together, but I often don’t have the versatility that separates offer. Of course, you are making it look like work, LOL….
It is work.. even hard work. I don’t like it at all. A dress is sooo much easier. But styling a dress or skirt in a contemporary way is difficult for me. I presume it is the footwear that gets me. Which is why I always go for trousers. I know how to work them.
I have been grinning the entire time I’ve spent reading and rereading this post. You are one of a kind and that’s why so many of us love you dearly! It was fun seeing you in action and I totally agree about having no fairies, what’s with that? And isn’t it amazing to see how far your photo skills have come? When I look back at some of my first year of blogging, I can hardly believe I posted some of them, haha. You still looked amazing!!!
I know… Did you see I changed my blog design two posts back? No you didn’t, did you? I quitely modified it with another theme for a more modern look. Now I have to make sure that my plug-in “Related posts”, doesn’t show anything before August 2013 anymore. Sooo bad.
Ha ha ha, love it Greetje. Your face says it all in every picture ‘no, not what I was looking for’. Love that one in the end with all the clothes on hangers in front of you. What you see is what you get. And look how professional the photography on your blog is today! Respect my friend.
Learning a little every day. And still not half way where I want to be. Baby steps…. In the end the photos aren’t even that important. What is important is the content, the fact that you laughed. That is important.
I love that game! I call it ‘playing closet.’ Very interesting to see both successes and flops. Thanks!
I am glad you enjoyed it. I was grinning when I made the post.
Fun Greetje. You truly are one of a kind. And the good thing is, all of your current outfits look better than any of these. It’s through these trial and error session that you improve your dressing and style and I think you learned heaps over the last few years and became a true mix & match professional!
Thanks Sylvia. Your lessons on 40+Style helped a lot as well. Especially the ones about proportion. Next challenge for me is dresses and skiirts.
You are a brave soul! I always enjoy your posts so much. Keep up the inspiration. Through following your posts, I have enjoyed getting to know you and your lovely country. I love your style.
That is my goal with this blog. To keep you entertained and make you laugh. So glad I succeeded. Thanks very much for letting me know. That injects power to go on.
You look so serious in the photos – made me laugh. Probably because you ALWAYS smile in your photos! 🙂
Putting an outfit together that truly works isn’t easy at all. I don’t necessarily always post outfits that I think are ideal, but they are what I wear and I like them enough (even though they are not prefect). So I can actually just look back through my blog and see things that could be improved… 🙂 In fact, I plan on re-wearing many of last year’s outfits this fall (when I started posting more outfits on my blog) and see how I can change/improve them…
Thanks for sharing these “behind-the-scenes” photos!
You are most welcome Andrea. When I went through them I knew readers would recognize themselves.
The grim look in these pictures…… That is indeed because I always smile in other posts (the best accessory ever). But also because I am contemplating and concentrating. Apparently that comes with a very serious face,
What a lovely post! I remember not being able to decide what to wear for a posh birthday party and my friend asked me to send her photos of the options……..I looked just as glum!!! Hurrah for the glum!
PS The photos do confirm one thing….you look much better as a blonde………so you have to smile as blondes have more fun apparently 😉
The opinions about my hair colour differ. I received a couple of requests for dark hair again, when friends saw me in my white dress with purple polka dots (previous post). But blond is easier when you are grey haha.
As for the face… good for a laugh.
Hahaha, so funny! Now I know why Gerben always says when he is taking pictures:Smile!
Oh yes, smiling makes a big difference. Glad I made you laugh haha. That was my goal.
Ok, i am going to argue with you. The backrounds of these shots are not ideal, but there is one, at least, variation, of each outfit that I love and think works well! The only exception is the green jacket, it is too long. I am glad to see you in a bikini, you look great!
And the closet picture just made me smile!
xx, Elle
http://www.theellediaries.com/
When I have made you smile, I have done half my job. If I can make you laugh I am satified. ?
The blonde hair looks much better !!!!! Takes years off.
Oh thanks. The blond hair is because you don’t see the grey roots that much. I had several requests for dark hair again, after I posted my white dress with purple spots last week. But blond it is going to stay. Taking years of me.. who wouldn’t want that?
This a a very funny post. I think I should have been behind the camera saying “cheese” to you. But a lot of things have become much better. You make great combinations now. Your photos are great and arty I like your blond hair. Blondes have more fun, you know. It felt like reading a cartoon, so I had my share of laughter this week.
I am very glad I amused you. That was my intention with this post. I have made a post with the reverse process of a “makeover”, but Ron says it looks like “a house of horror” haha. He advises me not to post it. But I think it will amuse a lot of readers.
This was such a funny read, Greetje! The double stripes series made my eyes hurt, lol! The first two outfits in your series weren’t SO bad, really.
Bravo you in your bikini, you look great, sucking in your belly or not. You have such great legs who is looking at your belly anyway?!
Thanks for sharing, I’m sure EVERY woman can relate. xx
I don’t mind making a fool of myself if that gets me laughs haha. I am more of an entertainer than a fashionista. So I am glad I amused you. You just watch the post of September 4… I am going to do a makedown. I don’t know what the English phrase is. I mean the reverse of a makeover. Everybody knows me reasonably polished and I am going to show what I look like when I get out of bed. Husband Ron says the post is like a house of horrors whahaha.
I think the blonde is more flattering on you, and your current outfits are always very chic and modern. My favourite photo is the one of you in your bathing suit, because you look relaxed and happy (I am often accused of having “resting bitch face” when I’m concentrating on something). You do not have a large belly – on the contrary, you have a great body! I’ve posted one photo of myself in a bathing suit on my blog, but it was a one piece, so kudos to you!
I think a bikini is still nice on me, but it could be that I am seeing my young self in the mirror. Plus belly. Because I cannot deny that belly. I was really holding it in for the photo haha. And I was flat on my back; that helped too. The “resting bitch face” is something we all have, I think. As I hear that from a lot of women.
I think it’s great that you tried different combinations and took photos to see what works for you. I am way too lazy to do that and sometimes I look back at my outfits that I post and think ….just no. You look fab in your bikini!
Alice
http://www.happinessatmidlife.com
Hope to see you Thursday for TBT Fashion link up.
I hardly ever do this Alice. I much rather run to the shop haha. And the bikini photo is a bit risky to publish, but what the heck.
I ADORE YOU!
YOU HAVE STYLE and a sense of humor!
YOUR LEGS ARE GREAT!I have told you that before!
I liked the empty hangers tossed under the clothes in the closet!
YOUR CURTAINS ARE A SMASH!!!!!
I am very tidy… until you open my closets.. I tend to mix purposes in my closets. Like jewellery and tank tops end up in my shoe closet, because of the easy access. Those hangers are a scream, I agree haha. Thanks for all the compliments.
I look forward to it! 😀
This post was so much fun. I have to say that I love the color mix of the jacket/scarf in the first photo!
I think that we have all grown over the years, in many ways, including style. It’s a journey, and we are all in it together. Which is a gift.
The jacket/scarf combination was a daring one right? But I quite like it as well. Nevertheless I have better outfits. And as long as I keep following you, I have the hope your style might rub off on me a little haha.
Ok, i am going to argue with you. The backrounds of these shots are not ideal, but there is one, at least, variation, of each outfit that I love and think works well! The only exception is the green jacket, it is too long. I am glad to see you in a bikini, you look great!
And the closet picture just made me smile!
xx, Elle
http://www.theellediaries.com/
When I have made you smile, I have done half my job. If I can make you laugh I am satified. ?
I look forward to it! 😀
This was such a funny read, Greetje! The double stripes series made my eyes hurt, lol! The first two outfits in your series weren’t SO bad, really.
Bravo you in your bikini, you look great, sucking in your belly or not. You have such great legs who is looking at your belly anyway?!
Thanks for sharing, I’m sure EVERY woman can relate. xx
I don’t mind making a fool of myself if that gets me laughs haha. I am more of an entertainer than a fashionista. So I am glad I amused you. You just watch the post of September 4… I am going to do a makedown. I don’t know what the English phrase is. I mean the reverse of a makeover. Everybody knows me reasonably polished and I am going to show what I look like when I get out of bed. Husband Ron says the post is like a house of horrors whahaha.
This a a very funny post. I think I should have been behind the camera saying “cheese” to you. But a lot of things have become much better. You make great combinations now. Your photos are great and arty I like your blond hair. Blondes have more fun, you know. It felt like reading a cartoon, so I had my share of laughter this week.
I am very glad I amused you. That was my intention with this post. I have made a post with the reverse process of a “makeover”, but Ron says it looks like “a house of horror” haha. He advises me not to post it. But I think it will amuse a lot of readers.
I think the blonde is more flattering on you, and your current outfits are always very chic and modern. My favourite photo is the one of you in your bathing suit, because you look relaxed and happy (I am often accused of having “resting bitch face” when I’m concentrating on something). You do not have a large belly – on the contrary, you have a great body! I’ve posted one photo of myself in a bathing suit on my blog, but it was a one piece, so kudos to you!
I think a bikini is still nice on me, but it could be that I am seeing my young self in the mirror. Plus belly. Because I cannot deny that belly. I was really holding it in for the photo haha. And I was flat on my back; that helped too. The “resting bitch face” is something we all have, I think. As I hear that from a lot of women.
I think it’s great that you tried different combinations and took photos to see what works for you. I am way too lazy to do that and sometimes I look back at my outfits that I post and think ….just no. You look fab in your bikini!
Alice
http://www.happinessatmidlife.com
Hope to see you Thursday for TBT Fashion link up.
I hardly ever do this Alice. I much rather run to the shop haha. And the bikini photo is a bit risky to publish, but what the heck.
This post was so much fun. I have to say that I love the color mix of the jacket/scarf in the first photo!
I think that we have all grown over the years, in many ways, including style. It’s a journey, and we are all in it together. Which is a gift.
The jacket/scarf combination was a daring one right? But I quite like it as well. Nevertheless I have better outfits. And as long as I keep following you, I have the hope your style might rub off on me a little haha.
The blonde hair looks much better !!!!! Takes years off.
Oh thanks. The blond hair is because you don’t see the grey roots that much. I had several requests for dark hair again, after I posted my white dress with purple spots last week. But blond it is going to stay. Taking years of me.. who wouldn’t want that?
I ADORE YOU!
YOU HAVE STYLE and a sense of humor!
YOUR LEGS ARE GREAT!I have told you that before!
I liked the empty hangers tossed under the clothes in the closet!
YOUR CURTAINS ARE A SMASH!!!!!
I am very tidy… until you open my closets.. I tend to mix purposes in my closets. Like jewellery and tank tops end up in my shoe closet, because of the easy access. Those hangers are a scream, I agree haha. Thanks for all the compliments.
What a lovely post! I remember not being able to decide what to wear for a posh birthday party and my friend asked me to send her photos of the options……..I looked just as glum!!! Hurrah for the glum!
PS The photos do confirm one thing….you look much better as a blonde………so you have to smile as blondes have more fun apparently 😉
The opinions about my hair colour differ. I received a couple of requests for dark hair again, when friends saw me in my white dress with purple polka dots (previous post). But blond is easier when you are grey haha.
As for the face… good for a laugh.
Hahaha, so funny! Now I know why Gerben always says when he is taking pictures:Smile!
Oh yes, smiling makes a big difference. Glad I made you laugh haha. That was my goal.
You look so serious in the photos – made me laugh. Probably because you ALWAYS smile in your photos! 🙂
Putting an outfit together that truly works isn’t easy at all. I don’t necessarily always post outfits that I think are ideal, but they are what I wear and I like them enough (even though they are not prefect). So I can actually just look back through my blog and see things that could be improved… 🙂 In fact, I plan on re-wearing many of last year’s outfits this fall (when I started posting more outfits on my blog) and see how I can change/improve them…
Thanks for sharing these “behind-the-scenes” photos!
You are most welcome Andrea. When I went through them I knew readers would recognize themselves.
The grim look in these pictures…… That is indeed because I always smile in other posts (the best accessory ever). But also because I am contemplating and concentrating. Apparently that comes with a very serious face,
Fun Greetje. You truly are one of a kind. And the good thing is, all of your current outfits look better than any of these. It’s through these trial and error session that you improve your dressing and style and I think you learned heaps over the last few years and became a true mix & match professional!
Thanks Sylvia. Your lessons on 40+Style helped a lot as well. Especially the ones about proportion. Next challenge for me is dresses and skiirts.
You are a brave soul! I always enjoy your posts so much. Keep up the inspiration. Through following your posts, I have enjoyed getting to know you and your lovely country. I love your style.
That is my goal with this blog. To keep you entertained and make you laugh. So glad I succeeded. Thanks very much for letting me know. That injects power to go on.
Oh heavens, Greetje, this made me smile because haven’t we all been there, done that and got the t-shirt! But this is a very endearing post precisely because it resonates so much! Yes, I need those fairies to clear away the mess. Where the hell are they????
But this is how you learn, isn’t it? Trial and error and all learning will provide useful in the end! Love that ‘hilarious’ shot! Your face is a picture.
And thank you for the lovely comments on my blog recently. Been meaning to thank you for them.
http://petitesilvervixen.blogspot.co.uk/
Always nice to see your blogposts. So little time to visit. And I though a lot of people would recognize this clothes trying procedure. And although I love clothes, I hate this. But as you say, I do learn from it.
Ha ha ha, love it Greetje. Your face says it all in every picture ‘no, not what I was looking for’. Love that one in the end with all the clothes on hangers in front of you. What you see is what you get. And look how professional the photography on your blog is today! Respect my friend.
Learning a little every day. And still not half way where I want to be. Baby steps…. In the end the photos aren’t even that important. What is important is the content, the fact that you laughed. That is important.
I have been grinning the entire time I’ve spent reading and rereading this post. You are one of a kind and that’s why so many of us love you dearly! It was fun seeing you in action and I totally agree about having no fairies, what’s with that? And isn’t it amazing to see how far your photo skills have come? When I look back at some of my first year of blogging, I can hardly believe I posted some of them, haha. You still looked amazing!!!
I know… Did you see I changed my blog design two posts back? No you didn’t, did you? I quitely modified it with another theme for a more modern look. Now I have to make sure that my plug-in “Related posts”, doesn’t show anything before August 2013 anymore. Sooo bad.
Brava…I applaud you for keeping it real Greetje! So many of my more colourful dresses just don’t go with ‘anything’ beyond a single pair of shoes and some bracelets. It does make it simple to put an outfit together, but I often don’t have the versatility that separates offer. Of course, you are making it look like work, LOL….
It is work.. even hard work. I don’t like it at all. A dress is sooo much easier. But styling a dress or skirt in a contemporary way is difficult for me. I presume it is the footwear that gets me. Which is why I always go for trousers. I know how to work them.
OMG girl—-this is my mom and I every time we have a styling session (although I am the fairie that puts everything back. It’s short lived though because mom is not quite as organized so when I come back in two weeks….clothes are everywhere!)
You know how a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Well those photos with the different length necklaces are very aha!!
And sometimes I think we get somewhat too critical of our outfits! I think an overall nice look can be just as beneficial as a “perfect” look! Because luckily (besides on the blog) very few people will have the opportunity to examine every small detail in a split second pose. In fact, I believe that most people are too busy with their own lives to really care about how others look a majority of the time!!
Thanks for the smiles & giggles today Greetje!!
jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
LOL…it’s often the other way around Jodie!
I am glad you smiled and giggled Jodie. That is what I wished for. And you are very right: people are far too busy with their own lives to notice what you are wearing and whether that is fabulous or not.
Ha,Ha! I totally agree:a great work to get a good Outfit!! And nothing is as precious as the eye of a good friend….apart from that, those outfits aren’t so bad, but taking photos without posing can be dangerous!! 🙂
( and that is why I immediately delete them… )
I kept them for reference to see what worked and what didn’t. But forgot all about it. Now you could enjoy them haha.
I love that game! I call it ‘playing closet.’ Very interesting to see both successes and flops. Thanks!
I am glad you enjoyed it. I was grinning when I made the post.