One of those glorious spring days, just begging to sit on a terrace and have a drink. I wore my new wide blue trousers, which are very lightweight and great for wearing with sneakers. That Saturday I had to run a few errands in town (on my bike as riding a bike is very good for my knee and walking isn’t). When I was on my way home, I stopped to have a cappuccino at Café de Zwaan. My neighbour Loes pulled up next to me on her bike. Me: “Hi Loes, I am about to have lunch. Care to join me?” And she answered: “Always a good idea. Where?” I knew Café de Zwaan did lunch, so we “parked” the bikes.
(Note: later on in this post you can read about my interview on Glam Up Your Lifestyle.)
Lunch with Loes
Below: This is Loes (Dutch name, pronounced “loose” as it derives from Louise).
Below: And behind the bar is Greet. Yes, her name is the same as mine. Although I am still called Greetje. The “je” means “little” in Dutch, which I hardly am, but it just never changed from childhood. Greet is the best hostess you can ever imagine in a pub or a restaurant. She works very hard and is still able to give every client the idea he or she is special. I love her and like most clients I follow her to every place she works. Recently she changed her work place to Café de Zwaan in Haarlem. It is on my way from home to the centre, so stopping off is easy.
Below: I snapped this gorgeous lady just outside the café. Couldn’t resist taking her picture. Great shirt, great trousers, great bag, beautiful face. And on a bike (so very Dutch).
After lunch I twisted Loes’ arm to take blog photos. To my surprise she said she really liked doing that and wouldn’t mind doing it more often. Ron will love this relief of his chore haha.
Below: The purpose of this photo was a head-to-toe shot when all of a sudden Greet crept up from behind. She knows I like such moves which is why I am laughing.
Below: When you were to ask me “what was so funny?” I couldn’t tell you. No idea, but I love the picture. Well done Loes. Also a great oufit photo.
Below: Then Ellen passed (on her bike) and stopped. “Hi guys, what are you doing?” Ellen is a friend of Greet and we explained about the blog and I asked whether she wanted to be included. “Sure, why not?”. You would think in Haarlem live only pretty women haha.
Below: “What was that?”
Below: “Give me a kiss and see you soon”. Greet, of course, had very limited time as she was providing the customers with food and drinks.
Below: Here is another picture I really love. The wide blue trousers are by Joline Jolink, the Dutch Brand I told you about in the post with my wide khaki trousers. The top is by Marella, sneakers Ecco en the cute fuchsia mini bag by Manoukian (gift by my friend Marianne).
Below: Hiding in nearly every picture is this leather bracelet. It was a gift from a reader, Klára Földi. She makes bracelets and bags. No strings attached, she didn’t ask for any exposure on my blog, she just wanted to give me a present. Now how nice is that?!? So it is not a sponsored item but if you like it as much as I do, this is her Facebook account Strawberry and this is her Instagram account Strawberrybags. Her website isn’t fully functioning yet, but you can send her a message.
Did you notice I didn’t photoshop the arms? My daddy’s arms/skin. I was blessed with a lot, but not with good skin.
Below: The back adds interest to the Marella top, I think. Of course I wear a blue tank top underneath as it is a real split.
Below: The earrings are bright blue with a purple stud.
Below: Those earrings I am wearing are pretty heavy. As I have told you before, my earlobes cannot handle weight very well. They really need a lot of support at the back to prevent the earrings from drooping. Look what I found through an Instagram advertisement… back lifters with an extra. The price wasn’t shocking and I decided to give it a try. They work brilliantly and apparently they are indeed silver (and gold plated) as my allergic earlobes are fine with them. (I doubted that very much when I ordered.)
Basilica St Bavo
Then something entirely different. When I went out that morning I cycled to the Basilica St Bavo in Haarlem. It is a gorgeous building and the annual flower parade was going to stop there. I should have looked at the times: they were to arrive that evening. As there was a northern wind blowing on this sunny day, I threw on my Hope Fashion poncho. I still love it. So soft, so easy. Click through if you want to see it styled on skinny jeans with high heels.
Below: Three ladies were taking pictures of each other with the basilica in the background. I offered to take a picture of the three of them together and they returned the favour. If you look closely you can see me wearing the bracelet.
Below: Just for the ones who are interested in these things, herewith some church pictures.
Below: The basilica was lit the night before and Loes provided me with a picture of the front of the building.
Below: One last shot of a very pretty little street in the centre of town.
This is the end of a little Haarlem tour.
Interview on the blog Glam Up Your Lifestyle
A chttps://www.glamupyourlifestyle.com/ouple of weeks ago Claudia of Glam Up Your Lifestyle invited me to an interview on her blog. I was really flattered. I follow Claudia for a long time; she is on my list of blogs I read. She has a very good sense of style and sometimes I copy her. Remember my black peeptoe shoe? (See the post about my orange leather skirt) I got the idea for these shoes from Claudia, who ironically didn’t like such shoes herself after she bought them. I loved them. Claudia has the most awesome bags, for which I envy her. So hop over to her blog to see my interview and other posts with her great style. Don’t worry that it is in German, just choose your language with the Google Translate button on the right side of her blog.
Greetje
This is a lovely spring outfit – you know I like wide-leg pants! Isn’t it wonderful when you have unplanned meetups with friends! That is one of the benefits of being retired in that your schedule is flexible to be able to take advantage of opportunities like that.
I have always admired the honest approach you take to ageing in your blog. The skin on my hands is getting so many brown spots and wrinkles and I am always reminded that you can always tell a woman’s age by her neck and her hands!
I have always been a very honest person, even if I say it myself. So when you have something as personal as my blog, it would be strange to lie or photoshop. In an early stage of my blog I decided to show it as it is. Maybe on two occasions I have “done” something. Like when I did a close-up of my foot and shoe in summer and it was so very close and you saw so many vains, spots and wrinkles that you didn’t notice the shoe anymore. It got scary.
As for unplanned meetings with friends, I don’t have many of those. We Dutch are real planners. Just read this article, it is funny (just don’t read the comments, they are usually nasty):
https://stuffdutchpeoplelike.com/2011/07/29/scheduling-agenda-appointments/
Hello Greetje. I’m new to your blog, I arrived here via your comments on Nikki’s blog. I’m Caroline, and I live in London. What a lovely post, full of sunshine, colour and cheerful faces! I very much enjoyed reading it. Now I’ll catch up on some of your older posts! Caroline C x
That is quite a compliment you are paying me Caroline! As I love Nikki’s blog. It is my “weekly magazine” and I read all her posts. If you follow her blog and you also like mine, I am very flattered. My English is not bad but I am not a native speaker which means I can never be as eloquently as Nikki. My solution to that is to add more photos and to try and put something funny in every post. I don’t always succeed but often I do. Making people laugh is my mission. Hope I can amuse you too.
Hello again. Your English is excellent, if I was half as eloquent in another language I would be extremely happy! I like your mission and I know I’m going to enjoy your blog. I agree with you about Nikki’s blog, too – I always look forward to her posts. Have a happy week! X
Those wide trousers are perfect on you and the top too…
I have never seen those back lifters before … are they supposed to be worn under a pair of earrings???
Delightful photos of you while smiling!
You use the back lifters just like a normal one. The difference is that these have a little heart shaped piece attached to the poussette (as we call it) which means you have a larger “thing” behind your earlobe to balance the weight of the earring at the front of your earlobe.
Love the wide trousers and the back detail of that white blouse. This is a very chic look and I also love your bracelet. I like the idea of you two, with similar names, sharing some fun and a great afternoon at a café .
Greet and little Greet! Now I know your name derivation and it suits you.
Fabulous photography. I really enjoyed this post. And yes, I agree that that woman is very elegant.
❤️❤️❤️
Elle
https://theellediaries.com/
I did really well with these items. Looking chic and still wearing sneakers. Quite an achievement in my book. Like always, it was a pleasure making this post. Very pleased with the photography help of Loes.
You really wear those wide-leg trousers well! I like the top as well, with the split back. What fun to see you with more of your friends! The church photos are lovely too…very interesting architecture.
Always trying to add something extra to the outfit photos. I am really pleased when I find something I can make to make you smile or laugh. Doesn’t always succeed in that of course. The outfit is really comfortable.
wrong address I am afraid
You mean the link to the back lifters? It is correct:
https://shopfocallure.com/search?q=back+lifter
Another lovely insight into your life Greetje. I love those blue trousers and think they look particularly fabulous because of your long legs. And that little tucking in your do with your shirt – I still can’t find a casual way to do that that doesn’t look as if it’s a mistake. All of these shots with your friends look so natural and warm, well done to your new photographer!
What I admire most about you Greetje is your out and out honesty in showing yourself as you truly am – today the comment about your father’s arms/skin is so refreshing. All the time, I worry that if I show my wrinkles and imperfections that all my readers will run to the hills, screaming with terror.
I’m off now to read that interview. Well done!
Anna x
Thank you Anna, your comment really moved me, so nice to hear such lovely things about yourself. But trust me, if I had had a photo of my arm with the bracelet and without wrinkly skin, I would have posted that. But I didn’t and in support of all (aging) women I don’t want to photoshop. I wear 3/4 sleeves because the skin of my upper arms is dreadful. Hiding my lower arms as well is taking it a step too far (for me). Let’s say my body is now beyond such vanity haha. It is either accepting it and not be bothered or live in misery. I choose the first option.
What a lovely post. I enjoyed seeing the pictures of your friends at the café and also the magnificent basilica. The trousers look great on you as you are tall and I am a short arse, hence I’m still wearing skinnies.
Hahaha.. “I am a short arse”… you made me laugh. I agree wide-legged trousers are more challenging for petites, but not impossible. The only thing is, do you want to invest time in a piece of clothing you know is difficult to style? There are so many other options which are easier. Knowing what suits your body shape is key. I still make mistakes, like buying a boxy, square jacket which looked so nice on the petite sales assistent but looks horrible on me. Makes me look like a man.
You look amazing in those flowy trousers, and Ron seems to have some serious competition for his photography skills now! The locations are just fantastic too. And I have a lotta love for those earrings.
It really does seem that everyone in Holland is gorgous, and having lived there, I think there ARE a bigger percentage of naturally beautiful people there (like the women in your photos above) than in other places (says this American :-))
I really need to get to Haarlem soon. One of my best friends moved there a few year ago, so it is kind of ridiculous that I have you AND Hestia there and still haven’t been lately. These are the issues of having a young child! xx
I couldn’t agree more, you should come over. However, I am afraid that your Alexandre will need your care for quite a few years to come. And the rabbits too haha.
Haarlem is a nest of bloggers. May 15 Sylvia of 40PlusStyle will arrive for a short period, a week later Anja (Curly Traveller) will be back and Misja Beijers, of Misjab.nl, our blogger on Street Style lives in Haarlem as well. When the four of us are all in Haarlem, we meet at least once for lunch.
PS, the earrings were bloody expensive as they are gem stones.
You just never know when a simple, healthy little bike ride will evolve into unexpected fun moments with friends and lots of happy photo opportunities! It’s so nice to see you enjoying your day and I hope I’m correct in assuming that your pain has subsided quite a bit.
The photos of the church are amazing! The statues and gargoyles are so interesting. You clearly have so much to keep you entertained and great destinations for your bike touring! Thanks for sharing the fun Greetje!
I am riding a bike more often now. So good for the knee. And yes the pain has subsided a lot. I am not healed completely yet, still pain pangs, but at least I am sure the diagnosis was correct. Which is a load off my mind.
Who knows what interesting places I will discover while swaying and swinging through nature on my bike (I am not very stable on a bike haha).
I loved your interview, Greetje! That’s a fantastic piece, even in translation. Everyone is falling in love with you. This post shows so clearly why – you show all parts of your life and style with great slaps of humour thrown in. You have friends everywhere – people are drawn to your style and attitude.
Which interview are you referring to (brilliant being able to ask this haha).
As for friends, yes I am very blessed with a lot of friends. You are doing very well in this department too: really everybody likes you. AND… you have 32.000 followers on IG, who like your style as well. My number is 2.690. I bow deeply for you.
Great post and so very Greetje; talking to everyone , knowing everyone. Totally the opposite of me as a sort of recluse introvert.
Love this look on you.
I love the Bavo. Actually I love both Bavo’s that we have in Haarlem.
You have that introvert side just like Suzanne has. You both don’t talk to everybody in the street and the pub, like I do. I am a chatty person/
Fabulous casual chic outfit Greetje. I love the crossover feature on the back of your top. What lovely friends you have 🙂
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
I do indeed have lovely friends. For me they are the salt of the earth, couldn’t do without them. Glad you like my outfit.
Just love your style, Greetje. I enjoyed reading your interview too. Thanks for all the time and effort you put into your blog!
Thank you very much Cynthia for the compliments. Creating posts for my blog is no effort. I so enjoy the whole process of it. All aspects. In earlier days I doubted my motives (was I narcissistic? did I need constant applause?). But I have found out that it is genuinly the whole creating process that I love. The showing of the outfit is secundary. And making people laugh or entertaining is my primary goal.
The back of that shirt really makes it fabulous, Greetje. Thanks for the fun day with you and your friends!!
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
PS…I am talking about these earring backings in my post next week….is it okay to link to yours too??
Of course you can link to mine. No need to ever ask that. And you can use any images of my blog as well.
As Sylvia of 40PlusStyle always says: why settle for an ordinary shirt/top, if you can buy one with an interesting detail? What I love most about this top, are the darts. Which lets it drape so much better.
What a nice day it turned out to be, Greetje, all that bumping-into-friend action and impromptu photo shoots!! Happening with such a scenic, photogenic backdrop too. Such a blessing to live where you do, picture postcard perfect, to be honest 🙂 and speaking of aesthetics, I adore your pants. They exude such an easy, carefree vibe, and your cuff? #swoon
Joline Jolink (the brand of the blue trousers) gave all sorts of examples how to combine these trousers. Very helpful. As I said before: she designs new clothes with her older designs in mind. They have to combine with other items so you can build a sustainable wardrobe. And the trousers are sooo comfortable. I have bombarded them to “dinner trousers”. The elastic band is perfect for dinners.
Great post and so very Greetje; talking to everyone , knowing everyone. Totally the opposite of me as a sort of recluse introvert.
Love this look on you.
I love the Bavo. Actually I love both Bavo’s that we have in Haarlem.
You have that introvert side just like Suzanne has. You both don’t talk to everybody in the street and the pub, like I do. I am a chatty person/
I loved your interview, Greetje! That’s a fantastic piece, even in translation. Everyone is falling in love with you. This post shows so clearly why – you show all parts of your life and style with great slaps of humour thrown in. You have friends everywhere – people are drawn to your style and attitude.
Which interview are you referring to (brilliant being able to ask this haha).
As for friends, yes I am very blessed with a lot of friends. You are doing very well in this department too: really everybody likes you. AND… you have 32.000 followers on IG, who like your style as well. My number is 2.690. I bow deeply for you.
Fabulous casual chic outfit Greetje. I love the crossover feature on the back of your top. What lovely friends you have 🙂
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
I do indeed have lovely friends. For me they are the salt of the earth, couldn’t do without them. Glad you like my outfit.
This is a lovely spring outfit – you know I like wide-leg pants! Isn’t it wonderful when you have unplanned meetups with friends! That is one of the benefits of being retired in that your schedule is flexible to be able to take advantage of opportunities like that.
I have always admired the honest approach you take to ageing in your blog. The skin on my hands is getting so many brown spots and wrinkles and I am always reminded that you can always tell a woman’s age by her neck and her hands!
I have always been a very honest person, even if I say it myself. So when you have something as personal as my blog, it would be strange to lie or photoshop. In an early stage of my blog I decided to show it as it is. Maybe on two occasions I have “done” something. Like when I did a close-up of my foot and shoe in summer and it was so very close and you saw so many vains, spots and wrinkles that you didn’t notice the shoe anymore. It got scary.
As for unplanned meetings with friends, I don’t have many of those. We Dutch are real planners. Just read this article, it is funny (just don’t read the comments, they are usually nasty):
https://stuffdutchpeoplelike.com/2011/07/29/scheduling-agenda-appointments/
Hello Greetje. I’m new to your blog, I arrived here via your comments on Nikki’s blog. I’m Caroline, and I live in London. What a lovely post, full of sunshine, colour and cheerful faces! I very much enjoyed reading it. Now I’ll catch up on some of your older posts! Caroline C x
That is quite a compliment you are paying me Caroline! As I love Nikki’s blog. It is my “weekly magazine” and I read all her posts. If you follow her blog and you also like mine, I am very flattered. My English is not bad but I am not a native speaker which means I can never be as eloquently as Nikki. My solution to that is to add more photos and to try and put something funny in every post. I don’t always succeed but often I do. Making people laugh is my mission. Hope I can amuse you too.
Hello again. Your English is excellent, if I was half as eloquent in another language I would be extremely happy! I like your mission and I know I’m going to enjoy your blog. I agree with you about Nikki’s blog, too – I always look forward to her posts. Have a happy week! X
Another lovely insight into your life Greetje. I love those blue trousers and think they look particularly fabulous because of your long legs. And that little tucking in your do with your shirt – I still can’t find a casual way to do that that doesn’t look as if it’s a mistake. All of these shots with your friends look so natural and warm, well done to your new photographer!
What I admire most about you Greetje is your out and out honesty in showing yourself as you truly am – today the comment about your father’s arms/skin is so refreshing. All the time, I worry that if I show my wrinkles and imperfections that all my readers will run to the hills, screaming with terror.
I’m off now to read that interview. Well done!
Anna x
Thank you Anna, your comment really moved me, so nice to hear such lovely things about yourself. But trust me, if I had had a photo of my arm with the bracelet and without wrinkly skin, I would have posted that. But I didn’t and in support of all (aging) women I don’t want to photoshop. I wear 3/4 sleeves because the skin of my upper arms is dreadful. Hiding my lower arms as well is taking it a step too far (for me). Let’s say my body is now beyond such vanity haha. It is either accepting it and not be bothered or live in misery. I choose the first option.
wrong address I am afraid
You mean the link to the back lifters? It is correct:
https://shopfocallure.com/search?q=back+lifter
Those wide trousers are perfect on you and the top too…
I have never seen those back lifters before … are they supposed to be worn under a pair of earrings???
Delightful photos of you while smiling!
You use the back lifters just like a normal one. The difference is that these have a little heart shaped piece attached to the poussette (as we call it) which means you have a larger “thing” behind your earlobe to balance the weight of the earring at the front of your earlobe.
You look amazing in those flowy trousers, and Ron seems to have some serious competition for his photography skills now! The locations are just fantastic too. And I have a lotta love for those earrings.
It really does seem that everyone in Holland is gorgous, and having lived there, I think there ARE a bigger percentage of naturally beautiful people there (like the women in your photos above) than in other places (says this American :-))
I really need to get to Haarlem soon. One of my best friends moved there a few year ago, so it is kind of ridiculous that I have you AND Hestia there and still haven’t been lately. These are the issues of having a young child! xx
I couldn’t agree more, you should come over. However, I am afraid that your Alexandre will need your care for quite a few years to come. And the rabbits too haha.
Haarlem is a nest of bloggers. May 15 Sylvia of 40PlusStyle will arrive for a short period, a week later Anja (Curly Traveller) will be back and Misja Beijers, of Misjab.nl, our blogger on Street Style lives in Haarlem as well. When the four of us are all in Haarlem, we meet at least once for lunch.
PS, the earrings were bloody expensive as they are gem stones.
Love the wide trousers and the back detail of that white blouse. This is a very chic look and I also love your bracelet. I like the idea of you two, with similar names, sharing some fun and a great afternoon at a café .
Greet and little Greet! Now I know your name derivation and it suits you.
Fabulous photography. I really enjoyed this post. And yes, I agree that that woman is very elegant.
❤️❤️❤️
Elle
https://theellediaries.com/
I did really well with these items. Looking chic and still wearing sneakers. Quite an achievement in my book. Like always, it was a pleasure making this post. Very pleased with the photography help of Loes.
What a lovely post. I enjoyed seeing the pictures of your friends at the café and also the magnificent basilica. The trousers look great on you as you are tall and I am a short arse, hence I’m still wearing skinnies.
Hahaha.. “I am a short arse”… you made me laugh. I agree wide-legged trousers are more challenging for petites, but not impossible. The only thing is, do you want to invest time in a piece of clothing you know is difficult to style? There are so many other options which are easier. Knowing what suits your body shape is key. I still make mistakes, like buying a boxy, square jacket which looked so nice on the petite sales assistent but looks horrible on me. Makes me look like a man.
You really wear those wide-leg trousers well! I like the top as well, with the split back. What fun to see you with more of your friends! The church photos are lovely too…very interesting architecture.
Always trying to add something extra to the outfit photos. I am really pleased when I find something I can make to make you smile or laugh. Doesn’t always succeed in that of course. The outfit is really comfortable.
You just never know when a simple, healthy little bike ride will evolve into unexpected fun moments with friends and lots of happy photo opportunities! It’s so nice to see you enjoying your day and I hope I’m correct in assuming that your pain has subsided quite a bit.
The photos of the church are amazing! The statues and gargoyles are so interesting. You clearly have so much to keep you entertained and great destinations for your bike touring! Thanks for sharing the fun Greetje!
I am riding a bike more often now. So good for the knee. And yes the pain has subsided a lot. I am not healed completely yet, still pain pangs, but at least I am sure the diagnosis was correct. Which is a load off my mind.
Who knows what interesting places I will discover while swaying and swinging through nature on my bike (I am not very stable on a bike haha).
I adore these wide-legged trousers on you, Greetje! I’m coming around to the wide leg – it takes the eye a while to get used to it, after all these years of skinny pants! Your photos capture your friendships, and this beautiful place, so well! Love that leather cuff, the pink poncho – the whole outfit. Have a wonderful week, my friend!
Thanks Sheila. If you ever want to travel far, Amsterdam and Haarlem are nice places to visit. Only our weather is rather fickle. Italy is a safer bet and they have gorgeous towns, even better. Plus (added bonus) fab food. Nevertheless, if you do decide to visit The Netherlands as well, be sure I will guide you.
I have been a total skinny pants fan as well, but I am slowly choosing them a little less skinny and the wide-legged trousers are taking my fancy as well. Mind you, as you know, I am tall, so it is easy for me to combine them with sneakers.
What a nice day it turned out to be, Greetje, all that bumping-into-friend action and impromptu photo shoots!! Happening with such a scenic, photogenic backdrop too. Such a blessing to live where you do, picture postcard perfect, to be honest 🙂 and speaking of aesthetics, I adore your pants. They exude such an easy, carefree vibe, and your cuff? #swoon
Joline Jolink (the brand of the blue trousers) gave all sorts of examples how to combine these trousers. Very helpful. As I said before: she designs new clothes with her older designs in mind. They have to combine with other items so you can build a sustainable wardrobe. And the trousers are sooo comfortable. I have bombarded them to “dinner trousers”. The elastic band is perfect for dinners.
Gorgeous photos, I love the outfit and the little touches of pink are just perfect, your home town is so photogenic – really pretty
I am very lucky to live in such a beautiful town like Haarlem. Plenty of photogenic opportunities. But to tell you the truth, I am even more fan of Amsterdam because of their special kind of humor. I love the Amsterdam humor. Which cannot be found in Haarlem haha.
Hi Greetje,
What perfect timing of this post! We are going to be in Haarlem from May 28 to June 3. We will have to stop by Cafe de Zwaan, if we see Greet we will say hello. We want to have High Beer, instead of High Tea, on Saturday at Jopen Brewery in the old church. The Dutch do a lot of fun things! My hubby is Dutch but we live in Fresno, California. The first part of our trip is to the Amersfoort Jazz Festival.
Love the white top with the loose blue trousers.
If you are in Rotterdam as well, it is good to know that Joline Jolink (the brand of the trousers) has a shop there. I so hope you will have nice weather. As your husband will know, our weather is very fickle. It isn’t a green country by chance.
Café de Zwaan is very near the Jopen Brewery (2 minutes walk). Don’t know whether Greet is at café de Zwaan all the time, but certainly on Saturdays during the daytime.
When you look at the top navigation of my blog you will see a button Amsterdam and a button Haarlem with posts that were situated there. Perhaps these posts can give you even more inspiration. One little warning; the older ones (about the 9 streets in Amsterdam) show shops which might not be there anymore.
Thank you Greetje. We stayed in Haarlem a few days in 2016, in an Airbnb by the windmill on the river. That was the hottest September ever but the evenings sitting by the waterside were magical. I lived in Holland for three years so we will be prepared. You are right, you never know about the weather. Meneer Frans looks like a fun place. My hubby can hardly wait for all his favorite Dutch treats!
I love the sandwiches in Meneer Frans with truffle mayonaise and bacon. So nice. Hope you will have a lovely time in The Netherlands.
I think you looked well at ease in this outfit, Greetje – like you were comfortable with what you were wearing as well as glamorous too. I especially loved the colour pop of your little bag.
That little bag is so good. I use it a lot. Your observation is correct, I was really at ease in this outfit. It is sooo comfortable. nothing pinches.
Just love your style, Greetje. I enjoyed reading your interview too. Thanks for all the time and effort you put into your blog!
Thank you very much Cynthia for the compliments. Creating posts for my blog is no effort. I so enjoy the whole process of it. All aspects. In earlier days I doubted my motives (was I narcissistic? did I need constant applause?). But I have found out that it is genuinly the whole creating process that I love. The showing of the outfit is secundary. And making people laugh or entertaining is my primary goal.
I totally like the back of your top. I just love unexpected elements, since they spice up things, be it outfits or a spontaneous lunch with friends. Enjoy the summerly temperatures we are having in Holland at the moment Greetje. Love, Lieske
Oh I do. I do enjoy the summery temperatures. Lying in the garden on a stretcher, going to terraces with friends for a drink. Dining outdoors. My life is one fun bundle. And the knee is getting better as well. Slowly though, irritatingly slowly.
I adore these wide-legged trousers on you, Greetje! I’m coming around to the wide leg – it takes the eye a while to get used to it, after all these years of skinny pants! Your photos capture your friendships, and this beautiful place, so well! Love that leather cuff, the pink poncho – the whole outfit. Have a wonderful week, my friend!
Thanks Sheila. If you ever want to travel far, Amsterdam and Haarlem are nice places to visit. Only our weather is rather fickle. Italy is a safer bet and they have gorgeous towns, even better. Plus (added bonus) fab food. Nevertheless, if you do decide to visit The Netherlands as well, be sure I will guide you.
I have been a total skinny pants fan as well, but I am slowly choosing them a little less skinny and the wide-legged trousers are taking my fancy as well. Mind you, as you know, I am tall, so it is easy for me to combine them with sneakers.
The back of that shirt really makes it fabulous, Greetje. Thanks for the fun day with you and your friends!!
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
PS…I am talking about these earring backings in my post next week….is it okay to link to yours too??
Of course you can link to mine. No need to ever ask that. And you can use any images of my blog as well.
As Sylvia of 40PlusStyle always says: why settle for an ordinary shirt/top, if you can buy one with an interesting detail? What I love most about this top, are the darts. Which lets it drape so much better.
What a lovely lifestyle you lead with all your friends. I love the statue on the church of the girl(?) and the bull/cow what does it represent. Also don’t know how you ride bikes with wide trousers on mine would go straight in the chain or wheel!! Love the blog so interesting.
I suppose my wheels and chain have a protection case? Or I am just very lucky so far. You should pin your wide trouser legs but that looks so silly. Of course falling flat on your face with the bike on top of you is a silly sight too (and painful). Have to pay more attention to this.
So glad you like my little blog. It is indeed a result of my lovely lifestyle. I think of myself as a very lucky person. As for the bull/cow and the girl… no idea. Haven’t been able to find any information on that either.
Gorgeous photos, I love the outfit and the little touches of pink are just perfect, your home town is so photogenic – really pretty
I am very lucky to live in such a beautiful town like Haarlem. Plenty of photogenic opportunities. But to tell you the truth, I am even more fan of Amsterdam because of their special kind of humor. I love the Amsterdam humor. Which cannot be found in Haarlem haha.
Hi Greetje,
What perfect timing of this post! We are going to be in Haarlem from May 28 to June 3. We will have to stop by Cafe de Zwaan, if we see Greet we will say hello. We want to have High Beer, instead of High Tea, on Saturday at Jopen Brewery in the old church. The Dutch do a lot of fun things! My hubby is Dutch but we live in Fresno, California. The first part of our trip is to the Amersfoort Jazz Festival.
Love the white top with the loose blue trousers.
If you are in Rotterdam as well, it is good to know that Joline Jolink (the brand of the trousers) has a shop there. I so hope you will have nice weather. As your husband will know, our weather is very fickle. It isn’t a green country by chance.
Café de Zwaan is very near the Jopen Brewery (2 minutes walk). Don’t know whether Greet is at café de Zwaan all the time, but certainly on Saturdays during the daytime.
When you look at the top navigation of my blog you will see a button Amsterdam and a button Haarlem with posts that were situated there. Perhaps these posts can give you even more inspiration. One little warning; the older ones (about the 9 streets in Amsterdam) show shops which might not be there anymore.
Thank you Greetje. We stayed in Haarlem a few days in 2016, in an Airbnb by the windmill on the river. That was the hottest September ever but the evenings sitting by the waterside were magical. I lived in Holland for three years so we will be prepared. You are right, you never know about the weather. Meneer Frans looks like a fun place. My hubby can hardly wait for all his favorite Dutch treats!
I love the sandwiches in Meneer Frans with truffle mayonaise and bacon. So nice. Hope you will have a lovely time in The Netherlands.
I think you looked well at ease in this outfit, Greetje – like you were comfortable with what you were wearing as well as glamorous too. I especially loved the colour pop of your little bag.
That little bag is so good. I use it a lot. Your observation is correct, I was really at ease in this outfit. It is sooo comfortable. nothing pinches.
I totally like the back of your top. I just love unexpected elements, since they spice up things, be it outfits or a spontaneous lunch with friends. Enjoy the summerly temperatures we are having in Holland at the moment Greetje. Love, Lieske
Oh I do. I do enjoy the summery temperatures. Lying in the garden on a stretcher, going to terraces with friends for a drink. Dining outdoors. My life is one fun bundle. And the knee is getting better as well. Slowly though, irritatingly slowly.
What a lovely lifestyle you lead with all your friends. I love the statue on the church of the girl(?) and the bull/cow what does it represent. Also don’t know how you ride bikes with wide trousers on mine would go straight in the chain or wheel!! Love the blog so interesting.
I suppose my wheels and chain have a protection case? Or I am just very lucky so far. You should pin your wide trouser legs but that looks so silly. Of course falling flat on your face with the bike on top of you is a silly sight too (and painful). Have to pay more attention to this.
So glad you like my little blog. It is indeed a result of my lovely lifestyle. I think of myself as a very lucky person. As for the bull/cow and the girl… no idea. Haven’t been able to find any information on that either.