Time for a summer dress again as you might grow sick of seeing me in jeans. This cute polka dot dress was a sales score at Essentiel Antwerp, the same time I bought the bag. They also had the dress in blue, in blue/white striped and red/white striped. Although I really like stripes, nothing beats a polka dot. Or perhaps leopard print could. I love the freshness and the cuteness. The dress is a good length for me, but at the sides it rises up too high for my taste. So I used my usual trick: wearing a stretchy pencil skirt underneath.
Loes, my neighbour from across the road was kind enough to do the photography. We decided to go to Spaarndam which is a beautiful old harbour village. I have been there before with Ron in April this year, wearing a pair of wide khaki trousers. Of course, after months of beautiful summer weather, nothing but sunshine and high temperatures, this afternoon, the sun decided it was time for a rest. That also happened last time I was in Spaarndam. And it is so much prettier in the sunshine.
Below: Loes, wearing a darling sheath dress. I saw her wearing this dress the previous week and said: “When we do a photo shoot again, please wear this dress”, which she did. Bless her. Finding a chair with red cushions is just luck.
Below: Pretenting to open the door…. of a total strangers’ house. We did the shoot on a Wednesday afternoon and I was secretly praying for the owners to be out. To their job, their mother, painting the town. But not home. Fortunately they weren’t.
As you can see above, (this one is for the lovers of text below the photo 😀 ) the dress is high up at the sides and shorter at the front than the back. Which makes me feel uncomfortable. So I added my trusted stretchy pencil skirt by Bellamy Gallery. Come to think of it, my ample bosom is probably causing the difference in length. All these dresses are made for women with an upper class bosom. I saw a documentary once about Haute Couture. A very rich and distinguished lady of the British upper class (aged 40-ish) mentioned the fact that a big bosom was regarded as common “in their circle”. Not having size zero ditto. Well, I definitely am not their kind of people, right? And it shows 😆 .
Below: We tried another shot with the earring showing. Better pictures further down.
Below: Overlooking the harbour. Well, not really, as there was this great big ship in front of me. See the length at the back? That’s what I want at the front as well. The strange thing is that I can actually walk on these heels although my Knee is still far from healed. It depends on the shoe and the heel whether I can or cannot.
Below: Loes and I tried a wall of green leaves behind my blond hair. The idea was good, but the camera was on the blink and the wind blew fiercely.
Below: I did like this shot even though the smile is fake (there is only so much time you can keep your grin real). The earrings and the bracelet are made by Dorisse, who has lovely stuff for sale on Etsy. Her shop name is PaperStatement.
Below: This is an even closer look at the earrings.
Below: Everybody wants their car close to the house, but it ruins my picture of the nice old houses in Spaarndam.
Below: As we walked back to the restaurant, I saw this fence with the little nesting-boxes on top. Nice.
Below: Even though the sun wasn’t bright and shiny, I wanted to sit at this table with the flowers. With the ships in the background… would make a good photo.
Below: Tough luck. The fence was locked. The table out of our reach.
Below: A close-up of the sign above the fence. It says: “First there is Life, than there is Battle and then Death and one loses everything.” It rhyms in Dutch. Not very uplifting if you ask me. It is an invitation to call it a day, if you ask me. Why bother?
Below: We went back to a merrier place: restaurant De Kolk. We had coffee and tea indoors before we started the shoot and one of the cooks recognized me from the first time I visited their place for a photo shoot. How about that? I was chuffed.
Below: They have a lovely terrace overlooking the water. Pity the sun was on strike. (No this is not a sponsored post, we paid for the coffee and tea haha.)
Below: Wind swept look. Not my favourite, but what can you do?
What happened in my life this week?
From now on I want to tell you a bit more about my every day life with every post. Inspired as I am by Nikki’s blog: Midlife Chic which I love. I read all her posts. It is as if she really lets you into her life. And yes, style and fashion are main subjects too. Now, she was an editor of Selfridges magazine for 9 years. She know how to write, how to engage her readers. I very much doubt whether I have the writing skills to get even near her level. English not being my native language makes it even harder. And last but certainly not least: my life might be so boring, you don’t want to know. Nevertheless I am going to give it a try. Why? Beats me. Here we go.
Last week was unusual as we had a little family crisis which was nipped in the bud but it upset me grossly and had me in tears. I don’t want to dwell on it so my first experience of the week doesn’t give this writing attempt a very good start. Nevertheless I didn’t leave it out as I don’t want to tell you only the nice things. Life has its high and lows.
Worked hard and long. I work in advertising at a bank and the next campaign has be executed in too little time. Which means the planning does not allow for anything to go wrong. And even if nothing goes wrong (whenever does that happen?) it is still dodgy whether we will make the deadline. Therefore the creative agency’s representative and I made an agreement: he snaps his fingers and I jump. Not really the way I want to work, but as we have given them insufficient time, there is no other solution. Let’s hope for the best. So far so good.
Saturday we all went on a boat cruise through the Amsterdam canals. That was nice. We, in this case, are Ron (husband), Nicky (step daughter), Randolf (boyfriend Nicky) and me. Even though the weather wasn’t that bright we had a jolly good day.
Ron bought this boat after saving diligently and since a couple of years he uses it for a small business: showing tourists the sights of Amsterdam from the water. While cruising the canals they can learn about navigating the boat, even steering it. Especially children (of all ages) think this is cool. If you want to know more about it (excuse me for this blatant advertising): www.amsterdamboatcompany.com
Below: The most decadent thing we do with the boat, is mooring at this jetty which is the terrace of café ‘t Smalle in the middle of Amsterdam. Imagine this conversation: “Excuse me, would you mind removing your foot from this post? I have to moor our boat, you see.” I mean, how decadent is that? Believe me, the rest of our life is really simple.
Below: Café ‘t Smalle means: Café Narrow. As you can see. It is what we Dutch call: a brown café.
As we were cruising, we passed the famous Prinsengracht concert which, as the name says, takes place on a canal called Prinsengracht. Classical music is played by life artists on a stage built on the water. The water and the high houses make the acoustic brilliant. The whole canal is filled to the brim with small boats. You can line up with your boat from 6 o’clock in the morning (the concert starts at 20.00 hrs….). After a long wait you get assigned a spot. The quays are packed of course and people who live there invite friends to watch.
Below: an impression of two famous Dutch brothers playing classical music, Lucas and Arthur Jussen (no, they are not twins). They played the well-known Amsterdam songs in a classical manner and everybody started to sing along. If you don’t have the patience to watch the whole 6.36 minutes, start at 1.38 or 3.25.
We passed at 15.30 and sing-a-songs were heard, even though we were absolutely not close. I sang along. Put the video on Facebook and my husband commented: “Can that woman singing off-key please disembark?” Hahaha.. the sweetheart.
That’s it for this week.
Greetje
I didn’t read every comment, but I can’t imagine anybody not liking polka dots, LOL. In my opinion there are polka dots for every taste…small, large, random, orderly, colourful, bold, high contrast, tone on tone…I could go on…
I like that your giving the newsy chat a try. I’d like to do more of that, but honestly, by the time I’ve chatted about the garment I’ve made and showed the angles in different photos, I’m often just ready to hit publish and be done with it.
PS…forgot to mention when I commented on your Food Truck post…I didn’t know you had a kitty. Sophia is lovely!
When I have made a blogpost I will edit it at least three times before publishing. Time consuming, yes indeed. Bear in mind that English is not my native language. Although… I would probably also do this in Dutch.
Sophia is a beautiful cat to look at, but she is not one you can handle without gloves (haha, another Dutch saying literally translated). She lets me stroke her for 10, 15 seconds. If I go on, she will attack me. Next time I will choose a tomcat.
Love polka dots, too! Clever how you wear the pencil skirt to avoid showing too much leg. I love the touch of red which gives a great accent and the hair blowing in the wind is super nice. Makes it all a bit less posed. Also very good of you to add more about your personal life. No one’s life is perfect and we all have stressful situations to deal with, although most people would never dare to publicise it on the internet! You’re brave! A real Aries!
As you know Karen, I am so easy with sharing information, so open, that it is hard for me to imagine that others would have problems with it. I know most people do, but that is knowledge, not feeling it.
Thanks for the nice compliments.
It’s great to be so open and honest. It might get more people to do the same! Too many people are afraid of being open!
I love your posts and they always make me smile ! Lovely dress, you can’t beat ‘dots’ ( as well
as stripe and a bit of animal ha ha !!!)
That was an excellent picture of you all on Ron’s boat, nothing like a trip on a boat ! My step dad when he was alive had a boat, well it was more of a ketch and not always suited to the North East of England’s weather !! If I am ever lucky enough to visit your country I will book a trip on your boat as it would be a fantastic way to see all the sights.
I follow Nikki’s blogs too, I think that I came across hers by chance and then a while later followed a link onto yours. Your command of the English Language is excellent by the way and I enjoy your way of writing and of course your sense of fun !!! I enjoy Nikki’s posts too and think I am very lucky to have found you both.
What a lovely thing to say, feeling lucky to have found both Nikki’s and my blog. I don’t dare compare myself with her, but I am inspired. Nothing wrong with setting the bar high.
I know my English isn’t half bad but I would love to find a native speaker who would be crazy enough to edit my posts. As my blog doesn’t bring in any money, I cannot pay a person. Which makes it really difficult haha.
Ron did some elaborate research before he bought this boat. He found out that this boat was built based on a pilot boat and then tweeked to make it more polished. So very sturdy (and sea worthy). And, very important, it was a boat of which very few were offered second hand. And if they were, they were high in price and sold very fast. He thought that it was a good investment. Well if you can call buying any boat an investment. It even has a little kitchen and a toilet with a drain tank. The toilet had me sold. OK, flushing is done with water from the canals, so the smell isn’t really rosy, but the fact there is one is a big plus.
Hah! I don’t have an “upper class bosom” either. (And my family had a similar attitude, and was very dismayed when it was apparent I would be a “buxom” gal.)
I love polka dots! And I like your solution for the too-short dress too, will have to remember that one. I just can’t get over how charming everything is there. Even the morbid sign 😉 . I hope if we visit Amsterdam again we’ll have the right weather for a cruise in the boat. It looks like such fun.
Honestly? Your family had a similar attitude? I am amazed or better said flabbergasted. I still had the hope/idea that the Haute Couture lady was speaking for herself.
If you use my trick with the pencil skirt, be sure you use a tapered one. Wider skirts usually look funny or spoil the look. Only for one dress I use a sheath dress underneath with pleats at the bottom, just peeping from under. That was hell to get the length right.
Hope you will visit Amsterdam again. And that the weather is sunny.
Always have loved polka dots ….. will use your idea of adding a pencil skirt to dresses I would feel more comfortble with if they were longer.
Enjoy hearing about your personal life ….. and always enjoy the pictures you share.
Oh good! Thanks for your comment. With such feedback I know I am on the right track. Also when you hate something I do in a blog post, please let me know. I can handle criticism. After all, if nobody tells me whether they like it or not, I will only find out much later when I see nobody is reading my blog posts anymore. I’d rather know sooner.
I really like Essential Antwerp & this dress is no exception! I’d also wear it over jeans, with a cardigan, with boots & over loose pyjama pants. It’s such a great styling piece Greetje, you did well getting it on sale.
Oy what a glamorous life you lead boating around Amsterdam. I would very much like to book Ron someday xx
Oh good thinking. I have black and white striped trousers (sorry, you will never hear me say pants), wide ones. I will have a look whether that is a good outfit.
Wearing it like a jacket was on my mind too. A cardigan I do not have as they don’t look good on me.
And eh.. glamourous life??? Hmmm.. like a lot in life, it looks better on the outside. Ron still loves his boat and I am glad he uses it for a little business as I don’t want to do too many trips in a year. His wife and dog are very disappointing when it comes to his boat. Charlie doesn’t like it AT ALL.
I was really jealous of those photos on the boat! How Fabulous and fun that is! I wore polka dots and stripes last week. A perfect match!
I saw polka dots and stripes on Tiina’s blog too. They go together so well. Must be polka dot time.
What a great post. I am a fan of Nikki’s also and agree that writing about her life is entertaining and engaging. I love this post and if I ever make it to Amsterdam, we will book your husband’s tour and I’ll bring my low class ample bosom with me. I do always get frustrated with fashion which seems to be designed for pre-pubescent girls (no breasts, no hips). Your solution with the skirt is a great one and, as always, you look very chic and pulled together. Keep writing!
You made me laugh with “and I’ll bring my low class ample bosom with me” hahaha. Thank you for that.
If you ever use the trick with the pencil skirt, make sure you have one which is tapered. Wider skirt don’t work that well. And a stretchy one, which I have is great of course. Can be very tapered and still give you movement. Of course I could never use this skirt as an actual pencil skirt as my tummy is massivie because of the stretch.
It’s so fun to hear about your life like this Greetje!!
I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t love polka dots a long time ago. They weren’t serious enough….how silly though. Now? I love them because life is too short not to have fun!!
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
PS. Rob is working on the computer issue…he says I need your IP address but I’ll email you when I get home…. obviously I’m not at home if I’m reading this..haha
I will look for my IP address tonight when I am home. As I am not home either at the moment.
Polka dots have never played a big role in my life but I do like them and remember a darling skirt suit, black with white polka dots, which I loved.
I just want you to know that my hubby worked on this today and had to change it to a static DNS setting….now I can get to your site from our home!! Yippee!! (that’s how much I love you…)
XOOX
I have no idea what you just wrote.. “change it to a static DNS setting”. But I believe you. Clever Rob! Kudos to him.
And I am very glad with your love. Mwah!
Big fan of polka dots here! You look amazing in your lovely shirt-dress, Greetje – I very much like the pencil skirt worn under it too. Lovely pics of the canal! Happy week to you!
And a happy week to you too. I am very happy with all your comments. The shirt-dress has one thing I need to watch..: the side seams have a tendency to go forward. Hmm… don’t know what to do about that yet. Usually I pin everything to where I want it to stay. Or use dress tape, but in this case that wouldn’t work. You need to be able to move.
I think you have always done a good job of sharing details of your every day life Greetje. I feel that I know your friends , how much you love them and how you all enjoy life ,laughter, food and some festive shopping. I know that you treasure your homeland and that you enjoy sharing its beauty and culture. I know how tough it’s been to endure your knee issues and your frustration with their impact on your daily life and your style. I know that you’ve put on your brave face and maintained a smile even when it was tough. I know that Ron loves and treasures you and you feel the same about him. I know that Ron enjoys giving you special momentoes of his love but that he gets grumpy when you ask him to take photos. I know that there’s A LOT more to know about you Greetje but your blog doesn’t need any overhaul. You reveal your charm, humanity, humor and real life experiences already. I’m lovin it!
Oh my,too much honour. In most cases of your knowing you are right. In the case of the Knee I cannot say I’ve put on a brave face and smiled. I moaned a lot. And I mean a lot. And whined about it and talked about it. A lot. Feeling very sorry for myself. Until I came to terms with the fact it might not heal at all. That was quite a shock. And I realised if I continued moaning and whining, nobody would want to hang out with me anymore. So I used comparison the other way around. Instead of comparing my situation with people who are better off, I compared myself with people who are worse off. Makes you feel humble and puts things in perspective.
Nevertheless, your compliments are always welcome haha. Thanks.
I think we’re all in some sort of whiny rebellion when it comes to aging, particularly when it comes to the “oh my aching ______ !”. When I hear the phrase “getting old is not for sissies” I can totally agree. With that in mind, you should know that you have supporters who do understand.
Also, the way you went about gaining perspective is spot on. Perspective…
An admiring supporter,
Jude
I have a fan.. Yay! You put a smile on my face Jude.
Hi my dear friend,
Must admit I haven’t checked your blog for a while, bit this was a great post! Loved the polka dot shirt dress and all the lovely photos of Holland.
I too love polka dots, bought myself a few ‘dotty’ pieces while in Spain, one of them being a white with navy spots sun dress, which is so cool, I have been wearing it a lot in this hot weather. You’re Looking Good! X
What a lovely surprise, you visiting my blog. No need to apologize, I know it isn’t “your thing”. All the more reason to be chuffed with your compliments. I am sometimes changing the concept of blog posts when I think it might get tiring. Blogging is a process and you learn along the way. I still like it a lot. Every detail of it. From the technical stuff behind it, to the clothes (this one is rather obvious haha), to the photography, the picking of the right photos and the writing, editing and replying to comments. Just recently found out that my replies are not automatically mailed to the person who commented. It suddenly stopped doing that. So I am going to change the comment possibility to one which does reply to email. After all, interaction with readers is so nice and I don’t want everybody to return to an old post to see my reply. I hate doing that myself.
If it wasn’t for my arthosis in my knee, I would come and visit you again this year and see your white /navy polka dot dress in real life. Unfortunately I don’t know when I can travel again. Let’s hope next year.
I like wearing fitted pencil skirts under dresses for extra length. I think it adds a splash of visual interest as well. Polka dots always seem fresh and cheerful, stripes too.
I definitely appreciate the inclusion of a photo with the text below the photo 😉
Whahaha.. yes I couldn’t resist making a joke about the below and above text.
I like wearing fitted pencil skirts under dresses for extra length. I think it adds a splash of visual interest as well. Polka dots always seem fresh and cheerful, stripes too.
I definitely appreciate the inclusion of a photo with the text below the photo 😉
Whahaha.. yes I couldn’t resist making a joke about the below and above text.
I didn’t read every comment, but I can’t imagine anybody not liking polka dots, LOL. In my opinion there are polka dots for every taste…small, large, random, orderly, colourful, bold, high contrast, tone on tone…I could go on…
I like that your giving the newsy chat a try. I’d like to do more of that, but honestly, by the time I’ve chatted about the garment I’ve made and showed the angles in different photos, I’m often just ready to hit publish and be done with it.
PS…forgot to mention when I commented on your Food Truck post…I didn’t know you had a kitty. Sophia is lovely!
When I have made a blogpost I will edit it at least three times before publishing. Time consuming, yes indeed. Bear in mind that English is not my native language. Although… I would probably also do this in Dutch.
Sophia is a beautiful cat to look at, but she is not one you can handle without gloves (haha, another Dutch saying literally translated). She lets me stroke her for 10, 15 seconds. If I go on, she will attack me. Next time I will choose a tomcat.
I really enjoyed learning more about your life & it amazes me that you are able to express yourself so naturally in a ‘foreign’ language . I know some British people who struggle to express themselves as well as you . Nice to see Amsterdam again too , a lovely place
I have had a lot of practise in the English language: 5 years secondary school, 2 years working with a British company in The Netherlands where nobody spoke a word of Dutch and I have English speaking friends. Plus I have a knack for languages. But in Dutch I am much more eloquent (I love that word 😊). However I am also a perfectionist and I know my English is good but not perfect. Alas, I cannot afford a proofreader haha. So I am glad you enjoy my blog in spite of imperfectins.
I really enjoyed learning more about your life & it amazes me that you are able to express yourself so naturally in a ‘foreign’ language . I know some British people who struggle to express themselves as well as you . Nice to see Amsterdam again too , a lovely place
I have had a lot of practise in the English language: 5 years secondary school, 2 years working with a British company in The Netherlands where nobody spoke a word of Dutch and I have English speaking friends. Plus I have a knack for languages. But in Dutch I am much more eloquent (I love that word 😊). However I am also a perfectionist and I know my English is good but not perfect. Alas, I cannot afford a proofreader haha. So I am glad you enjoy my blog in spite of imperfectins.
Yes, so true, who could possibly not love a polkadotted dress? Your neighbor did a wonderful job with the photography here and I also love her colorful dress. Also, I liked the red car in front of that sweet house.
I am glad you shared some personal information. We all have family dramas every now and then. Since I have a large family, and my husband does too, we often have a drama or two.
I must say, I do not like your relationship with your creative director. You should never have to jump when someone snaps their fingers!
Love the photo of the boat and that Ron does this as a business !
❤️❤️❤️
Elle
https://theellediaries.com/
I have a very small family so if something really serious happens, it has great impact. But all is well that ends well.
I had to laugh when I saw your remark on my creative director. It is really not the agency’s fault. It is either I am available to give feedback at all times or they cannot deliver the materials in the short time that we have given them. So it is my choice to go along with this tight schedule. No problem. They are very courteous.
Yes, so true, who could possibly not love a polkadotted dress? Your neighbor did a wonderful job with the photography here and I also love her colorful dress. Also, I liked the red car in front of that sweet house.
I am glad you shared some personal information. We all have family dramas every now and then. Since I have a large family, and my husband does too, we often have a drama or two.
I must say, I do not like your relationship with your creative director. You should never have to jump when someone snaps their fingers!
Love the photo of the boat and that Ron does this as a business !
❤️❤️❤️
Elle
https://theellediaries.com/
I have a very small family so if something really serious happens, it has great impact. But all is well that ends well.
I had to laugh when I saw your remark on my creative director. It is really not the agency’s fault. It is either I am available to give feedback at all times or they cannot deliver the materials in the short time that we have given them. So it is my choice to go along with this tight schedule. No problem. They are very courteous.
I think your life looks quite exciting, Greetje! Having a boat to cruise along Amsterdam is awesome too!! I’ve never been to Holland but hope to one day. And then we can meet!
Loved your photos, and your polka dot dress!
Hugs
Suzy xxx
http://www.suzyturner.com
Oh yes, please do let me know in advance if and when you come to Holland. Excellent plane connections to Amsterdam. And my life is really very average. Cruising with the boat is about the wildest thing we do.
I think your life looks quite exciting, Greetje! Having a boat to cruise along Amsterdam is awesome too!! I’ve never been to Holland but hope to one day. And then we can meet!
Loved your photos, and your polka dot dress!
Hugs
Suzy xxx
http://www.suzyturner.com
Oh yes, please do let me know in advance if and when you come to Holland. Excellent plane connections to Amsterdam. And my life is really very average. Cruising with the boat is about the wildest thing we do.
You are beginning to get quite the creative eye when photographing now, looks like you’ve picked up a few tricks from Ron.
I also love polka dots. This is a fresh look and very unique with your added pencil skirt.
Suzanne
http://www.suzannecarillo.com
Do I?? Perhaps it is blood, sweat and tears what works in my case. Like with styling. I haven’t got a clue and no talent, but PERSEVERANCE in abundance. I bet you won’t read this comment, but I am working on a comment plug-in which sends my replies by email to the comment giver. Hope my IT-guy will succeed.
You are beginning to get quite the creative eye when photographing now, looks like you’ve picked up a few tricks from Ron.
I also love polka dots. This is a fresh look and very unique with your added pencil skirt.
Suzanne
http://www.suzannecarillo.com
Do I?? Perhaps it is blood, sweat and tears what works in my case. Like with styling. I haven’t got a clue and no talent, but PERSEVERANCE in abundance. I bet you won’t read this comment, but I am working on a comment plug-in which sends my replies by email to the comment giver. Hope my IT-guy will succeed.
Who does not like polka dots? To me yes, of course! And if they are placed in this wonderful dress, which in turn is placed on my friend, much more! I guess I have little to say about how much I like this look, because you know me well and you know how excited I am to see you dressed in your pretty and elegant dresses. I love this dress because of its simplicity and delicate style. I understand your concern when putting your skirt tube under the dress, but, despite what I love the skirts, in this case I do not like, or rather, the dress loses a bit of its appeal. The asymmetry in the length of the dress is beautiful, although I imagine that it is uncomfortable for you to dress it. But with legs as wonderful as yours you should lose the fear of teaching them … with your usual discretion. I love the accessories, I love the photos and it makes me smile your reference to the breast of British women. In your case, everything perfectly in its place! 😉
Ha, I like your way of thinking and yes the dress does lose a bit of its appeal, you are right in that. But I do feel uncomfortable in dresses which are too high up. I would love brands to make dresses like this, just a little longer. Just cannot find them. My favourite brand Sportmax always makes them this short as well. Great for Italian women who are usually not that tall (with the exception of Daniela) and of course it is an Italian brand. I will keep on searching.
One correction, the remark about breasts was referring to the British upper class, not British women in general. In my case, they are often awkward in fashion, but I can get around it. They are healthy, that is what matters.
Who does not like polka dots? To me yes, of course! And if they are placed in this wonderful dress, which in turn is placed on my friend, much more! I guess I have little to say about how much I like this look, because you know me well and you know how excited I am to see you dressed in your pretty and elegant dresses. I love this dress because of its simplicity and delicate style. I understand your concern when putting your skirt tube under the dress, but, despite what I love the skirts, in this case I do not like, or rather, the dress loses a bit of its appeal. The asymmetry in the length of the dress is beautiful, although I imagine that it is uncomfortable for you to dress it. But with legs as wonderful as yours you should lose the fear of teaching them … with your usual discretion. I love the accessories, I love the photos and it makes me smile your reference to the breast of British women. In your case, everything perfectly in its place! 😉
Ha, I like your way of thinking and yes the dress does lose a bit of its appeal, you are right in that. But I do feel uncomfortable in dresses which are too high up. I would love brands to make dresses like this, just a little longer. Just cannot find them. My favourite brand Sportmax always makes them this short as well. Great for Italian women who are usually not that tall (with the exception of Daniela) and of course it is an Italian brand. I will keep on searching.
One correction, the remark about breasts was referring to the British upper class, not British women in general. In my case, they are often awkward in fashion, but I can get around it. They are healthy, that is what matters.
I love the idea of the skirt under the dress. I much much much prefer polka dots to stripes. I feel sorry for people who think that polka dots are childish 😛
I am not that outspoken about dots and stripes. Love them both. Most of all I love colour. Bright colours. But black and white have always been my favourite. Not the best combination for me, but so classy. Always good. If you use the trick of the skirt under a dress, make sure you have a tapered pencil skirt. That works best. A stretchy one is a plus because of no moving restrictions.
I love the idea of the skirt under the dress. I much much much prefer polka dots to stripes. I feel sorry for people who think that polka dots are childish 😛
I am not that outspoken about dots and stripes. Love them both. Most of all I love colour. Bright colours. But black and white have always been my favourite. Not the best combination for me, but so classy. Always good. If you use the trick of the skirt under a dress, make sure you have a tapered pencil skirt. That works best. A stretchy one is a plus because of no moving restrictions.
I really like Essential Antwerp & this dress is no exception! I’d also wear it over jeans, with a cardigan, with boots & over loose pyjama pants. It’s such a great styling piece Greetje, you did well getting it on sale.
Oy what a glamorous life you lead boating around Amsterdam. I would very much like to book Ron someday xx
Oh good thinking. I have black and white striped trousers (sorry, you will never hear me say pants), wide ones. I will have a look whether that is a good outfit.
Wearing it like a jacket was on my mind too. A cardigan I do not have as they don’t look good on me.
And eh.. glamourous life??? Hmmm.. like a lot in life, it looks better on the outside. Ron still loves his boat and I am glad he uses it for a little business as I don’t want to do too many trips in a year. His wife and dog are very disappointing when it comes to his boat. Charlie doesn’t like it AT ALL.
I love your posts and they always make me smile ! Lovely dress, you can’t beat ‘dots’ ( as well
as stripe and a bit of animal ha ha !!!)
That was an excellent picture of you all on Ron’s boat, nothing like a trip on a boat ! My step dad when he was alive had a boat, well it was more of a ketch and not always suited to the North East of England’s weather !! If I am ever lucky enough to visit your country I will book a trip on your boat as it would be a fantastic way to see all the sights.
I follow Nikki’s blogs too, I think that I came across hers by chance and then a while later followed a link onto yours. Your command of the English Language is excellent by the way and I enjoy your way of writing and of course your sense of fun !!! I enjoy Nikki’s posts too and think I am very lucky to have found you both.
What a lovely thing to say, feeling lucky to have found both Nikki’s and my blog. I don’t dare compare myself with her, but I am inspired. Nothing wrong with setting the bar high.
I know my English isn’t half bad but I would love to find a native speaker who would be crazy enough to edit my posts. As my blog doesn’t bring in any money, I cannot pay a person. Which makes it really difficult haha.
Ron did some elaborate research before he bought this boat. He found out that this boat was built based on a pilot boat and then tweeked to make it more polished. So very sturdy (and sea worthy). And, very important, it was a boat of which very few were offered second hand. And if they were, they were high in price and sold very fast. He thought that it was a good investment. Well if you can call buying any boat an investment. It even has a little kitchen and a toilet with a drain tank. The toilet had me sold. OK, flushing is done with water from the canals, so the smell isn’t really rosy, but the fact there is one is a big plus.
Love reading your blog and you give an insight into your life in every post – I love your wit and humour. I have just had 2 weeks in your lovely country, 1 week outside Haarlem and the 2nd week on the Zeeland coast, I really enjoy seeing the places you visit and keep them in mind for our holidays.
Oh lovely. I will write to the Dutch government telling them to sponsor me for attracting so many tourists haha. Just joking.
Zeeland is beautiful, I was born there, in West-Zeeuwsvlaanderen, but it was too suffocating for me. Small village where everybody knows everything about you and judges you… not my cup of tea. Of course it is the same in every small village around the world. But nature is beautiful in Zeeland and the beaches are not crowded.
Hi my dear friend,
Must admit I haven’t checked your blog for a while, bit this was a great post! Loved the polka dot shirt dress and all the lovely photos of Holland.
I too love polka dots, bought myself a few ‘dotty’ pieces while in Spain, one of them being a white with navy spots sun dress, which is so cool, I have been wearing it a lot in this hot weather. You’re Looking Good! X
What a lovely surprise, you visiting my blog. No need to apologize, I know it isn’t “your thing”. All the more reason to be chuffed with your compliments. I am sometimes changing the concept of blog posts when I think it might get tiring. Blogging is a process and you learn along the way. I still like it a lot. Every detail of it. From the technical stuff behind it, to the clothes (this one is rather obvious haha), to the photography, the picking of the right photos and the writing, editing and replying to comments. Just recently found out that my replies are not automatically mailed to the person who commented. It suddenly stopped doing that. So I am going to change the comment possibility to one which does reply to email. After all, interaction with readers is so nice and I don’t want everybody to return to an old post to see my reply. I hate doing that myself.
If it wasn’t for my arthosis in my knee, I would come and visit you again this year and see your white /navy polka dot dress in real life. Unfortunately I don’t know when I can travel again. Let’s hope next year.
Love reading your blog and you give an insight into your life in every post – I love your wit and humour. I have just had 2 weeks in your lovely country, 1 week outside Haarlem and the 2nd week on the Zeeland coast, I really enjoy seeing the places you visit and keep them in mind for our holidays.
Oh lovely. I will write to the Dutch government telling them to sponsor me for attracting so many tourists haha. Just joking.
Zeeland is beautiful, I was born there, in West-Zeeuwsvlaanderen, but it was too suffocating for me. Small village where everybody knows everything about you and judges you… not my cup of tea. Of course it is the same in every small village around the world. But nature is beautiful in Zeeland and the beaches are not crowded.
What a great post. I am a fan of Nikki’s also and agree that writing about her life is entertaining and engaging. I love this post and if I ever make it to Amsterdam, we will book your husband’s tour and I’ll bring my low class ample bosom with me. I do always get frustrated with fashion which seems to be designed for pre-pubescent girls (no breasts, no hips). Your solution with the skirt is a great one and, as always, you look very chic and pulled together. Keep writing!
You made me laugh with “and I’ll bring my low class ample bosom with me” hahaha. Thank you for that.
If you ever use the trick with the pencil skirt, make sure you have one which is tapered. Wider skirt don’t work that well. And a stretchy one, which I have is great of course. Can be very tapered and still give you movement. Of course I could never use this skirt as an actual pencil skirt as my tummy is massivie because of the stretch.
Big fan of polka dots here! You look amazing in your lovely shirt-dress, Greetje – I very much like the pencil skirt worn under it too. Lovely pics of the canal! Happy week to you!
And a happy week to you too. I am very happy with all your comments. The shirt-dress has one thing I need to watch..: the side seams have a tendency to go forward. Hmm… don’t know what to do about that yet. Usually I pin everything to where I want it to stay. Or use dress tape, but in this case that wouldn’t work. You need to be able to move.
I think you have always done a good job of sharing details of your every day life Greetje. I feel that I know your friends , how much you love them and how you all enjoy life ,laughter, food and some festive shopping. I know that you treasure your homeland and that you enjoy sharing its beauty and culture. I know how tough it’s been to endure your knee issues and your frustration with their impact on your daily life and your style. I know that you’ve put on your brave face and maintained a smile even when it was tough. I know that Ron loves and treasures you and you feel the same about him. I know that Ron enjoys giving you special momentoes of his love but that he gets grumpy when you ask him to take photos. I know that there’s A LOT more to know about you Greetje but your blog doesn’t need any overhaul. You reveal your charm, humanity, humor and real life experiences already. I’m lovin it!
Oh my,too much honour. In most cases of your knowing you are right. In the case of the Knee I cannot say I’ve put on a brave face and smiled. I moaned a lot. And I mean a lot. And whined about it and talked about it. A lot. Feeling very sorry for myself. Until I came to terms with the fact it might not heal at all. That was quite a shock. And I realised if I continued moaning and whining, nobody would want to hang out with me anymore. So I used comparison the other way around. Instead of comparing my situation with people who are better off, I compared myself with people who are worse off. Makes you feel humble and puts things in perspective.
Nevertheless, your compliments are always welcome haha. Thanks.
I think we’re all in some sort of whiny rebellion when it comes to aging, particularly when it comes to the “oh my aching ______ !”. When I hear the phrase “getting old is not for sissies” I can totally agree. With that in mind, you should know that you have supporters who do understand.
Also, the way you went about gaining perspective is spot on. Perspective…
An admiring supporter,
Jude
I have a fan.. Yay! You put a smile on my face Jude.
Hah! I don’t have an “upper class bosom” either. (And my family had a similar attitude, and was very dismayed when it was apparent I would be a “buxom” gal.)
I love polka dots! And I like your solution for the too-short dress too, will have to remember that one. I just can’t get over how charming everything is there. Even the morbid sign 😉 . I hope if we visit Amsterdam again we’ll have the right weather for a cruise in the boat. It looks like such fun.
Honestly? Your family had a similar attitude? I am amazed or better said flabbergasted. I still had the hope/idea that the Haute Couture lady was speaking for herself.
If you use my trick with the pencil skirt, be sure you use a tapered one. Wider skirts usually look funny or spoil the look. Only for one dress I use a sheath dress underneath with pleats at the bottom, just peeping from under. That was hell to get the length right.
Hope you will visit Amsterdam again. And that the weather is sunny.
Always have loved polka dots ….. will use your idea of adding a pencil skirt to dresses I would feel more comfortble with if they were longer.
Enjoy hearing about your personal life ….. and always enjoy the pictures you share.
Oh good! Thanks for your comment. With such feedback I know I am on the right track. Also when you hate something I do in a blog post, please let me know. I can handle criticism. After all, if nobody tells me whether they like it or not, I will only find out much later when I see nobody is reading my blog posts anymore. I’d rather know sooner.
Love polka dots, too! Clever how you wear the pencil skirt to avoid showing too much leg. I love the touch of red which gives a great accent and the hair blowing in the wind is super nice. Makes it all a bit less posed. Also very good of you to add more about your personal life. No one’s life is perfect and we all have stressful situations to deal with, although most people would never dare to publicise it on the internet! You’re brave! A real Aries!
As you know Karen, I am so easy with sharing information, so open, that it is hard for me to imagine that others would have problems with it. I know most people do, but that is knowledge, not feeling it.
Thanks for the nice compliments.
It’s great to be so open and honest. It might get more people to do the same! Too many people are afraid of being open!
It’s so fun to hear about your life like this Greetje!!
I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t love polka dots a long time ago. They weren’t serious enough….how silly though. Now? I love them because life is too short not to have fun!!
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
PS. Rob is working on the computer issue…he says I need your IP address but I’ll email you when I get home…. obviously I’m not at home if I’m reading this..haha
I will look for my IP address tonight when I am home. As I am not home either at the moment.
Polka dots have never played a big role in my life but I do like them and remember a darling skirt suit, black with white polka dots, which I loved.
I just want you to know that my hubby worked on this today and had to change it to a static DNS setting….now I can get to your site from our home!! Yippee!! (that’s how much I love you…)
XOOX
I have no idea what you just wrote.. “change it to a static DNS setting”. But I believe you. Clever Rob! Kudos to him.
And I am very glad with your love. Mwah!
Thanks for telling us a bit about your life! What fun the boat cruise must be. By the way, could you please tell me how to pronounce your name in English?
Thanks.
Hah Mary.. that is not easy, pronouncing my name. It is like “great” but with a totally different “g”. More like growling, really harsh. Haha.
Greetje
Thank you! It must be like the “g” in Van Gogh, yes?
I love your shirt dress, wearing a skirt underneath is a very clever solution to the scooped hemline. The sun has disappeared here too, it has rained all day!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
We had a lovely morning and afternoon till 3 p.m. After that clouds and rain. The trick with the stretchy pencil skirt I got from Dan, The Pretty Cute.
Love that you wear the skirt under this dress. So unexpected and stylish. Great photos! The Netherlands have so beautiful places.
I think every country has it beautiful spots. My country only needs good weather to compliment the nice places. And that is not always the case. However, after seeing everything die this hot summer I am appreciating the rain for the first time in my life. The skirt trick underneath the dress is a trick I picked up from Daniela, The pretty cute.
Really enjoyed your account and very amused at your trying to get into a stranger’s house for your photo op. Imagine the conversation if someone had been at home…
Love your outfit and Loes’ dress too. She makes a very good photographer.
I am very happy Loes is helping me as my dear husband doesn’t like this task. He only does it because he wants to help me with my blog. He is only too glad to give this task to Loes haha.
And if someone had opened the door I would have tried to sweet-talk myself out of it. I am quite a smooth talker. Of course I don’t always get away with it.
Nothing beats a polka-dot dress Greetje and the colour combination black&white is so classy. I love how you have stuck to the classy scheme by your choice of bag and shoes! Love, Lieske
I did hesitate about the shoes. I have red peeptoe shoes as well. But somehow it seemed overly styled. The earrings and bracelet are enough.
Count me in on polka-dot love! In fact I found a really cute black and white polka dot blouse on my shopping layover in Amsterdam last week! Long sleeved, so I left it in my suitcase during this hot south of France week – and forgot about it til I started packing today – what a nice surprise 😉
Loved your life-tales, and the photos on the boat!
Thanks Anne, I will try and keep my life-tales up. More “work” but I love blogging so it should give me energy. Such a shame we couldn’t meet when you were in Amsterdam. Are you coming back?
I was really jealous of those photos on the boat! How Fabulous and fun that is! I wore polka dots and stripes last week. A perfect match!
I saw polka dots and stripes on Tiina’s blog too. They go together so well. Must be polka dot time.
Thanks for telling us a bit about your life! What fun the boat cruise must be. By the way, could you please tell me how to pronounce your name in English?
Thanks.
Hah Mary.. that is not easy, pronouncing my name. It is like “great” but with a totally different “g”. More like growling, really harsh. Haha.
Greetje
Thank you! It must be like the “g” in Van Gogh, yes?
I love your shirt dress, wearing a skirt underneath is a very clever solution to the scooped hemline. The sun has disappeared here too, it has rained all day!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
We had a lovely morning and afternoon till 3 p.m. After that clouds and rain. The trick with the stretchy pencil skirt I got from Dan, The Pretty Cute.
Love that you wear the skirt under this dress. So unexpected and stylish. Great photos! The Netherlands have so beautiful places.
I think every country has it beautiful spots. My country only needs good weather to compliment the nice places. And that is not always the case. However, after seeing everything die this hot summer I am appreciating the rain for the first time in my life. The skirt trick underneath the dress is a trick I picked up from Daniela, The pretty cute.
Really enjoyed your account and very amused at your trying to get into a stranger’s house for your photo op. Imagine the conversation if someone had been at home…
Love your outfit and Loes’ dress too. She makes a very good photographer.
I am very happy Loes is helping me as my dear husband doesn’t like this task. He only does it because he wants to help me with my blog. He is only too glad to give this task to Loes haha.
And if someone had opened the door I would have tried to sweet-talk myself out of it. I am quite a smooth talker. Of course I don’t always get away with it.
Nothing beats a polka-dot dress Greetje and the colour combination black&white is so classy. I love how you have stuck to the classy scheme by your choice of bag and shoes! Love, Lieske
I did hesitate about the shoes. I have red peeptoe shoes as well. But somehow it seemed overly styled. The earrings and bracelet are enough.
Count me in on polka-dot love! In fact I found a really cute black and white polka dot blouse on my shopping layover in Amsterdam last week! Long sleeved, so I left it in my suitcase during this hot south of France week – and forgot about it til I started packing today – what a nice surprise 😉
Loved your life-tales, and the photos on the boat!
Thanks Anne, I will try and keep my life-tales up. More “work” but I love blogging so it should give me energy. Such a shame we couldn’t meet when you were in Amsterdam. Are you coming back?