Most trouser suits I have seen, have jackets with sleeves. Mine hasn’t, it is rather different. Not only is it sleeveless, the jacket and the trousers are an unusual style, which is why I call it an atypical trouser suit. I bought it at kpa.haarlem, after Karlijn, the owner of that shop, modelled it on Instagram. That is somewhat risky as her figure and height is very different from mine. Nevertheless I tried it on and liked it. The blue sandals are also from kpa.haarlem; very comfortable.
The funny thing is that both Karlijn and I are a bit hesitant about this suit (she kept one for herself as well). I think it looks better on her, she thinks it looks better on me. This distorted way of looking at yourself is so common amongst women and no matter what somebody else says, you see other things in the mirror than your reflection. You see your perception and that blurs your vision.
Anyway, I am still happy with it. The flair with which you wear it, is half the battle, right?
Kitty had one and a half hour for the shoot, before leaving to go to work, which is why I chose a convenient location near her work. We are on the premises of the Haarlem library. In winter, before the lockdown, I had spotted the magnificent stairs of the old part of our library. It was built in 1563 for the shooters, the armed forces of the town.
Below: To my delight there is now a lot of greenery in the courtyard and a café for coffee and tea with a terrace. What a pleasant surprise.
Below: Kitty let me walk up and down the stairs a couple of times, demanding I kept looking at her. That was a bit too much. I nearly fell. How do these celebrities do that? Women in high heels walking down those show stairs, looking straight ahead. Mortifying.
Below: Because I always want to hide the skin of my upper arms, I bought a very thin, silk blouse to wear underneath the jacket. The blouse and trousers also look good together without the jacket.
Below: Of course the tables and chairs were too good to pass up for a different pose. The belt of the trousers is a rope style, giving the suit a nonchalant vibe.
Below: We stopped shooting for a cappuccino and a chat. The terrace was tempting.
I was brave and decided I was going to show you the suit the way it was intended: without a blouse underneath it. As my bra was showing through the big cut-outs at the side, I wanted to wear a little top underneath it. Luckily the café had a WC where I could change. I had already visioned myself doing it in public, with Kitty protecting me from unwanted looks by holding my jacket up in front of me haha.
Below: Without the blouse, standing with one leg on the bicycle stands. I hung my pale slate Demellier bag on the stands by its long handle. (More details about this bag in this post.)
Below: Did you notice I am wearing my latest Lara Design earrings again?
Below: Close-up of the earrings. They are so lightweight, you don’t feel them at all.
Below: You enter the courtyard through a very old entrance gate. See the crest with the arms?
Below: Outside in the street, to the right of the entrance, there is a door, way up high, leading to the attic. When I did some research on the building I stumbled upon this fact. I went back a couple of days later to see where the door was and shot this photo with my iPhone.
Below: This is what it looks like inside the attic. From 1563 to 1800 they stored arms in the attic, but only a small flight of stairs led up to it. If the arms were big, they hoisted them up from the street through that door high up, with a hoisting machine. This is pretty common in the old towns of the Netherlands.
Below: At the entrance.
Below: We went outside in the street where there are such sweet murals.
Below: Details of the birds.
Below: I posed against that wall and after seeing this photo I doubted the bravery of bare arms. As a matter of fact I decided never to bare my arms ever again. Old, wrinkled and thready, not nice.
Below: I took this lovely photo of Kitty against the sweet wall.
At home, Ron said he didn’t like the blue top underneath the jacket. After some digging in my closet I found a tank top which is nearly the same olive colour.
Below: I also tried this lime yellow top, called Lucy, by Bellamy Gallery, with the suit. I quite liked it. That was, until Kitty mailed me the photos and I saw my bare arms.
(You have seen this top in black in detail in this post with my polka dot co-ord. Bellamy Gallery sells them in 10 colours.)
I know I shouldn’t be bothered about my old arms, but I cannot help it, I am.
What happened in my life this week
Saturday Ron and I strolled along the antique fair in Haarlem. It is for the first time since lockdown that the stands are back. The weather was rather cold but still a lot of people enjoyed the market and the stand holders told us they were selling well. I didn’t take any photos (what is happening with me?), but here is one from a couple of years ago. (More photos and details in this post.) It is very much like the brocante markets in France.
Sunday was for leisure, reading, washing etc.
Monday I went into town to have my fringe cut and all the terraces in the sunshine looked so good (summer has definitely arrived). But I was strong and went straight home. After lunch Ron told me he was going to take me into town to have drinks on terraces. The darling thought up this plan early morning, knowing I love it. We had a wonderful time.
Tuesday was this photoshoot above, something I enjoy immensely.
Wednesday the gardener came to plant some extra jasmine in the garden as a few had died due to the cold. Only we found out they weren’t dead at all. The branches were bare but with loads of little green leaves springing from them. We decided to give the old plants the space to grow full again. The new plants were loaded back into the truck.
Thursday Ron and I spent at the beach with Watson. It was like being on holiday. In the evening we had our first dinner in a top restaurant with our friends Georg and Marla since two years. Oh it is nice to be fully vaccinated. Did I think of taking a photo? Nope.
Friday. Went to restaurant Ruby Rose in Utrecht with my friend Aafke.
Below: Aafke and me.
Below: Two photos of the restaurant’s interior. Ever so nice. The food was delicious too. I highly recommend this place.
Below: This is me head to toe, with a pretty Utrecht canal behind me. The colour of the dress is different than on this iPhone photo. See the original post. I totally forgot to take a head-to-toe photo of Aafke. Honestly, I am going from bad to worse.
Totally enjoyable week.
Greetje
You’ve been to such fabulous locations, Greetje! The library looked the perfect location for a photoshoot, as did Utrecht! And that restaurant you went to with your friend looks exquisite. As for your green suit, I love it! It’s so unusual, especially with the rope-style belt. I think I actually prefer the suit with the blouse beneath it — not because of your arms though lol. Us women are strange, aren’t we? We always seem to hate the tops of our arms, but c’est la vie!
Hugs
Suzy xx
I actually prefer the suit with the blouse beneath it as well. Looks more sophisticated I think.
Women always find faults with their body. It is a crying shame.
I love your suit, it’s so chic…and your arms are just fine. Mine are not as firm as they once were – time to up the weight training! The restaurant looks amazing, the interior decor is so beautiful. It looks like a fun-packed week!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
Unfortunately weight training isn’t going to help me. They are thready and wrinkled. Oh well, I like the suit better with the blouse anyway.
The restaurant took me by surprise too. What a beautiful decoration. And the food was really good too. Yes, it was a nice week. Retirement isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.
I think you have nothing to worry about with your arms, Greetje, but you’re the one who lives with them! I love this suit – it’s very much inspired by the 80s (I had pants like that, and a top like that!). The half-tuck is good, as is the thin blouse layered under it. I like the pale yellow top with it – I thought the aqua was your bra!
Your adventures sound so lovely – antiquing, a day at the beach, drinks on the terraces! We are getting close to that – they are just starting second shots here in Canada, but cases are very low (12 over 3 days in my city).
PS – don’t worry about commenting on my blog. It’s not a big deal – it takes a lot of time to keep up with them all! 🙂
Of course the photos don’t show the horrible truth about my arms. But they are thready, wrinkled and old. Goes against my idea of aesthetics.
No, the aqua was the top. I was wearing a very pretty lace bra underneath the blouse, thinking I was really sexy. Husband Ron remarked that it would be better if I wore a plain bra underneath it. The man isn’t French, that’s for sure.
In the Netherlands cases are going down as well and there is talk that we can drop the masks by Saturday. Only have to wear them in crowded places like public transport.
And thanks for understanding!!
Oh, this suit is just so, so good. Very modern and unique! I think your arms look fine, but we all have to do what feels comfortable. The blue shoes are really nice with it too.
I didn’t expect to get such raving reviews on the suit and of course I am very pleased about it. Must be my attitude haha.
Pale bue shoes like this and pale pink boots go with nearly everything. Very versatile.
The suit is very chic, and I like the cream blouse layered under it as it adds another colour to the outfit. I like it better layered over something with sleeves because of how low the armholes are cut.
I am waiting for my second shot of the vaccine; I was told it would likely be in August but I’m hoping that it gets moved ahead. I am sooo looking forward to going out for dinner with friends.
I agree that the suit looks nicer with the blouse. Which is quite fortunate as I want to cover my arms.
Getting your second shot and then waiting for the week or two weeks (depending on the stuff they used) to be totally safe is hard. You are going to cuddle every dear person who is also vaccinated after that.
I really like the way you have styled this suit. It is one my favourite colours too, which makes me biased. I think I need to buy some of Lara’s earrings. The fact that they are very light has convinced me I need to visit her website immediately. You are a bad influence!
The photos are, once again, fabulous. They do make me want to travel again, although I have to put those thoughts aside for now. At least we have had nice weather in the north of England these past 10 days.
Have a lovely week!
I know I am a bad influence Carole. And other bloggers and Instagrammers do the same with me. You can always email Marcella of Lara Design and set up a video conversation with her. She will gladly tell you which earrings are more heavy and which ones are really light. I have two pairs of very long ones, just a little golden stick with a glass drop or a bead at the end. They are lightweight too. The colourful ones I have are made from remnants of buffalo horn. This is still lightweight but slightly heavier than the ones in this post.
The pant suit is fabulous! Love the look of the fabric and the color. Bravo! The abalone earrings are perfect. I am always amazed at the pretty sites you choose for your photo shoots. So nice. And my husband would love browsing the antique fair. He is always hopeful for a treasure. We have had triple digit heat the last few days. Whew!
Thank you for the compliments. Much appreciated. Finding nice backgrounds for a photo shoot is getting harder and harder as Haarlem isn’t a big town. Kitty has to work full-time so she doesn’t have much time to venture out to other cities. Perhaps I can start over with the first place haha.
triple digits heat would have me sitting in my living room, curtains drawn, in my underpants and nothing else.
Hi Greetje, LOVE the green suit with rope tie. So chic. I think your arms are fine but I get it. I used to have amazing arms but I am 80 now so no sleeves don’t work for me anymore. Go to this on instagram: @sleevey_wonders. The Style Crone wears them all the time. They have green ones that would look great with that suit. I don’t know if they ship internationally but I would be happy to get you a pair and send them to you. Maybe there is a company in Europe that makes them.
Thanks for the compliments and the sleeves tip. Judith already told me about sleevey wonders, but I don’t want to order anything from outside Europe anymore. Shipping and customs are killing.
And if you have to send it back.. more costs and a lot of hassle.
I have found similar ones in Europe and funnily I never wear them. It doesn’t wear nicely. Or at least, these don’t.
The suit really “suits” you, it’s an unusual cut. The rope belt is a great touch and I love your bag too, I ogled it on Demellier’s website the first time you showed it.
Fascinating snippet of history with the arms store. And talking of arms, yours are fine!
We’re hoping to go to a resto soon for the first time in 8 or 9 months as things are opening up here too. Like Kathy below, I’m so tired of cooking every single night! Have a great week.
Haha… the suit suits me. Clever play with words. It is indeed an unusual cut, which attracted me. My mum always said: if there are things going on with clothes, Greetje will want it.
I hope you can go out to dinner soon. I am lucky with a husband who cooks.
The best suit yet and my favorite color!! OLIVE!! A refined color which looks best on blondes. I have been wearing the like for quite some time. A French number with a skirt instead of pants and another made by my favorite Israeli designer who lives here in South Cali, RUTI, with a pant. I always wear a top under the jacket as it always looks better to me. by the way, RUTI has a presence online. Some quirky ones, but always original!!
A most splendid restaurant, the like of which you find in most European grander cities. In Bucharest, where i grew up, a city of 2 million, there were a few of them as well.
A lovely red dress, however, better left for a more conservative “femme”. You are a lot more avant-garde than that!!
Kitty looks splendid in her lovely dress.
I’m with you. I could dine in a restaurant everyday, nowadays, as my desire to cook for two has diminished greatly ! Besides, its a lot more fun. I certainly can cook, but these days I’m no longer for trying new things. Same old, same old. My late husband liked to cook, my current boyfriend doesn’t, so out to dine! He’s a retired grand airline pilot who always had his food delivered by stewards!! So, here, out we go!!
I hate cooking, always have. I can do potatoes, vegetables and meat. That’s it. Which is why my husband cooks. Dining out every night is something we cannot afford. Our pensions are grand but not that grand.
Bucharest has 2 million residents? Amsterdam has 873.000 (2021). Never knew Bucharest was that big.
The red dress is actually orange and I agree it is rather formal, more for a workplace, but it is so easy to wear, you don’t feel it (big plus). I tried to tone it down with my sneakers.
RUTI sounds interesting but I do not order anything anymore from outside Europe. Too expensive in shipping and customs. Plus, if you have to send it back… hassle.
What a fabulous suit and I loved the silk blouse too
You always have such wonderful scenery. Buildings are amazing
Thanks for the compliments. I always try and find new places to use as background but Kitty has a full-time job, which means little time, so we cannot go very far. I will have to start all over again with the same spots haha.
Those murals you found are so pretty! I think you are doing a lot for tourism with your blog, as well as for style! Your pantsuit is so chic — love the detail of the rope belt.
The rope belt is a very good detail, isn’t it? It give the suit a nonchalant vibe.
A lot of readers have said they will be visiting Haarlem (and Amsterdam) soon. Before Covid we had so many tourists it was getting too much. So I don’t think both cities want any more promotion haha.
Super cool pant suit and very impressive that you wear it so well. Not many people could pull that off. The color is gorgeous on you too. Love the red dress and white necklace as well – so stylish.
Have a great week!
As I said, how an outfit is perceived depends a lot on how you wear it. With confidence or not haha. If you don’t feel it, fake it until you make it.
The red dress is actually bright orange, but the photo is bad.
Just a fantastic suit! No sleeves means more options in different colors. So I think it is a winner, and also like the light blue shoe combination. Well done! 💋
I didn’t expect this much praise. Thank you.
That is a gorgeous suit, and I love it with the light blouse under it. It is nice to see you out and enjoying life again. Fingers crossed we will be to that point in a few months. I get my second shot this afternoon and am absolutely giddy just thinking about it. Of course we have to wait for everyone else to catch up as well. I do enjoy Sunday posts with a peek into your life. You have some stunning architecture.
I am so glad you enjoy my little blog. Thank you for reading my posts. Your second shot eh? I know why you are giddy. I am the same and now, a week after the second shot (Pfizer) I am fully protected. Life will be so much easier. And especially because the weather is now sunny and it is hot.
Love the beautiful green. This seems to be your colour! I also love the chunky white necklace that you’re wearing in another picture.
I’ve been fully vaccinated for a week. Here in Canada, our outdoor patios just opened. I think soon I may want to spend all my time in restaurants! Tired of cooking!
Enjoyed your post!
Oh many colours are my colour. Green, red, fuchsia, yellow…as long as it is a bright shade. The chunky white necklace are flowers and it is a present from my friend Anja.
Our restaurants are open, inside and out with few restrictions. Fortunately my husband cooks, so I am not tired of cooking.