Meeting my friend Marjolein wearing jeans with a grey top at the Japanese garden in the Hague. I had absolutely no idea what a Japanese garden entailed. And to be honest, I still don’t, The only thing I know about Japanese plants and trees is pretty pink cherry blossom (in spring of course; not in autumn) and bonsai trees. That’s it. But somehow I expected something spectacular. Instead, I saw an autumn park swamped with people. You can be the judge whether this Japanese garden is beautiful as we have taken a lot of photos and I photoshopped all those annoying people out of sight. Took me hours but it is good practice. Wrinkles and such I leave as they are, but people in the wrong place have to go.
Below: This is an example of the amount of people in the garden. At the right you can see a lady, ready to cross a beautiful little bridge, but standing in line.
Below: And this is how I make things pretty. If trimming the trees and bushes is part of the garden’s beauty, then I am afraid I might have spoiled some of that.
Below: The little red bridge.
Below: Marjolein, my friend and photographer of the day. She was wearing a purple coat (even though it looks blue in this photo), white eyelet shirt, faux leather trousers and leopard print boots. Complimented with red tassel earrings. Way to go Marjolein.
I will let you see a couple of garden photos and ‘sprinkle’ the outfit photos in between.
Below: The branch of this tree is supported by a wooden X and continues across the path (see the photo underneath this one).
Below: That branch reaches pretty far and goes back up.
Below: The grey top underneath a bright yellow blazer. I like the grey as it tones down the brightness of the yellow. A white top would have a different effect. I bought this Transit top at a shop called LAB Women’s Clothing in Haarlem. They have beautiful clothes and the women in the shop always help me a lot with styling. And they are honest with me, which I highly appreciate. My champagne-coloured boots by Eijk Amsterdam are soft golden yellow, which I thought would go well with the blazer.
Below: The big blue bag made its first appearance on the blog in this previous post. about my lime leather jacket.
Below: The Buddha temple, which is behind me in the photo above.
Below: Wearing my abalone earrings from Lara Design.
Below: Beautiful although I don’t know what it is (I am so ignorant).
Below: Marjolein only appears to be leaning against it. There were strict rules to stay on the paths.
Below: Some more beauty.
Below: I figured that this long jacket with its grey background and yellow polka dots would look good with the grey top as well.
Below: It is more for spring but I am just showing you the possibilities. I changed the blue bag for a pewter mini bag from Midlifechic.
Below: I took another photo of Marjolein (she was looking into the bright light of the sun, which is why she isn’t smiling.)
Below: Two more lovely tree photos without the many people who were ruining the pictures.
Below: As we were leaving the Japanese garden, we were in Park Clingendael which is beautiful and very big. The building behind the tree is the Clingendael Institute.
Below: The Clingendael institute building from the front. It is “an independent think tank and diplomatic academy”. This is where our diplomats get their education.
Below: One last outfit photo of the grey top. As in the first photo of this post, I am wearing a green statement necklace by Angela Caputi.
Below: Close-up of the Angela Caputi necklace. As I was copying her site address, I resisted looking at her jewellery. Too dangerous.
Below: At the entrance of Park Clingendael is this cute little house. They had Halloween shirts hanging in front of the windows. Spoils it a bit but indicates that people actually live in this house.
What happened in my life this week
Because you have been complaining when there isn’t a photo of mum in a post, here is another one. She was trying this new jumper, asking my opinion. I said “Keep it”. She even has purple trousers to match the jumper.
Below: Little triviality. I thought up this flower combination. When I asked for some green leaves, I got this rather exotic one (eucalyptus) which I love. So that was a better execution than my initial idea.
We are back on wearing masks again in shops etc. as the Covid-19 contamination rate has gone up considerably again. The bars and restaurants close at 8 p.m. Sort of a mini lock-down.
I had agreed to go out to dinner with my friend Helga and we had to reschedule the restaurant, starting at 5 p.m. Suits me fine as I am always peckish at 5 p.m. Instead of eating snacks until dinner, you now start with your first course.
Below: Helga and me in restaurant Toujours. That strange net left from us, is from a cosy corner. It was a strange but also lovely restaurant. There were plush seats, old-fashioned lamp shades, flower wallpaper and more. There was a definite boudoir vibe.
Below: When I asked where there was a spot with enough light to take a head-to-toe shot of Helga, they pointed me to the toilets. They made the space very “Instagrammable”. Helga’s boots have a scalloped side seam, very special.
Below: Close-up of Helga. Believe it or not, but she is 66. Some people have such good genes. She is a sweet, intelligent and witty person.
Below: Me in the restaurant, wearing my leather dress. (Link to the original post with several styling possibilities.)
Below: And this was a new-to-me cocktail. A Pornstar Martini. I love that name. No idea whether they make it like this everywhere but it was delicious. I had two (and really felt it haha). My all-time favourite cocktail is Piña Colada, but hardly any bar or restaurant serves that these days. Apparently it is an old-fashioned drink. Not hip.
I had three photo shoots this week. Monday with Loes in cold and grey weather. Wednesday with my friend Marjolein and low temperatures but the sun was out. And Thursday with Kitty in the early morning (9 a.m. aagghh); it was cold but sunny, good photo shoot weather.
It is good to have outfit photos in stock for those rainy weeks when shoots are out of the question.
As we were having lunch at Vascobelo, Marjolein drew my attention to the window next to us (below). Beautiful stained-glass window. I have been to that restaurant so many times and I have sat at that table at least 5 times. Never noticed the window. Shame on me.
After the photo shoot with Kitty on Thursday, my friend Katrien from Leiden popped by and handed me the coat she made me. A bespoke coat. It is not only bespoke but such a statement. I love it but I realize it is an acquired taste. You will have to wait for Kitty to photograph it.
Below: My Thursday outfit. The grey green jumper from last week, brown belt, leopard boots by Eijk Amsterdam.
Below: Close-up of the Lara Design earrings I was wearing with it. Golden top, brown square and lime stingray drop.
My appointment with the eye doctor has been postponed to next week as she fell ill this week.
The weather has been quite sunny this week (apart from Monday) and on Friday I joined Ron to take dog Watson for a walk in the park. See Watson below having a great old time.
To adorn my candle plateau I gathered berries and little pinecones. Below: The mushrooms stayed the park, but they were beautiful.
See you next week.
Greetje
Hello Greetje This is a great post. I thought you looked lovely in the yellow jacket and it goes so well with the boots. Yellow is such a bright happy colour. I did enjoy the visit to the Japanese garden. Your photoshopping is very impressive.
I found your blog at the beginning of the year and now every Monday I look forward to seeing your latest post. You have a real knack with fashion and always look beautiful. I like hearing about Ron and Watson, meeting your friends and your mother. They all seem such fun and have unique fashion styles. I enjoy your trips around the Netherlands. It’s the next best things to being there myself.
Thank you very much for your lovely blog.
By the way that vase of flowers seem to be all Aust/NZ plants – gum leaves (Eucalyptus), kangaroo paws, and Billy Buttons
Skye
I totally agree with you; yellow is a bright and happy colour. Lifts your spirits.
And I am very, very pleased that you enjoy my little blog so much. As I am non commercial, I can do and write whatever I want on my blog, without having to take interests of others into account. It is a real hobby of mine which I enjoy tremendously. Knowing that there are people outdoor who enjoy what I create, hugely contributes to the fun. So the pleasure is all mine.
The flowers in the vase…I think you are right. I know for sure that Eucalyptus is one of them. The others I just picked because I liked the look of them. I am afraid I am not very knowledgeable on plants, trees and flowers.
Beautiful ladies and beautiful photos! I really like the way a jacket adds to the appeal of denim. You look super! So do your friends. And your Mom.
Nearly any jacket on any jeans is good as far as I am concerned. Which is great as both items suit my figure. Thanks for the multiple compliments.
I love your yellow blazer and the yellow brocade jacket and your friend’s purple/indigo jacket is smashing! I adore Japanese gardens (as you might remember from my own posts), but bummer you had so many people around.
What a lovely stained glass window that is. Nice to see Watson enjoying all the smells (as dogs do).
Great to see your mum, Greetje. I like her slippers!
Glad you enjoyed the post Sheila. Yellow is one of my favourite colours because I think it is so cheerful and sunny. Marjolein’s favourite colour is purple.
Great post. Your friends are just as stylish as you. I loved those long shadows in the Watson picture. Your Photoshop work is impressive. I am going to share a Photoshop story: my daughter wanted her high school senior portrait to be taken outside a theater she had worked in from grade school to high school. It is very special because it was built straddling the US/Canada border in the late 1800s. When we looked at the proofs, the best picture of her also had a person in the background being arrested by border guards! Needless to say, there are many more trees in the background of her yearbook picture than there should be. Carol in VT
Hahaha what a funny story. What are the odds of an arrest happening in the background when your portrait is taken. Reality is always much more surprising than fantasy.
I love Japanese gardens. When they’re well done it’s a beautiful natural composition of colors and textures. I always find them very serene.
The green necklace is fabulous, but I also like the outfit with the yellow jacket and abalone earrings. Great looks all around!
Your Mum looks spiffy in her new jumper and your friends are always such a stylish bunch!
Looking forward to chatting tomorrow!
If all those people hadn’t been there it would have been a serene garden. The green necklace is an evergreen (pun intended).
Thanks for all the compliments and see you in a couple of hours.
How cute you are with your look so cool. With the yellow blazer, or with the yellow coat, the look is already great. I like the coat better, more discreet. Surrounded by nature and forests, you still look more beautiful. How I like to see you with your jeans !!
You are so kind to me. Thank you very much for all your compliments. And eh.. ‘discreet’ isn’t really me hahaha.
Hello Greetje. I like your outfit wearing the yellow coat best. For your next cocktail, try an Espresso Martini – you will love it!
I looked up Espresso Martini and you might be quite right, it looks delicious. My kind of cocktail. Mind you, the Netherlands isn’t very cocktail minded, so you cannot find them in every bar. But I will be on the look-out.
As others have already remarked, I too love the photos of the Japanese garden. It looks so calm- especially after your digital removal of the other visitors. I hope the visit to the eye doctor goes OK. Sorry to hear about the increased restrictions in The Netherlands. We should have taken these measures in the UK months ago.
Have a lovely week!
I will try and do another post in spring when there are cherry blossoms. It is only open to the public for 14 days, so it is a small window.
The restrictions in the Netherlands weren’t enough. There will be more and more severe restrictions soon. Lots of riots going on from people who disagree with that. Bummer of course for the shops as Christmas shopping will be done online then.
Great yellow blazer!! Stunning Angela necklace.
Marjolein looks hip! The Japanese garden is lovely with the autumn colors in full bloom. A mixture of architectural messiness and lovely ponds and colorful bridge. A calming oasis in a disorderly world!!
Thanks Daniella. Well put: “a calming oasis in a disorderly world”. That is what it should have been and that is what it looks like after my photoshopping. But it was busy. Such a shame.
The Angela necklace will be with me for the rest of my life. As your necklace will as well. Good pieces which will never go out of style.
What a great post! You had a little bit of everything in it and I loved it! Japanese gardens are the best. They are so relaxing that I can feel my body calm down as I walk through. With the pandemic rising again, maybe all those other people were looking for a calm outlet, too. Take care and stay healthy!
So glad you liked my post. I felt doubtful as we were photographing and as I was putting the post together, but in the end I was happy with everything.
Perhaps everybody was looking for a calm outlet, but they sure haven’t found it that day.
Stunning yellow blazer–great cut of the lapels and the length is perfect. Also like metallic boots (yellow???) with the blazer. ‘
Love the necklace. You have the knack for putting outfits together. Best wishes to your Mum.
The yellow blazer is quite long and I found that it only looks good on jeans. Very strange. The metallic boots are light yellow as in champagne-colour. I would call it light gold.
The necklace is a keeper for the rest of my life. I found it in Rome. Always so nice to bring items home from a holiday. As for the knack for putting outfits together…I don’t by nature, but 9 years of blogging have taught me a few things haha.
I was looking for the right words to describe the Japanese garden that you visited, but Linda S did it perfectly. There are bits and pieces there that belong in a true Japanese garden, but the overall impression is not right. We lived in Japan for a year and I loved the immaculate, peaceful garden settings. I’d love to try to replicate that here, but our Canadian climate would be too much challenge for a non-gardener like me!
I look forward to seeing your bespoke coat!
As I wrote to Linda, I think they created the Japanese garden in the already existing park, hence too many ‘normal’ trees? The park is very old.
Beware of my bespoke coat, it is really an acquired taste.
I very much LOVE this week’s outfit. And of course wonderful backgrounds and shots, as usual.
I also love the deliberately quiet design and calming beauty of a true Japanese garden. Can you tell I am in the midst of a love affair with the Japanese aesthetic?
This one feels as though elements of a Japanese garden were added to existing gardens and tree-filled property. Still a gorgeous location.
Japanese are masters in aesthetic, I agree. You might be right about the trees. The park is very old, so I suppose they created the Japanese garden in a part of the existing park.
Wow!!! Love your first outfit with the yellow blazer — stunning. Nice to see your mum, as always, as well as Marjolein and Helga. Watson looks like he’s having a great time.The Japanese garden looks beautiful, but you are right in that so many people spoil it.
I created three outfits, all on my own. Felt very proud. All these years of blogging apparently have tought me things.