Black leather trousers with a white blazer. Really, the simplest outfit to create, and every item was already in my wardrobe. I am on a roll with my sustainable choices here.
Of course, I had to add colour to a black and white outfit. That is like a blank canvas to me. Going through my accessories I found this fuchsia and yellow chain necklace. A second-hand purchase in a thrift store, costing very little.
Normally I would not add statement earrings with an eye-catching necklace, but the shape and colour of the earrings (Lara Design) were so complimentary to the necklace that I felt it was a match. The bright fuchsia bag made the picture complete. At least, I like the outfit and so did husband Ron. It might not be everybody’s cup of tea though.
Below: Close-up of the necklace. You can see that at the back the chains are smaller and just fuchsia, followed by three smaller chains in yellow and fuchsia, the fuchsia ones getting larger. It means it hangs very well around my small neck.
The furry fuchsia hat was to fight the cold although I didn’t actually wear it. Too afraid to ruin my hair.
Jilske was my photographer while all the “BVA girls” got together again for a Saturday. If you type BVA in the search box, you can see numerous posts with these ex-colleagues.
Marianna was hosting the get-together and therefore the person to provide cakes, lunch, drinks and dinner. We take turns.
Let me introduce the gang to you.
Below: Marianne dressed in a lovely green dress, ready to eat cake. I am ashamed to say that I didn’t take a proper photo of her dress.
(Note: below is Marianne with an e at the end of her name; the internet-shy-hostess is Marianna with an a at the end of her name. Very confusing for you I bet.)
Below: Marijke and cakes.
Below: Jilske, my photographer.
Below: Claudia. I took this photo later in the day, when we were shopping.
Below: Close-up of Claudia’s sneakers.
Below: Jilske and I walked outside for the photo shoot and I headed to the neighbour’s big dark doors. Beautiful house, beautiful door.
Below: Jilske wondered whether it was OK to just sit on someone’s steps. So I told her my motto “If you want things done, it is better to apologise afterwards then to ask permission up front“. Sure enough, the lady of the house opened the door behind me and kindly asked whether she could help me. I explained that I needed a dark door for a good photo with my blonde hair and she laughed. It was no problem.
Below: I do love keeping my hands in my trouser pockets to create a nonchalant look. The trousers are real leather by the way. They are in my wardrobe since 2014 (link to first post with these trousers).
Below: One last outfit photo, taken in the neighbourhood of Marianna’s house. I forgot to clean my combat boots. The black rim and sole look grey.
Below: I took a close-up of Jilske’s earrings. She creates them herself (website Djills.com, Instagram djills_jewels).
We had our coffee, delicious cakes and very tasty lunch, so off to the next item on the agenda: shopping.
The village we visited was Lochem which is in the far east of the country. It is an old town and lively but very small.
Below: Classic example of a beautiful old building. This used to be the town hall, built between 1634 and 1640.
The first shop we saw, getting out of the car, got a good review from Marianna: Style Mode. The shop wasn’t that big and six talkative women plus a wheelchair is quite an invasion. The owner is a friendly lady who took it all in her stride.
Below: Jilske with one of the many bags in the shop. She did buy one, but a different one. Marijke gave her sound advice.
Below: Claudia wanted a scarf. I really liked this one as I am fond of bright colours and especially fuchsia. But she decided to get this scarf in pastel pink.
Below: Marijke spotted the hats and tried this leopard one.
Below: Marianne thought this brown one would be easier to combine outfits with. (Neither of them actually bought one.)
Below: Claudia found a pair of trousers to try on.
Then the fun started.
Below: Marijke, trying on a dress and Claudia photobombing. Poor shop owner.
Below: These trousers were very good for Claudia (she bought them) but the waistband was too wide. I asked Marijke to stand behind Claudia and hold the waistband in position, meaning taking it in so it fit. Of course, she did the opposite and pulled it.
Below: I adore this photo. It so shows the fun we always have together. April, May and June, Daisy Duck’s nieces haha.
The shop owner was kind enough to take the photo. Apparently she was still cool and collected, in spite of the noise we made. All three of us bought this colourful top. It was in the sale for €25. Who can resist a bargain like that? We all needed a bigger size than we normally wear. I suppose that was the reason why they were not sold.
Below: Marianna took a seat and guarded our bags while chatting to Marianne.
Below: Next stop was a restaurant for some coffee and hot chocolate.
Below: Claudia and Marijke left us in the restaurant and continued shopping.
Below: Half an hour before closing time we caught up with them. (Shops close at 17.00 hrs on a Saturday in most villages and some cities.)
Below: I saw this cute house as I looked to the right.
Below: In the last shop we couldn’t find anything nice so I took a head to toe shot of Marijke. Well…half her head. She had nice high heeled booties with her, but it was too cold and they were not practical for shopping.
It was a terrific day. Like all our get-togethers are. Friends…they are the salt of the earth.
What happened in my life this week
Of course I saw mum again.
Below: Here she is.
I ordered some Uniqlo heat tech tops for her but a size too small, so I’ll have to return them.
I had the splints on my upper and lower teeth checked for the last time. Fortunately the orthodontist moved the upper one a bit higher. That means I won’t be biting the glue as I did the first two years. It prevented my molars touching each other at the left side of my mouth. So that’s solved.
Marcella came for coffee which is always nice. See her below:
Met my friend Yvonne for coffee and forgot to take a photo.
Did my exercises and decided together with my physiotherapist I would do them twice a week from now on and not three times a week. I just cannot work up the courage to do it this often. I feel restricted in my freedom as well.
Thursday my friend Marjolein took blog photos for next week and we had a very nice day together. Cannot show you any photos as I don’t want to give away next week’s post.
As I was waiting at the traffic light, a man in another lane pointed at the front of my car and after I opened my window, he said I had a flat tire. It just so happened that my garage was right in front of me at the other side of the road. A stroke of luck. They immediately repaired my tire; removed a big nail. I never knew this could be repaired. Apparently it depends where the nail is located.
Saw my friend Helga although briefly and we made another appointment for dinner in a couple of weeks. Below: bad selfie of the two of us. (Link to post with original outfit.)
And last but certainly not least a photo of our dear doggie Watson below. (Photo taken by Ron.)
See you next week.
Greetje
Looks like such a great day – friends, clothes, food and fun! All of you ladies have a strong personal style, and aren’t intimidated by current trends. Thanks for an interesting read! Cheers!
It was my pleasure entirely. As a day with the girls is always full of fun and laughter, I’m always very pleased that the consent in me using the photos for a blog post. I think it is entertaining and luckily so do you.
What a lovely start to this frosty morning, Greetje! Your outfit is so you! Fun and funky!
And such wonderful company to enjoy cakes , coffee and shopping.
What a lark!
I have been fortunate shopping my closet as well. An Athleta ( part of Gap, Banana Republic group ) long jacket ,which was reduced substantially , arrived 2 weeks ago and it has been such a great addition to the front hall coat closet. (Whisper Featherless Parka in rustic beige. ). I have been fInding several different scarves that coordinate and new colour combinations that suit me so well.
Great fun! and almost free 😀
Stylish me on my walk down to the log strewn beach…high tides with winds occur in winter.
Oh, thank you. I am fun and funky?? What a compliments.
You are doing very well with your closet treasures and one new item. Sometimes one item can open a world of possibilities. Although it also happens with me, that I have to buy a lot of other things to go with it. Evidently such an item was a bad buy.
I find the winter temperatures in the Netherlands bad enough and usually they are (well) above freezing point. Canada wouldn’t be the right place for me, but it is beautiful.
It is always fun and entertaining to see the photos and read of your get-togethers with your friends. How nice to have fun with friends. I haven’t embraced the leather pants trend. You look good though. Have a great week.
Fun and entertaining are the key words for my blog. At least I aspire to make you smile and entertain you, which makes your comment very sweet for me.
These leather pants are from 2014 so if it is a trend at the moment, I was way ahead haha. They are just comfortable to wear (especially these jogging trousers), no stains and they give any outfit a lift.
Get togethers with friends is always so much fun, especially when there is cake and shopping involved! I must say I absolutely LOVE the outfit with the leather jeans on you. Absolutely gorgeous, Greetje!!
Big hugs
Suzy xx
Thanks Suzy. I am very lucky with my friends and I love them all.
The outfit came together the evening before we met. So deadlines and restrictions (items from my own wardrobe) seem to sparkle my creativity. Which is strange as I hate deadlines.
What a cheerful post to read on a cold grey Monday morning. I love that top the three of you bought, I would have bought that one too.
I had so much joy creating the post with all the photos I had. I am glad you liked it.
The top was a no-brainer. Such a cute one and such a bargain.
What a fun post! I love the drama and contrast of your outfit. Marijke’s hair is so lively and I love her in that dress. It’s great to see a top like that look good on all three of you.
Is there drama in my outfit? Oh gosh, I never knew that.
Marijke has such thick hair, I am really envious of that. The dress looked lovely on her (everyting does) but it doesn’t suit her current life style.
The top all three of us bought was a no-brainer: cute and a bargain.
Love this outfit, Greetje! The trousers are fabulous – great styling wit the bright pink and yellow.
What a fun outing with your lovely friends. I would have bought that top too – great colours and style. Your mum looks good in stripes. That’s a very good pic of Watson.
Thanks for the compliments. I thought it was a post to be framed. Glad I could entertain you.
Your outfit looks wonderful.
Thank you Anne. I was very pleased with it, especially because I created it at the last minute.
Apparently I am more creative with restrictions (items from my own wardrobe) and a deadline.
Thanks for a great post. I love seeing what you and your beautiful friends are up to. I agree that the photo of Watson looks like a gorgeous painting. Have a great week.
Those Saturdays with the girls are always such fun. I was glad to share it on the blog as I thought it would be highly entertaining.
I’ll forward your compliment about Watson’s photo being almost a painting to Ron.
What a great post! Love your leather pants outfit. You have such unique accessories and that pink-and-yellow necklace is perfect.
I always enjoy seeing your friends, who are each so chic. That shopping expedition looks like so much fun. And your mum looks lovely as always.
I agree with Susan that the photo of Watson looks like a painting 🙂
After I had bought the pink-and-yellow necklace I had second thoughts. It was dead cheap second-hand, but I was afraid it would look too childish, so I never wore it. And then all of a sudden…with this outfit it worked.
Thank you for all the compliments. I will forward the Watson photo/painting compliment to Ron.
I love the outfit, and the colors you added to it. Your friends are all so stylish!
Thanks for taking us along on your “girls'” afternoon. And the photo of Watson is lovely, looks almost like a painting!
Anything to keep you entertained Susan. I suppose all my friends are indeed stylish. Look at yourself haha.
No idea why that is. Am I drawn to stylish women?
Watson’s photo does look like a painting. When Ron showed it to me, I wanted it for my blog.