The funny thing with me and suits is that I never know how to style the items separately and that should be so easy. Like with this green suit; what would be easier than pairing the green blazer with jeans or white trousers? Or with pink or yellow trousers? And the other way around for the trousers. Still, when I am styling either the blazer or the trousers, I hear a voice in my head saying “they were never meant to be worn separately, they need each other”. Ludicrous of course.
Anyhow, above are the trousers of the green suit (see original post) with one of my top 10 blouses, my green and yellow silk blouse. Immediately after I bought the suit, I styled it in various ways. I know that is the smart thing to do as that is the time you are so enthusiastic about the new purchase that you find the mixing and matching more of a joy and less of a chore.
Loes and I chose a street behind the big Saint Bavo church to do the photo shoot.
Below: The Saint Bavo Church, right in the centre of town.
Below: Starting on the terrace of a café behind the church, with the whole suit, champagne coloured booties (EIJK) and the green/yellow blouse.
The blush pink bag is one from a sale quite some years ago. Brand Sequoia.
Below: We walked into a little street where somebody was obviously fond of pot plants.
Below: Perfect background. I think I have to roll up my sleeves. I think the blazer looks a bit too formal like this.
Below: At the chocolate shop Pierre, I decided to do the “sitting backwards on a chair” pose. In hindsight, not that flattering. Tricky pose.
Below: Hiding from the wind in front of this store.
Below: Although it was still far too cold for this spring coat, I thought it was the only appropriate one.
Below: Close-up of the Lara Design earrings.
Below: Pretty building.
It wasn’t very warm that day, so we hurried into a restaurant (Metzo) and had coffee with pastel de nata.
Below: Loes.
What happened in my life this week
I went on my obligatory walk which really hurts my left knee but I get to see beautiful views. Like this one in the park (below). Unfortunately my good camera is still too heavy to take with me so I have to settle for my iPhone.
My friend Jeanne (below) visited me, bringing chocolate. I took this iPhone photo of her and should have done better. The difficult thing is that I need reading glasses to see how a photo has turned out. And those glasses are always somewhere else. (Before you start giving me advice, I am not ready for glasses on a chain.) Jeanne is my oldest friend, from when we were in secondary school together.
Ron had put the garden chairs out as you can see in the photo above and below, but alas…it is not really warm enough to sit outside. Slowly some plants are appearing but our gardener warned us there is much more to come. Ron is impatient and wants to plant new ones right now. Which is not really the right time. Anyway, Ron doesn’t want to wait for the gardener and is going to buy plants himself and put them in the ground together with our friend and neighbour Froukje. She knows a lot about plants. We already bought some pot plants to cheer things up a bit. Ron picked roses and put them in an old coffee jar for Jeanne’s visit.
Marcella popped by and fixed one of my earrings. Later that day I looked her up in the shop where she works to take a photo as I had forgotten that (below). The shop isn’t hers as Marcella sells through her web shop, but she likes to keep in contact with customers, so she works a couple of days a week there.
That day I had my hair done as well. Below: my hairdresser Inge and me. She cut it rather short this time but I bet it keeps its shape better this way.
Thursday Marjolein and I had lunch at the neighbourhood restaurant, a location which turned out to be perfect for blog photos. Marjolein was my photographer and you will see the photos next week. After that we wandered into town. YES, I can do that again. I do have to sit down now and again, but I didn’t have any pain that afternoon.
Friday Ron surprised me by suggesting going to Amsterdam to a well-known (and well-loved by me) department store. I still have a lovely amount in credit to spend there (Christmas present). It was supposed to be bad weather that day, so what better destination for a shopaholic than a department store with credit to spend. As it turned out, it was pretty nice weather.
Below: Amsterdam canal in April. It will be so nice when the trees have really green leaves and the sun is out.
Below: The town was buzzing with tourists (too many really) and all the terraces were occupied. I love how the cafes just annex every curb space there is, like on this bridge over a canal.
We couldn’t find anything at the department store because I was looking for something too specific. A pair of wide dark jeans. Like the one I had seen and ordered two months ago but which was too short. I felt sorry for Ron having to wait all the time, so I said: “Let’s go to G-Star Raw as I like their jeans, they have a lot of different jeans and they also have my favourite boyfriend jeans which needs replacing.” I succeeded in the latter but didn’t find a wide one that suited me.
Below: We had lunch at a small restaurant. Here is my lovely husband who has turned 75 this year.
Below: On our way home the sun decided to come out and I saw this little statue of a cartoon figure from a famous Dutch comic strip. It is the reporter Argus from the comic trip Olivier B. Bommel (a bear in a checked jacket). I like how the city of Amsterdam is planting flower beds everywhere. This is on both sides of a tram line. We need as much green as possible.
And that concludes this week.
Greetje
Lovely to see you looking so well and out and about in that beautiful green suit. And the blouse! Ooh la la!
Ron’s smile must be a nice substitute for the fact that the sunny, warm days aren’t there just yet.
I was recently enjoying my husband’s photos of our Amsterdam visit from 2019. We so fell in love with that place!
Ron always makes me smile and laugh (or drives me nuts haha). I agree with you about Amsterdam. It is a lovely place.
I love the blouse, it’s beautiful, it has a very cute print and it combines wonderfully with the green pants. I really like the complete suit, it is very elegant.
Oh goodie, you think I am elegant again. To me that is the highest thing achievable with you. So thank you. I miss Daniela. I lost touch with her and that really pains me.
I don’t know anything about Daniela either, neither on the blog nor on IG… it’s a shame, she was a very stylish woman
I agree, she was really stylish.
The green suit look great with that blouse, and the spring coat too! Ah…you had a Portuguese pastel de nata… they’re delicious, aren’t they? I miss them since I became vegan but luckily there is a place in Lisbon that makes vegan pasteis (plural) and they’re amazing! I just wish they would open a store down here in the Algarve!
Big hugs
Suzy xx
Write them a passionate letter Suzy, asking them to open a store near where you live. You are good with words (understatement of the year), who knows?
I am very pleased that the restaurants here heat them up before serving them. Delicious.
Gosh, I love the green outfit. Really attractive. I am glad you are out and about and healing. Good for you.
p.s. The little bear statue is so cute.
Thanks Linda. I can even wear jeans now. YAY
The bear statue is probably cute because it is a cartoon figure. They are always cute.
Love the green suit and the matchy blouse, Greetje – and you’re not alone in always wearing your suiting together. I totally do that too! I appreciate the soft pink coat with that look too – good styling.
Glad to hear you’re getting out and about with friends, and shopping (although unsuccessfully) with Ron. I’m agog that he’s 75! Although I always tell my coworkers that the reason I look young is not having kids! 😀
Green and pink go very well together, right?
And I agree with you haha, not having kids seems to keep your youthful appearance longer. Ron knew two women who were twins. One with and one without children. That seemed to confirm this. Although research-wise, the number of two is too low to draw conclusions haha. And besides, Ron does have a daughter. Everybody thinks he is much younger.
Hi Greetje,How are you hun? A belated Happy Birthday to your husband!!!!
I’m loving that green suit outfit and those boots add a real touch of class.
Your cream coat looks divine too.
Have a super week,
Hugs and Kisses,Paula B,XXX
Thanks Paula. I am doing really well. Fully recovered (well…95%).
I think I should have added it on the blog but the cream coat is actually lavender pink.
Have a nice week yourself too.
Hi Greetje, belated Happy Birthday to Ron – he reminds me of my husband, with that beaming smile!
I don’t think you’ll mind when I give you a gentle correction – it may well be that some of those plants are pot, but, in general, we’d call them ‘potted plants’! ;0)
You may always correct me dear. That is the way to learn. And no, those plants are not pot. Those days are long ago haha. I’ll ask my London editor whether she has overlooked this or whether the term is differently in the UK.
Lovely outfit with the green and yellow print blouse. Glad to hear you are feeling better and are able to handle both walking and shopping trips!
Fortunately I am now almost fully recovered. Say 95%, although I won’t be lifting anything really heavy for a while.
I love the green trousers, (they are my perfect shade) ant the jacket together or apart. You looked lovely, loved the top as well.
I have a hair appointment this week as you did. It takes my day off but puts me near a super store where I can buy many needed items as low as possible. Some wonderful items I can’t find other places.
I had rest and dinner out with a friend that makes silver and brass jewelry. We went to a wonderful concert of harmonizing women.
Sounds like you are doing fine. Lovely things happening like hairdresser, shopping, jewellery and a concert.
Good for you. Enjoy life.
I actually like the pants alone with the blouse or with the light color jacket. maybe my eyes are coming unglued from suits! Also, I actually have blue-light readers in every color to go with every outfit and each one has a cute chain to match. They are in interesting shapes as well, so for several years, I have been a chain-woman. without any embarrassment. Love seeing Amsterdam. Glad you are walking again. I’m in the same situation and try to encourage myself to walk each day.
If your eyes are coming unglued from suits, you are in trouble as suits are very popular these days.
As for the reading glasses, I have two prescription pairs and three rubbish ones from the drugstore. So help is never that far away.
Sorry to hear you are in the same health situation. No fun at all. Sometimes I had to kick myself to walk, but I did kick and I did walk. Now, six weeks later, I am fine again. Although I won’t be lifting anything heavy just yet. Bon courage.
I actually prefer the green pants worn separately from the suit jacket. They look especially good with the green and yellow blouse. I’d like to see the jacket with other pants, perhaps even a dark pair of jeans.
I also meant to mention that I’m glad to hear that your recovery is going well!
I think I have about 8 or 10 different jackets to choose from. Wouldn’t it be nice if I start wearing them?
By the way, dark pair of jeans are hard to come by this season. Luckily I still have two pairs.
All these photos made me smile, but none as much as Ron’s beaming smile. It must be a joy to live with someone with such a sunny countenance! You are looking very well which makes me happy, too!
Yes, Ron is seldom grumpy or moody; he leaves that up to me haha. I make a joke of it, but I am sometimes a cranky nag. Of course he is not beaming with a smile all the time, but he does make me laugh a lot.
Green is my favorite color! Love, love, love that blouse! The whole outfit is great. One photo of your friend…in the background is a window with a green and yellow trim. So appropriate.
I fell in love with that blouse when I saw it on Yvonne, a fellow blogger from Switzerland (Funky Forty). She helped me to get it. It did not disappoint.
I never saw that window with the green and yellow trim. Funny.
I always like green on you, and this suit is no exception. The gold boots are the perfect finisher. It was so nice to chat with you!
Bright green (with a lot of yellow in it) is a good colour for me. But so is red, fuchsia, orange and yellow. Funny that bright colours suit me so much. They match my personality (she said modestly haha).
Hope to chat with you again soon.
I like glasses on a chain but can’t stand seeing them on the end of a nose and being peered over. I’ve worn glasses since I was 13 until I had the cataracts removed last year, at 76. I miss wearing glasses so I bought some variable,without prescription, lenses. Good for hiding tired eyes behind.
This is funny. I have worn glasses since I was 8 and hated them ever since. As soon as I started to earn some money when I was 17, I bought myself contact lenses. I also had the cataracts removed last year (age 68) but I still need reading glasses. I wouldn’t dream of putting on glasses if it wasn’t necessary. Isn’t it funny how people differ? Which is a very good thing.
Like Gail, I will never be ready for glasses on a chain! I just hook the earpiece of mine on the neckline of whatever I’m wearing. It works for me.
I really like your springy green suit and blouse.
Glad you’re feeling better. Have a great week.
Greetje, I love that blouse as well as the story behind it. The colours are so exuberant…and my favourites.
Good to know you are continuing with your recovery…shopping can help of course! So therapeutic 👍😀 and you have a husband that understands!
Your handsome Ron…75! Doesn’t look it… and I am almost 73. Are we tending to take better care of ourselves and looking younger than the previous generation? Or am I being overly optimistic?
And I noticed that Inge, your stylist , has the most beautiful eyebrows!
Here on Vancouver Island, we are finally expecting some decent sunny ☀️ warmth ahead… after a rather chilly & rainy April. Everyone seems so fed up. The many varieties of narcissus have lasted much longer this year , due to the prolonged cooler weather, so my home has been filled with their colour and their fresh scent.
Soon cherry blossoms and rhododendrons are about to burst forth. Such a riot of colour coming in May.
I understand Ron’s wish to plant more colour… I noticed the orange pansies on your patio. Difficult to wait, so I go to the nursery in early April and pot up cheery spring pansies, bulbs 🌷and primulas as a welcome near our front door, making sure there’s enough sun to encourage colourful growth. After they are done, everything goes into the garden for next year, and I do pots again next spring.
May is nearly here 🗓️ and you will soon enjoy sitting outside in the sun😎, Greetje.
Ron does look much younger than he actually is. Everybody is always surprised when they hear his age. As I am much skinnier than he is, my wrinkles are more noticeable. Alas.
I am so longing for warmth and sunshine. I had really hoped that at least the last three weeks of my convalescence, I could spend in the garden, in the sun. No such luck.
Ron has already put plants in the garden this weekend. We are now waiting for the pond plants to be available in the shops.
I have two prescription reading glasses and two rubbish ones from the drugstore. So usually a pair isn’t too far away and I get by.
The suit and blouse might be springy, the weather here is not. Rain, rain and more rain. Oh well, that is spring too I suppose.
That’s a great suit and I love it combined with your pink coat (even though you had to suffer for it…). Great to see that you are recovering well. Can’t wait to (re) discover Amsterdam not so long from now!
We found this pink coat together, remember?
I am 95% recovered so by the time you are here, we can have our usual ball.
We should never be ready for glasses on a chain.
Like Ron I’m very keen to go out buying plants, but apart from perennials it’s too cold for anything else.
I think the trousers look fine on their own with the top.
Happy weekend!
My editor (yes I have an editor, living in London… fancy right?) says glasses on a chain are totally IN.
Next week you will see the garden with the new plants in it, although there isn’t that much to see. They have to grow.
We just spent a few days in Valencia, and I noticed several very stylish women wearing their glasses on chains. But not just regular chains, these were more like the acrylic link necklaces that are so popular now. I must admit, it has me thinking about trying to find something similar! So glad to hear that you are up to 95% now – I’m sure the walking has helped (as well as all those friends who show up with chocolate, of course)!
I do remember those chunky chains in all sorts of colours. I even got one from Marjolein. However, being clumsy me, I would probably bend over and break the glasses against a table top or something like that.
Valencia is a very nice town, so I have heard.