Because of all the rain, I had asked my friend Marjolein to try and find an indoor spot for a photo shoot with great big, high windows to let in a lot of light. The red and pink skirt outfit isn’t new. I wore it originally with a red jumper and other boots. But hey, this counts right? It is another combination and from my own wardrobe.
Below: Marjolein found a shopping mall with indeed, a lot of natural light. There aren’t that many shopping malls in the Netherlands. Usually one or two per (larger) city. Not at all like the USA. We prefer to shop in the centre of a town or village with a variety of small shops. Because of internet shopping, the small shops often go out of business because they cannot compete. More and more shops are now empty or replaced by yet another restaurant or café. We are so afraid that the loveliness of shopping in a town centre will disappear.
Anyhow, we started outside on the parking deck as it didn’t rain (that much).
Below: Marjolein in purple. She is wearing the same knitted trousers as last week, but this time with a long matching cardigan and scarf. Also another (colourful) top with matching earrings.
Below: I asked her to reveal more of the top.
Below: So here we are, more top, more bag, more trousers on show. We hoped that there would be a “skyline” of The Hague in the photo, but no, everything is blurry. It makes Marjolein stand out though.
Below: The exit of the parking deck looks like a UFO haha. And I am trying to fly. Not a bad balance for a 69-year-old woman on heels.
Below: We started at the top floor of the shopping mall. See how well the pink of the jumper matches the pink shade in the skirt? It isn’t the same pink but it is the same tone. (Ron doesn’t like this pink bit in the skirt. Strange.) The earrings (by Lara Design) are black and white striped with a red button on my earlobe.
Below: A bit of “fluffing up my hair” before the next shots. I always carry a mirror, a brush and a comb with me on a shoot.
Then Marjolein looked down to the ground floor and directed me there with instructions.
Below: I had to lay down on this bench and pull up my leg. I will admit, it is magazine worthy. At least, I think so.
Below: Marjolein descended to the first floor and I acted like a diva. (Kitty would have told me off for showing the soles of my boots.
Below: A close-up of Marjolein’s bag.
Below: And a close-up of my cream Furla bag (years old).
Time for lunch. The only place that served food and drinks in the mall was McDonalds. Bummer. There used to be a nice restaurant, but this mall is deteriorating and will be torn down in the near future and that is noticeable.
Below: I couldn’t resist this tourist set-up.
I always feel a bit stressed when I don’t have blog photos in stock, but now I have photos for another two weeks. Yay.
On the way home I got a speeding ticket. Bummer. I will have to pay better attention next time.
What happened in my life this week
Saturday my BVA friends and I got together at Marianna’s new home. Poor thing was feeding guests since they moved in. Everybody wants to see the house, which is brand new and lovely. But she did invite us, so she brought it upon herself. Being the host of one of our get-togethers is quite the task. Of course we take it in turns to host.
Contrary to the rest of the week, the weather was good all day. Amazing.
We shopped in the cute little town where Marianna moved to. We nearly made it back home without me buying anything when I saw a sales lady with a pair of man repeller jeans and I instantly fell for its bow legs.
Sunday I talked for an hour and a half through FaceTime with my friend Anja, who moved to Spain where it is still gorgeous weather. So pleasant to catch up.
Monday was a quiet day with fitness and a blood draw to check whether my new medication against migraine is not affecting me in a bad way. Some reading and blogging and the day passed quickly. I styled the man repeller jeans and expected Ron to hate them. Surprise, surprise, he likes them. The man in unpredictable. (When I say “styled”, I mean I copied the sales lady LOL.)
Tuesday my doctor called me to tell me about the blood draw results. All values of kidney and such were still good, but not as good as they were three months ago. So I will continue with the medicine and have another check-up in three months. I bet this won’t end well.
The plumber came to replace something in the shower tap. That took 5 minutes and he stayed two hours drinking coffee. Of course he doesn’t charge us for that, he just likes chatting with us. At least I don’t think he overcharges but I never know because I always pay what he asks. Plumbers are so hard to find and he always comes so quickly when I need him, that I do not question the bill.
Wednesday I had lunch (and coffee) with Peggy. She operated the camera as well to provide me with even more blog photos. We only did a minimum of shopping, went into one shop and I managed to buy a coat. I am terrible.
Below: Peggy, former colleague (a long time ago) who became a friend, having tuna tartare. The crackles behind her are in the mirrored wall.
She loves earrings, is intelligent, confident, knows her trade (marketing and communication) and is a joy to be with. I am so lucky with my friends.
Below: I can show you this photo as you won’t be able to guess the entire outfit we shot.
I had Eggs Benedict with salmon for lunch. Yummy.
Thursday mum had an appointment with the ear doctor in the hospital. She gets ear wax blockades from her hearing aids which means the aids don’t fit properly in her auricle and start producing a terribly high-pitched whistle. Of course it was foul weather again. Last time we went for her eye injection in June it was Code Red (nobody should go outside unless it is really necessary). This time it was Code Yellow/Orange (preferably don’t go outside). We assessed the situation and decided to dare. Everything went fine, thank goodness.
Early afternoon we picked up dog Watson from our friends who looked after him that morning and lingered a bit, having coffee and speculoos (it’s that time of year again).
Below: I wore my flared jeans, flat black suede booties, striped shirt and my oversized orange blazer. It is hard to see as it was so dark when I took the photo. Bad weather. The black and white houndstooth shopper was a present from Marianne.
Friday was a day of running errands, trying to avoid the showers. Bloody rain, I am fed up with it. But yes, I know nature needs it. My hair on the other hand does not.
We had our friends Georg and Marla over for dinner. Ron got a bit stressed as he is the cook and started dinner a bit late. I tried to support him as well as I could.
Ron continued with his parrot jokes but they are often a word play which cannot be translated. My BVA friends love them though and so do many others.
Greetje
I never used to like red with pink but now I love it! your outfit is gorgeous, and I love how you pulled in the cream from the back of the top with the boots and bag. Perfection, Greetje! And that photo in the mall is magazine-worthy!
So weird… yesterday I was driving from a friend’s house and I also got a speeding ticket!! My first one, ever! I shall be more careful from now on. I’ve also been to the doctor recently and my blood results show I am anaemic and my B12 levels are too low…bummer!
Anyway, have a lovely weekend.
Hugs
Suzy xx
Thanks Suzy. I thought the bench photo was indeed magazine worthy. Yay to Marjolein.
It is not nice to be anaemic and have your B12 levels too low, but that is fixable. And it is not that hard to fix it either. So bummer or not, brace yourself for what is to come in your old age haha.
By the way can your lack of B12 have anything to do with being a vegetarian? I read somewhere that it was good to take B12 in a pil when you are vegetarian.
Loved this outfit
The jumper is so interesting and the back matching with the boots, with the front with the pink and also standing out against the red.
Loved loved loved it!!!!
Oh, the outfit scored many points with you, I guess. Nice. Thanks for the compliments.
I read your blog to remind myself to not get in a rut of neglect. I am 69 too and can easily fall into a sweatpants, t-shirt mode (especially in California where atheleisure reigns).
Thank you for the reminders to enjoy color, enjoy dressing, enjoy the occasional good find, good friends, good conversation.
Your sharing the tidbit information on your mother and your health journey really helps all of us navigate our own journey.
I talk about health issues because hardly anybody talks about it. And that is so wrong. We can help each other if we’d only know what to look for. As I am an extreme extravert (always have been) I don’t mind sharing these things.
Mind you, getting older and having less necessity to dress up, does hold the danger of letting yourself go. I love to take my nice clothes off after dinner and put an old sweater with a pair of jogging trousers on. Poor husband of mine.
I love all your outfits they make you look so stylish. Your friend looks very stylish as well she is wearing one of my favourite colours. I also love all the different places you go to to take photos it makes for very interesting back drops and gives us a glimpse into Holland.
As showing outfits was the start of this blog (I love adorning myself), I always make sure I have an outfit I like to show you. Which sometimes is quite the struggle. Having stylish friends is a coincidence. Or is it not?
After a couple of years I got help from friends photographing me, instead of me and the remote. Which extended the possibilities of backgrounds. It evolved.
Wow to the pink and red outfit! Each photo revealed more details, such a pleasure to discover.
The mall you photographed was beautiful with the wood trim and interesting floors, but empty. Where were all the shoppers?
The malls built near my home in the US are much more cheaply built, and they are struggling for tenants. Very depressing to enter!
I miss all the ladies dress shops and shoe shops too.
I do a lot of online shopping.
I learned over the years that readers don’t really mind a lot of photos as long as they are different from each other.
The mall was indeed pretty empty. It was during the day (around noon) when most people are working, it was foul weather, so people probably postponed their shopping. And, as I said, the mall was not doing well. Demolition is already planned.
If you build a cheap mall, you cannot expect to be very attractive to tenants. Self-fulfilling prophesy. Why do they always think they can get away with it? People aren’t stupid. Well, having said that, a lot of married men always think they can get away with cheating.
I hardly ever shop online, unless I really cannot get it in a shop. I am a really old school shopper.
I was struck by how you have your jumper tucked in at the front, plus the belt below that – I’m totally going to copy that, as I love how it looks! I very much like this outfit and the pinks and reds together, but was disappointed that the jumper is just plain cream on the back (but at least it goes with the fab boots). Shopping malls here are all mostly services (hair, nails, coffee) – so many of the little shops are gone. I try to shop in my downtown as much as possible to give those shops my business (so don’t feel too bad about your man-repeller jeans or your new coat!).
Love Marjolean’s purple ensemble – great outfit!
Well, well, who would have thought I could inspire you! I tried the outfit without the belt as its colour is different from the cream boots I chose to wear this time. But I didn’t like it, so I added the belt again and just closed my eyes for the colour difference.
The sleeves of the jumper have a bit more interest than the back. It is from ME+EM in London. I love it. But I still think that the original outfit I bought at ME+EM is the best. (https://www.nofearoffashion.com/?s=Pretty+in+pink)
I have indeed bought my man-repeller jeans and my new coat in small, independent shops.
Marjolein is a great addition to my little blog. But I will have to say that I love all my friends who make an effort to dress nicely, knowing they will be featured. So nice.
I love seeing pink and red together! Marjolein’s purple outfit is wonderful.
Actually, Marjolein and I were on the same side of the colour wheel. Purple, red, pink.
I love the skirt, and I even more love the purple knitted combo and would like to have one like it! For many decades I dropped out of wearing bright colours because of prioritising shapes and fabrics, but now I’m 77 I find myself liking to be bright again.
I’m interested and envious of all your correspondents who live near independent shops. Many country towns and certain particular residential areas of London do have these, but there are none in my local Camden High Street, and recently the shops in Primrose Hill have started closing too. Perhaps it’s because we live so close to Camden Market which caters to a different kind of customer — young tourists and clubbers.
Very good luck with your blood tests. Sometimes the body rights itself; for instance my cholesterol count has gone down consistently over the past ten years even though I have not altered my eating habits. Perhaps some of the supplements I take have somehow influenced things..
I remember the ear-wax problem with my own mum, and how her local doctor’s practice stopped offering the syringing service for patients so that we had to travel to the centre of town to get her ears cleared. I’ve recently been given hearing aids myself, but I’m afraid I fail to wear them for the very same reason that they make my ears itch and accumulate wax. The rest of the hearing-aid technology has improved a lot since my mother’s day, so let’s hope this problem too can be overcome by the time I really need to enhance my hearing massively.
Oh gosh, you are indeed living in a very trendy neighbourhood, in/near Camden High Street. You might be right with your assessment. Neighbourhoods change and you might have to search for another neighbourhood which has the atmosphere of Camden High Street in the old days. Our neighbourhoods change as well. The bad ones for the better and the good ones for the worse.
I will monitor what the medicine does, closely.
Do you have any idea whether not wearing your hearing aids will further damage your hearing? Or not at all?
My mum’s doctor does provide the syringing service, but her ear doctor wants to suck, as this is less invasive. And that is something the local doctor cannot do. Too bad.
Greetje. As always you appear very elegant and Marjolein is terrific in purple.
Try to keep a positive attitude toward the blood results, negatives can sometimes be self fullfilling- it was just one moment in time and next one may be better- but keep an eye on how much potassium you are getting. I look forward to hearing from you every week. Beth— Canada
I am not negative as I always think “I am good and healthy until proven otherwise”. But I do want to monitor it closely. My doctor agrees. She recently prescribed me 8 mg instead of the 4 mg I had before. With this medicine you can go up to 32 mg, so I am still very much on the safe side. Only it is a medicine for a different illness but it also works with migraines. As I am still getting the migraines I doubt whether it works. But it did for 3 months. Or was that a coincidence? We’ll see.
Glad you are enjoying my little blog.
I LOVED your pink and red! All of your poses were very good! That mall is beautiful.
I love your boot collection! You and I have similar taste but I need to stand in my boots all day.
WE are having a problem opposite from yours. Five years ago, the owners of a big department store sold to someone that lets the physical store go bad and starts a larger online presence. This mall only has one expensive but good clothing and housewares store, and a makeup store. The little stores are cheap clothing accessories, hot buns, candles, a plus size clothing store, and stores I won’t buy on.
The city was going to turn the mall into condos, but it didn’t happen.
Across the country, in communities, open air malls are preferred.
We do have a little shopping area about 5 minutes from the mall in little stucco houses over 150 years old. I love the Christmas shop there!
Good to hear that your lovely Mother is doing well. Please tell her hello.
I’ll send you my outfits; there will be fewer, I have gone to 3 days from 5 because of my back.
Have a good week.
If you have to stand in your shoes or boots all day, you will have to make different choices. Comfort is at the top of your list then.
Cheap shops, whether they are big or small, aren’t to my taste either. But it is easy for me to talk as I have a fair budget.
Christmas shopping in 150-year-old houses sounds wonderful. It will certainly bring the right atmosphere.
As always, an enjoyable read, Greetje. Our local town of Qualicum Beach ( east side of Vancouver Island) decided years ago not to include the chain stores that push out the independent retailers. Shopping locally is such a pleasure, as you get to know the owners and can discuss their products and style, and walk or sit alongside flower beds and trees.
No Starbucks thankfully , but interesting coffee shops and bakeries instead. What we could use are a couple of small restaurants, since a few have closed and are now missed. Monday and Tuesday here can be difficult to find options for lunch or dinner due to days off.
I agree about how miserable it can feel with constant showers, but here the colours have been outstanding, so when it is sunny again, it’s such a gift.
Oh my blog pal Sheila (https://sheilaephemera.blogspot.com/) lives on Vancouver Island. Beautiful nature.
What a brave and wonderful decision of Qualicum Beach. I applaud them.
Monday is a difficult day in the Netherlands too, to find a restaurant although you usually find a good one in the larger cities (towns? I never know what word to use).
Rain will continue for another week at least…bummer.
Love your pink and red outfits and Marjolein’s purple one. I just read that wearing bright colors makes you feel happier. I guess I’ll have to try it. I just bought a bright blue fair isle sweater so we’ll see if it works!
Have a good week.
P.S. Maybe next week you can include a photo of the man repeller jeans? I’ve ben thinking of getting a pair of barrel leg jeans myself.
No, I won’t include a photo of the man repeller jeans as that would spoil the post with them. In the near future, I promise.
I totally agree with that. If I look in the mirror, wearing bright colours, I do feel happier. Although I sometimes completely ignore that and wear black or black and white haha.
I do like the pink and red combination and it looks great but I am so taken with the complete purple outfit of your friend…it is so beautiful and love the shade of the purple..not too harsh!
My friend Marjolein is a great addition to my blog. She brings in another look and she also has creative photo shoot ideas.
The skirt is beautiful, I love the design. Combining it with the color pink, until recently, was like a big sin, but, luckily, now red and pink can go hand in hand. I love the color of your friend’s look, it looks very pretty. You look super elegant with this pleated skirt, for me pleated skirts are one of the great elements of the most elegant women’s fashion. Your reference to the limited existence of large shopping centers in your country, and that you prefer to buy in local stores, seems fantastic to me. Actually in Spain, at least in Catalonia, the proliferation of many large shopping centers has stifled the local commerce of reference and has homogenized the tastes of my fellow citizens.
A lot of colour combinations used to be a big sin. Like orange and red, black and blue, black and brown. I agree with you, luckily we ditched these ‘rules’.
You are right about homogenizing tastes. It is another aspect of shopping malls and big chain stores I dislike.
The red skirt with pink sweater is my favorite. And the belt adds great value. I know what you mean about old shopping malls. I see the deterioration in my area. And what a cute photo of you and Ronald Mc. Very fun. Hope you stay well. I am starting to think about Christmas shopping. How about you?
I tried the outfit without the belt as the colour is slightly different from the boots. But it just didn’t work.
Christmas shopping is not on my list as we never celebrate Christmas with presents. We have Saint Nicolas on the 5th of December, “bringing presents”. We haven’t done anything with that for ages either but we might this year.
I’m a long time reader of both of your blogs, and wanted to let you know how much I enjoy them. You both have marvelous senses of fashion and witty ways of combining fashion advice with personal insights. You’re much appreciated.
Your comment is much appreciated, only I don’t understand what you mean with “both of your blogs”. I only have one blog. Who else are you referring to?
Thanks for the info. My sister is just starting with hearing aides and is having the trouble you described I texted her with the description.
Funny how some irrelevant rambling of mine, can help people. You just never know. Purely by existing we already influence others.
Both you and Marjolein look fabulous! Pink and red is one of my favorite color combos.
Same thing here (California) with the small shops. There are so few shopping “streets” anymore that have independent shops, most have become single-brand stores. Or the storefronts are completely empty.
And if there are shopping streets, the only thing you’ll find there are the big chain stores.
Thanks for the compliments by the way.