Today you get to see a simple outfit, wide leg jeans with a brown jumper. The jeans are different from the dark blue jeans you have seen before. The brand is Vanilia. They deliver in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany (sorry, readers from other countries). They produce everything at their own ateliers in Turkey and try to take good care of their workers and the environment.
It was a day with my BVA girlfriends (minus Claudia, who is working two jobs). We met at Marianna’s new house as she moved to a small but lovely town called Harderwijk.
Let me re-introduce you to them.
Below: Marianna (her name ends with an “a”).
She (pleasantly) surprised me by allowing me to use photos of her in my blog post. When I told her my surprise, she replied: “I have no problems with that when you start taking good pictures of me…” LOL.
Below: Marianne (with an “e” at the end).
Below: Marijke.
Below: Jilske.
We did what we always do when we have a day together. Coffee with cake at 11 a.m. followed by lunch. Then we all get into the car and start shopping in the nearest town. After the shops close, it’s back to the host’s house for nibbles and drinks and finally dinner. By 21.00 we all go home again. An exhausting day for the hostess.
Below: I am wearing a brown cashmere jumper, leopard booties by EIJK, an orange belt by Weekend Max Mara and an orange coral necklace, bought at a vintage market. Of course you are supposed to wear the necklace differently but I prefer to wear it like this. It looks better on me and more modern. I am also wearing gold with coral stud earrings. The bag is Dries van Noten and I use it often.
Below: When I looked to the left, I saw a part of this nice old church.
Below: Jilske taking a photo of the gang. We sometimes call ourselves Benidorm Bastards, after a television program. Jilske loved Marianne’s coat so much, she immediately ordered one for herself. We all love it.
Below: A barrel organ, which is something very Dutch to me.
Below: With a barrel organ man asking for money. I was surprised he didn’t have a QR code to donate money. Luckily I still had coins in my purse.
Below: Jilske as we were going from shop to shop.
Below: Jilske bought this lamp and asked Marianne to hold it for her. Of course Marianne started goofing…”I feel captured”.
Below: We had a drink on the terrace. It didn’t rain for a change and temperatures weren’t too bad.
Below: Our view was this building.
Below: When we saw another old building, we used it as background for this photo.
The trousers are very wide and the width started at the hips. As I have no hips, you saw two loose flaps on either side. I had the side hems straightened to remove the flaps.
Below: The sitting-down pose.
And on with the shopping.
Below: Nope…it looked like a nice vest but it didn’t do me any favours.
Below: Marijke bought this vest and the blouse. You might think “And the skirt??” But that is her slip dress which she wore underneath her dress. She startled Marianne by asking whether she should also “buy the skirt…”, haha.
Below: Some shops had beautiful doors.
Like always, it was a day full of laughter and friendship. You cannot have too many of those.
What happened in my life this week
This week there are stories with hardly any photos as I either forgot to take photos or I am saving them for a proper blog post.
Rain, rain and more rain. There hasn’t been so much rain in November since 1906. The machines to pump the water into the sea, can hardly manage. During the weekend the groundwater in the coastal area had risen so high that our cellar flooded. Aagghh.
We mopped it all up but also ordered a dehumidifier. A lot of them were sold out. Apparently we are not the only ones with this problem. The dehumidifier works well and the cellar isn’t flooding anymore.
It was my brother’s birthday on Sunday and as usual we all gathered in a (sort of a) circle in the living room and everybody was chatting away. It is a cacophony, very noisy but also very cosy. He and his wife live in the east of the country and that is nearly a 2 hours’ drive. To Dutch people that is FAR away.
Monday Marcella came round and we discussed how to promote her website a bit better. Forgot to take a photo.
I had phone conversations with two tax people about the wrongfully imposed taxes for Ron’s two old private limited companies and lo and behold, they saw my point. The point being, if you look at the letter of the law, Ron would have to pay, but if you look at the spirit of the law, he wouldn’t. They agreed and cancelled the tax assessments for 2022 and 2023. Now all we have to do is appeal and ask money back for 2021, hoping that the tax people who have to judge the appeals, share their colleague’s point of view. It was all caused by a bizarre combination of circumstances. Ron was very pleased with my ‘work’ and the result and he gave me 10% of the money he ‘saved’ as a present. Nice! I love getting money as a present.
Tuesday was a day of fitness and blogging. Absolutely nothing interesting. Ron and I were supposed to see a friend of ours in the south of the country, but we postponed it because of the rain. Wednesday was also a day of nothing. At least I don’t count washing my hair as very interesting.
Thursday I had a really nice day, meeting my former colleague Erna whom I now regard as a friend. We had a lovely morning and lunch and she took many blog photos at a place with loads of indoor plants and trees.
I had sent her a photo of my outfit the day before, wearing something green to which she replied “It might be difficult to distinguish you from the plants”. I am a moron as I could have thought of that myself. I changed the outfit.
Below: Erna.
Ron came home, showing me photos he had taken with his iPhone. I think they are so good, that it leaves me sort of numb, losing interest in photography. He can take better photos with his iPhone than I can with an expensive camera. He has the eye. Look below.
Thursday evening I got a cough and totally lost my voice. Ron had a very quiet evening and a very quiet Friday. I am sure he was secretly grateful haha. Just kidding. He made me chicken soup.
On Friday I felt better. Hardly any cough, hardly any throat ache but also still hardly any voice. Weird. Fortunately my Covid check was negative. To stay on the safe side I didn’t move all morning. Just sat on the sofa and watched videos of funny cats, dogs and comedians on Instagram. It is a waste of time I know, but it gave my body a rest.
Greetje
I have always liked when you wear jeans, this is no exception, and I like casual looks, just like today, jeans and a t-shirt, with a beautiful necklace. I think it’s great that you are a tax expert, when I need an advisor I will contact you.
Hahaha, no I am not a tax expert, but I am very persistent and I know what tone of voice to use. I keep on asking to explain things to me and I have to say, the Dutch tax people are excellent in that. They are friendly, they have the knowledge and they know how to explain things so I can understand. I am very content with them. Not many people will say that LOL.
I agree with Lise : a simple outfit but you took it to the next level. Inspiring!
Apparently I have learned a thing or two in the 11 years that I am blogging haha.
I love reading about your shopping day with friends. So fun for all of you!
It is indeed fun for all of us. And I am glad I can let you (vicariously) join in that fun (don’t know whether the grammar is correct.)
Enjoyed the post with all of your beautiful friends, everyone SO stylish having a fun outing together. Life is to be celebrated, at any age! Love a little peek into your life and friendships, thanks for sharing your day with us. Ron took some terrific photos too.
It is my pleasure to create blog posts. As I am an extreme extravert, my blog is my window to share with the world and I love to entertain. I am glad you enjoy it.
You look great in those jeans – endless legs (sigh!). Love Marianne’s jumper too – the one with the eyelets showing the red roll neck underneath, very original.
You always look like you’re having such a great time together!
Grin…thanks for the leg compliment. Yes, about one thing I am confident and sure and that is my legs.
Marianne’s jumper is indeed lovely and unique. She is always so stylish. And yes, we do have a great time together. Already at least 25 years.
I love that instead of wearing that necklace as two strands, you just let one of them hang down – very clever, Greetje! Great outfit, but I just love seeing pics of you and your friends having a good time – they remind me of my Winesday Women.
Ugh, isn’t that the worst, when you spend all this time trying to take good pics, and someone snaps one with a phone and it’s better. Good job, Ron. At least he gave you some $!
Happy weekend, my friend! I hope the rains stop and your basement dries out!
The way I am wearing the necklace was the idea of a friend. I cannot claim fame for that.
The other way around, photos of you with your Winesday Women, remind me of my BVA friends. We are both blessed.
The basement is dry now. The rain hasn’t stopped but some days we have some sunshine.
I am from Canada and so enjoy your posts as they show me pictures of another world. You and your friends are beautiful!!!
Thank you Barabara. I am glad you are enjoying my blog. It is meant to entertain.
I enlarged the photo to get a better look at what you used to bring your necklace together but I still couldn’t figure out what it is. I have a long gold chain that I don’t wear that look great with whatever clip you used on yours. I hope you will answer my question so I an bring my chain out of retirement. 😇
It is not a clip, it is the lock with two strands attached. Normally you’d wear both strands around your neck, with the lock in the middle at the back. I have put one strand around my neck, closed the lock in the middle of my chest and left the second strand hanging. I meant to add a close-up, but the necklace broke and I had to put it in for repair.
Love your new jeans, and very nice photographs of your stylish friends!
My friends are all so used to my taking their pictures for the blog. Bless them that they allow me to use them.
I loved your standing picture under the pretty tree! I loved your leopard boots! Such fun! You can wear those boots many ways!
I always love your church pictures; beautiful structures!
Your day shopping with friends sounded like so much fun. I had to laugh at Marianne with the lamp on her head! The vests being tried on were very pretty. I haven’t seen anything like that here.
Have a nice day.
I like that photo with the pretty tree as well. That is why it is the first photo of the post. I always choose the nicest photo to be the first.
The vests were indeed nice, but not for me. It is a difficult shape for my body.
I love how you styled your necklace. What a great idea!
I cannot claim the idea of how to wear the necklace. I know it was a friend but don’t know who.
Love the jeans and the friends! And I’m intrigued by the tree in the first photo — is it real? Grafted from two types?
I think it is a dead tree and someone has attached silk flowers to the branches. We are seeing this more and more outside shops. In London and Paris this trend is more extensive.
Glad you enjoyed your day with your friends! All of you are beautiful!!
And all of us are filled with self criticism haha. If we could only see ourselves through the eyes of others. Mind you, I think Marijke is an exception to this. She is pretty confident about herself.
I really like the jeans on you…they look great! And the leopard booties, of course. 😉
I’m always so impressed with what a stylish group your friends are. And yes, Ron has an artist’s eye for photos!
I often wonder whether a person being stylish played a role in becoming a friend. I certainly hope not as that would be so shallow.
Ron definitely has the eye, stunning pictures! Looks like you had a wonderful day with your friends <3
Question about the altering of the jeans: is it noticeable, because you lost the original hem and the distressing? Or did the seamstress sand the hem to make it look original? I am thinking about doing a similar alteration
Look on YouTube I found a video showing how to hem jeans while keeping the original hem. It worked for me.
I have very similar wide leg jeans but sadly not Greetje’s lovely long legs.
I forwarded your advice to Jessica by mail, in case she doesn’t read this.
Thank you for the legs compliment. It is the one thing I am sure of. I have been given very long shapely legs. (Now spoiled with blotches and pigmentation, but in winter that doesn’t matter.)
Love your outfit! The jeans looks stunning! I’m with you on the rain, in Germany it’s been raining for days on end… not ready for winter yet
I know from previous years that we have to be thankful for rain otherwise the rivers get too salty, the foundation of the houses get weak and trees die. But for heaven’s sake…not all at once. Well, mother nature warned us and now climate change is getting really obvious.
Ah, you are wrong here Jessica. I altered the SIDE hems not the bottom hems. But yes, my seamstress has several options to make a bottom hem look original. If you shorten it, she sometimes cuts of the bottom few centimeters and sews that back on, higher on the leg.
I think the confusion is over the fact that in English we would call them the side seams, not side hems. The hem is the edge that has been turned under. Either way, I understand having to have the jeans adjusted. I don’t have hips either and finding pants that fit well can be a challenge.
Thanks for your little lesson in English. Usually my London editor corrects these little errors, but apparently she missed it. I find that trousers have become less of a challenge now that most of the time there is elastane/spandex in them.
I love this outfit. Not simple to my eye as all the fab accessories, including the boots, take it to the next level. Good styling!
Thanks Lise. Your comment made me proud. Perhaps after 11 years of blogging I am beginning to understand styling a bit LOL. I am not a natural but very committed.