However small the changes may be, styling the pink cargo trousers with a black linen shirt, is quite different from the first time I posted them with the green shirt. Changing up the shirt, shoes, necklace and bracelets gives the outfit a different vibe. It is a good example of how items in your wardrobe can be restyled various ways. I have to say that this multiple use is somewhat of a revelation to me as I hardly used to do that. Especially when I started blogging, I was in the habit of wearing an outfit the exact way it was styled when I bought it and that was that. Never mixed and matched, mainly because I find that so difficult. Now that I have to, with the ‘only 10 new items of clothing this year challenge’ I am forced to work smarter and harder with what is already in my wardrobe.
So far I am not doing badly. Well, as far as the mixing and matching is concerned. I didn’t make the challenge as I have already bought 12 new items. Fell off the wagon in September as I so often do. I thought that 4 items still to buy from September onwards would have been enough for the rest of the year, but my old habits won. In Dutch we call this ‘muisje Nooit Genoeg’ (literally translated it says ‘little mouse Never Enough’).
Below: Darling husband Ron was my photographer and we started with cappuccino at restaurant Het Gemaal in Halfweg, a village between Amsterdam and Haarlem.
Below: The restaurant is named after het gemaal next to it. ‘Gemaal’ is a water pumping station, necessary to keep our feet dry.
26% of the Netherlands lies below sea level and 59% is sensitive to floods and storms. Water management is imperative and the Dutch are pretty good at it.
Below: The restaurant has a great view of the Ringvaart, the canal that was dug around a lake. When it was finished the lake was drained, using the Ringvaart to drain the excess waters and claim land. Read more about it here.
Below: So many boats are going through this canal.
Below: It makes for a pretty picture.
Below: We happily continued the photo shoot with the pumping station as background.
Below: Working on my poses.
Below: We went back to the restaurant to check the photos for which I need my reading glasses. The close-up gives a good view of the necklace. I have no idea what the material is. It is very flexible and the colour pieces are connected by a metal piece which you can take out. It means you can vary the length and the order of the colours. I twisted a part into a knot.
The golden earrings with a yellow bead are by Lara Design.
Below: The bracelets match the colours of the necklace.
(These trousers don’t photograph well in the sitting down pose.)
Below: Tried the sitting down pose again on the deck, overlooking the water. A lot windier.
Below: I think this is a great photo of Ron. He smiled for a change. He is such a sweetheart.
Below: I said “Try and keep your belly in”. I won’t ask that again haha.
Below: By the time we were leaving, the sun came out. Story of my life.
What happened in my life this week
Marita was back from her holiday so we met for coffee in town.
Below: The photo of her is not sharp enough (I seem to do that a lot with her), but it does show her outfit well. Loved the ankle trousers underneath the short dress. Looks cool. She was wearing a beautiful bow in her hair.
Below: I was wearing the same black linen shirt as in this post’s main outfit with palazzo trousers.
Below: On Sunday Ron and I had a last time of sunshine on a terrace. After that day the temperatures dropped and the rain came back.
Below: On Monday I wore my Samsoe jeans with the wide white shirt (link to original post). I wore a pearl necklace with two blue balls and matching earrings. The green shoes are to break the matchy matchy of the outfit (and because they are so heavenly to walk in).
Wearing this shirt gave me the opportunity to compare the same shirt in a different fabric and different colour at LAB Women’s Clothing. I wasn’t sure about the size.
Tuesday might sound like a bit of an odd day to you. First I took a lot of shoes and boots to the cobbler to fix minor damages. Then I drove south to the crematorium to pick up mum’s ashes (they were ever so respectful, which feels very good). And after that I met my longtime friend Lia with whom I had coffee and lunch and we did a photo shoot for the blog.
No disrespect to mum, I am just such an efficient woman, I cannot help it. All is well now.
My brother and I plus our spouses will bury mum’s ashes in the ground where she was born in October (we have permission), near my father’s ashes.
Wednesday was a strange day, weather wise. I was going to be in the house most of the day, so I opted for comfortable clothes (see below). The wide white shirt was still hanging in the bedroom and I reckoned it was good for another day of wear. The puffer vest is lovely for the change in temperatures during the day. (Link to original post with this vest.)
Thursday Marjolein took blog photos for yet another blog post. It was a rainy day but we were lucky. We were outdoors for hours and only had sunshine or clouds, no rain at all. As soon as we were indoors it rained cats and dogs.
Below: Marjolein in the restaurant where we had lunch.
Friday was babysitting day and that went as usual.
Greetje
Good morning, Greetje! I am getting caught up on your lovely blog posts. I love the pink satin pants and think they would go marvellously with burgundy or even brown, if you dare to venture that way.
Love seeing the pictures of you and Ron and your friends as always, and so nice that your mom and dad will be reunited.
No problem in venturing that way. As I have just bought a burgundy blouse I can try that immediately.
I sure hope that mom and dad are reunited.
I love the black shirt/pink pants outfit, especially with the puffy bag. So chic, as is Marita’s dress and cropped pants outfit, which I would wear in a heartbeat if I could!
You and Ron picked such a picturesque background for the photo shoot, While I knew that much of the Netherlands is below sea level, it’s fascinating to see a pumping station. I’m going to go back and check out the link you posted.
Thinking about you and your mum. Sending hugs.
Trust Ron to come up with creative backgrounds. The Netherlands wouldn’t exist without water pumping station and many other water resisting ‘instruments’.
Marita and I do love clothes. We also both shop at kpa.haarlem. So far we haven’t been wearing the same when we met. We know we both have the long yellow summer dress, so we wouldn’t put that on for coffee.
Love the pink/peachy pants (they look like satin..yes?) and I do like the black linen blouse with them.. Navy would look great also IMO! BUT……the outfit I really like is the printed pants with the black blouse.. it looks so classy……I personally think black looks fine on you and those glasses really make a statement! When I see your hubby in stripped shirt I am reminded of the Dutch sailor boy!!!!!!!
The cargo trousers look like satin but they are some polyester I think. Thanks for the navy tip. Hadn’t thought of that.
Those printed palazzo trousers usually get high praise and they are so easy to wear. In summer I wear them with an off-white top and now, going on to autum, with that black linen shirt. The expensive belt and bag make it classy haha.
Are they new black glasses you are wearing? I don’t remember seeing them before. They look great on you! This morning I bought a black shirt/smock similar to Marita’s at a large outdoor second hand market here in Melbourne and was wondering how to style it. Now that I have seen Marita wearing hers with slim-leg pants, that gives me a great idea to do the same! Love Marjolein’s shirt too!
No the black reading glasses aren’t new. I bought them about two years ago, after my cataract operation.
I am glad Marita inspired you. Social media often make you feel bad about yourself, but they should inspire. That is why I love to show photos of my friends too. Just more inspiration.
You will see more of Marjolein’s shirt and how she styled it in about two weeks.
So many great outfits in this post! The necklace and bracelets you wore with the first one really make the outfit, but all the others, including your friends’ are great, too. The palazzo pants are so good on you. If I saw those on a shop rack, I’d never give them a second look as there’s no way I would wear a large print on my heavy and short bottom half, but they’re so fun and flattering on you!
You may have flubbed the challenge, but you’ve made the most of the clothes in your closet this year by mixing and matching different pieces.
There are clothes that flatter us and clothes that bring out the worst. I have broad shoulders, an ample bosom, a bit of a belly, no hips and no bum and I am tall. The last three things make that I can wear palazzo trousers. But you should see me in a jumpsuit…awful.
It is a matter of looking at yourself closely in the mirror and try, try again until you know what suits you and what not. A site like 40+Style (https://40plusstyle.com/) can help you assessing this.
And I agree, the challenge was a good thing and still is. I just have to stay away from shops until the end of the year.
The pink and black are very pretty on you. And I like your glasses too. What fun you and Ron have. Laughter is a great medicine.
I agree, laughter is the best thing there is. Ron is a very witty man and makes me laugh every day. I am indeed very lucky.
Great outfit on you Greetje. The awesome necklace ties it all together, and livens up the black shirt. Your posts are always fun—make me smile—and I look forward to them even if I don’t comment often —husband’s caretaker, so my extra time is somewhat limited. I also like fall/winter clothes more.
Being a caretaker is a fulltime job, I know. I am glad my little blog can bring you joy. I will continue to publish a post every Saturday (or Sunday when I am late). Thanks for your comment full of compliments.
I love this outfit on you. It’s just so interesting. My eyes constantly move between the black/pink color contrast, then to your tiny waist emphasized by the belt, then to that cool necklace, then to the quilted bag. So much to see! I look forward to your blog every week; it makes my day.
My tiny waist…whahahaha. If there is something I do not have, it is a tiny waist. When buying trousers, they often fit over the hips and bum but then don’t close (at all) at the waist. Or, if the trousers fit at the waist, they are way too big across hips and bum. But…I have learned how to disguise that and by the sound of your comment I succeed LOL.
I am glad you like the outfit, it makes me a little proud as I created it all by myself. Only the shoes were suggested by my friend Marjolein.
Wow! great shot of Marjolein!! And also your dear Ron. Never critique a man’s tummy. I love all the photos he took of you in the peach pants. I love how your hair blows in the wind. Lovely post!
Thank you for your posts I so look forward to them.
My poor Ron’s tummy has been criticized often by me. Fortunately he stands his own ground, I cannot walse over him. So, he gives as good as he gets (something I need and want).
I like my hair blown in the wind too, as long as the wind does not come directly at me, blowing my fringe away. I hate that.
Glad you enjoy my posts so much. Another one next weekend.
I loved all your fits, as usual! I love learning about your culture, your way of life. It is very interesting and informative. Thank you! I love this blog!
This is so good to hear, you love my blog. Every blogger wants to hear that, right? I mean, you don’t put all that effort into it, and then not being read. The backgrounds and the bit about my life sort or organically made it to the blog. I wonder whether it is time to change it up a bit again. On the other hand…”never change a winning team” isn’t a saying for nothing.
I love this outfit and glasses on you, Greetje! Your husband seems so happy too!
At the time, when I was choosing reading glasses, I thought “why not choose a pair that stands out?”
And yes, my husband is a happy man (of course that is because of me hahaha, just joking).
Oddly, I prefer your “secondary” outfits to the primary one. The vest, white blouse, dark jeans — love them all. A PS on glasses — both your’s and Ron’s are fantastic. Glasses are such a great way to add personality.
That can happen Bette, hopefully there is something for everybody. I honestly never know how much an outfit is going to please my readers, I am so often surprised by the reactions.
You are right about glasses, you should really pick them out well. As you can see by mine, I am loud and not to be missed hahaha.
I think the proportions of the outfit work quite well, but black isn’t my favorite color for you on top. 😉 The necklace is brilliant and I love how you wore it with the knot.
I’m glad you’ve had some nice weather after such a dismal summer. Ron is too funny!
You are so right, black is certainly not my best colour on top. I often try and soften that ‘blow’ with colourful earrings or, as in this case, with a colourful necklace.
The weather has been great here for two and a half months. That is it.
Love that outfit on you! Looks great!
I am quite pleased with it myself. Especially because I came up with it all by myself. (Not entirely true, the shoes were a suggestion by my friend Marjolein.)
I hear ya about falling off the shopping goal wagon. I think there must be something about the fall. All the jackets & sweaters…it all seems so cozy.
I totally agree. I am much more into fall/winter clothes than into spring/summer clothes. I tried to explain it to myself but I cannot.