A new year

The end of 2018

2018 has been a year of progress, for my body and my wardrobe.

The winds of change came from Down Under when I tried a new type of personality test.

The 16 Style Types programme by Inside Out Style blog’s Imogen Lamport Imogen Lamport and Jill Chivers of Shop Your Wardrobe, revealed much about my personality and how I make my choices around shopping and getting dressed.

The system is based on the more familiar Myers-Briggs personality test. It turned out I'm ENFP.

What was most significant was seeing that I’m a choices person. Not having several opportunities to choose from makes me feel constricted and depressed. I kills my creativity.

It was quite a surprise to learn that my focus on what I wear would often leave me no time for anything else. All too true! I need to set a timer that allows me to do make up and hair as I often kept that to a bare minimum where I could do better. 

A fashion photo shoot (my first ever!) in September showed me what a difference proper make up makes. I have the photos but not the rights to publicise them so a couple of selfies will have to do.

I'm rubbish at selfies!

A close up - my skin has never looked this good!

As I like to have several opportunities to choose from I’ll never be a minimalist and a small capsule wardrobe will never make me happy. There goes my carefully planned colour palette - it is just too limiting.

It took such a long time to come up with this, but it's too little

These facts sort of set me free. As the study also says I like to make up my own rules. I translated that into keeping my colour choices within a certain part of the colour wheel, in mid to lighter tones in the brighter spectrum, as they suit me the most. With my (external) Trumpification warmer colours work best. That narrows down the field but still gives me an endless number of colours to choose from that for the most part will mix really well.

After my trips this summer lots of items in my wardrobe had given up. Travelling was just the last straw! They were completely worn out, with holes in the fabric and frayed hems. Replacing them was a chance to change track.

Ever since the late  1970’s disco has had a huge place in my heart. During this last year there’s been so much shimmer and shine in fashion - and I can’t get enough. I wanted that to be a main feature in my outfits, in clothes, shoes and accessories.

Disco version of me in shiny everything!

By now my wardrobe consists of satin tops in lime and coral pink, shimmer knit tops in tomato, aqua and lime plus a single top in white sequin! Even some of my outerwear is sparkling. A little tweed jacket in a black-white-pink-blue-mix and a pink coat, all with some shimmer in the fabric. 

At the last Monies sale - a new purchase, and my aqua glitter top

New orange trousers and lime glitter knit top with old Monies necklace

Around Christmas last year I bought two pairs of trousers, in shimmering cobalt and black. I would like to have more trousers with some shine to them, but every one I ordered had to be returned as they didn’t fit. Instead I have orange trousers, and lighter, dusty blue trousers, plus the two identical pairs of cream trousers from spring.

Trousers are the most difficult piece of clothing for me. The advice in many books is to have them altered to fit. I tried a few months ago, but the result wasn’t good. I’ve found another place to try but is still debating with myself over which pair of trousers to risk!

The biggest problem however, is and will always be shoes!

My feet have been a problem my whole life. They’re very wide and very sturdy. In fact they’re so wide that one shoe brand labeled my width “jumbo wide”. How nice to know you have elephant feet! 

Since many of the shoes I’ve worn over the years have hurt my feet, and others just not fitted well enough to be actually wearable (no matter how much “stuffing” I added), I decided it was time to save my health and invest in a pair of bespoke shoes…

Handmade Italian shoes made to measure sounds terribly expensive - and it is. But I counted the pair of shoes I got rid of during just one year (when I finally realised I would never be able to make them work), and added up the cost - about the same price as my new pair of shoes!

The trick is that my shoe maker has a number of lasts that he customises and so makes it a lot cheaper than if he had to make a special last just for me. My price is then around £ 350,00 or a good 300 US Dollars. That’s not too bad. Especially since these shoes potentially have a decade of wear in them depending on how well they’re cared for.

With my lust for shine, and a few old pairs of shoes in remembrance, I chose to have a pair made in silver leather.

New shoes - hand made in Italy and so shiny!

The fit is amazing! It feels like I can’t fall in these (I’ve fallen so many times due to ill-fitting footwear) and they go with almost everything - LOVE!

Finally, my daily training is beginning to show. I can walk up to 5 kilometers per day maybe three times a week now - a huge improvement!

For days when I want to be really grown up and serious I've found myself a pair of leather look leggings - very contrary to everything in my wardrobe. Adding a gifted, floor length kimono, heels and better make up I felt very dramatic Saturday night at a restaurant with friends and husband. I'm back to disco for New Year's Eve though.

For rock n' roll days

After a night out and still fighting a Christmas Cold

The beginning of 2019

Equipped with perfect shoes and a disco wardrobe I’m looking forward to 2019. I’m going to work on my make up skills, on my health, and possibly look for a part time job, to get me out of the house more regularly.  It all depends on my body. 

In any case, I’ve decided that my life needs more party so I'll start every day in 2019 with loud disco music!

I’m wishing you all a very happy New Year

Love Kaffesoester

Encouraging outfits

Do clothes improve our health? Yes and no.

Of course you cannot cure diseases or mend broken limbs with clothes. But every improvement to our mental well being, which no doubt is influenced by how good we feel we look, will also have an effect on our physical health. A good reason to dress well - both at the doctor's as well as with friends.

On Thursday last week I had an appointment with one of the specialists. As I felt sorry for myself I wanted to be as comfortable as possible, so I went with joggers and a t-shirt. Adding pearls and leather made me feel better dressed without sacrificing my comfort in any way.

Funny how a teenage room can stretch to every corner of the home!

Glitter, sparkle and shimmer

Friday I had a lunch date with the girls (my old BFF and my new BFF). Aren’t they gorgeous?

The sweetest best friends in the world!

However, everyone’s having health trouble and not feeling very well, so I wanted to wear the most positive and fun outfit I could think of. In the end I put together a somewhat "Christmassy" outfit, all sparkly but in fall colours. 

The necklace is almost diamonds, from Zara a few years ago

The colour of the top normally doesn’t suit my skin colour, but my soul craved it! As an excuse I can add, that my skin colour has actually changed recently due to a large, regular intake of sweet potatoes. Now this mustard-yellow-greenish colour almost suit me - and that’s good enough for a beautiful colour, agree?

The cake is a caramel cheesecake - fantastic!

The back of the top is quite special, and I forgot to get a photo! So, borrowing one with a younger and slimmer model...

How could I forget to get a photo of this?

The skirt is an old one from Phase Eight. The sequins are not very shiny, and the colour is a dark gold.

The boots are from Evans, last year, and EEE width. Since the material is man made I only wear them indoors or in really good weather - and we were indoors all day, perfect!

We had a great time, eating and talking all day, and no shopping!!! That's a first EVER!

Gold and Oriental print

Saturday I had a day long meeting in another part of the country, so I had a bit of a train ride to and from the destination and needed a flexible, warm and comfortable outfit. As it was early and I was tired, I never got a proper camera out to take photos... Apparently my husband was tired too, please try to ignore his hand!

Tilted and with part of a finger - sums up Saturday morning!

What the poor quality photo doesn't show is that the top is gold shimmer, a favourite colour. I find that nothing lifts the spirit like a touch of gold. Here's the outfit without the tired model:

Everything except the Monies necklace

Sunday evening birthday party

In April I saw a dress by Adrianna Papell in red and pink colours, perfect for me, but not in my size. Maybe also too expensive. I had put it on my wishlist but had really given up trying to get it. 

Faux wrap dress in great colours - now mine!

Then last month it was suddenly on sale at House of Fraser, and there was a single one in my size - at a VERY reduced price. I hardly breathed until I had placed my order. Of course I had to wear it at the first opportunity which was this Sunday night.

The dress! With favourite Irregular Choice shoes, homemade necklace and H&M bag

Every time I look at the colours and pattern I get a 1970's feel. I remember seeing my mum in prints like this. 

Even the length is just perfect!

Funny how sparkly I felt without wearing anything shiny at all. This dress is certainly healthy for me!

Next week is going to be busy too, but with a huge reward: Monies is having a sale! Not that I really need more jewellery... Only joking, I always need more jewellery from Monies! Anyway, all the other customers are incredibly stylish ladies and I always sit and watch them after I've made my purchases. I hope I can get a few pictures for you all to enjoy.

Lots of love to all

Kaffesoester

A limited rainbow

As promised in my last post here's more, or everything, on my developing wardrobe.

A close up of a former orphan t-shirt (and my red leather jacket)

After you've bought a bouquet of lovely dresses (because they’re easier to fit), a handful of cheap, ill-fitting t-shirts, a few random trousers plus two coats that strangle you - you discover your wardrobe is a kindergarten of orphans!

Great dresses and strangulating coats

What to do?

You experiment and find that a uniform of jersey trousers and fitted t-shirts are great combined with a kimono or a longline cardigan - so far so good. There’s a small problem though - having to return so many things bought online that the extra shipping expenses would buy you several new outfits. What’s wrong? Could it be buying without a plan? Or trouble meeting those fit requirements (as well as problematic feet)?

A selection of returned items

The elements of a buying strategy

First you need some style direction - how do you get that? I have read so many style guides, and unless you see yourself fitting into one of the cliches “Minimalistic”, “Classic”, “Boho” and so on, you’re on your own. Particularly if you love dressing in a riot of colours with lots of gold and glitter on top!

How do you then determine your style?

Anuschka Rees has a post on her blog called “50 ways to break a style rut”. Not doing all 50, I found one in particular was clever: Name your 3 favourite movies (for their visual qualities).

If for example Marie Antoinette (by Sofia Coppola), Memoirs of a Geisha and The Devil wears Prada make your list, you could then identify the elements from each movie that you especially appreciate - like luxurious fabrics of the 1800th century French court, with a good dollop of gold, anything Asian, and how Miranda Priestly always uses layers and looks so polished. These are the elements you translate into your style.

These films are a visual feast to watch!

The dreaded colour palette

Now all style guides will tell you to come up with a limited colour palette based on a couple of neutrals like black, navy or charcoal, and a few additional accent colours ensuring everything in your wardrobe goes together. If you’re a peacock sort of person those neutrals are probably not going to “speak” to you and the accent colours will be too few.

The colours so often recommended by professional stylists

Again, turn to Anuschka Rees! In another blog post she suggests 36 different colour palettes each consisting of nine colours. It may be that none of them are a direct hit. Then how about you then select the nine most common colours from your wardrobe and turn them into your colour palette? Unless of course, you’ve filled your wardrobe with colours that you hate - but how likely is that?  

I'm quite relaxed about matching the colours 100% as long as they still work

With the basics determined it’s time to add the style elements: Brocade, silk and jacquard from one film, Asian flower prints and kimonos from another and maybe more attention to make up and hair in order to look polished or a few tailored jackets, from the third film?

Lovely brocade fabrics

Marriage of style elements and colour palette

The result could then be that you only buy items that are in the colours of your palette, with focus on jersey basics and top layers in luxury fabrics. Step by step you would then build a cohesive wardrobe based on what was already in your closet and hopefully stop waisting money

Most of my wardrobe, without all the dresses though!

The red leather jacket isn't mine, but I was missing a proper photo

Since we all have mood swings you have to leave room for that too. In my wardrobe it’s statement necklaces in natural materials, a well worn denim jacket, and leopard print in not natural colours, that has nothing to do with the style inspiration for the rest of the wardrobe. I’m also dreaming of a pair of combat boots (something to give a good kick when called for).

Fun leopard print in not natural colours

The last check list to go through is the different situations you have to dress for - have you got everything covered? Have you got outfits for all the things you do on a daily basis? Personally I do, however, I know many of the locals think I’m overdressing (I’m really seen as the village idiot by many) in far too many colours with way too much bling. But you know, I couldn’t care less!

Anyway, I feel I’ve come a long way with my new wardrobe. I have given myself buying guidelines for the future and hope to save money and have more options in combining everything.

Later I may try and expand the colour palette, or build another one. I like to see a rainbow when I open my closet doors!

Finally, as I wrote this post I got the sad news of a friend’s death. I dedicate this post to her. 

In loving memory of Karen Palsgaard - a dear friend who fuelled education, personal growth and friendship across continents and cultures, through decades

A spirit who planted a forest of trees for others to walk in

Rest in peace Karen

Treasure hunting at Monies - my favourite jewellery pusher :-)

I'm no Imelda Marcos, but I do suffer from a touch of shoe obsession... I always notice people's shoes, and I'd love them to notice mine too :-) However, I have feet like Cinderella's evil sisters!

It's hard to tell how abnormal my feet and legs are just by looking at them. I know, because I have a hard time convincing people how much trouble they're causing.

With half-healed blisters, discoloured toe nails from the pressure of too flat shoe-fronts and an infection in one of the blisters, you'll not see a photo of my nude feet! However, I will show you lots of photos from my latest visit to the shoe shop.

This picture shows the main issues:

The circles are the spots that I've considered having cut off. It would make life so much easier! It's not just about getting fashionable footwear. It's about safety and comfort as well.

The shoe in the photo is a size 6, which is the actual size of my foot, lengthwise. But to have shoes at all, I always wear a size 7 or 8. In some of my footwear I have 2 inches of empty space in front of my toes. It's like wearing clown's shoes, and I often trip over my toes.

After having measured my foot across, I have come to the conclusion that I need a size EEEE, super extra wide, according to the measuring forms. I have tried a few of those too, only to discover, that they're too wide at the base, but too flat in the front. For some reason the industry has decided that if your foot is wide, it's also flat like the feet of Donald Duck! 

So, my foot is really not that wide, only very "full", like my toes, since my nails are getting seriously squashed even though I keep them a short as possible!

This shows a typical shoe shopping session for me:

As usual I'm trying a lot of shoes - and in Denmark they're generally black!

All these shoes are hurting my foot, by being too narrow or flat. The brands are among others Arc, Gabor, Vagabond and Ecco. 

Finally I found two pairs of shoes that fit me, or at least will fit me once I've added little suede cushions inside. They're by German brand Rieker:

The only problem is, that these are not the types of shoes that I need! One is a sandal, the other one is in suede. With the nasty spring weather we're experiencing this year, I need water proof shoes. Colour hasn't even been considered yet!

Add an extra curvy calf to these issues and see if you can find me a pair of boots!

It's not a joke when I say that it has taken me a decade to find the boots I wore this winter.

Unfortunately they're fur-lined and so too hot for 10 degrees celcius/50 degrees Fahrenheit. But very comfortable to walk in. However, they're still so tight fitting that I can only work my foot into them wearing the thinnest tights or nothing at all (on my feet!!!). They go half way up my calf, and so end at the widest point :-(

So, I have a lot of shoes from Irregular Choice, 10 out of 16 pairs. Some of their styles have more room for the toes than other brands. In a size 8 with additional padding I can usually find something fun and stylish.

- The silver boots are way too large, so I can't walk in them - only stand or sit

- The ballet flats never give me blisters

- The sandals don't give me blisters  either

- Nor do the blue suede heels, the pink suede heels or the red tweed wedges

- I also have green wellies and old black Ecco sneaker style shoes, now only fit for gardening :-(

Living in a wet climate demands water proof footwear. Living in a colder climate also demands warmer footwear - not a lot of sandals. In knee high snow warm boots are a must!

Such a thing as a sneaker or a trekking boot is completely out of the question. A couple of years ago my daughter was going on a hike with her scout's group, with parents and all. I tried every major shoe shop and outdoor shop in Copenhagen as well as in Berlin where we went on holiday just prior to the hike. After having tried hundreds of shoes I even contacted headquarters per e-mail, asking if they had other models than those in the shops.

The answer was the same as always: We dont' carry "that size" or "that shape"

I know they probably wouldn't sell many pieces, so I can't blame them. It's just depressing always being called "that shape" or "that size", in shops and by producers. And even more depressing that I can't go with my family on hikes or longer walks, because I can't find footwear. 

More than 10 years ago I looked at bespoke footwear. I can actually get some "okay" shoes and boots, for 10000 to 20000 Danish Kroner (1000 to 2000 UK Pounds/ 1500 to 3000 US Dollars). Sadly they don't do waterproof boots or shoes, and only velcro closing. So, no Pyrenees, Himalayas or Kilimanjaro :-(

Besides, the orthopaedic shoe makers cater for people with ill or seriously deformed feet (these customers apparently being older), and mine are neither, they're not even particularly fuzzy. They're just "a little abnormal", and I'm reluctant to pay so much money for shoes that I really wouldn't give a second thought if I had normal feet. I may have to change my attitude here - later!

For now I've given up. There's not a thing that I haven't tried. With other body issues limiting my clothing choices, it easily becomes a depressing job to get dressed. How do I comfort myself?

Well, from above the knees, what did I wear for my shoe shop visit?

I wore my navy dress, my teal rings and my favourite necklace by Monies. And coloured tights of course :-)

A close up of the necklace and my hair which is alright here!:

The day after I went to Hillerød, a town up North, where my daughter applied for a job. Since she's only 15 and it's the first time, she wanted me to go with her. Although I stayed in the background I managed to stand out anyway!

It wasn't warm but windy, with clouds and a few seconds of sunshine every now and then. With patience I managed to get a photo of myself, in sunshine :-D

Here I'm wearing a dress by H&M, bought in a moment of weakness, together with beautifully matching tights, my pink trench and the lovely horn bead necklace bought on holiday in Mallorca years ago. Who cares if I get another blister on my foot, when I get to wear so much colour?

As regular readers will know, I'm a jewellery addict. My favourite "pusher" being the Danish brand Monies, who happened to have a major sale last week...

I was first in line, an hour early - and so went in ahead of everyone :-) 

I bet I got the best offer in the shop!!!!

Here's what I tried on:

Sorry that I forgot to smile, but I had to concentrate hard to get a useful selfie. I've listed the necklaces in the order I tried them, starting from the top left to right...

So funny how I ended up buying the two first I tried on :-)

At the next sale I'm going to ask permission to take photos because the customers are very picturesque! There are so many extremely stylish and elegant women in there! Many in their 50 and above - and then quite a few gorgeous young models! I couldn't take my eyes off of any of them. I just had to sit down for a whole hour, just admiring all these fantastic women!

The next day I was meeting my BFF for lunch in Torvehallerne (again) - introducing treasure number one :-D 

A weighty double strand of beautiful, smooth Rose Quartz - original price: 13.000,- Danish Kroner (1300 UK Pounds or 2000 US Dollars).... 

Now down to: 1000,00 Danish Kroner (100 UKP/ 154 USD)!!!!!! I dare say that was the catch of the day, including all other items sold that day! 

The rest of the outfit with includes my old Dash dress:

See the colour on my face? All the gardening has given me a tan, so my foundation is too light, and my hairdresser doesn't need to give the roots a touch up :-)

My BFF is always extremely well dressed, Friday no exception...

Aren't those sandals just to die for?

For lunch we had a mix of seafood salads: 

It was fantastic! What looks like beer next to the plate is a lime and mint fizzy drink, very nice too.

Some of us, I, needed a cup of coffee and a small cake for dessert...

It may not look like much, but the taste was amazing! A strong, creamy lemon pudding on the crunchy and light sponge base with the small name plate in dark chocolate. Perfection!

The very next day I had to fight hard to keep my level of glamour up as we went to a photo meet up, on a small, secluded island - in a tent!

The tent is one of those professional mountain climber accomodations that can only be entered or left crawling :-(  To make things worse, leaving the tent would be by backing. Otherwise one's hands would get wet due to the rain.

At my age and size, in my camping gear, this was in no way dignifying! 

I didn't spend much time in the tent. With lots of rain and strong wind I had no choice but wellies for footwear, and skiing underwear under my glamorous maxi dress, and a long cardigan on top, now ready for the mandatory rain coat as outer layer.

These are men's wellies, and they're too narrow for my calves, so they don't come all the way up which is slightly annoying when walking. And there's a 2 inch empty space in the front. I walk carefully in these.

As we had a short moment of dry weather we managed another photo, including our car:

This lovely WV carries all our camping gear and enough photo gear to equip a small studio!

The island was beautiful, and during another dry spell I managed to get a couple of shots:

The typical Danish beach has lots of stones, with smaller sandy parts, and lots of grasses and smaller plants near the water. In the water we have plenty of seaweed, some of which is edible. I'm going to see if I can find an expert to learn more about this. I love seaweed, and it's such a waist not to eat it when it's there - healthy, tasty and free!

Enough of the dreadful weather - introducing treasure number two:

A mix of Bone, Mother of Pearl, Rose Quartz and a huge Fresh Water Pearl. Original price 4000,00 Danish Kroner ( 400,00 UKP/ just under 600 USD), now down to: 800,00 (80,00 UKP/ 120 USD)!!!

Here's how I styled my new necklace:

The jacket is years old, by H&M, as is the beige dress, only never worn and bought last summer. With the newly acquired tan, the necklace really stands out. What you don't get from the photos, is the lovely noise it makes when I move.

This is how I comfort myself when I look at my too small shoe collection, predicting where my next blister pops up or how cold my feet will get during the day.

I might just add, that the sale prices of these necklaces are way lower than any thrift shop or second hand prices. It almost felt like stealing!

Hope summer is somewhere and someone is wearing her sandals...

Lots of warm hugs!

kaffesoester