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Wednesday 28 July 2010

Sweet Charity (Shop), Sweet Love


Hello dahlings, hope you are all well!
As a style icon and fashion guru (ouch, just hurt myself laughing) I felt it was time for another outfit post. This outfit is inspired by My Life In Travel, a very attractive lady (also, incredibly mother to two small children) who has a real passion for fashion. http://life-in-travel.blogspot.com/
The other day she posted a pic of a new bracelet arrangement which I found very avantgarde.
So I thought I would have a go. The problem is, though, my very short paws. So it seems to have turned into a handcuff type set up. Which might give the wrong message. But look, I am wearing creamy/camel colour, Vogue tells me camel is THE colour for autumn.



Photo from Life in Travel

Photo from Life in Travel


Close up of Blighty's cutting edge jewellery and elephant belt; any likeness to napkins rings is purely coincidental

In other exciting fashion news, I visited a charity shop recently in the affluent commuter town of Gerrards Cross (Dr Barnados). Below is a Chanel number, priced at £200. Cor!

And a dress still with the tag on (Karen Millen) and a pink wool coat, Georges Rech, Synonyme.

Ooh, and a top from Dolce and Gabbana
Someone had just left a lot of stuff outside the door of the shop. Quite often it gets stolen before the shop opens, the charity shop lady told me.
Below, here's me trying on a Margaret Howell navy blue linen dress. I was trying to be all chic and MaiTai - the other day on her blog MaiTai posted a picture of herself in the most chic shift dress.
Sadly this dress did not fit me well and I did not want to pay more to get it altered. Also my lifestyle is not suited to dry clean only fabrics! From a practical point of view, I should spend my days in overalls or a shellsuit. But let's not depress ourselves!
Look what came home with me, ssssssh, don't tell Mr B, he is already suspicious : the evening of this unapproved purchase he came home to find me frantically cleaning the bath, loos, sinks etc, a dead giveaway of a Blighty guilty conscience.
But I have convinced myself this will look v jolly in the winter and can be worn with jeans for a casual look!

Meanwhile I seem to be stockpiling books from the library like a deranged librarian; soon more books will be in Blighty Mansions than the library and I will get raided by a SWAT team of highly trained combat librarians. NEVER MESS WITH A LIBRARIAN!

Below, this book sounds a bit like 84 Charing Cross Road, as it features letters from an English lady living in post war Britain to an elderly American gentleman. She used the letters as an escape from her everyday life, so perhaps the forerunner of blogging!

Below, all about one of the Kenyan Happy Valley set (a very louche lot), Alice de Janze. The book considers whether it was she who shot the Earl of Erroll. I am sure you have all seen the film "White Mischief".

My mother recommended the book below. The house Madresfield is not far from where she lives in The Cotswolds. Evelyn Waugh had an intense friendship with Hugh Lygon at Oxford and often stayed at the house, and Brideshead is based on the house and family. The Lygon family bought an inn in Broadway in the Cotswolds and re-named it The Lygon Arms; the Lygon is still there today, it's where we had our wedding reception. Mother is determined to visit the house, although it is not open to the public!


In other news, my inspiring quotes are not going down too well with the boys. They can spot an educational ploy a mile off. They are also expert in subverting reward systems, star charts and such like.
I heard this quoted on the radio. Zig Ziglar is some sort of motivational guru. But what I really want to know is: is that his real name? It's just too good!
Oh and here is random photo of Mavala nail polish, displayed in a small independent chemist shop in Gerrards Cross. I love this shop as it is an Aladdin's cave of all sorts of stuff. The guy that owns it used to manage the big chemist shop in Wigmore Street, London, one of those traditional chemist stores and again a real emporium of all things health and beauty related.
Mavala is about £3 a bottle, not expensive. Does anyone know if it is any good?

To prove my point about dry clean only fabrics being No Good for my Lifestyle, look what happens if you leave Boy 1 alone with toast and a jar of Nutella. Gudge City.
But I am not against chocolate, quite the opposite, I love it. The other day I bought this, I love ginger too.
But ever since, Mr Blighty has been in hiding, can't think why!
"Mr B, yoo hoo, I'm having some chocolate, do you fancy a bit?"
No, no sign of him, can't think where he has got to.


17 comments:

  1. hi blighty,

    you look gorgeous in that dress!

    ~janet

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  2. Well Blighty you have been holding out on us. Now we see you are quite the glampuss:). I think that pink coat will be smashing. Isn't that what you all say on your side of the vast blue sea? Especially if you got some high boots and tucked your jeans into them and swashbuckled about.

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  3. Can we go to the high end op shoppe? LOVE the coat! Meanwhile I've tried mavala, it's good but it costs about $15 here from select pharmacies.

    You look tres THIN! Well done. x

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  4. That charity shop sounds like a place to frequent on a regular basis...designer labels!
    Great that you found something for yourself too...guilty free pleasure...unlike...
    Ginger and chocolate!
    Yum they are a sexy combo...

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  5. So excited you've found Mavala nail polish! It's a Swiss line, who knew they make excellent chocolate AND nail polish?! I think they are great and I swear by their base and top coats. No matter what polish is between that base and top it lasts well!! Also, the smaller bottles are great. I find I never use all my OPI before it goes goopey. Try it and let me know what you think!

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  6. Blighty is a fashion icon. Just LOVE her 'cuffs', tres cool! x

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  7. As usual, I don't know what to laugh at first. After reading your description of your mum, I'm sure she will get into that place to see it one way or another. Love your new to you coat/jacket Arrangement. Pink is so Soothing. (FF).

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  8. Blighty these posts are so chock full of information I need to take notes as I read before I comment or I get muddled.
    Firstly, the cuffs and chains. For a sec I thought todays topic was Bondage.
    Whateva happened to those op shop ladies that had not a clue about the value of designer clobber? When every item was $2.
    Must say I think you look very svelte in the fitting room black frock. Sad it didn't fit but the lovely pink coat will be a hit.
    Thanks for the book recommendations. The Temptress looks a goer. Vaguely recall White Mischief.
    Love English chemist shops. I find them comforting. Boots lemon cough drops are the bomb, let me tell you we have nothing here that comes close.
    Hilarious moniker on the chocolate. Did consuming dark sexy have the desired effect upon tracking down Mr B?
    xx

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  9. Blighty, please check out The Laundress! They say "goodbye to dry cleaning", since at least 80% of the clothes with "Dry Clean Only" labels can be washed! I bought their Wool and Cashmere Shampoo, they also offer a Delicate Wash Shampoo. Or should it be "Detergent"?

    I think you look great in that dress. Go back, buy it and wear it just the way you posed for the pic. You can get it altered later.

    now I need to read the rest of the blog. Was just too excited by seeing your pic with the dress you turned down and needed to comment immediately. :)

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  10. You are such a brightener to my days, Blighty :) Thank you for the many laugh out louds (lols)

    x

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  11. Ha, Ha - Mr. HM is also more into Nutella than fancy (dark) chocolates and whenever he comes home finding me busy with cleaning, he'll immediatly ask: what do you want? Personally, I really love a plain bar of dairy milk and will even go to the only british shop in my town to get me some of that sweet drug. But no more of that, as I have a wedding to attend in two months from now and there will be quite a few (former) friends of my DM, screening me up and down and judging how I turned out ;-) You look stunning by the way in that blue dress and a Chanel number for 200 sure sounds like charity to me!

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  12. How come I never find anything in that Barnardo's when I'm there? Obviously they see me coming and hastily put out the tat that smells like Grandma's attic. I love that chemist, and have bought several bottles of Mavala there, can highly recommend it for staying power and economical size (so never gets gloopy).

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  13. Hey Blighty, hmmmmmm...........! I'm getting suspicious. That photo of you does NOT match your many hilarious descriptions of yourself!!!!!
    SERIOUSLY - You have MATCHED the Coat Hanger to your new pink coat, you have hung it from a very glam mirror (a la FF) rather than from your wardrobe door handle, and you look very trim and toned and MODELish in that navy number!
    Are you in training for FF's visit later in the year?????
    PS. Is there any way to email you a photo, re: a comment/question you made on FF's blog this week.

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  14. Blighty!!

    You look GORGEOUS in that dress.

    SSG xxx

    PS - I too get an attack of the 'cleaning the baths' whenever I bring things home with me that I shouldn't. Not a cost effective way to keep the house clean.

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  15. Dear ladies, thank you all for your comments, it's sooo nice to get them!
    Janet - thank you for the compliment, I stood sideways and sucked everything in!!
    LPC - we do say "smashing" but for years now we have been talking like Valley girls, even old people like me who should like totally like know better, it like totally freaks me out and Mr B is like why you talkin like that and i'm like whatever yada yada.. and Boy 1 went through a phase of trying to talk like a gangsta rappa "Check out da bling" etc totally hilarious I did try explaining to him he wasn't black and so would never be cool and was not down with his homies livin in da hood but a middle class white boy in Bucks..
    FF - yes of course but that day it will no doubt be full of depressing old ladies nightdresses; you must stock up on nail polish when here! i am still v excited about your visit!
    Hostess - yes the shop can be great but lots of times nothing and another great way to waste time, plus I always want to wash my hands afterwards - that hand gel stuff is the answer I think!
    L - thanks for the low down on Mavala, I like the idea of the small bottles, never in my life have i used up a polish, has anyone I wonder??
    Sophie P - thanks I keep tripping up over the chain but one has to suffer to look cool, just call me Daphne Guinness
    Deb - I agree, in Mother v Stately Home, my money is on Mother
    Anne-Marie - I so agree about the pricing up in charity shops, Oxfam is one of the worst, i know it's for charity but sometimes I do think they over price; still no sign of Mr B, must have taken fright, he is probably hiding in the spare room till I have eaten all the choc;
    Paula - thanks for the mention of the Laundress, I really hate having to pay for dry cleaning (except for coats and jackets) and never really feel it is clean;
    Elizabeth - so glad you like the blog, thank you
    hair-mess - sometimes only a bar of Dairy Milk will do! good luck at the wedding, you go show them!
    Septicsue - hi my dear, I just hit lucky that day, some days are Tat Central and once I bought the Jacket that Honked - even after being on the line in midwinter and out in the garage, it honked out the garage, it had to go back!! Yuck! Now I always sniff before I buy! sometimes you can do too much charity shop and turn yourself off, needs to be done in moderation I think, and possibly with gloves on...
    louise - yes I am in training for FF visit, am terrified that I will not have mulched my hostas in time...also the joy of photos is you show only what you want to show, not the chaos, scuff marks, footie boots, Lego etc etc
    SSG - yes, agree housework only after shopping is a dangerous habit

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  16. ah, FF is coming to the UK 2010? ... going to visit her sister in the UK? I totally missed that posting! lucky Blighty you live in the UK! lucky me following your blog, so I'm uo-to-date :)

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