Outfit of the day 28/02/17

Posted on 28/02/2017 by The Librain

Well, I am back posting properly again – the last three posts had been written in advance and scheduled. WordPress is a great blogging platform. In fact, some of you may remember that I developed a whole school library website, Library Online (sadly now no longer available), using WordPress.

The reason for my absence was a really nasty virus on top of my list of chronic conditions. As it was a coughing virus, you can probably imagine the effect on my overall health. I won’t go into the nasty details, but I will say that my poor sons had to lift me up off the floor several times, clean me up, and put me back in bed. I only managed to go out of the house yesterday after around ten days stuck indoors.

Today, I have been to the hairdresser and to take LH to the doctor (I had to drive him for a change as he was having diabetic retinopathy and they do not recommend driving afterwards). I am now resting in bed writing this post. I won’t show you a photo of my hairdo as it started raining as I walked to the car and now it is too gloomy to take photos using my iPad. Also, although I like the cut and colour, I am not so keen on the blow dry as it is too over the top curly/frizzy even for me. It is my fault, though, as I always tell my hairdresser to use her imagination when she blowdries as I usually wash it out again pretty quickly!

Anyway, today’s outfit breaks all of my colour “rules” as I am wearing black. Yes, the colour that does not suit me any more! My excuse is that I am not a wasteful person and, as I already own a black cashmere jumper and cardigan, I need to wear them occasionally. When they eventually wear out, I will not replace them with the same again in black, but will change to a different colour. As black does not do any favours for my skin these days, I always wear a scarf which does flatter. In this instance my scarf is a large 140×140 cm, silk chiffon beauty by Leonard. It is sooooo soft and snugly and a bit flawed as I bought it second hand. It has a design of feathers in grey, white, black, tan, cream, yellow and turquoise and it drapes wonderfully.

All of today’s outfit:

  • Black cashmere v-neck jumper – Marks and Spencer.
  • Black cashmere and merino v-neck cardigan – Woolovers.
  • Indigo jeans – Klass.
  • Black, brown and leopard print snake skin and gold bangle – Aspinal.
  • Grey crystal stud earrings – Swarovski (these also have dangly crystals which can be attached).
  • Feather scarf in silk chiffon – Leonard.
Outfit of the day 28/02/17 with Leonard feather scarf

Outfit of the day 28/02/17 with Leonard feather scarf

The image below, from the original seller, shows the overall design of the scarf.

Feather scarf by Leonard

Feather scarf by Leonard

Yesterday’s trip out of the house was to the library so that I could pick up some print books. I will post about what I have been reading recently tomorrow.

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Wardrobe planning #08: Choosing and buying designer scarves online

Posted on 27/02/2017 by The Librain

If you have been following this blog, you will certainly be clear that I love scarves. I think that I have made that pretty obvious. You will also be clear that I have a developing passion for rather special, often expensive, designer scarves too. Unfortunately, due to the state of my health, I am unable to purchase such scarves in person. How I would love to walk into an Hermès boutique and see the scarves laid out for me to choose. To be able to try them on and really see how they look against my skin and hair before taking the plunge. As I cannot do that, I have to buy them online, which is, of course a risk. I am not talking here about credit card cloning etc., obviously that would be far more dreadful, but the risk of choosing the wrong scarf for my colouring, clothing and lifestyle.

Hermès Maison des Carrés website as depicted on a scarf

Hermès’ Maison des Carrés website as depicted on a scarf

I sit in bed every evening with my old iPad, although I can also use my laptop downstairs on a good day. As I have to save up for months before buying an Hermès scarf, I really want to get it right the first time so that I don’t have to go through all the hassle of returns processes, especially if I am buying second hand. So, here are a few tips, with particular reference to Hermès, although a lot of this would also apply to other designer scarves:

  1. It helps if you have a clear idea of your wardrobe colours and also which shades suit you the most, particularly which look good with your skin and hair. For example, I cannot wear black near my face any more as it makes me look even more drained and ill. When choosing a new scarf online, you could think about any colour you would like to introduce into your wardrobe, or what might enhance a particular outfit. Another consideration could be where the gaps might be in your scarf collection, if you have one.
  2. I tend to be drawn to a particular design first and then look at the different colourways on offer for that design. Hermès scarves can come in up to ten or more colourways for each design in one season! If I don’t think a colourway is right for me, then I will look at another design. There are always far more scarves on my wishlist than I can afford in any one season.
  3. A bit more on the design: these are some things I think about when deciding on a design.
    • Small busy patterns or wider sweeps of colour?
    • Geometric or abstract designs or images of people, animals, plants, flowers or objects? Horses? There are loads on Hermès scarves!
    • I think about the overall design and how it might look tied.
    • Are the corners and borders interesting or is there a lot of plain space? How do I feel about this?
  4. Size is another consideration. Hermès scarves come in a range of sizes, e.g. 90×90 cm, 70×70 cm, 140×140 cm, and so on, as well as square, twilly or stole shaped to name only a few. You may need to think about how these different sizes and shapes of scarf would fit into your lifestyle. Would a huge 140×140 cm scarf drown you in fabric, for instance?
  5. Fabric content: Hermès’ 90×90 cm scarves come in a lovely thick silk twill, but they also produce items in vintage style silk, chiffon (known as mousseline), lighter-weight silk and cashmere/silk mix as well as cotton and cotton/silk mixes. You may have preferences for a particular fabric.
  6. You can buy new designer scarves from the designers’ own websites, some major department stores’ sites, from resellers, from eBay and so on. Resellers are people who make a business out of buying new or second hand items, sometimes in bulk, and them selling them on – sometimes at less than the original price, sometimes at a considerable mark-up if the item is a “grail” or very sought after.
  7. If you buy from the company’s own website, you do not have to worry about the scarf being authentic. If, however, you buy from eBay or you want a second hand or vintage scarf from any other source, then you need to check for authenticity. It may surprise some readers to know that designer scarves are often faked. Some fakes can be so good that even experts struggle to authenticate. Others can be so poor that it is almost funny to look at them. I don’t know enough about Hermès scarves to be able to spot a good fake, but there are services available who can help with this. More about that later.
  8. To begin the process of choosing, why not have a look at a site like Hermès Maison des Carres. The site takes a little while to load on my iPad, but the result is worth the wait. All of the different sizes and types are laid out in a fairly random order (or so it seems to me), but you can use search tools to select the size or fabric mix . If you click on the scarf image you first see a basic description and price and then you are taken to a page about the scarf, with links to the various colourways available. As I have said in previous posts, be careful here about the actual image of the scarf. Hermès are very aware of counterfeiting and so the image colours are not quite accurately rendered. This can cause considerable difficulty for your choice, or a nice surprise when you open the parcel!
  9. This is where the wonderful Purse Forum can help – it can also “help” you to spend a lot of money, but that is another issue! I talk a lot about Hermès on this blog, as these are my favourite scarves, but if you are interested in other items such as handbags, footwear or jewellery, tPF has sections for all of the major designers and lots of other things as well. I follow a lot of discussions but there are two particularly useful ones for purchasing Hermès scarves: “Scarf of the Day” and the thread for the current season’s scarves, currently Spring/Summer 2017. On these you will see that posters upload original photos of themselves modelling scarves or of the scarves laid out for everyone to see. This means that you can check the colours or even ask for advice as to the correct shades. There is always a flurry of posts as each new season’s scarves start to appear and everyone is so helpful and kind, especially to “newbies”.
  10. Many of the posters on tPF are very knowledgeable collectors and it is worth reading their threads or following their advice. There are also authentication experts who can help, but you must follow the quite strict procedures on these threads so that everything is fair. Remember that tPF is a public forum. You can also pay for authentication from companies and individuals dedicated to this, although it could prove expensive for a scarf. No one will write publicly about how to spot a fake as this would, of course, aid the counterfeiters to do a better job next time!

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Selection of Hermès scarves from my collection.

Here are some links which may give you further help:

How to choose a scarf

eBay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/gds/A-Beginners-Guide-to-Collecting-Hermes-Scarves-/10000000178817508/g.html

MaiTai’s Picture Book
http://www.maitaispicturebook.com/2011/02/readers-questions-how-to-chose-perfect.html

Vivienne Files
http://www.theviviennefiles.com/2013/06/choosing-scarf-hermes-in-black.html

Sources of second-hand, pre-loved, vintage scarves

Note: I am not endorsing any of these sites! If you are in the UK, be careful about buying from outside the EU (NOT a Brexit comment) as you will be charged duty fees if you are importing from Japan, the USA etc. There is also eBay, of course, and maybe you will be lucky one day and just happen to get an authentic Hermès scarf from a charity shop! Maybe…

1stdibs (based outside the EU)

Its-All-Goode (based outside the EU)

Malleries (based outside the EU)

Rebelle

Rennies

Vestiaire Collective

Videdressing

If you know any other good sources of vintage Hermes scarves, available to those of us shopping in the UK, please let me know and I will add them to the list.

In the meantime – Good Luck!

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Scarf of the moment: L’Arbre du Vent

Posted on 24/02/2017 by The Librain

I adore the gorgeous colours and the complex pattern of L’Arbre du Vent. This scarf was designed by Montserrat Gonzalez-Lugo for Hermès’ Autumn/Winter 2015 season.

The design is versatile and ties beautifully because all four corners are very different, showcasing a range of patterns and colours. This means that it can look as if you are wearing another scarf each time, depending on how you tie it. The hues of this colourway are very rich and deep: purple, fuchsia, green, teal, burgundy and shades of blue. The hand-rolled hem is in a gorgeous shade of purple.

If you read the design story below, you will see that the scarf is based on embroidery and threaded wool. On closer examination, these elements appear almost three dimensionally on the scarf – such clever design! It is attention to tiny details like these that makes Hermès scarves so special and, in my opinion, stand above the rest. Not that I have any great experience as yet, so I don’t mean to sound pompous!

The images in the first collage are from the Hermès website, showing the scarf itself and then a model wearing it. Oh, to be as slim as I was in my twenties! I would definitely have worn scarves as a top like this.

L'Arbre du Vent by Hermès

L’Arbre du Vent by Montserrat Gonzalez-Lugo for Hermès

These alternative colourways are all lovely. I chose colourway 12:

The scarf story is intriguing:

L’Arbre du vent is a tribute to the Huichol people of Mexico’s western Sierra Madre – also known as the Wixáritari – and their polytheistic religion, worshipping the divinity inherent in every aspect of the natural world. At its centre, the scarf depicts the eye of god, the protector, surrounded by the four elements, marking the four corners of the Huichol world: Mother Water, the origin of life, Tatei Haramara; Earth, the soul of the world, Tatei Yurianaka, with two hummingbirds fluttering above, symbolising the souls of traditional shamans; Grandfather Fire, Tatehuari, and Air, Kieiri, the Wind Tree. Mexican artist Montserrat Gonzalez-Lugo has taken inspiration from traditional bead embroideries and threaded wool pictures to depict the essence of Huichol spirituality.

I have worn this scarf a lot, so below is a collage showing some of the scarf ties that I have used. It looks lovely worn with winter outfits in shades of navy, teal, turquoise, purple and blue. Actually, now I think about this, the scarf would also look good in a necklace tie worn with a navy or purple t-shirt with linen trousers or jeans – so it could work in warmer weather too.

L'Arbre du Vent - Hermès - collage #02

L’Arbre du Vent – Hermès – collage #02

By the way, during the Autumn/Winter 2015 season, I couldn’t decide which scarf would suit me best. This won the vote I held on The Purse Forum – thanks, fellow TPFers!

(Edited 01/04/17 to add in alternative colourways).

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Wardrobe planning #07: My scarf journey – from market stalls to Hermès

Posted on 20/02/2017 by The Librain

Over the past six weeks, I have written about how I select colours and clothes for my wardrobe, now that I have retired from work. As you have seen, because of my lifestyle, poor health and weight fluctuations, I tend to wear fairly simple, comfortable clothes which are pretty low cost. To dress them up and try to create my own style, I use accessories.

Because my clothes generally fit into set colours – navy, brown, purple, turquoise, coral and cream – I use scarves, jewellery, handbags and footwear to create interest and sometimes add more colour. Some of these items are quite expensive as I tell myself that scarves, jewellery and handbags will last me out, even if my clothes don’t! So, the next few Monday posts will talk about my accessories.

I really hate it when people on TV reality shows go on about their “journey”! Ah well, I’m not going to talk about my whole life to provoke sympathy. Instead, this post is about how I began buying scarves on market stalls for a few pounds (and still do sometimes) and ended up spending £££ at Hermès.

The first scarf I can remember buying was a blue, purple and gold silk one from a cheap shop. I was in my late teens and I wore it for years until it fell apart – see image below. During my 20s and 30s I bought several scarves which I wore tied around my neck with blouses and shirts for work, or around my waist. I bought wool, cotton and man-made fibres, but kept coming back to silk when I could afford it. I still have two gauzy scarves that I bought in Spain on holiday in the 1970s and a lovely red, gold, lilac, pink and blue scarf with an autumnal design from the 1980s that I still wear regularly. You can read a post from last week where I was wearing it! This last one was from Accessorize, I think.

The Librain at 18 wearing silk scarf

The Librain at 18 wearing a silk scarf. The pointy collar!!!

Silk scarf from Accessorize

Silk scarf from Accessorize, bought over thirty years ago and still going strong!

I stopped wearing scarves whilst my children were young and when I went back to work I was in too much of a hurry in the mornings to bother. I bought a few for special occasions, like a teal silk velvet stole from Marks and Spencer in the 1990s. In fact, I have quite a collection of velvet and devoré stoles, but I hardly ever wear them these days. Perhaps they are due for a revival next winter!

My love of scarves kicked back in as my sons grew older. My mother used to buy them for me and knitted me loads in jolly colours to wear with coats and jackets in cold weather. Then when my mother died in 2012, I took a few of her scarves home to have a reminder of her when I wore them and I got the rest of mine out and reorganised them in a couple of drawers.

Then the bug hit! The serendipity of the Internet got me in its clutches and took me on a long ride. By now I was already very ill and contemplating retirement, thinking about what I could wear to cheer myself up. One day I raided Accessorize again and came home with a pile of new scarves, but I wasn’t really satisfied this time. I wanted to tie scarves in interesting ways, but was not sure what to do.

Then one thing led to another – Kettlewell Colours had a catalogue with an image of a  MaiTai scarf ring and so I went to her wonderful site to have a look. Her rings and scarf ties inspired me and I tried using her rings with the scarves in my collection. I then bought some new silk scarves from traders on Etsy – these were a step up in both design and colour.

Scarves bought via Etsy

Scarves bought via Etsy

Scarf vendors on Etsy, clockwise from top left – top left, top right and bottom right from TeresaMare; bottom centre by SilkScarvesColorado; bottom left by MinkuLUL.

One of my long-running love affairs has been with Liberty of London’s Ianthe pattern – many years ago I made a Roman blind in this fabric for my first house. So, thinking of this I went to the Liberty website and saw the perfect scarf in Ianthe – but the price!  How could I spend this much money on a scarf?

Ianthe silk scarf by Liberty of London

Ianthe silk scarf by Liberty of London

Well, to cut this long story shorter, I couldn’t get this scarf out of my head and so I saved up and bought it and, later, a Hera patterned scarf too. These looked so brilliant with my MaiTai scarf rings and I kept watching her videos and trying new ties. As I looked at MaiTai’s images, I was in awe of the spectacular Hermès scarves she models.

And so it happened – the slippery slope beckoned and I started the slide to…

La Promenade de Platon…

Le Promenade de Platon by Hermès

La Promenade de Platon by Hermès

I kept looking at the Hermès website, then going away, then coming back again. I loved everything about this particular scarf: the pattern, the theme (Ancient Greece), the wonderful colours. So, I saved and saved and saved and then, with trembling fingers, clicked on “Buy” – eek!

When the parcel arrived and I opened the famous orange box, I couldn’t quite believe the beauty of the scarf inside. So, as they say on The Purse Forum, I fell down the silky, slippery slope…

Since that day, I have bought more from Hermès and also ventured to Ferragamo and some other designers too. But nothing beats that first “hit”. Every couple of weeks or so, I will be posting about the individual scarves, starting with my H ones, on a Friday. I hope anyone visiting enjoys these “Scarf of the moment” posts.

Next week: Choosing and buying designer scarves online – some tips.

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Outfit of the day 17/02/17

Posted on 17/02/2017 by The Librain

Today’s outfit was very similar to the clothes I wore to the hospital on Tuesday. The weather has got quite a lot warmer and I don’t need the heavy navy wool jumper – layers are much better in England in February. I didn’t even need to wear a jacket when we went out this afternoon. Yes, you can believe your eyes – we went out!

The image of me in the collage below was taken a while ago and shows the versatility of this little gavroche – Zebra Pegasus. The scarf shows a zebra in navy and white with wings in shades of purple and blue against a teal background. So, it is absolutely perfect for my colour scheme!

  • Cashmere cardigan in lunar blue – Pure Collection.
  • Cashmere t-shirt in royal purple – Pure Collection.
  • Indigo jeans – Klass.
  • Amethyst and silver stud earrings – Blue Nile.
  • Turquoise enamel and rose gold bangle – Halcyon Days.
  • Leather heeled ankle boots in black – Clarks. Ouch! I am not used to wearing heels.
  • Silk scarf, gavroche size 45x45cm – Zebra Pegasus – Hermès.
Outfit of the day 17/02/17 with Hermès' Zebra Pegasus gavroche

Outfit of the day 17/02/17 with Hermès’ Zebra Pegasus gavroche

Yes, we went to a garden centre again. This one has finished a refurbishment since we last visited and the concession shops had lots of new stock for spring. I had a good rummage and found a few tops that I liked. I didn’t buy anything as I am going to think about what I really need first. Stripes are nice, but I am not sure about horizontal ones with my, erm, developing tum 😊

I then came home and had a look on the Isle website (link in the sidebar) to find the images and put them in a collage. A while ago, I mentioned to the sales assistant that I thought that the Edinburgh Woollen Mills site (Isle is one of their ranges) does not do the clothes any justice. So, bear in mind that these tops look far better in real life!

Tops by Isle - Spring 2017

Tops by Isle – Spring 2017

As most of my friends are librarians, mainly of the school variety, I see lots of librarianship memes on Facebook. One image that caught my eye recently was a set of posters called “Libraries are for everyone”. Here are some of the images and a link to the Hafuboti website page where I found them. If you want to use them in your library, go to the original website and you will see that they are available in as wide range of sizes and languages, copyright free! Fantastic!

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Update 16/02/17

Posted on 16/02/2017 by The Librain

I can’t write much today as nothing has really happened! Too poorly to go out again, so I snuggled in yesterday’s outfit and my fluffy blanket trying to solve puzzles in the newspaper and watching recorded TV. We both loved the “No Offence” series on Channel 4 – fantastic scripts and characters. The finale was literally (almost) explosive! I have embedded the video trailer below:

 

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

I then went upstairs and started my new book “The Marriage Plot” by Jeffrey Eugenides. But I only managed to get to page 20 before giving up. I simply cannot concentrate on books like this and, these days, I give myself permission to stop. When I was a child, I had a strong idea that I should always finish a book and it took many years for me to put that rule aside. So, instead, I am embarking on Sara Paretsky’s “Brush Back” – I adore her character V.I Warshawski.

Brush Back by Sara Paretsky

Brush Back by Sara Paretsky

Yesterday, I actually finished “The Silent Wife”, which I had started ages ago and put on hold for a while after getting about 3/4 of the way through. I read the last quarter really quickly and, generally, enjoyed the book. The characters were pretty unlikeable, but they were meant to be so, I think. The plot was also a clear lesson for women who don’t protect themselves sufficiently in relationships.

The Silent Wife by ASA Harrison

The Silent Wife by ASA Harrison

Anyway, I am really going to try to go out with Lovely Husband tomorrow. We have had such a quiet week because Elder Son has been away in London on his own since last Saturday. Soooo, peaceful but I also miss him a lot and worry about him. He is really amazing because, although he has ASD and learning difficulties, he is able to look after himself when away from us and has memorised the Tube Map so he can navigate around London. Incredible lad!

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Outfit of the day 15/02/17

Posted on 15/02/2017 by The Librain

Brr! It is still so cold and wet, so I wrapped myself up warmly today in this thick navy wool jumper and a really old, over 30 years, but well-loved silk scarf. This outfit breaks all of my colour rules because it includes red. I used to wear red a lot when I was younger and, generally, it doesn’t really suit me now. But I still have some accessories from years ago and I am not going to throw them away just to fit into colour rules. So, this is my outfit today:

  • Navy cotton roll neck – Isle.  I wear this under the jumper because it keeps my neck extra warm and also because the wool is a bit scratchy.
  • Navy wool jumper – WoolOvers.
  • Navy cotton joggers – Cotton Traders.
  • Gold earrings.
  • Red enamel and gold large size bangle – Halcyon Days.
  • Cobalt blue and gold slim size bangle – Halcyon Days.
  • Silk scarf in red, gold, blue, turquoise and lilac in a loose tie – Accessorize from the early 1980s.
Outfit of the day 15/02/17 with Accessorize scarf

Outfit of the day 15/02/17 with Accessorize scarf

This is an alternative tie for this scarf. I used a bias fold (see MaiTai’s video from YouTube embedded below) and wrapped the folded scarf around my neck and tied it off. This would also look nice if I were to use a scarf ring. Yes, I don’t look too well in the photo. I took it this morning after a night of coughing – which is why we didn’t go out today.

Alternative tie with Accessorize scarf

Alternative tie with Accessorize scarf

Video by the wonderful MaiTai. The link to her site is in the sidebar.

Oh yes, I was going to give my verdict on my recent handbag purchase: the vintage cream ostrich leather Waldybag. I need to say something first about special leathers like ostrich. I have very strong feelings about wearing fur and carrying bags made from rare animal skin. So I will not buy anything new made from mink, crocodile or alligator skin, to name a few examples. However, I don’t feel quite the same about vintage items. This handbag, for example, is possibly even older than me, or at least it dates to the sixties. I can’t feel very guilty about owning something this old – it’s the same with my vintage lizard skin bag.

Vintage cream ostrich leather handbag - Waldybag (photos from eBay seller)

Vintage cream ostrich leather handbag – Waldybag (photos from eBay seller)

Right, now I have got that over with, the verdict. The images from eBay proved to be very accurate. The bag is in very good condition for its age, with only a few tiny scratches where the colour has worn off. The suede interior is almost immaculate and the little purse is quite clean on the outside, although marked by coins on the inside. The metal hardwear has only a few tarnished patches. The handles are pretty good too, although wrinkled in places. This may be a natural condition for ostrich leather. As I have never even seen it up close before, I have no idea about this.

All in all, it is a very nice handbag in a good size and I will use it in the spring and summer. Not bad for £30!

Another purchase arrived today. Those of you who know me well will be aware that Lovely Husband is cricket mad. When he was younger, he was a very keen and talented bowler and he still lives and breathes the game today. He has even managed to get me interested, which is an amazing miracle in itself!

The Laws of the Game of Cricket - Liberty of London

The Laws of the Game of Cricket – Liberty of London – images from eBay (will try to take better ones soon)

Anyway, I was browsing eBay, as you do, and I saw a Liberty of London vintage silk scarf up for auction. To cut the waffle, I won it for £16.00 including postage and it came this afternoon. It is ivory silk satin with a rolled hem and about 70x70cm. The image in grey blue is of an 18th century cricket match with the rules of the game written around the edges. In fact it is called “The Laws of the Game of Cricket” and appears to be based on an old etching. I found an image of something similar on the Lords website and you can see it below.

image

The scarf is very pale and fluid, with very few marks at all. It arrived in a very crumpled state, so I will wash and iron it carefully, paying close attention to the hems. I think it will look great with a mid blue t-shirt and my navy linen trousers in the summer. Maybe I will even get to wear it to a cricket match one day!

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Outfit of the day 14/02/17

Posted on 14/02/2017 by The Librain

Another hospital visit today, this time for me. It was a regular check up with my Respiratory Consultant, who keeps an eye on all my various illnesses and coordinates everything. The interesting news is that I am being considered for a trial of a new drug to deal with chronic cough. They will have to see if I am a suitable candidate first. So fingers are firmly crossed.

So, I wore layers again for this visit, quite a few this time as it was such a very cold day, although this particular hospital is always very hot. I chose to wear my most favourite combination of purple and turquoise:

  • Silk scarf, 90cm, La Promenade de Platon, in an asymmetric knot – Hermès. This was my first ever H scarf purchase and has the theme of Ancient Greek sports in turquoise, purple, gold and brick.
  • Cashmere cardigan in lunar blue – Pure Collection. The image below is from their website, but is not the correct colour which is a gorgeous and vibrant blue/teal, closer to the colour of the earrings.
  • Cashmere t-shirt in royal purple – Pure Collection. Again, the true colour is much stronger.
  • Indigo jeans – Klass.
  • Leather wrap bracelet in grape and pale gold – Ferragamo.
  • Blue London topaz stud earrings – Blue Nile.
Outfit of the day 14/02/17 with Hermès' La Promenade de Platon

Outfit of the day 14/02/17 with Hermès’ La Promenade de Platon

Ooh, aim forgot to say that I really went purple mad today – can you tell that I luuuurve this colour? I wore matching purple socks and carried my Francesco Biasia purple handbag too.

Cotton socks in “aubergine” from The Sock Shop

After the hospital visit, we called into a different garden centre to the usual ones for a quick drink and a walk around, then went home for lunch. In the afternoon I felt very tired and so came up to bed to read and write this post.

Since I last wrote about books and reading, I have finished three! At least I have something to do when I have to take to my bed. Anyway, these were:

  • Cold Kill by Neil White – the last in his DS Laura McGanity series and a nice way to round the whole thing off.
  • The Good Girl by Mary Kubica – a marmite kind of book, according to the reviews on Goodreads. I really enjoyed it, but then I am not too critical when I am reading for my own pleasure. Most of the time these days I read for escapism.
  • A Darkness More Than Night by Michael Connelly – another really gripping book by this great author. I will reading anything he writes about Harry Bosch.

“Cold Kill” by Neil White

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

A Darkness More Than Night by Michael Connelly

A Darkness More Than Night by Michael Connelly

You will probably have realised by now that I love reading crime novels more than any other genre. That may be true, but I also love thrillers, westerns, historical, science fiction, fantasy, adventure, horror……………

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Scarf of the moment: Tyger, Tyger

Posted on 10/02/2017 by The Librain

I adore scarves with felines or animal print – I have several, in fact. One of my real favourites is this one: Tyger, Tyger designed by Alice Shirley for Hermès Autumn/Winter 2015 season.

Tyger, Tyger by Alice Shirley for Hermès
Tyger, Tyger by Alice Shirley for Hermès

There were loads of wonderful colourways to choose from, but I simply could not resist this one – 05. The rolled hem is teal and there are shades of dark blue and turquoise. The “tyger” is in brick, orange, brown and black with a startling turquoise eye! The night-time is evoked with silver stars in the sky and streaks of white on the plants and flowers, which are in other luscious colours. The scarf is a 90cm in heavy silk twill.

Here are the alternative colourways for this gorgeous scarf:

There was also a cashmere/silk 140 shawl. I am trying to find all of the colourways, but I am having a little difficulty with this. Please let me know if you have any suitable images.


A new version of the design has been announced for the Autumn/Winter 2025 season. It is a 70cm this time. These are the colourways that I have found. They are so gorgeous, but I don’t think that any of them would suit me with my grey hair! Now, when I was younger, I am sure that these colours would have looked lovely.

H984285S 01
H984285S 02
H984285S 05
H984285S 07
H984285S 08

I have also seen that this design was used with watches!


This is the scarf story:

“Tyger! Tyger! burning bright In the forests of the night” Alice Shirley learned William Blake’s poem The Tyger, written in 1794, as a schoolgirl. Hailed as a forerunner of the Romantic movement, the celebrated English poet and painter was born in London in 1757, and died there in 1827. Once learned, never forgotten, the poem’s mesmerising power has imprinted the hearts of generations of children. Now a talented young illustrator, Alice Shirley offers an affectionate portrait of the great beast, reclining in gentle majesty on a bed of flowers, beneath a star-filled sky. Specialising in the animal kingdom, Shirley is a regular collaborator with London’s Natural History Museum. Here, in the museum library, she discovered the magnificent collection of botanical illustrations commissioned by the East India Company, including the flora of the Periyar tiger reserve in the Indian state of Kerala. Here, she depicts the tiger at home, in his natural habitat.

The famous quotation from the poem can be seen written across the fern leaf on the scarf. I seem to have a lot of the scarves designed by Alice Shirley, probably because they stand out for me when I see the new season scarves twice each year. She has her own website showcasing her designs, with videos, and you can read more about the Tyger, Tyger scarf and see some of the other colourways.

I wore this scarf with a mixture of navy and brown clothes and accessories the other week. The post about it can be read here. It was designed as an autumn/winter scarf and works best like this in my wardrobe.

As I have had the scarf for a couple of years, I have worn it a lot so the collage below shows some of the scarf knots I have used, together with some tops from Lands’ End that tone in nicely:

Tyger, Tyger - Hermès collage #02
Tyger, Tyger by Hermès collage #02

I hope readers have found this exploration of Tyger, Tyger  both interesting and useful. Once again, if you find any errors or have any additional information that I could add, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Love and best wishes,

Anne

💕💗💖💗💕

Updated 05/07/25 to add information about the new 70cm colourways.

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Update 09/02/17

Posted on 09/02/2017 by The Librain

I am again far too ill to write more than a few lines. As I read back through this blog, I realise just how restricted my life has become and how boring it must all seem to anyone who visits here.

image

Mornings

I wake up feeling wretched nine times out of ten. I retch and vomit, only beginning to surface after eating a banana. Elder Son usually appears with tea and porridge and then I take a long line of tablets and inhalers at around 10.00.

Sitting up in bed, I read stuff on my iPad: Facebook, Mumsnet, The Purse Forum and the Vivienne Files. If I feel able, I go downstairs to sit with Lovely Husband and watch programmes we have recorded from the TV. We sometimes discuss politics and often argue about some issues. We mostly agree on political matters, but I am becoming even more rampantly feminist as I get older.

Then I have lunch, usually a sandwich, and sit watching more TV.

Afternoons

If we are both fit enough, we may venture out of the house for a couple of hours to a local cafe or to a garden centre. We have tea and a stroll and then go home.

Late afternoon I return to bed and usually read a book for a while, then swap to my iPad again when Elder Son comes home as he tends to play loud music which breaks my concentration.

Evenings

I have my evening meal cooked for me by one of my “chaps” as I can no longer cook because this sets off my cough. I eat my dinner in bed and take more meds.

The rest of the evening is spent reading or writing blog posts in between taking even more medicine. I go to sleep around 11.30.

All Day

And all day and every day I live in terror of the cough. A cough that makes me choke for each breath, gasp to suck air into my lungs, feel my throat closing, lose continence, vomit helplessly, collapse to the floor. I live in fear of an asthma attack, a fainting fit from low blood pressure, a severe pain from acid reflux, of my family finding me passed out.

And that is it. Day after day. Very occasionally, I feel stronger and can go further, visiting a local town or the pub. More usually, I am worse and have to spend the day in bed.

This probably sounds rather sad to those of you who have kept your health, but I am thankful that I have my fantastic LH and two grown up sons who care for me. I have books to take me out of myself. I have the wonderful NHS which is keeping me alive. And I have friends, even if I cannot see them in person. I have the power of technology to connect with people all around the world.

There is so much to be thankful for. So I will stop here.

❤️💛💚💙💜

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