Hey Jackie, LOOK OVER THERE OMG!!

*runs to Jackie’s, steals her pith helmet, pulls the raspberry bushes and hauls ass back across the Atlantic*

That’s fun, Jackie! Care to model it for us??? I used to have an 87
year old neighbor that had been on multiple safari expeditions, and
on summer weekends he could be sighted, sitting on his riding mower,
with his pith helmet on, protecting his bald pate from the noon day
sun!

Allie, whilst I love Vivaldi, sorry but I couldn’t get your link to work😢

Essie, if you were talking about my fascinator, it certainly won’t be going to Arica with me😨 It will be used to dress my confection up for weddings, baptisms etc.

On the other hand….. I’m sure I could find room in my safari bag for Jackie’s pith helmet!😉 Jackie………..

BTW Jackie…dare I ask why on earth you are the proud (and much envied) possessor of a pith helmet???

So, it goes back 30 years, the Himalayan foothills and a grateful breeder of rare fruit when I saved his raspberry bushes from a maurading tribe of women wearing very dramatic shoes ….

Or maybe husband got it as a souvenir when he took a sabbatical and went round the world (before my time).

You can choose which story you prefer! 😁

If I ever get savvy enough to post a picture I will, if I can find it. It used to feature heavily in dress up time, but the kids are beyond that as a daily activity now.

Oh most definitely the first, Jackie, most definitely the first 😊😊😊

Is it raspberry-juice stained by any chance?😉Not that I’m doubting your story of course 😉 We do definitely need pictures! 😊

Allie, I need to get my dad a pith helmet for his bald pate! He still wears the bear hat I got him in the USSR in February of 1990 (the last year there was a USSR). It’s the hottest hat in existence, he says, which is why he looks like Brezhnev whenever he shovels snow. 😀

It’s time for more fun with post-Christmas sales. I call these my double cats, one cat is the leopard print, the other is the kitten heel. These are my first kitten heels ever and I adore them. So, so comfy.

https://s13.postimg.org/wz6maeu1z/kittens.jpg

For Theo and Allie who enjoy the sleekness and versatility of black as an anchor, and to prove to all y’all that not always about the technicolor explosion for me, check out these sweet suede loafers with a herringbone emboss and studs around the soles.

https://s13.postimg.org/73mvr92iv/herring.jpg

Well, E, now those are both HOT HOT HOT! I’d wear either of them in
a heartbeat! The boots have brought out my green eyed monster, I
have to admit. I think it’s only a matter of time before I find myself
standing in line at City Fish, and notice a petite, dark haired young woman
with show stopping footwear. I shall speak your given name, and
then we will fall into each other’s arms, laughing hysterically. It’s
time to reschedule our dinner, too! 🙂 I know that Breshnev hat too,
my nephew just returned from St.Petersburg with the same model
for his father. It’s been put to good use out in the driveway, removing
mother nature’s recent largesse. Did you hear me laughing into
the cosmos when I noticed the position you must have assumed
to take these recent photos? Neither one of us could have managed
it in 2016. How would we have been able to get back up off the
floor???

Well now Essie – you certainly have a bit of a shoe fetish, and you are fast developing one in me too😉 That green-eyed monster is rearing his ugly head again!
As Allie says, they are hot hot HOT! Though actually rather cute too, particularly the booties.😊 But either pair would be very welcome to a place in my wardrobe, should you ever want to avoid Ms Allie Cat who, I’m reliably informed, is a stalker accustomed to accosting previously unknown (in the flesh at any rate😉) ladies wearing hot footwear 😜

Yes, Theo, I never mind “making a scene”! I SHOULD be making dinner
at this time, but I find this thread just too irresistable. I’ve completely
“lost the plot” today in terms of who is posting where, so I have to
grab this opportunity to wish you a gargantuan “HAPPY BSD
ANNIVERSARY”!!! I’m more than a bit jealous of all of you that
have been on this journey together for an entire year. Today, I can
barely remember what life was like without the friendships and
support that I’ve come to realize here. You are a very special lady
in that regard, your sense of humor makes me lol, and it’s always
a bright spot of sunshine in my day. I salute and respect all of
your accomplishments, and I’m proud to know you as a friend 🙂
Next up, our maintenance anniversary!

Thanks Allie, what a lovely post. Really touched me. 😊

I agree, we all feel like old friends here, particularly on this whacky thread 😉 What did we ever do without our daily dose?😜

I think I am a tad behind you on the maintenance anniversary though, I think yours is April? Mine will be May 8th.

But hey, just gives us the excuse for TWO parties 😄😃😄

PS Now if one year in maintenence doesn’t give you the excuse to treat yourself to a smartphone, then nothing will, and I’ll reluctantly have to admit defeat 😢 Go on – you know you’re worth it😊 xx

Don’t give up on me Theo (as if you would :), that phone is in
the cards, but trying to schedule our lives with O/h new semester
course load, has been really challenging. Things have fallen thru
the cracks already, and we’re only in to week 2. Only one car
at the moment, and he’s out in it 12 hours a day! I’m going to
try and post links here to my newest acquisitions, certainly no
qualifiers for “hottest looks”, but garments in which I swish
about town…
1. “true red” jacket:
http://www.jjill.com/jillonline/product/product.aspx?item=Z2056H&rPFID=
11&sk=M&h=m

2. polka dot slim pants: Color: blackstone
http://www.jjill.com/jillonline/product/product.aspx?item=Z2053F&rPFID=
14&sk=M&h=m

3.black tunic
http://www.jjill.com/jillonline/product/product.aspx?item=Z2099H&rPFID=
3712&sk=M&h=m

4. black velvet d’Orsay flats
http://www.jjill.com/jillonline/product/product.aspx?item=Z2100Y&rPFID=
52&sk=A&h=a

Zoot, alors!!!

Of course I’d never give up on you, Allie – it’s the new phone I might admit defeat on😉 Sadly life often gets in the way of good intentions 😢

Sadly your links didn’t work for me, so cannot admire your latest acquisitions 😢 but I’m sure they are stunning 😊

I’m so sorry, my friends, for wasting your time. Obviously I’m
not cut out to be a data entry clerk or a secretary either, for that
matter. Probably best to stay in the creative lane, where I feel
the most at home…I shall try again, begging your indulgence 🙂

1. ponte knit slim-leg pants – Color: black/stone
http://www.jjill.com/jjillonline/product.aspx?item=Z2053F&rPFID=14&sk=
M&h=M

2. pure jill refined comfort jacquard cardi – Color: Rubi/mult
http://www.jjill.com/jjillonline/product.aspx?item=Z2100M&rPFID=19&sk=
M&h=M

3. knit border-print boat neck tunic
http://www.jjill.com/jjillonline/product.aspx?item=Z2099H&rPFID=3712&
sk=M2h=M

4. lace d’orsay flats
http://www.jjill.com/jjillonline/product.aspx?item=Z2098P&rPFID=52&sk=
A&h=A

5. cambridge coat – color: true red
http://www.jjill.com/jjillonline/product.aspx?item=Z2056H&rPFID=11&sk=
M&h=M

Now I’m just going to hold my breath…………

Sorry, Al – still not working. They all say “oops, the page you’re looking for isn’t available”

I’ll just have to use my infinite imagination 😉

Girl, you need a copy & paste seminar in the worst way. 😆

Okay, here’s what to do. When you land on the page you want to link to, click in the address bar at the top of your browser where the URL is. You’ll see the URL become highlighted in blue. That means it’s selected. If it’s not blue, hold down the Control (CTRL) key on the lower left of your keyboard and then press the letter A. When you see the address turn blue, release the A key and, still holding the Ctrl key, press the letter C. Come over here, click in the reply box, hold down Ctrl and press the letter V. You should see the URL you selected appear in the reply box. If it’s not the same URL or is some random text, it’s probably an issue with Ctrl not having stayed down when you clicked either of the letters. Try it again and just be very particular about holding firmly until you release the letters.

http://www.jjill.com/jjillonline/product/product.aspx?item=Z2053F&rPFID=0&sk=N&h=N

http://www.jjill.com/jjillonline/product/product.aspx?item=Z2100M&rPFID=0&sk=N&h=N

http://www.jjill.com/jjillonline/product/product.aspx?item=Z2099H&rPFID=0&sk=N&h=N

http://www.jjill.com/jjillonline/product/product.aspx?item=Z2098P&rPFID=0&sk=N&h=N

I couldn’t find the Cambridge coat, I’m afraid, but hey, it’ll give you a reason to try out your new copy & paste skills. 😀

I love a d’orsay shoe, flat or heeled, by the way. They’re unfailingly elegant and make the biggest, hairiest hobbit feet look dainty. I love those polka dotted slim pants too. I would wear them every day. No tunics or long camis for me on account my own hobbitiest features (short legs), but you look smashing in them, I’m sure.

Thank you, Essie. I won’t torture you any longer with my
incompetence, and I’ll truly practice your technique to see if
I can get it right! Right now, ,my idiotic red head’s complexion
is blushing in shame…Failing at ANYTHING is anathema to me;
I want to put a brown paper bag over my head 🙂 I’ve managed
to trick J. into believing I’m an extremely bright woman, and
he has absolutely no patience with this blindspot that I seem
to have. I really should enroll in a senior center somewhere,
(ughh) and get serious about a tutorial of some kind. Maybe
your Dad and I can partner up? Enough castigation for 1 day!
🙂 🙂 🙂

Pshaw, it matters not one whit. After what you’ve accomplished in the past year, you should never ever castigate yourself again. Unless you wind up committing some kind of accidental atrocity that burned down a hospital or raised a demon ogre who devoured like 10,000 orphans, that is. 😉

Ooh just loving the flats Allie, and wondering if they may be available on this side of the pond? Will Google them.

You will look fab in all your purchases now that I can see them😉 Thanks Essie 😊

Allie, we all have our own talents so,as Essie says, it matters not a jot that computers are not among yours 😉

I mentioned my infinite imagination but have now realised mine is most definitely finite and it’s Essie’s whose is infinite – who else could have thought up such possible transgressions😱

I would recommend a regular stroll through the shoe shelves in tkmaxx. You won’t always be lucky, but they have some gems. I got some wedge ankle boots the other day, and they often have Guess or similar. In fact, when I look at my clothes I realise most of them come from there. I just love a bargain.

Theo, all the credit for that goes to years of watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 😀

On a lass mass-murderous note, lookie lookie at what I scored from a vintage shop:

https://s13.postimg.org/4h45ijg4n/0283.1_L.jpg

Valentino, y’all. From his prime in the late 1970s, no less. I almost wept when I saw it.

Oh WOW!!!!! Essie – you sure do have a nose for a fabulous find😊 That jacket is truly amazing and right up my – and I suspect Allie’s – street 😊 Such elegance, and black and white too, what could be better? 😀 In fact I remember a (very elegant) friend of mine wearing one just like that in the very early 80s. (Makes me feel MUCH better about my newly acquired boring old B&W biker jacket 😉)

But why aren’t YOU modelling it for us?

BTW – I’ve never seen an episode of Buffy, maybe that’s why my imagination is a little stunted 😜

Oh, you can count on me modelling it very soon. It ordered it from the shop’s online storefront so it hasn’t arrived yet. Same goes for the Yves Saint Laurent winter white quilted blazer. One of the great joys of being the size I am now is the sheer quantity of gorgeous vintage pieces that are now accessible to me. When I was slimmer waisted and more generously hipped as a young woman, there weren’t a lot of Valentino and YSL options on the table for me short of unaffordable couture. My less curvacious body is far easier to dress shopping in person or online. Check the measurements, assume a 27-28 inch waist will fit despite what the tape measure tells me and go to town.

You snooze you gain, I’ve found some gems at TJ’s too, a couple of pairs of classic rise Levi’s that are impossible to find in regular stores, an orange Calvin Klein swear with lace-up sides that is downright hot. I have to be in the mood for a slog, though, because it’s like going through any clearance rack. Hard, hard work to sift through the haystack and find the needles.

Shopping can be good exercise. Walking round a nice, covered, marble floored shopping mall or pedestrianised streets is much more pleasant than boring old car exhaust polluted roads. I remember years ago walking from Kings Cross to Euston and suffering from the polluted air, only relieved when I started walking in the side streets. I was thinking of a gym until I saw that programme where they tested equipment for bacteria – more germs than the average loo! Thus while the weather continues to be foul I choose the covered option for my walks. I do agree that needles are few and far between, but when you find them …. I love my grey quilted DKNY jacket, on sale for £50, reduced from £80 and I found a fab Burberry jacket last year which has cost approximately 1p per outing to date.

It’s not the walking that’s a problem. I would dearly love an excuse to do my 20,000 steps in the warmth of a climate controlled shop during this abysmally cold season. It’s the non-walking. Standing at a rack for ages, pushing hangers one after the other, rejecting, rejecting, rejecting, finally landing on one or two pieces that aren’t terrible, trying them on, finding they don’t fit or don’t look good, then going back and starting all over again. It’s the kind of Sisyphian tedium the Greek gods used as eternal punishment for pissing them off.

I might just head to the Maxx and speedwalk the perimeter of the giant warehouse-like floor, though. Then at the end I can browse and maybe, if I’m very, very lucky, find a treasure or two. Even I don’t, I still win by getting my steps done in toasty comfort. Beats a treadmill at the gym, that’s for sure. 😀

I don’t know what its like in other countries, but I find the wide discrepancies in sizes between different stores/brands in the UK so disheartening that it puts me off from going shopping at present. I In some stores I still couldn’t get into jeans never mind do them up but they are marked as being the same dress size as the ones in other stores that are so lose they would fall down if I tried to walk in them.

I’ve found vast discrepancies in sizing between different *colors* of the exact same brand and model of clothes, and that includes shoes. My guess is the Bangladeshi 12-year-olds major brands barely pay to manufacture their garments don’t get a ton of quality control oversight.

Sizes vary – that applies whatever size you are. However, I must say I find Italian clothes the most depressing, because they seem to be 2 or 3 sizes smaller than other clothes labelled the same size. As for underpaid workers, I am overcome by visions of malnourished children when I walk past that shop.

I try and balance the walking and standing, and I never try on in the shop, but buy things I fancy, try them on at home and return them if they don’t fit. Eliminates the negative aspect of clothes shopping. You may have guessed that I have plenty of time on my hands!

Hi all,

I agree about the varying sizes, I bought 2 pairs of a cheap jeans when I was in the U.S. to see me through the transition weight loss stages. They were sitting together on the shelf, and I only tried one on. When I got back to the U.K. they were very different sizes. Fortunately the ones I didn’t try were smaller and I have now slimmed down into those😀.

Sizes in general seem to be bigger than they used to be. I got some old 1980s sewing patterns out of the loft the other day and they are much smaller than today’s sizes.

I think its a marketing technique. As overweight has become more normal there are more women falling into the plus size clothes band. If you face people with the choice of in shop A its the frumpy plus sizes only, but in shop B I can get into the largest of the normal size less frumpy clothes they are going to buy their clothes in shop B. Which means that all the sizes below have to be adjusted so that there isn’t a big jump between the sizes.

Just wish that shops had notices up on what the dimensions of their sizes were so you could work out what size you were going to be in their shop which would save the changing room blues.

Clothes sizes have definitely changed. When I got married, I weighed a little under 8st (110lbs to be exact) and wore a size UK12, which is what my wedding dress was. I now weigh 8st again, and my wedding dress fits me absolutely perfectly, just as it did on my wedding day. But what size do I wear these days? A UK8 (could even get away with a 6 in trousers) – that is TWO WHOLE SIZES SMALLER for the same weight than it was 49 years ago!!!

In the UK standard sizes are redefined periodically, so that people can kid themselves they are smaller than they are. I now wear a UK10, going into UK8, but I know that – as you say Theo – a few years back it would have had to be a larger size for sure.

Hi everyone! Some new faces here! JGwen, you are entirely correct, it IS all about the marketing. One of
my closest friends used to be VP of Human Resources and worked at Saks Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
She was in the rag trade for a lot of years, and this is indeed her explanation.

Essie, I just realized you must have had to go thru the jjill site and repost my wardrobe for Theo and Kazz
be able to see “the goods”….That’s an act of friendship my girl, and I thank you kindly for it 🙂 Sometimes my links
work, and sometimes they don’t! But, onto the REAL NEWS….THAT INCREDIBLE houndstooth Valentino jacket!
It gives me palpitations…don’t you realize that Theo and I are “old”? Can’t wait to see it on you! (I hope you’ll
wear the black silk underwear again for the photo shoot. I love that part!) Are the colllar and cuffs velvet? And
just look at the covered buttons, Theo! Impeccable! I always have trouble with a set in waist…too long waisted.
Will be looking forward to the next installment, ladies 🙂 🙂 🙂

The collars and cuffs of the Valentino are indeed velvet. The houndstooth jacket itself is finely combed Italian wool. It hasn’t arrived yet, but I have something to tide you over. The YSL quilted blazer is here and after petting it and stroking it and cooing all over it, I tried it on. Perfect fit. Even the sleeve length. I am in love with the thick, rich quilted fabric, the impeccable condition (rare for white not to turn yellow over time) and the gorgeously huge real mother of pearl buttons.

No luck with the silk longjohns, Allie, sorry. I wore it with a pair of navy blue jacquard slimfit pants and a vitage silk shit that believe it or not, used to be my father’s. My mom resurrected it from the depths of their closet last week and now it’s mine. It fits so well it makes me marvel at how skinny my dad used to be! And it has a fabulous little tail thingy that goes from the back of the shirt under your crotch and bottons over the last button. It ensures the shirt never ever rides up and looks smooth and taut as long as you’re wearing it. Genius design. It has leapt to the front of the class as far as my tops are concerned.

So without further ado, here is a fabulous look brought to you by Yves Saint Laurent and Dadsnecca:

https://s13.postimg.org/g85yzwsfr/YSL.jpg

Cool jacket, Essie – looks warm too, just right for your chilly climate! How wonderful to have resurrected one of your dad’s shirts, how about another pic without the jacket so that we can see it in it’s full vintage glory? Great idea about the “tail” to keep it tucked in and smooth – same principle as the “bodies” which used to be so popular.

Really looking forward to seeing the B&W jacket too, when it arrives – I must remember to ask my friend if she still has hers, if so maybe I could purloin it (if her 2 daughters haven’t already done so!!)😜

Loving the jackets! Timeless! Oh to have a waist! Even as a uk size 12, 40 years ago, I never had one but the shoulder pads helped give the impression of one thankfully.

Link to the boots which I post on life choices thread. Can’t afford them just yet but they the first pair I want first, then a more traditional pair.

http://www.cowboybootstore.co.uk/womens-boots/Ladies-Cowboy-Boots/Bald-Eagle-Brown-Western-Cowboy-Boots-Grinders

Kxx

I’m definitely not posting a picture of this. Just been for new bra and am now an A cup – down from a D! Smaller than my daughter!!!!! Am not sure exactly how I feel about this!

Jackie, you have a real soul sister here 🙂 🙂 🙂 Ever heard of AA?
(and I don’t mean “Alcoholics Anonymous”!) Down from a C….
Let’s just say that this WOE is really efficient at burning fat!
I felt more than a little queasy being fitted for a mastectomy
bra last summer. This contraption has it’s very own carrying
case! Good thing I’m not a remotely vain woman, but if I’m
honest, it did take a day or 2 to get past it. I know just how
you feel about not knowing how to feel….. Strange!

I feel for you, ladies watching things disappear of a delicate nature, however, as my cup size is about the size of my head, I can’t wait for my 48H to subside! In fact, they are subsiding now. Oh to be able to run for a bus or just hurry up. To not enter a room 5 minutes after my frontage! Neck ache a thing of the past! Looking forward to it! 🙂

Kx

Kazz, those boots are the most badass cowboy boots I’ve ever seen. The combination of classic cowboy with classic biker (square toe, buckled straps) is fantastic. You are going to feel like you can kick the world’s ass when you stomp the floor in those bad boys. Snap them up!

Jackie, I don’t even know what cup size I was at my heaviest because I was too embarassed to get fitted, but suffice it to say that my cups runnethed over in a 50DD. I’m 34B now, and I only need a B because of the room it gives for the weird loose armpit skin to have a place to pool. It takes some getting used to, no question. I bought some cute lacy bralettes at a post-Christmas sale and stared at the mirror for a solid 5 minutes to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. They looked like butterlies compared to the tank-like bras I had to wear when I was obese.

I have to agree about losing boob fat, though I’m still a much larger cup size than you, Jackie, Allie and Essie. But then I started as a much bigger cup size – used to be a 38G but am now a very respectable 32D, which feels tiny in comparison but is actually still quite a large cup size I guess. And, Essie, I agree my bras too now look tiny, and are sooo pretty.

Bras are and always have been the bane of my life. I am sooo flat chested. One dearly beloved once said “ah, the perfect handful.” Honestly, I would have followed that man to the ends of the earth 🤪. In my defence I was young.

Age, combined with a strong (read broad) back plus back fat, I just haven’t found a comfortable solution. I am really hoping losing the podge will open up some some options. Pretty options would be such a bonus.

My bff gave me a couple of very cleverly designed sports bras she had bought in a Kickstarter that turned out to be too small. She followed the sizing guidelines, but as so often happens, the guidelines were crap. She never got around to returning them so now they’re mine and I absolutely adore them. No squishboob! Proper cups, reversible, no underwire or padding, no endlessly slipping straps, don’t-even-know-it’s-there comfort whether I’m exercising or loafing around. The band is very stretchy and there are 5, count ’em, 5 rows of hooks to ensure you get just the right fit. Maybe something like that could work for you, Flick. They’re not pretty in the sense of lace and silky bits, but they have great colors and make your rack look awesome. My OH, who remains my ends of the earth guy after almost 25 years, had a very pronounced positive reaction which I assure you he does not have to my chest-flattening sports bras. 😀

They sound like a great solution for everyday use. I was thinking I would add bras to my ‘at target shopping spree’. It might be more sensible to try to find at least a couple of comfortable sports bra options for the next month or two … I’ll report back.

Theo, your wish is my command.

https://s13.postimg.org/qzr6jdpw7/shirt.jpg

Nice one, Essie. Thank you. Does it require cufflinks? Your father must have been one slim and very dapper gentlemen 😊 Can just imagine him floating around up there, smiling, thumbs up and saying “That’s my girl!”😉 He would just LOVE the way you have taken control and transformed yourself into a slender, healthy fashionista!!

Has the jacket still not arrived? 😢

It is not a French cuff, but I can see why you’d ask about it because they are the snuggest cuffs I own. My father has always had slim wrists and ankles, but I didn’t realize until this shirt situation just how slim they were. Downright bird-like!

Tracking says the Valentino will be here tomorrow. I think you might be even more excited about it than I am. 😀

We are excited to see it on you, Essie! We might be just a tad
“covetous” too 🙂 🙂 🙂
Put it up here, when it arrives….