Saturday 18 February 2012

Day & Night

After my sad and serious previous post, I think it is about time to do another fashion one, to get some light-heartedness back.
On the subject of my brother in law's death, let me just tell you that Mary rang on Thursday night to let me know the flowers arrived, and we spoke for more than an hour. She is a remarkably resilient woman, and I admire her for never going into whining mode, in spite of her having more than one reason for it. She is still able to see the positive things in her life; she enjoys her garden and her cats and the closeness of some of her family, and she is also looking forward to my visit at the end of April.

And now for something completely different!
(Don't you just love that sentence? I can't remember now whether it was CJ or GB who used it on their blog the other day, but it made me want to find use for it as well, and here it is!)

That I like clothes and to dress up or down according to the occasion, mood and other influences is no secret to any of my regular readers; you can read my recent babble about this subject here.

Now I am going to give you an example of what a typical day in the life of the Librarian looks like, in terms of clothes:

Last Saturday, I went to work at a trade fair, not as part of an exhibiting team, but to visit my customers at their booths, talk to them and have a look at how they presented the hardware they bought from me (maybe you can imagine one or two of them getting a stern look from me across the rim of my specs if I think "my" hardware is not placed in a way to draw enough attention).
Since that day was still bitterly cold at -12 C (that's about 10 F) and I went there by train, I had to be ready to face both the cold on the way to and from the station and the usually relatively warm fair halls. 

The best option in such cases is, of course, a suit that allows you to take the jacket on and off as you need. And there was no question of wearing anything else than a proper business outfit (incidentally, this one is by comma, the same brand where I got the grey dress from; I am not usually in search of particular brand names, but there are some I find their clothes fitting me better than others, and being more according to my taste and within my budget). I got this suit back in 2004 or 5, but clothes like these never really go in and out of fashion, and I suppose unless my weight alters dramatically (which I doubt), I will still be wearing it for many years to come. It is also nice in that it can be worn on colder days, like here with the soft warm woolly jumper, warm tights and boots, or with a lightweight blouse, sheer tights and pumps.

It was a good day at the fair, and I spoke to almost everyone I had meant to (I went back on Tuesday to talk to the rest who I had not met on Saturday), but it took me quite a long time to get home because of the inexplicable habit of our local public transport of NOT considering the trade fair times (which are well known!) and keeping people for a long time at the station near the fair and then cramming what feels like millions of us into the usual short trains that are OK for normal traffic but completely inadequate during fair times.

So, back home, I did not have much time to dwell on what I wanted to wear to the party I was invited to (a "proper" party with both a live band and a DJ, with cocktails, food, a really big dance floor and lots of people), but as I usually don't take long to decide, my mind was made up quickly between these two outfits:


Don't worry - I did not leave the house wearing those shoes at what, by then, had gone as low as -16 Celsius (about 3F); I wore warm boots and socks and changed into the more dance-friendly shoes once I was there.
The party was fun and I spent most of the time on the dance floor, but it was over unusually early, with many guests leaving already at around midnight. At a quarter to one, I was already back home after a day that had been, all things considered, very much to my liking.

Now, have your guess: which one did I choose? Pink or blue?

PS: This is, I have only just noticed, my post no. 250!

34 comments:

  1. tolle Outfits :-)
    Ich tippe darauf, dass du das blaue gewählt hast.
    (Naja, ich bin schlecht im Raten)
    LG

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    1. Danke Mella :-) Ich verrate es mal noch nicht, es sollen erst noch ein paar Leute mitraten, das macht mehr Spaß :-)

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  2. Hello, Librarian.

      Attractive works.
      You are the excellent artist.

      I thank for your usual and hearty support.
      And i pray for you and yours peace.
      
    Have a good weekend. From Japan, ruma ❃

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    1. Hello ruma, and welcome back to my post.
      Thank you very much for your comment! I really don't know when, where and how I gave you any support, but you are very kind indeed.

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  3. I think the pink?

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    1. Not telling just yet, let some others have their guess first :-)

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  4. Blue!

    It could have been either of us that said "And now for something completely different!". I have a feeling we both use it when speaking. I don't know if you know its origins but it comes from the wonderful Monty Python's Flying Circus 1960s television comedy series.

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    1. John, I do know its origins, and that's why I so like using that sentence myself.

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  5. Meike,

    I'm thinking the mandarin collar piece, which I love and have something similar to.
    Very classy with the fitted pants too. What great posture you have!
    Three degrees. I don't think I've been in that realm ever. Seventeen is the lowest and you know, I dressed in lots of layers and it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. All about being prepared, right?
    xx
    julie

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    1. Julie, there is a saying about there not being any bad weather, just bad choice of clothes, and it is certainly true over here!
      Yes, I love cheong-sams and qi-paos (which is, I think, the name of this particular style of collar) and have several such tops and dresses.

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  6. I vote for the pink. Both are smashing, but the pink allows the full impact of your lovely long legs to be appreciated.

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  7. You look fabulous in all four photos! As to the party attire, I kind of lean towards the silvery blue on the left, but most people seem to be leaning towards the pink. It will be fun to hear what you actually chose in the end.

    Have a good weekend. And stay warm and cosy! xox

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    1. Canadian Chickadee, thank you! I love getting compliments, and I think I shall have to do more such posts to keep a fresh supply coming in :-)
      As for warm and cosy - it was very mild and spring-like yesterday, I had ALL windows open while I was cleaning and wiping the floors, and the radiators turned off. Today, though, it's been snowing all morning already...

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  8. It takes courage to see the positive things in life. Good on Mary! All the outfits look great. Blue?

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    1. It does indeed take courage, Diane. And plenty of strenght.

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  9. Very cute outfits! Since blue's my favorite color, I'm going with the blue!!

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  10. I like both but I would say the blue!

    And let Mary know that I like her even though I haven't met her!

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    1. Mary is a truly likeable person, although she is, in many of her views, not your typical elderly lady - sometimes she rather surprises me with her outspokenness, and I am glad I have a mother in law I get along so well with.

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  11. Right, I think enough of you have guessed now - without counting, it seems to me there is a more or less even stand on blue v pink.
    I did go to the party in the pink top. It just seems to give me more leg-room to move, which comes in useful on the dance floor.
    Having said that, I went dancing (ballroom dancing) with RJ last night, wearing the blue outfit, and I was able to do all the steps in it, also the larger ones at Slow Waltz/English Waltz and Tango.

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  12. My comment, had I got it in earlier, would have been almost word for word the same as CJ's, We both use the saying a lot. I would have gone for blue too.

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    1. The blue one did get its outing on Saturday, so neither of the two need feel neglected :-)

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  13. Very smart looking in all the outfits! I would have said blue but then I didn't think about the dancing bit and you are right about the movement! Oh ballroom dancing must have been so much fun:)

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    1. Thanks, Peggy Ann! Yes, it was a lot of fun. I am still very much a beginner but I am constantly learning, and RJ has not given up on me yet :-)

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  14. Congratulations to blog number 250!! I am very much looking forward to your next 250 blogs...
    12

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    1. Thank you, 12! I wonder how many of those will be recipes, travel reports, fashion posts and others. I suspect the short stories are not coming to me anymore that easily. They work best when I am not happy.

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  15. ah, ich wusste das ich schlecht im Raten bin ;-)
    LG

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    1. Die Chancen standen 50:50 - du hast dich eben für die anderen 50 entschieden :-)

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  16. Both pink and blue are beautiful. But I think pink, given the temperatures - it's a lovely shade and just right for a party.

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    1. It was indeed just right for the party, Jenny! And it's been washed and ironed since, and ready to use for the next occasion soon :-)

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  17. Congratulations to the nomination for the "most fascinating blog of 2012", I hope you will win it!!!

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  18. Replies
    1. He was busy doing the Friday Shootout post about movement, I think!

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