Sunday 14 September 2014

September Selection

Although my favourite times of the year are certainly spring and summer, somehow September has managed to establish itself as a secret favourite in recent years. Maybe it has to do with our weather, maybe it is the general atmosphere of getting back to familiar (and not unloved) routines, maybe it is the combination of often still warm and sunny days and the first cosy nights in, or the abundance of flowers and fruits in gardens and on fields, and the transition of summer wardrobe to more substantial clothes, the change of light and colours outside, or... Whatever it is, I like September very much.

For months now, I haven't shown you the view from my kitchen window. Not that it has changed much since you last saw it; there are still the same gardens and houses. But the ever-changing flowers and trees are something I always love looking at when I am in my kitchen, waiting for the kettle to boil or doing any of the other things people genereally do in kitchens. This was what it looked like on the 6th of this month:


After the general view, I zoomed in on the yellow flowers. The green is still very much the green of summer, but everything else is strongly pointing towards autumn:


Speaking of autumn - the weather was finally right for me to wear this vintage dress I brought back from Ripon this year:


I am not sure what day I bought it; my best guess is that it was on the day described here. The shop is on Ripon's Westgate (that is the road leading westwards off the market square). It is called "Fabulous" and sells vintage clothing. The first dress I tried on was very, very pretty; a Fifties' ensemble with narrow waist and wide skirt with matching short-sleeved jacket in a caramel-brown cotton with tiny roses on it. However, it was made for someone much smaller than I am. The next one was a "Bond Girl" type of shift dress from the 1960s in a black-and-white dogtooth pattern. Again, it didn't fit. But by now I was in full clothes-shopping mode and my eyes fell on the dress the dummy in the corner was wearing. I asked the friendly lady whether she'd let me try this one. She did, and for the third time I went back to the tiny broom cupboard that doubles as a fitting room. Third time lucky - this one fitted so well as if it had been made for me! It wasn't exactly cheap, but the wool fabric was in top condition, it was clean and the zip ran smoothly (not something to be taken for granted - this dress is, after all, probably a few years older than myself!), and all of last year I had been thinking about getting something green to wear without finding anything I really liked.

The lady in the shop was very kind and friendly; she even said something like "I am so jealous because this looks so nice on you", and my sister (who had been very patiently waitng for me while I was trying on the dresses) and I left the shop in the best of moods. The shop has its own page on facebook, by the way.

I am not entirely happy with this picture; I look as if I don't have a waist (I do - believe me!), but it's the best I could come up with in the few minutes I had left before leaving the house to catch my train to work.

Have a good second half of September, everyone! 

PS: I have emailed the shop owner and she tells me she now has a proper changing room :-) That is one more reason (as if I needed one...) for me to go back next year!

20 comments:

  1. Lovely shade of green, and unusual for a dress. The colour is rather appropriate for September, and wool with a good zip means it was probably very expensive in its day.

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    1. I believe it was handmade, Jenny; there are no labels whatsoever. As far as I can tell (not knowing how to sew), it is very well made, with generous seams. The materials probably didn't come cheap!

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  2. Hello Meike,

    September is definitely a favourite with us. We are so thrilled to see all the children back in school whilst we delight in the freedom we have these days that we no longer teach!

    Your dress looks great. The colour is fabulous and so perfect for the season. The material looks to be very good quality, a great find for sure!

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    1. Hello Jane and Lance,

      Travelling to work is much more pleasant during the school holidays because then the train isn't full of students. But each season has its advantages, and I can easily understand why you like to see the children back in school without yourselves having to be back there, too!

      The dress really is good, and I hope to make another excellent find at the shop next year.

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  3. I love September too......Even though I am not going back to school I feel an excitement. For me September is when the New Year should be. And since I don't love weather which is too warm, I like the turn to cooler days.

    What a great dress for you. I don't recall an all green dress in any of your fashion shots before. And wool. You will get a lot of use from this, I think.

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    1. For many companies, the Business Year begins on the 1st of September (the Fiscal Year, too, in many countries), so why not making it your personal New Year, too!

      You are right, there has not been much green in my wardrobe until now. I have a halter-neck sundress in green and white, but I have not worn it at all this summer, and I have a green skirt which I have been wearing maybe 3 or 4 times, but nothing like this dress.

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  4. You are lovely in green, and i like the view from your window very much.

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    1. Thank you! It does make me appear a little paler than I am, but I don't mind that.

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  5. changing seasons...changing fashions...and pleasant weather...what's not to like.

    Enjoy.

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  6. Never mind the waist - you have excellent legs! I'm quite envious...

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    1. Now I am blushing, Frances! (Yes, my legs aren't too bad. But I do have a waist, too, and wonder where it has gone on that picture.)

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  7. I love things that are hand made and tailored so well. My mother used to make me clothes and even Sport Coats from wool for my dad. I actually bought something old that was a bit snug because it was so fabulously constructed. I can almost fit in it now!
    Almost Loden Green?
    Julie

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    1. Hmmm not sure about what I'd call this particular green, Julie, and it is always difficult to get the shade in a picture exactly the way it is in truth. It's somewhere between bottle green, British racing green and what in German I'd call TannengrĂ¼n (the Christmas tree kind of green).

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  8. I really like the cut of the dress and the colour. The dress exudes class and its simple lines make it a real star in my book. Of course a lot depends on who is wearing it and you certainly do it justice. I don't quite see why you think it doesn't show your waist: it does.

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    1. It really is a great dress, one of the best I have in terms of quality. My Mum looked at it today when she was here for coffee, and said she can tell it has been hand-made by an experienced taylor, probably made to measure for someone who could afford the expensive material and the work.

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    2. I was walking wit a friend in Glasgow a day or so ago and we passed a shop of vintage dresses and I was reminded of this post and your dress and the fact that true quality can last for so long and be almost timeless.

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  9. I loved the story of your shopping trip. Honestly, it could have been a little short story!

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    1. You think so, Nan? It never crossed my mind - I was just writing it down as I remembered it!

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