Monday 13 October 2014

Rosehips, Fog, and Autumn Fashion

That my favourite seaon is summer is probably not new to you, if you have been reading my blog for a while. But late summer / early autumn will always have a special place in my heart, for its colours, its abundance on fields and in gardens and its incomparable light.
Many of you who reside in Blogland with me have shown beautiful pictures of your gardens or what the area around where you live looks like this time of the year.
I have not been out and about as much as I would have liked last week, since I was in the firm grip of a big fat cold and stayed home from work for the second half of the week, but I took a few pictures earlier this month:

Rosehips against the backdrop of this incredibly blue sky. THE picture of autumn for me.

 

On the morning of the 2nd of October, the fog was so dense I couldn't see much further than the next house. Most of the time, such a start means the day will turn out beautiful and sun-filled.

Later that same day, I went shoe shopping with my Mum - my proven and trusted shopping companion, same as my sister - and found this pair perfect for a day at the office when it is not cold enough yet for boots, but too cold (or wet) for a pair of pumps or Mary-Janes:



Of course I didn't wait long before I wore them to the office for the first time, teaming them with a pair of purple trousers (from Aldi), a black shirt (H&M, I have 5 or 6 of this same model but in different colours) and an Esprit jacket which I like very much for its autumn colours and good quality (I've had this, part of a suit, for 12 years already). You can't see it in the picture, but the fabric has the same purple as my trousers, socks, necklace and lipstick in it. It is a very good woollen tweedy fabric (not Harris tweed, I'm afraid), never goes out of fashion and is sturdy yet business-like enough to have been worn through many a trade fair.


I felt so comfortable and good in this combination that it could very well become a favourite for this autumn, both for the office and for a (brief) walk in the city. For longer walks, I wear lower heels, although I must admit I did give these the ultimate comfort-test which for me consists in walking home from work one train stop before my actual stop, about 5 km / just under an hour. The shoes served me well enough on that occasion, but I am not going to use them again on a similar distance.

19 comments:

  1. It looks great. I love the description of your jacket. It sounds perfect for autumn. xoxox

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    1. Thank you, Carol! By the way, there is a good close-up of the jacket's material here:
      http://librarianwithsecrets.blogspot.de/2013/01/preparations.html
      Just scroll down a bit, it's with a brown jumper.

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    2. Great shirts too - those shoes work well with the trousers. :)

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    3. They do, don't they :-) I've worn them with a skirt today and opaque tights; that goes together nicely, too.

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  2. You didn't mention your handbag, but I really like it. Just the right size for your Kindle and maybe a sandwich for the train.

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    1. That's actually the biggest handbag I own! The ones I mostly use are smaller, really just big enough for my kindle, my wallet, mobile phone and packet of tissues. Sandwiches are rarely taken to work by me these days, since my customers expect me to join them for lunch at the canteen (which is really rather good in terms of food quality).
      But I do like this bag especially when I go for walks; it is big enough to hold a bottle of water and a sandwich AND a bar of chocolate :-)

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  3. You look very smart in the outfit. I can't wear heels like that myself...

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    1. Thank you, Monica. Well, I can wear them only for so long, or when I know I won't be walking much farther than from my house to the station, then sit at my desk in the office all day and walk another 10 minutes or so on my way home.

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  4. Oh, I love your outfit! And I really love those shoes!
    Guess what, we saw rosehips when we were in England and I was very happy to see them as I have never seen them before! Look out for a photo of them on a future post of mine! You know I will finally finish my posts about England in a few years. Hee hee!

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    1. Thank you, dear Kay!
      Did you know that Swabians (the natives of my area, including myself) make jam out of rosehips? It is very tasty (although of course not everybody likes it) and a true boost of vitamin C. We call it "Hägemark". He he I'd love to hear you try to pronounce this :-)

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    2. Ha, I couldn't pronounce it but RICHARD could! :-)

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  5. So that I can look cool too, I shall be looking out for purple trousers in our local "Aldi". I wonder if they'll have them in my size. A short tweedy jacket and brown leather manbag would also suit me. Thanks for these fashion ideas and I hope the fat cold has loosened his grip on you by now.

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  6. Those trousers were, as are all their clothes, only on temporary offer, YP. I'm quite sure they won't have them anymore if you start looking now. Yes, tweedy jacket and leather bag would certainly look very good on you for your country walks, unless you prefer a Barbour coat against the rain.
    The fat cold has well and truly left me now. It feels good to have the flat to myself again!

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  7. Very nice fall fashions! I had some similar looking shoes in the late '80s and they were the most comfortable heels I've ever had. I love hips and haws in the autumn. Autumn might be my most favorite season of the year if I didn't know what is coming next......

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    1. We've been having a few more wonderful "Golden October" days here, and I hope for some more before the dark, wet, grey weeks begin.
      Yes, the shoes do have something of an 80s look about them, don't they!

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  8. Not sure I would ever have have wanted to go for a walk in heels, at least not in the country. They're lovely shoes though! (for a short walk in the town perhaps)

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    1. They are not intended for walks, but for the office and maybe a (short) walk in town. For proper walks, I usually don't wear heels :-)

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  9. I'm not sure how I missed this post but I've found it now. As a child I used to be given a daily dose of rose-hip syrup for it's vitamin C which was lacking in our diets in the period of rationing after WW2. It was lovely. I wonder if it can still be bought.

    As for clothes from Aldi or Lidl it's not something I've ever thought of for myself (apart from anything else I very rarely have the opportunity to visit either) but in Glasgow a few weeks ago I went to Lidl to get a few things including roasted peanuts (theirs are my absolute favourite!) and I saw some wonderful warm lined work trousers for only £10 and bought a pair. They are superb. With a winter on Lewis coming up it could be one of me best purchases this year.

    Your shoes and the tweed jacket (which I've seen before - shame it's not Harris Tweed!) are lovely.

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    1. Thank you, Graham!

      It sounds like a good idea to have a pair of warm lined work trousers, considering where you are going to spend this winter, and knowing how busy you usually are doing things in and around your house.

      Not seen rose-hip syrup before, but I wouldn't be surprised if it still existed; there has been something of a trend towards "retro" products in the past 10 years or so.

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