Hello again
Well, what do you know, the kids have just gone back to school, it’s September and the beginning of Autumn, and we are having a week of really hot weather in the mid to high 20s (that’s the high 70s in F – nearly 80F in fact). In fact yesterday it hit 30C today, which is 86F. That’s really hot for the UK, which is amazing and a rather nice ending to our summer. Mind you, I do have to admit I really don’t like the humidity – the sun is lovely but the feel of it? No thanks.
Anyway, I’ve done it again, I’ve bought another couple of dresses. One is for next year’s cruise and one is for hot weather, both of which I thought would be worn next year as our summer has been dire, with no warmth to it and a lot of rain, all down to that pesky Jet Stream, which has shifted above our little island.
But today I was able to wear this lovely and quite subtle pink linen dress, which I got for £7.50. It’s cool to wear and a pleasure to walk around in on a hot day – with one slight negative, see below. And as you can see I’m living with the hair. I can’t wait for it to grow a little, which is when I’ll get those odd looking layers cut out that are stuck behind my ears!
Here I am quaffing a coffee with Mr F. We went into town early to escape the soupy heat.
This one below, I bought some weeks ago and keep it purely for wearing around the house. It’s very cool to wear and again made of linen.
Here’s how I spent yesterday afternoon!
I’m always interested in how people deal with the heat. Of course, it goes without saying that our heat is not equivalent to areas around the world that have had these exceedingly high temperatures. But, as you all know, we don’t have air con in our homes in the UK. In addition, all our housing stock is designed to keep the heat in, and bring in the sun with large windows. The latter is seen as an asset and it needs a huge turnaround in the British mindset to keep the sun out of buildings.
Thankfully the back of our flat faces north and the bedroom is a cooler place in hot weather.
Now, there’s a bit of problem with both the pink and the blue dresses, and I wonder if that’s why they’re in a chazza shop. They’re a bit see-through, which is annoying.
What do you do when you find a dress is rather too transparent? I could, of course, wear a slip under it, but phew, not in this heat. Because of the weather, which is, to me, incredibly hot, I wore the pink dress yesterday, regardless. But I’m interested in how you deal with that problem.
What about this dress? It’s another beauty and bought in a half price charity shop Summer Sale for the enormous price of £3!
Look, it’s got sequins!
I shall enjoy wearing it next year.
I’m trying different areas in my flat as I’m not happy with the lighting. I was directing Mr F as he took this photo, hence the expression on my face!
It was our 49th wedding anniversary last week and that was when I bought the pink linen dress and the one above. We were in Lewes for lunch and walking around the town Mr F actually came with me into a charity shop. Tbh, he doesn’t really like any kind of clothes shopping and especially charity shop shopping, but this time, to his amazement, he found get a white pin-tucked shirt for Formal Nights for £2.75. Now that is a bargain!
I was going through dozens of photos looking for a photograph of us at our wedding, and, I have to admit, sighing at how we have changed over the years (yes, I know ageing is a privilege and all that, but, you know…) and then came upon this pic. Gosh! And yes, we did look like that. It’s not exactly 49 years ago, it’s 11 years later when we were on holiday in Paris.
Who is that gorgeous man!!!
That’s all for now, with love, Penny, the Frugalfashionshopper
I love your new dresses Penny. How about a thin vest top / underwear and underwear shorts to deal with the see-through issue? Great to see your then and now pucs.. both beautiful.
I like both of the linen dresses-just go for it & wear them. I have a few maxi dresses I live to wear in summer. At the moment we are spending a week at Lake Maggiore so thank goodness for the air conditioning which we would not have at home where I spend most of the year complaining that out living room is too dark but am so grateful for in hot weather.
Hi Anne
It must be so lovely at Lake Maggiore – not been but seen articles and photo. And great to hear you’ve got air con.
You have to look at this way, that it’s a bonus to have a dark living room in hot weather! Enjoy your holiday!
Thanks Anne 🙂
The new dresses, all three of them, are great finds! I think I shall get a half slip. M&S have ones that profess to be ‘cool’. Will try one. Thanks Jen 🙂
How about a silk slip. That’s what I use, very effective and not too hot
A silk slip would be lovely but the price is just too much. For real silk that is, as there are some fakes out there selling at very cheap prices.
I shall buy a half slip from M&S – the website says that the particular one I want has ‘cool technology’!! We’ll see!
Thanks Dee
You still have exactly the same smile and expression as you had as your younger self Penny and you are still very recognizable.
As for the issue with the see through dresses it might be worth searching for a super light slip made from cotton or silk? They may be a bit costly but it would be worth it.
I agree with Charmaine, you are definitely very recognisable. Also the way you stand gracefully hadn’t changed.
I think I’ll get one of those M&S slips that state they are ‘cool’ – we’ll see. I’ll get a half slip.
And thank you so much for those kind words – they are much appreciated 🙂
* pics 🤦♀️
I made a waist slip out of a fine lawn cotton nightdress (it was too tight across the chest so no loss) to wear with a fat face linen shirtdress which I thought was too see through in the skirt. It works a treat and is still loose and cool. Both garments charity shop buys, of course. Very simple once I’d decided the best length.
That sounds an excellent idea and cotton too!
I have decided to buy a half slip from M&S – the website says this one has ‘cool technology’ whatever that is!!!
Thanks Nancy 🙂
Love the dresses, I too love charity shops even more now because so many brands are no longer exist. I would like to know what brand the dresses are.
I may have solutions to the see-through aspect, I now have 3 M&S cool comfort underslips two full length and one waist slip. Also a culotte underslip. Not my type of thing at all, ut I seem to have a wardrobe of them. Ideal for linen, lacy, silk or wrap over dresses. These don’t make you hotter. Another solution is the lingerie cycling type shorts, some may be sold as anti chafe shorts. But they cover your upper thigh. You do see lots of girls wearing them for school and life, my daughters and granddaughter included. Ideal for white linen trousers. The term upskirting comes to mind here but that’s another forum.
Hi Lindsey and thank you for that tip – I went onto M&S’s website and I will get a cool comfort white half slip. Just the one as it’s the end of the season. Should have thought of that.
You were really helpful – thanks again 🙂
Hi again Lindsey. I see you asked about the brands. Apologies for not replying to your request sooner!
The pink dress is Linen by Monsoon and the blue/grey dress is an Italian brand Lucca Vanucci Firenze, which specialises in linen and appears to sell in many different outlets.
The tulle cruise dress has the label Klass Collection.
I love the grey dress Penny! Let me know when you fall out with it 😛 In fact it suits you so well I do feel you should venture out in it! As for transparency I either wear a M and S satin slip ( had this for years and sometimes it doubles as a nightie when I’m travelling) or I don’t bother; when you’re moving around underwear is not noticeable and who’s looking anyway? 😃
Actually first of all, I must say that I see the dress as a very pale blue. Just asked my other half and he says the dress is half way between the two colours!
I’m going to get a half slip from M&S that professes to be ‘cool’! Just the one as it’s the end of the season. That satin slip sounds lovely. Thanks Melanie 🙂
Interesting problem – the see-through thing. I had exactly that today, and sadly left my skirt at home and wore another. Perhaps I should have toughed it out. I, too, love the grey dress. Wear it out, and if arms bother you a light, white t-shirt would look nice under it. Hope your family is all well.
It was so hot yesterday that the paleness of the pink was just right, as was the linen material so I wore it but I did see myself as I approached a shop window and yup, it was see-through! I will buy an M&S ‘cool’ slip, I’ve just found these on the website. And yes I will wear the grey/light blue dress out and about!
Thanks Trish 🙂
Lovely dresses and you look lovely in them!
There is no air conditioning in our ranch style home in northern Michigan either. Same deal as your climate, lots of south-facing windows and extra insulation to hold heat in during our harsh winters. Our strategy for hot summer days is to tightly close windows in the mornings as soon as the outdoor temperature reaches the indoor temperature and then reverse that process in the evening to let that cooler air in. We also close blinds and curtains on all south-facing windows at sunrise, adding the west-facing windows and even some north-facing windows as we turn toward the sun throughout the day, so not a spec of sunshine gets in. A ceiling fan and window fans help on the worst days, but a glass of lemonade under the maple tree in the heat of the day seems to provide the most relief!
Wow, Arlene, you really are ready for the sun. And it is so interesting that you don’t have air con. The media gives the impression that nearly everyone in the States has it, which gets their home to quite a cold temperature during the summer. You’ve got a great strategy which we kind of follow with blinds down. But it still feels odd to close the windows as Brits always love an open window!
That lemonade under the maple tree sounds great! Thanks Arlene, your comment is so interesting. I do love hearing how people do things in other countries.
Hello, Penny! Good to see you out and about! I do like all three dresses on you and agree with other comments that you should feel free to wear the grey one while outdoors. I do like your shoe choices and accessories, too! I have a few linen maxi dresses and wear a long slip with them or a pair of the non-chafing shorts. I much prefer the slip for comfort!
I do have central air conditioning in this home but run it only a few days per year. I’m thankful for a north/south alignment of my home that allows for a wonderful cross breeze.
Good for Mr. FFS on his treasure hunt success! And, yes, I’m sure he looked at that same photo and said similar words about the beautiful woman he was with!
Good to hear from you! Good to see that life has settled down for you and good health and energy have returned!
Take care! Stay healthy! Charlene
P/S. Missed commenting on your skincare post. I was unfamiliar with the UK brands but totally agree that a solid routine is important!
Hi Charlene, I shall get a white half slip from M&S that professes to be ‘cool’. We’ll see if it is! Always interesting and actually good news for the planet to hear that not every US citizen has air con. It’s good to have a breeze, isn’t it, it makes all the difference on a hot day.
I believe Boots does sell in the States but I likewise don’t know much about US skincare brands – but, yes, having a routine day and night is the key to preserving and protecting the skin.
Thanks so much Charlene – I always appreciate your comment 🙂
Penny, a skin coloured slip is the most invisible under light coloured clothing.
Totally agree with you Lynda.
I think your present hairstyle makes you look much younger
Thank you so much Jenny. I kind of agree as there were some pics of me with long hair and I could see it dragged my face down. But this cut isn’t good so I will grow it a bit before attempting to sort it out.
Thank again 🙂
Such lovely dresses, and I wholeheartedly agree that you should wear both out and about. In the heat I do not wear a slip and find that a silky pair of slip shorts works wonders. I don’t worry about a bit of see through as was mentioned above, who is really checking and I would rather be comfortable.
That dress and sandals in your younger photo would be perfect on you today, is really pretty, as are you.
We have just come out of a really hot week today, with a bit of rain, and such a pleasant break. I too have the windows closed and covered as soon as the outside temps near the inside ones, and then leave open at night to cool things back down. Such strange weather this year for many of us.
Just think of your hair as a trial style that did not work, and will not be repeated…. I am growing out one of those myself lately, and it will be just a memory by this time next year.
I shall buy one half slip (from M&S) which says it has ‘cool technology’!!! We’ll see!
Yes, the three dresses were great finds and the weather…. I’d bought the grey/pale blue one weeks ago and it just lurked in the back of my wardrobe as the weather was so cold. I shall wear it out – thanks you for the encouragement.
Oh the hair – some people say it is better than when it was longer. The thing is I don’t like it as it is, so I totally accept it should be shorter but not in the way it is now. Commiserations, I know how you feel. And you’re right – it will grow.
Thanks so much Diane 🙂
The gray dress is very nice. But I do not think the pink one fits you correctly. It appears too large because the shoulders hang off your body. Perhaps you or a tailor could alter the shoulder seam with darts or pleats to make the sleeves hit at the appropriate point of your shoulder because it’s a lovely color and looks very comfortable.
I’ve got a slightly crooked spine and my left shoulder is always up a little bit. That often makes my clothes hang crooked. I think the pink dress is OK and of course, I love the colour, I’ll just have to remember to pull the material across! Or get my stylist (that’s Mr F!) to check my shoulders!!! It is a very comfortable dress to wear.
Thanks Katji 🙂
I do wear a slip under my few dresses/skirts that are see through but they are not the ones I am drawn to if it is really hot. I do love both of those dresses! What a fun throwback picture! I love showing my kids pictures of us 20 years ago. We have changed!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
I know, the thought of a slip on a hot day…. However, M&S sells a slip with the statement that it has ‘cool technology’!!! I shall get one and see if that’s true.
And yes, that one is nearly 40 years ago! Yikes!
Thanks Mireille 🙂
Hi Penny, Another interesting post today,Thankyou! Re see- through linen problem ,it seems to happen with expensive linen as well as cheap and so much worse with white linen trousers . I recently returned a pair of beautiful Jaeger trousers to M & S ,they were over £100 , too expensive , but I thought I would treat myself. But in spite of being lined they were still almost transparent ! You could see seams and pockets through the fabric. I was so disappointed. I think that skin coloured bra and knickers do help with the problem a bit but I do a good check for “see through” now.
What a lovely dress the black and gold one is, I bet you were thrilled to find it.
A question for you, do you wash charity shop clothes before you wear them? I give them the “sniff test” , if they fail they get washed ,though from good charity shops things are mostly ready to wear . I just wondered what other people do! Very best wishes from Judy in Brighton.
Yes linen items can be see-through which is annoying – I shall get a half slip from M&S and see if I can wear it in the heat.
All 3 dresses were great finds but that cruise one is an amazing bargain!
I always wash clothes that I buy from charity shops and even send woollen items to the dry cleaners if I think they need to be cleaned, which reduces the bargain factor a little. But as they’re usually coats which can be hugely expensive – so they’re still bargains anyway.
Thanks Judy 🙂
Love the grey dress but not the pink as it is now. Something about the fit at the waist and shoulders? Wearing either of the dresses calls for a tad of blush, very
carefully applied. Cream rather than dry. It would make a difference. Maybe you take your pictures at home without makeup so as to show us the clothes but subtle cheek color is important with grey hair. Otherwise, the face and hair blend into one color. Just takes a moment to add some.
Oh, the dilemma of what to wear under sheer skirts. My solution in Ecuador is a cotton half slip. I had always worn tricot slips. Yes, super hot. Then I bought a skirt that had an attached cotton slip but it made the skirt too voluminous. So, I cut it out very carefully, sewed a channel for narrow elastic and then had a slightly full slip that works under many things. I don’t even know it’s there. (I have seen cotton half slips on Amazon.)
You have a good solution for the hair transition. Looks sweet.
RE: the hair, it’ll do but I’d rather be cutting edge!!! The thing is I might indeed look better with it behind the ears but it’s not a good cut and that’s what I dislike. It will grow and I must be patient!!!
You know I really don’t like blush, always think it looks clown-like, but what I do instead is add Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter in exactly the spots a blusher should go it. And that I love as IRL it makes my face glow with health – necessary with my pale skin!
I shall buy a half slip and see if I can wear it in the heat.
Thanks so much Elaine 🙂
I think the pastels suit you – I don’t think it matters if the pink one is a bit big on the shoulders. Not keen on the cruise one TBH but each to their own! I always wear a full slip(‘petticoat’) under my dresses – M&S from e-bay where they cut out the label so I don’t know what they are made of but I think it’s viscose jersey. They are very plain but I also have a pale pink vintage one that has a Harrods label and lots of cut-out lace. Do you remember when film stars like Sophia Loren always wore sexy black full slips? That was about as undressed as they got in films of the 50’s and early 60’s (the censor was, quite literally, watching) but then what’s an imagination for? One of the most erotic scenes I ever saw was in ‘Moonlighting’ on TV and they stayed fully dressed! Oh dear, I think I’ve deviated somewhat from the topic………..!
The thing with the pink dress is that my shoulder on the left is up a bit (often is) so it makes clothes sit a little awry. I love the pink dress though, it’s the subtle colour, and will wear it with a half slip. And OK that’ll be flesh coloured!!!! This is why I am not an ‘influencer’ – I know next to nothing 🤣
What a hoot Lynda!! Actually what about Elizabeth Taylor in one of her films? There was an iconic shot of her in a black slip which was used on posters and considered the peak of sexiness?
Thanks Lynda 🙂
These last three days have been perhaps the hottest of the summer, with high humidity as well as temps. I didn’t buy any new dresses this season. part of me wishes I had but then I really did not wear the ones I have all that much. I love the pink one. In the spring I received a catalog which had a similar dress in it. It was at least 200 American dollars. It did not come in a petite size, but I liked it so much that if it had I might actually been tempted. I wish there were the consignment shops where I shopped years ago, sadly they are a thing of the past.
You and your husband were certainly an attractive couple then but I would say the same thing now. I am hoping to take in one more outdoor concert tomorrow evening, I have a hard time letting the season go. It is supposed to be cooler then, fingers crossed,
Love from New York, Darby
I’ve read about your New York heatwave – we just don’t know how to cope with ours! Actually re: your heatwave I also read about the US Open and tennis players suffering – can’t imagine…..
Oh that sounds expensive – I am so lucky to be near so many charity shops. But I’d say any large UK city has fewer of these shops. London has very few but they do exist here and there. There’s one I know of near Victoria station and another in, of all places, Knightsbridge. You can find amazing designer clothes in these charity shops so they’re not the cheapest!!
We too have cooler weather next week, we just have to get through the next few days.
Thanks so much Darby 🙂
I didn’t even notice any transparency. I haven’t worn a slip to prevent seeing through my clothes in decades! I don’t care if people can see through my skirt to see that I have legs! I have a couple of cotton slips that worn to be seen (if that makes sense). I actually love that grey linen dress on you and can see you making it more biker/rocker chic with different accessories. I think it’s the perfect blank canvas! And, that photo of you reclining on your bed…it looks very editorial! Your frock for next year’s cruise is amazing!!! And, for $3 (sorry…don’t have the pound mark)…even better!
Happy anniversary to you and Mr. F! I love that you are both so active and still going on cruises! Your photo in front of the Eiffel Tower is beautiful…the windswept hair and the direct gazes…fabulous!!
Have a wonderful weekend, Penny! If you’d care to join in a link party, there’s one open!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
The pink dress doesn’t look transparent, but as I was approaching a shop window yup there it was – you could see right through it! I shall buy a half slip and see if I can wear it in the sun.
All three dresses were great finds!
And thank you so much re: the photo. It’s a great photo and I’m wondering who took it? Was it my daughter who would she been 8 at the time!! I know we look glamorous but those holidays were always hard work. And you know the funniest thing, we were on our way to a camping site in the west of France and we spent one day in Paris – which was soooo expensive . We were very broke at the time and we spent half our budget for the whole holiday on some sandwiches for lunch 🤣
Thanks so much Marsha 🙂
I have been out of touch for a while so have missed some of your posts but I may have a controversial opinion.
I love your hair and tucking it behind your ears like that takes away years.
Don’t know if I stand alone here but that’s my thought.
Actually Jill yesterday I had a discussion with my daughter and I’m going to get those odd layers cut back. And furthermore going to a very cutting (ha) edge hairdresser called Cuttlefish which has some very edgy looking stylists with buzz cuts – won’t go that far but I need to do something. I know I look better with it shorter but it’s neither here nor there at the moment and just odd with two distinct layers and well…..
I’m going to get it done this coming week!!!!! Thanks for your kind words Jill which are much appreciated 🙂
Once again you have found some great bargains, all the dresses are just lovely. Shame about the see through factor , the half slip sounds a good solution.
I had seen that you were having a bit of a late heatwave in the U.K. We have been warned that Australia is likely to have a hot and dry Summer . Our house is an older one with high ceilings and not built to catch the sun so quite cool in Summer but cold in Winter.
Happy Anniversary to you both , loved the Paris photo.
It’s nice to be still wearing clothes that were destined for the loft (knee length shorts and t- shirts in my case) but the brutally hot temperatures are hard to endure!
Some great dress choices. I can see you sashaying to dinner on a cruise ship in your sequinned number!
Loved the pic of you and hubster from a few years ago. It’s quite sobering isn’t it to see our younger selves!