A Travel Jacket With Handy Pockets

 

Angela Lansbury wearing navy waistcoat or gilet. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

Angela wearing navy gilet at Toastmasters International, Singapore, speech contest. Photo by bystander.

Wearing amd matching waistcoats

You can  see the dark navy gilet on my right shoulder. Your gilet or waistcoat has to be short enough to hide under the hem of your jacket, or the jacket must be long enough to cover the gilet. 

Waistcoat Styles And Colours

Traditionally, a man's suit consisted of a waistcoat which ended at the waist and had two outside pockets ending at the hem, whilst the jacket was longer. I have a waistcoat which has to be worn on every journey with every outfit.

This is the jacket which I wear daily, so as not to keep moving items from one garment to another. I have previously lost my UK train pass and my Singapore NRIC because I changed jackets or changed bags.

Securing Pockets

I have several traditional waistcoats inherited from my uncle, but the pockets have no zips. Not safe for doorkeys, credit cards, lipsticks or anything of value. The pockets are small, just large enough for a small hanky (tissue) or business card or credit card or lipstick. But I still need to find a tiny zip or to sew on press studs.

Gilet

What is a gilet? A French word for what the British call a waistcoat and what the Americans call a vest. 

 I thought my gilet came from Patra, but they made the light, silk, navy hooded jacket. My lightweight, navy gilet is from LA men's Collection KOYO.  

Patra

Patra in the UK sell clothes in silk, bamboo, cotton and mixtures. Lots of lightweight clothes.

Koyo

I found them on Facebook.

Advantages of Jackets With Pockets

Why am I wearing a man's gilet? I think I bought it from a shop in Cambridge, England. I recall thinking it was expensive. I went away. I walked all around the city, in and out of many shops. I saw lots of souvenirs and garments which I did not want. I went back to the shop. 

A lightweight jacket with pockets is always handy. You can have your travel pass or bus or train ticket in the top chest pockets or the lower waist height and handy hand height pocket. You can keep valuables such as credit cards on you for quick payment. You can keep a small passport or national identity card on you. That way you find it quicker at check points. If you leap out of a plane or coach in an emergency or breakdown and are told to leave your luggage behind you still have your identity card, credit card, or door key with you. If your handbag is stolen or falls, you still have your vital documents. If you need a  pen and paper or tiny notebook, it is to hand.

your paper hanky (tissues) or toilet paper are nearby why you wash your hands, not on a hook.

Male Jackets?

Why buy a male jacket? They don't seem to make jackets with multiple pockets for ladies. Well, except for cooks, waitresses and restaurant staff, gardeners, and skiers.  There  is much more choice of styles, colours and weights if you look for the words photographer, fisherman, sports. Pilots. Pockets!

Disadvantages Of Men's Clothes

Men's clothes may be in huge sizes. The jacket might be too heavy. It is clumsy. The cut is loose. It is wrong, with no waist, no room for a big bust. Not smart if you are travelling to a hotel or restaurant on public transport.

Pink Ladies Waistcoat

Shein in Feb 2023 had a ladies waistcoat worn with nothing under it, tight fitting, bright colour. Only 10 Singapore dollars (plus postage). I put the picture on my Pinterest page.

Navy Gilet (Waistcoat)

Red Cape blazer

Be Jealous

Useful Websites

Amazon

Ebay

KOYO

https://www.facebook.com/koyoclothing/

Patra

https://blog.patra.com/tag/gilets/

Shein

https://sg.shein.com/Solid-Button-Front-Waistcoat-p-11223300-cat-1739.html?skucode=I52lu1

Please share links to your favourite posts.

White Towelling Slippers And Flip-Flops - Reinforcing slippers

At home and when travelling I like to wear slippers indoors. On holiday I like to pack slippers. If I am travelling light, I don't want to pack heavy shoes. Light slippers are a useful spare pair. Besides, if your daytime shoes are dirty or wet, it's good to take them off and wear slippers in the hotel bedroom. Slippers are good for keeping the carpet clean, and letting your feet breathe.

Hotel Bedrooms
On holidays and conferences I stay in hotels and university accommodation. In hotel bedrooms I don't want to go barefoot and risk stubbing my toes against the base of the bed or chairs with splayed legs. I put on slippers even when padding from the bedroom to the en suite bathroom.

If somebody knocks at the door I like to be wearing slippers. It looks so sloppy and undressed to be padding about barefoot.

I am not sure the carpeted bedroom floors are clean. I could pick up veruccas from a bathroom floor. Or slip on a wet floor. As for the area in front of the toilet ... !

But traditional towelling slippers are often made man-size so I have started to keep one pair for males and visitors, another sewn to suit my smaller feet. Sewing towelling slippers to make them smaller is a project at home before I go on holiday. I can finish in the hotel on a rainy day or when I'm waiting for room service. I just need to ask for a sewing kit, or make sure I have one packed in the front of my travelling bag.

Sewing Slippers
I am still working on adapting my white towelling slippers. My years-old white towelling slippers are my experiment in sewing slippers. I have not had the courage to make myself slippers, yet. But I am working on the old slippers. I have turned up the back of the too long slippers. I inserted a piece of white lace cut from an old bra. The link piece's main purpose is to hold up the back more securely, also to stop my foot from slipping back and crushing the back.

Cheap Slippers
I am not short of slippers. I have a pair of green open back slippers from a Pound Shop, which cost only £1. However, 'waste not want not' is my motto.

My favourite and smartest slippers were silk wine-colour backless slippers.  I wore them worn every day.  After about a year the part under the heel wore through.

They came from Patra, second hand on Ebay. I looked for another. But they were a one-off opportunity. Probably an oddment, clearance stock. Replacements were unobtainable, neither available at a reduced price on eBay, nor even full price from Patra.

Repairing Silk Slippers
Eventually I sewed a piece of ribbon over the worn part. Another six months and the ribbon had worn through. I shall have to do it again.

Improving Fit
But whilst I have the ribbon and the mood, I am wondering whether I should sew some more. I would like to add a ribbon running from the part across the toes horizontally back around the heel, just a long piece of ribbon. I could either sen down all the way around, or, more simply, neatly and quickly, sewn only the width of the ribbon at either side at the front.

Adjusting Straps
How would I get the ribbon on and off the back of my heel? Too tight and it's a nuisance. Too loose and it will slip off.

Elastic
One solution is to use elastic instead of ribbon. But that's often available in all widths only in black and white. Colours are harder to match and rarer.

On white slippers, white elastic would work. You could make a long strap entirely of elastic, which would involve less time sewing. Alternatively, sew on a long ribbon, with a short elastic insert either at the back behind the ankle (so long as it does not rub). If you sew neatly, a short piece inserted where the ribbon joins the piece over the toes would be good.

Ribbons
To make it fit exactly, you could have two ribbons and tie them in a bow. Two equal ribbons could tie in a bow behind your ankle. Or one piece of ribbon longer, you could tie a bow on the outside of your food.

Buckles
Another alternative is to take buckles off an old pair of sandals.

If and when I sew more slippers, I shall show you the pictures in a later post. See my previous post and photos on adapting over-large white towelling slippers.

The slippers are not ultra-smart. but they are just right for bathroom to breakfast at home. Even if you do not sew neatly, the white cotton disappears into the towelling.

Decorative Braid Option
I am so pleased with the comfortable fit of my slimmed down towelling slippers, that I am now considering investing more time in sewing parallel lines of ribbon to decorate the toes along the sewn area. If you had an untidy line of sewing, or the wrong colour cotton, you could conceal it under decorative braid. Best of all, the lines will make the wide slippers look narrower.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Silk for travelling, hot, cold, parachutes and 18 layers are bulletproof

Patra Silk, one of my favourite companies now has a sale. Including silk pillowcases.

All about silk - from their website:

http://www.patra.com/Static/AboutPatraSilk