My Padders Sandals' Soles melted in the heat

 My shoe soles melted in the heat. Black sticky mess on the floor. June in London 2026 HAS A HEATWAVE.

This is not unique to Padders good value shoes but general. I have had the same from Marks & Spencer shoes. 

Once, when my shoes disintegrated, and I tried to return them, or at least register a complain about the composition of the sole, the staff asked me how long ago I had bought the footwear. 

Buying New Shoes

I also had a pair of shoes disintegrate although I had never worn them. I didn't wear them because they were a size too small, my feed are different sixes so one shoe was too small, and my weight and ankles had increased. I kept them lovingly because they were very pretty, bought on impulse in an end of season sale.

If your shoes disintegrate you might need to provide a receipt. The shoe or shoe box may have a number telling the manufacturer the date the shoe was made, as well as the date of your purchase.

From now on I shall be keeping my shoes in the shoe box with the receipt attached, and keeping a photographic record of the footwear alongside the receipt. 

I have now stopped saving shoes for a special occasion.  I am well past fifty and my dancing days are limited.  

Second Hand & Sale Shoes

Shoes which have been hanging around in the shop, or worn by a previous owner, might be nearing the end of their useful life. Another reason to wear them soon, whilst you can, and get your money's worth.

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Green Park Station Outdoor Decoration

 The architecture of the building above Green Park station and the adjoining Marks & Spencer store is amazing. All along Piccadilly see the historic buildings.

Green Park underground railway station showing sculpture on the building above. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Holocaust Memorial Day

 

The Holocaust Memorial Day in England was a commemoration bringing together the ever diminishing number of Holocaust survivors with the future king of England, William, whose Greek ancestor hid a Jewish family during WW2.

A picture showed all the holocaust survivors together, with members of the royal family, William and Kate, with British ministers.

People sometimes ask why we see so little of the other groups who suffered. I looked online and learned that unfortunately there is only one UK survivor of the Sinta-Roma group. 

1 Hidden Jewish Survivors in London.

Some survivors kept very quiet, private, after their experiences in WW2. Anne Frank's father lived in Edgware, near where I lived, but he was not known about for decades. 

A second holocaust survivor, from his family, his step-daughter, started visiting schools and wrote a book only when she became much older.

Why is a commemoration held in London? What has London got to do with the Holocaust?

1 The Kindertransport. 

Many Jewish orphans and young children were brought on trains to London, to safety, after Kristallnacht, just before WW2, in the expectation that they would go back to  their parents later. But after the war they had no parents nor homes to go back to.

2 Well-known Holocaust Survivors

Probably the best known is Sigmund Freud, who left Austria to live out the rest of his life in London. (His sisters were killed in the Holocaust.) You can visit the Freud Museum in London.

3 Well-known Jews from Before the Holocaust Who Contributed to Modern Britain

Ann Pavolva, whose golden statue is above the dome facing Victoria train and bus station. You can see it far above, shining in the sunlight, if you look up. Her house is a museum which can be visited.

Moses who founded Moss Bros the tailors.

Marks of Marks and Spencer.

4 Well-known Jews Of A New Generation in the UK

Alma Cogan. Helen Shapiro. Amy Winehouse. 

London has a variety of cultures. We now have former Jewish delis serving Jewish style food run by a Christian Greek family in Edgware and Hatch End.  Kosher festival food is sold at a Jewish supermarket in Golders Green - the shop is run by Indians. 

Tesco and Marks & Spencer started in England, but are now in countries as far away as Singapore.

If you want to know about other groups, and the holocaust, you will find them mentioned on websites about the holocaust and about Anne Frank House and the Anne Frank Foundation.

Useful Websites

Holocaust Memorial Day Trust

https://hmd.org.uk/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Holocaust_memorials_and_museums

Meaning of Names Of People You Meet On Your Travels

 Many names reveal the country of origin of the person you meet.

Spanish

Alba means dawn in Spanish, Italian and Catalan.

Paz, a first name for a man, means peace in Spanish and Portuguese. It also means fine gold in Hebrew. 

Leo or Leon in many languages means Lion.

UK

Many names indicate occupations, locations or surroundings of the ancestor or their employer. Baker, Cooper (maker of barrels for wine). Smith. Taylor. Silver (works in silver) or Gold (jeweller). Diamond (jeweller). Carter (drives a cart or makes carts). Clerk (keeps records or works in an office). Farmer. King, Prince. Bishop. Singer. (Sings as an entertainer or in a church or synagogue.) Gardiner (gardener?) Shepherd. Shipman. (Builds ships or works in shipping?)Wine (maker or merchant). Forest. Wood. River/Rivers. 

Pitman, as in Pitman's shorthand, originally meant a miner or somebody who worked in a pit or lived near a pit.

Marks & Spencer

A Spencer, as in Marks & Spencer, was a dispenser (from the French word). Appropriately Mr Spencer, one of the two co-founders of Marks & Spencer, was a cashier, collecting and dispensing money. He went on to do a similar role in Marks & Spencer.

The most common UK surname is Smith. 

Germany

In German this is Schmidt.

The English surname Tailor becomes Schneider in German.

I find it easier to remember names if I know the meaning.  While discussing, you repeat the name which is another aide memoir. Also, discussing the meaning of somebody's name creates an opportunity to enthuse about their culture.

If I have a meeting, I check online the meaning of people's names. That sometimes has added unexpected aid to your meetings. For example, you may find out that a festival is taking place, so they cannot meet you, or they might invite you to a celebration.

Indian Patels

Patel is one of the commonest names. It mostly means farmer or land owner, It can also mean merchant, or tenant. 

I was on an Air India plane and met a Mr Patel when we had a long delay boarding and got chatting. When we left the plane, we met up again collecting luggage. I said, 'Hello, again, Mr Patel.' He was immensely impressed by the fact that I remembered his name.  

Useful Websites

Please share links to your favourite blog posts, such as this one.

Updates on the birthday gift, olive tree, sent from overseas to the UK, and alternative orange trees

Olive tree delivered in the UK by Marks & Spencer. Photo from Sharot family. Copyright.

My family didn't seem too thrilled with the olive tree I sent as a potted plant. It was from Marks & Spencer. I clicked on as a gift but the next box as message didn't operate and I didn't know if it was saved.

The item did not appear to arrive with a red ribbon or card or growing instructions. 

Size

However, my family member gasped, "It grows to eight foot!"

It wasn't shiny leaved or prettily arranged like a bouquet or brightly coloured like a potted orchid it a much lower price.

Fruit

I was a bit worried about the olives having stones which could be dangerous for my grand-daughter aged under two years. But it does not fruit until five years. By then she will be six. Besides, my family member admitted, "Most of my plants don't last beyond three months." 

Learning Experience

At least they get to learn about olive trees.

At last I found the supplier of what I really wanted, a miniature orange tree for the UK. The cost is

Useful Websites

UK olive tree and add on chocolates. Another option is add Prosecco.

Marks and Spencer

UK orange tree

https://www.marksandspencer.com/olive-tree/p/flp60178572

glut.co.uk

https://www.glut.co.uk/products/the-orange-gift-crate 

Singapore olive tree

https://leafmeupsg.com/olive-tree-singapore/

Delivery from May 5th

https://www.marksandspencer.com/royal-afternoon-tea/p/hpp60625094

Singapore

Good enough, from thirty or forty dollars. (You could send chocolates from a supermarket separately.)

https://floralgaragesg.com/product-category/under-50/page/2/

Better but more expensive, from 60 or 70 singapore dollars, adds mug with your photo, or chocolates.

https://www.fnp.sg/gift/picture-mug-money-plant-combo?OCCASION_TAGS=birthday&pos=10

Belated Birthday Presents Sent Overseas to the UK

My wishlist plant set. From Waitrose. London. 

 I want to send a belated birthday present to my son in London, UK.

In Singapore shops sell fruit plants. 

https://shopee.sg/product/129717193/13530594074?gclid=CjwKCAjw_YShBhAiEiwAMomsEBoTpdXtETDLE4z6G2fKgaOwgJq6Yxdx-i-OPW0Na2ZUhr6ecsQYMhoCs_EQAvD_BwE

 I want a potted fruit plant with fruit ready to eat (not something which will take a year to grow, and not seeds). Already in a pot, just add water and pick fruit. My budget is 25 to 50 pounds for one or two plants, or a fruit plant and an orchid in bloom. 

The UK supermarkets have lovely orchids in pots at under twenty pounds, with free delivery from Marks, but I keep buying these. Marks also offers a box of chocolates as an add on for a birthday gift.

 Any ideas. We have about four birthdays a year and a small grandchild who loves small fruit such as blueberries.

When I look at supermarket and garden centre websites, I am having trouble distinguishing between pictures of what you are sent and what you will get five years later.

On the Waitrose website I could search for indoor plants, fruit, and trees.

Waitrose under offers reduced from .. to .. a set of a large and small pot in matching colours, with an orchid in the larger pot and a tray underneath. A neat set.

Waitrose had a weeping fig plant for 99.99 pounds.

My second purchase was from Marks & Spencer.

An olive tree. I thought olives were more useful than bay leaves. Except you must be careful not to swallow the stones. Keep them away from children under three years old.

I bought this first.

Thompson & Morgan through Amazon. Note the letter p in Thompson. I had to correct it after mistyping it. 

Plant or animal product type	Trees
Indoor/Outdoor usage	Indoor
Brand	Thompson & Morgan
Material feature	Natural
Colour	green, yellow
Expected blooming period	Winter, Autumn, Year Round, Summer, Spring
Sunlight exposure	Full Sun, Partial Shade
Unit count	2 count
Expected planting period	Summer
Product care instructions	water

See more

---

About this item

• Evergreen dwarf mini lemon & orange tree house plants which are fruiting plants grown for high yields of juicy yellow & Orange fruits high in vitamin C., a great way to grow your own fruit!
• Ideal tropical looking plants for interest all year round as indoor plants producing glossy evergreen foliage and waxy fragrant blooms in the spring.
• Two indoor citrus trees suitable for conservatories or a bright windowsill where they can be moved outside to a warm patio in the summer – the perfect gardener's gifts
• Potted plant: this duo is supplied to customers as 1 x Lemon Tree & 1 x Orange Tree in 9cm nursery pots (please note there is no fruit currently present). Supplied with T&M's very own cultural instructions on how to care for your plants.
• Your satisfaction guaranteed; we want you to be 100% satisfied with any product you buy from us. If you’re not 100% happy then neither are we, so let us know and we’ll replace your product or give you your money back.

..........................................................

I was a bit doubtful about whether my son and daughter in law, owning their first garden, busy with a toddler, were yet ready to start messing about with re-potting and watering outdoor or even indoor plants. I am sure it will be an interesting challenge and topic for discussion, if nothing else.

Useful websites

SINGAPORE

https://ohhenghuat.com/

UK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Miniature-Orchard-Delicious-Thompson-Morgan/

WORLDWIDE

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Citrus-Houseplants-Conservatory-Thompson-Morgan

USA

https://food52.com/blog/16084-7-types-of-fruit-trees-you-can-grow-in-your-living-room#:~:text=Yes%2C%20you%20guessed%20it%3A%20a,rather%20than%20all%20at%20once.

After Paddington Bear, Where Next For Marmalade? Follow Queen Elizabeth's footstep's to Wilkinson's Tiptree Museum for a taste - early tea time

What is marmalade? A jam made from oranges, sharp oranges, not only sugar, so they have a bitter bite to wake you up at breakfast time.

After the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth was videoed sharing a marmalade sandwich with Paddington bear, where can you buy marmalade?

In central London in Fortnum's department store. But actually, in any supermarket.

Brands include, Mark's, Robertsons, and more.

M & S sells marmalade fine cut, medium cut, coarse cut, and with ginger.

We look for thick cut marmalade.

Many other brands and variations exist.

Rose's

• Lemon & Lime
• Lime
• Lemon
• Grapefruit
• Orange
• Ginger

Her majesty The Queen visited the Tiptree jam factory in 2010.

If you are in London, take a trip to the Tiptree museum in Essex. Entry is free. You can watch a film and see the factory. It take fifteen minutes to forty five minutes for your visit. 

You can also visit their tea rooms. They make chocolate spread, salted caramel. And their website has recipes for all meals of the day and cocktails. Make sure to get there early. They museum and cafe cum shop keep factory hours. They close at 4.30 in winter and 5 in summer.

They also serve and sell quince or damson preserves, honey, alcohol, and Christmas puddings!

It starts with picking fruit.

Tiptree tea.

 

Tiptree hamper.

DIY Marmalade

 If you want to make marmalade, you need Seville oranges from Spain which are sold in England in early Spring. To make marmalade you want fruit which does not have wax or insect repellent, on the skin, so look for oranges which say they are suitable for making marmalade, or treat them suitably.

We made marmalade in Singapore from little round orange fruit which look like oranges but a gardening centre told us they were limes. When we were short of fruit, we added an ordinary orange to increase volume and that worked out just fine.

Useful Websites

For pictures of the queen's visit to the jam factory:

https://www.tiptree.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Food_museums_in_the_United_Kingdom

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilkin_%26_Sons

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keiller%27s_marmalade

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Marmalade

https://www.britishonlinesupermarket.com/marks-spencer/marks-spencer-jams-spreads/m-s-marmalade.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose%27s_(marmalade)

You tube demo of making marmalade

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTfp3HevfmE

https://www.tiptree.com/tiptree-jam-museum

https://www.tiptree.com/products/marmalade

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Rail strikes: Stansted dropoff, hotel, taxi compare

 

With rail strikes in the UK this weekend and next I was looking online for a friend who has to travel from Stansted in the UK overseas.

Coaches go from central London several other cities. 

Coaches go from Liverpool Street and other places in London, including Watford, depending on your ultimate destination.

How do you get to the departure point of the coach? Stay nearby overnight. Try uber. Phone your favourite taxi company. If its nearby and they are on the phone you can walk round.

I booked a pickup at Heathrow last month. I could not get through later when diver, "The the passenger phoned to tell me, 'My plane's landed earlier.'

I got a message from them saying when I called they were on the phone (taking another booking). They knew about the early arrival and told me, 'The driver knows. He's on his way.' 

The fare was higher than expected. 

I had asked for the taxi number and phone when booking the day before, but was told, 'We don't yet know who will be available'.

We used to wait until the day to book a taxi, because we once booked the day before and they came a day early.

However, with all the current problems, you might want to book i n advance.

Stop location

We looked up the Stansted dropoffs online. 

You can get a paid for place in the short stay. But free in Midstay. You need to take the ticket from the machine for exit. I was wondering if you need a car park exit ticket from, for example, having a sandwich at Marks & Spencers. (At busy times, like musical chairs, seating in the indoor forecourt outside).

If you were leaving your car there for a week, as we did when we went to Cyprus, you book in advance and give them your car number from the number plate. On arrival at the car park entrance, they have automatic numberplate recognition and the gate swings open. Have your paperwork printed and in the passenger's hand. Did you book short stay, midstay or longstay? The prices are different. 

FREE in midstay. Why? Maybe because you will be eating and shopping.

Feeder Bus

You need to catch a bus to the terminal. Allow time. A marchall might direct you to the nearest spot. If you have pushchairs or wheelchairs ask for a nearer spot to the bus. The bus is a loop.Bus pickup and drop off points  are different. We once waited at drop off and when we tried to board the driver would not let us on. He pointed to the pickup stop.

You can get a street view which shows you exactly what street signs you will be seeing. 

The same goes for driving to unfamiliar places. You can do a complete street  view of your journey from a hotel or home to a railway station or motorway exit or entry point. When you are told, turn off at the roundabout, you can see the exact road name, and the houses or shops or church to look out for. Even if the streetview shows the motorway sign partly obscured by trees. Very helpful. Relieves mishaps, midirections, and stress.

Stansted Hotels

Radisson Blu

Useful Websites

https://www.stanstedexpress.com/travel-information/rail-strike-advice/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Stansted_Airport

https://www.instantstreetview.com/

https://www.uber.com/gb/en/ride/?

https://www.taxipricecompare.co.uk/

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SINGAPORE MALLS, from Ion in the Centre to Bukit Panjang in the suburbs

 Let me compare Plaza Singapura to a few other malls. 

AIRPORT & NEARBY

CHANGI CITY POINT adjoining the MRT, one train stop from Changi airport contains

BATA shoes

CLARKS shoes

DAISO Japanese bargain store

MARKS (small, mainly food)

VALU DOLLAR (opposite Daiso) has suitcases on wheels, lots of chocolates and cleaning materials, small stationery

CENTRAL

ORCHARD ROAD

ION Mall

Positives

ION is one of the most central. Great number of stores. Access from MRT Orchard (south side exit). Good when it rains.

Neutral or negative

But a claustrophobic maze. I would hate to try to get out in a fire. I always get lost.

Contains a DAISO.

SINGAPURA PLAZA

Contains Daiso, Spotlight, Best, Starbucks

SUBURBAN

BUKIT PANJANG

Bukit Panjang Plaza, (Bukit Panjang MRT)

Fairprice supermarket

Small Japan Home

Hillion Mall, (Bukit Panjang MRT)

Misses the anchor and opportunity of a department store. I remember when it was being built and you went from tiny corner shop to another and wondered when a proper shop would open.

Other Malls, listed alphabetically

Bedok Mall

Clementi Mall

Hougang

IMM

Jurong Point

Nex

Paya Lebar

Tampines Mall

Toa Payoh

United Square

West Mall

Westgate

White Sands

Vivo City

Malls By Area

Central

ION

North

Central

WEBSITES

https://www.capitaland.com/sg/malls/bukitpanjangplaza/en.html

https://www.fairprice.com.sg/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTUC_FairPrice

https://www.capitastar.com/sg/en/about-us.html

https://www.popular.com.sg/store-locator

Hillion

Misses the anchor and opportunity of a department store. I remember when it was being built and you went from tiny corner shop to another and wondered when a proper shop would open.

http://www.hillionmall.com.sg/store-listing/

ION Orchard

https://www.ionorchard.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ION_Orchard

About the Author

About Angela The Author

The Author - Quick Quotations

Angela Lansbury B A Hons  is the author of ten books by regular publishers plus another ten self-published books. 

About Angela The Speaker & Trainer

Angela Lansbury is a teacher of English and other languages to Toastmasters clubs and businesses.

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Vice President  Public Relations, Immediate Past President.

Former Area Director S3. Club Coach for Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club.

Also Member of: TCA Toastmasters Club; Singapore Online Dynamic; Harrovians UK

The recent meeting of BHA included Garen Tee on using story telling in business, on bha.learncool.sg . Also an educational on using Powerpoint for posters.

Next BHA meetings, (subject to revision)

1 (Saturday, May 15th, was 2 pm Singapore time, postponed because of national speaking contest.) 

After Vesak day and Hari Raya: 

Postponed to Saturday May 29th, 2021, at 2pm. Login to bha.learncool.sg earlier.

2 Next June meetings 1st Wednesday evening June 2nd at 7 pm Singapore time. 

3 Third Saturday afternoon, June 19th, Singapore time.  Thanks to the old team and Inauguration of New Team. 

Special speech with slides about teamwork in sport and Toastmasters International and life, by the President of West Coast Toastmasters Club who often help BHA with workshops and invite us to give speeches at their club.

Inauguration of new committee by incoming Area Director of S

About Angela The Blogger 

Angela has several blogs on speeches, comedy and song writing and organizing, writing intermittently, but writes almost daily on these three:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

See next post on sculptor Tom Harvey.

Please share links to your favourite posts. 

Shopping mall seasonal decorations In Raffles City shopping mall

I am looking for the best exterior and interior seasonal decorations for Christmas. Here is one on my shortlist. Raffles City shopping mall beside City Hall MRT, Singapore. The reindeer in this photo is green, and above that another in red.

Photo by Angela Lansbury, copyright.

The shopping mall is extensive and winds around. You can find Robinsons department store, Marks and Spencer, Dorothy Perkins, Mango, Save My Bag and many more shops for stops. 

A cafe with a green wall on one side overlooks the central atrium on the other side. 

The ladies toilets are clean and modern with an orchid display.

Luxury Clothes

Robinsons has clothes divided by brand. I found prices very high. All the items I looked at were about 150-350 Singapore dollars. Well ovr one hundred pounds sterling. Lovely, if you want something special. 

I eventally saw a sale rail in Save My Bag (mostly bags, a few clothes), one off items, a few lines at S$35. That is still over twenty pounds sterling. 

Shopping For Bargains In London, England

(In London, England, you could look for second hand dresses in charity shops such as Oxfam, which has now got dearer, but others are cheaper. Or visit the huge Primark stores such as the one in Harrow, which often has a sale rail, and pay under twenty pounds for a dress.)

Looking at the address card which I asked for in Save My Bag, I saw their tag line:

100% made in Italy. They have another branch in the basement of Wheelock Place in Orchard Road.

This mall is one of the CapitaLand complexes. On their website you can see pictures of their artworks around the city.

Raffles City

252 North Bridge Road

Singapore 179103

Save My Bag

02-40 (Level 02, shop unit 40)

tel: 6252 8227

Useful Websites

Capitaland.com

savemybag.it

Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

How To Pack and Dress To Cut A Dash - look distinctive and well-dressed as The Queen, and stay smart on holiday

David thinks his silver hat is dashing. He dyed it with 'graffiti' paint from an art shop. The moral is, if you can't buy it, dye it.

I am wearing my new cape blazer. My cape blazers win admiring comments.

However, I don't think my hat is the right colour. It matches another jacket perfectly, but not this one. Too many colours. Luckily, my friends always say nice things. My enemies keep quiet. I don't need to be told what's wrong. I can see for myself.

Here is the cape blazer which matches the hat.

I was looking at the clothes at the Oscars and the music awards and on the catwalks. I always think, could I wear that? Where could I wear that?

Many of this season's clothes have the lace see-through look, elegant and sexy. People wear amazing clothes on the train and when going out at night.

Problem
When packing, you should not take a random selection of clothes, separates in odd colours and patterns thrown in because you like them. You need plain black or blue or brown skirts or trousers to match all the tops and not clash. You need something for a smart party and photos.

Answers

HAIR COLOUR, COMPLEXION & EYES

The yellow of the scarf matches my hair, the blue accentuates my eyes and the red or orange picks up my lipstick. Photo of and by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

CLOTHES REHEARSAL
Dress up in your best clothes a week or two before a trip and take a photo. If all matches, pack those clothes.

Check your clothes co-ordinate with any cardigan, jacket or coat.

Find suitable shoes for all occasions, day and evening.

Have a basic colour scheme which matches your best or most distinctive feature, your eyes, hair colour, skin colour.

I like warm colours, pink, orange, red. Some people call them summer colours. They are also the colours of the tropics.

HATS OFF TO THOSE WHO WEAR HATS
Where did you get that hat?
The queen must get hats made to co-ordinate with outfits.

The queen has a hat to match her coats. The gloves are also matching. The buttons are matching. So is the scarf or collar. Photo of and by Angela Lansbury at Heathrow Airport shop, in London, England, UK. Ten out of ten to Her Majesty. The bag matches the shoes.

HAIR CHECKLIST
Check your hair
 Does it need a cut? Maybe cut the fringe to show your eyes. If it is long, perhaps buy a clip to keep it out of the way.

Still not happy? Find a hat to cover the roots or bald patch. Dye the roots. Or just a wash?

Greasy hair is improved by a wash with shampoo. A fly away jungle can be settled down by using conditioner.

You could dye your hair, green, pink or turquoise to get attention, and co-ordinate with your clothes.

This is my friend Francesca. She has hair and dress and cardigan beautifully co-ordinated. By luck, she has a lanyard from the conference to match. (The dress with three colours, of pink, turquoise and black had three chances of achieving a match. I saw the chair matched as well and had to take this lovely photo of her.

If you hire an outfit you can also get a matching hat.

file:///var/fo

The hat and matching gloves as well as the Forties dress come from the dress hire shop, Jolly Jesters, in Swanwick, Ingrid is wearing her own matching set of jewellery, bracelet, ear-rings and necklace bought from the Writers Summer School at Hayes Conference Centre, whose member of staff makes the jewellery. Perfect Jewellery. Perfect hat. Well done, Ingrid. Ten out of ten for style.

Pack a comb in your pocket. Remember where to find your comb.

HOW TO HIDE FAULTS
Hide fat ankles and legs under long skirts, long trousers, thick dark socks, or leggings or trousers or a caftan.

Hide a craggy neck under polo necks and Mandarin collars and scarves.

To look taller, wear one colour outfits: sarees, caftans, uniforms, national costumes, mother of the bride outfits, party shop outfits.

HOW TO LOOK CO-ORDINATED
One basic colour scheme - mostly black for winter, mostly white for summer, plus one colour.

Here's a blouse I like from LilGal. The combination of black and white will work with either black or white trousers or skirts and jackets, and tie the two colours together.


Avoid having patterned half outfits.

Buy complete outfits, such as jackets, tops and dresses with scarves. Buy a scarf, hats and gloves in a set.

I have ordered a pink and white blouse from Liligal. I would have liked it in black and white, which will go with more outfits. However, I have lots of black and white. The pink is more distinctive.


COLOURS
Stick to black leather or black imitation leather for winter and your shoes will go with everything.

Stick to all silver or all gold jewellery. Or a rainbow effect which goes with more than one outfit.

When buying clothes online, hold other items against the screen. I was looking at a pink or black blouse in the same design. The pink blouse would not go with my salmon pink jacket. However, it went with a wine colour jacket.

How about clothes which won't fit. Nothing worse than doing away and finding the tight sleeves of your jacket or coat will not go over your billowing blouse or shirt. Or the blouse hangs below the jacket.

Also, if you are inclined to stoop forwards, get yourself photographed from the side or back view. Does your blouse or shirt hang down and show under your jacket at the back?

Don't complain about photos which make you look dreadful. It's not the fault of the photographer, the photographer is doing you a favour. Now you know what to fix in order to look good, or at least a bit better.

Your friends will like you whatever you wear and say nice things. In order not to look bizarre and peculiar, you need to be well-groomed when wearing unusual clothes. Aim to arrive early and go the the restroom or pass a mirror and check your appearance.

Check after you have checked in your outdoor clothes. If you have worn a hat or hood, your hair may be ruffled. Ask a friend how you look. If nobody else is with you, ask a stranger, a well-dressed stranger.

Vintage
If you are still dressed in the fashion of ten or twenty years ago, get everybody else to do the same. Suggest, or organize a party in the style of the Forties, Fifties, Sixties, Seventies, Eighties.

If you have one wonderful multi-colour outfit, such as a fancy jacket or short or scarf, have a range of other clothes in plain colours to co-ordinate with two or three of the colours in the pattern.

Look for one garment in the latest fashion.

When you are all dressed up for a special event and looking your best, get lots of photos.


Here's my hat picture. The hat frames my face.
Order In Time
If you are going on holiday, make sure your swimsuit or pickpocket-proof clothing will arrive in time. Amazon and other companies may offer an overnight service at a premium.

Ski Wear For Warmth And Warm Colours
Can't find anything both warm and colourful in winter? Try skiwear. One winter I was planning talking a walking tour around London. I took a short walk to a local supermarket to get sandwiches and came back feeling frozen. None of my winter wear was warm enough.

I stood wondering how I had managed in the USA at ski resorts with snow higher than my ankles and icicles hanging from the rooftops. The answer was that even when I wasn't on the ski slopes, I was walking around in my ski jacket. I had had padded gloves, warm co-ordinated trousers and matching ear-covering hood.

So I wore my ski outfit on the walking tour. I thought: I'm the only one in ski wear. They must all think I'm nuts. However, at the end of the tour an American lady turned to me, smiling enviously and said, "We're freezing cold. You've got the best warm weather clothes!"

Alterntive
Maybe cutting a dash really doesn't suit you, yet.  Makes you feel, 'okay for them, but I'd rather hide on holiday!' If so, go for muted colours, sportwear shops. Just stay co-ordinated.

Shopping
Try to buy items together, in the same shop or at least on the same shopping trip. Look for the same colours. Check the fabric on the label.

CAPES
You may need to hunt around to find the latest technical term for an item you like. I saw a wonderful cape top outfit on a lady on the plane going to Madeira. I asked her where she bought it and she told me it was from Mango.

Here is Sherlock Holmes in his cape and deerstalker hat. Many other people have worn capes or deerstalker hats, but this particular combination makes him distinctive, especially when you add in the third element, the pipe.

I bought one in the sale at Mango. It was expensive even after the discount. So I looked online for something cheaper. My search for jackets took me through thousands of items nothing like what I wanted. It took me over a week to track down the item and the magic word combination 'cape blazer'.

Several of the items shown online were creased, even when brand new and on the hanger. When I ordered a much cheaper item, it arrived creased. I hung it up. A bit better, but not that smooth just bought look.



COLOURS
Rainbow colours are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. What about pink?

A distinctive pink shirt with Mandarin collar. Many members of Toastmasters Club of Singapore, which meets the first three Monday of the month at the Sheraton Towers Hotel, wear smart shirts which are made to order by local tailors.

If in doubt, add a dog. You'll get everybody stopping to talk to you.

Some magic words which I use for the clothes which I search for - you must compile your own list:
almost new
as new
bias cut
bundle
caftan
cape
cape blazer
colour block dress
convertible (from trousers / (called pants in USA) to shorts)
cruise / cocktails (American for elegant evening clothes)
cut out / devore / lace / lacey / see through
elastic / elastane / large / stretch / stretchy / will fit size ...
free
free postage
fully lined
godet (triangular pieces in skirt)
Kimono
lace
leather
lined
lining
long / long skirt / calf length / maxi
matching
matching scarf
matching hat
matching jacket
matching bag
matching belt
mother of the bride
mother of the bride / matching hat / matching jacket

Mother And Sugar (I presume it's Marks and Spencer but the discount house is not allowed to say so. They have had to remove labels and are selling seconds or overstocks or last season's outfits cheap but can't say so to prevent you returning discount goods and claiming full price.)
new with tags
new without tags
one size fits all
other colours available
patchwork
2 piece outfit
3 piece set
Princess (mainly for little girls)
reversible
sale / discount / bargain / outlet / make offer / lowest price / free postage / reduced
silk
silk lining
Size / English Size
skater skirt - makes a disc when laid out flat, so it rises when a skater spins around fast
skirt suit
suit and matching
stunning / amazing / sexy (but this brings up skimpy underwear)
suit and matching
velcro / hook and close

This is the scarf I did not buy and should have bought. It was approaching £100. I thought, I am not paying that for a scarf. I look terrific in it. I would have worn it every day for a year. I went to a style course when the teacher told us that you divide the cost of a garment by the number of times you wear it (and look and feel fabulous). If you pay £100 and wear it 100 times that is £1 per wearing. If it cost £10 and you wear it once, the cost is £10 per wearing. If you never wear it, no gain at all. 

So, please buy fabulous clothes.  Cut a dash, feel good and look good.  Let the world enjoy looking at you.

Some gorgeous outfits:
www.mango.com   (shops in several countries)
shopmango.com (Like Amazon, this website asks where you are. You might wish to shop in the country where you are right now, if on holiday, or as if from your home country if you want clothes to be shipped there for when you get home.)
liligal.com
https://www.newchic.com/socofy-womens-sandals
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shoes-socofy-Bags
sports.direct

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.