The 'old' lady style and beauty thread

[thisenglishlife]

With 'old lady' not being an offensive term, but rather referring to women with knowledge, refined taste and other positive qualities

Show off your pretty things and link to dresses, slips, twinsets, pearls, stockings, big knickers, cross your heart bras, prestige scents, retro style makeup, soap and everything else in between

[TrashyPanda]

Knitting patterns, that is

[TrashyPanda]

@CrazyBatLady66

Thank you @absolutelynotfabulous and @Floisme I have had a look on both those sites, lovely things but way out of my price range 😊
I am thinking that maybe I should try one on before buying or knitting as in the 90s I was significantly smaller in the bust and am now a G cup, due to childbirth and age, am wondering actually if I would look like an old school matron with a huge bosom or Mrs Doubtfire now in a twinset lol ! @mathanxiety I do knit but mostly toys and scarves etc. I think a jumper with a slightly lower neck would look better than the higher crew neck twinsets I remember

If you can find a copy of Marion Foales book (from the 1980s) she has some classic patterns for twin sets.

[Floisme]

Sorry CrazyBatLady I know that was an expensive option. Anyway you've got me hankering after a twinset now and, as well as looking out for John Smedley (I only buy it second hand) I'll be keeping an an eye on M&S and Uniqlo for separate cardigans and short sleeve jumpers that would work together. They might not do them in identical colours but maybe an un-matching twinset could be the modern twist. I also find a lot of crew necks just that bit too high but, if everything else is right, I sometimes just give it a good yank and wrestle it to the correct height. Plus I find that with time they always drop a bit anyway.

[CrazyBatLady66]

Thank you @absolutelynotfabulous and @Floisme I have had a look on both those sites, lovely things but way out of my price range 😊
I am thinking that maybe I should try one on before buying or knitting as in the 90s I was significantly smaller in the bust and am now a G cup, due to childbirth and age, am wondering actually if I would look like an old school matron with a huge bosom or Mrs Doubtfire now in a twinset lol ! @mathanxiety I do knit but mostly toys and scarves etc. I think a jumper with a slightly lower neck would look better than the higher crew neck twinsets I remember

[Floisme]

CrazyBatLady66 I occasionally see original twin sets in vintage markets / shops that still stock 50s and 60s stuff but, because they were everyday wear, they're often in poor condition - which is why I personally wouldn't try and buy online. John Smedley sell short sleeve jumpers and matching cardigans separately and, if you search for 'twin set' it tells you which pieces can be matched. They're expensive but they wear well - (and they always have a sale section!) I'm guessing Brora might also do separates that you can match up but again they're not cheap.

[absolutelynotfabulous]

@CrazyBatLady66 just found some twinsets on a site called Peter Hahn. Don't forget the pearls😎

[mathanxiety]

You might have to knit your own, sadly, CrazyBatLady66

[CrazyBatLady66]

@mathanxiety Hello ! I was looking at this thread the other day thinking how much it had cheered me up. I was thinking of posting on here but I am a bit shy on the internet(not in real life though lol) I had found myself yearning for a twinset when I was watching a TV prog about the 60s. I wore them when I was a young woman in 80s/90s for work. For younger people out there a twinset was a short sleeve jumper and a matching cardigan. Ideal for ladies of a certain age who get hot and cold :) So I was going to post on here and ask if anyone knew where to get them. Results on Ebay had not been great as I found lot of people seemed to have no idea what a twinset was and had listed skirts and tops etc. Wonder if anyone else is around?

[mathanxiety]

I normally don't do this, but I'm going to give this one a bump and see what happens.

[2021optimist]

What a fabulous thread!

[sueelleker]

@Michelleoftheresistance Try using lavender or rose oil in an electric diffuser.

[sueelleker]

. I used to also have The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady duvet set as a teenager! I've got the wallpaper in my kitchen!

[NannyOgg66]

@dontcallmelen thank you. I had a look and just ordered a couple of bralettes. I'm a bit slow on the uptake sometimes...I've just got your name lol.

[dontcallmelen]

@NannyOgg66 sainsburys apparently do some good bralettes for the bigger busts will have a look see if can find any pictures/info

[NannyOgg66]

@Cocolapew which style M&S "big holder uppers" do you recommend? I am 34G and always looking for a comfy bra that doesn't look like body armour. I have the M&S fuller bust bralette and that is just about big enough but can look a bit droopy. I am finding underwires so uncomfortable now after so long wearing bralette. I know a lot of ladies on this thread recommend Triumph Doreen bra but am worried it might give me a pointy look like my old head mistress who had massive norks!

[NannyOgg66]

@thisenglishlife thank you, I have contacted Powell craft, they say their dressing gowns will fit up to UK size 16/18 if anyone else needs the info.
Think I will have to wait till my birthday near Xmas though. I am currently repairing my Japanese shop kimono, like it's predecessor it has worn thin in the bottom area, but I literally wear them every day for years and am sitting down a lot! :) I hate throwing things away if I can make do and mend. I think this must be a hang over from my mother who was brought up during the war and rationing in the 50s. I also have a Singer machine I use. Much easier than modern fancy ones that do everything, less to go wrong.

[dontcallmelen]

@MotherofPearl

Not chilly here either. I've got my 4711 cologne wipes at the ready!

That’s what I need! Curses myself for not buying when I saw them in boots the other day.

[MotherofPearl]

Not chilly here either. I've got my 4711 cologne wipes at the ready!

[dontcallmelen]

Definitely not chilly here in a London, must admit even though I like the heat temperatures forecast for the next few days here are a bit 😱
Not sure any wafting will be done over the next few days.

[Greenpop21]

Splashed on some gorgeous rose cologne after and now just wafting about.

[Greenpop21]

Chilly??? It’s very warm here. Just had to shower in the afternoon as a short trip in the car on a few errands left me in a hot sweaty mess.

[ScorpioSphinxInACalicoDress]

Hello, just popping in to say what a lovely thread and to rather boastfully out myself as the inventor of the "pink minger" title on the perfume thread
You all have wonderful taste!

[ElGuardiandenoche]

@dontcallmelen, thank you very much. My GG Grandma was an amazing sewist. I don’t really remember her much, I was very young when she died. I have an outfit that she made my grandmother to honeymoon in and it’s beautiful. It’s miles too small for me to wear so it’s packed away in storage at the moment. My G Grandma was more of a practical sewist, I have quite a few cotton sheets that she cut down the middle when they grew thin, turned and sewed up the middle. Grandmother wasn’t much of a sewist. She and my mother were knitters. They tried to teach me but I’m hopeless.

[ElGuardiandenoche]

Anyone else had to get there winter coat out again. It’s feeling a little chilly here. I managed to pick up a tweedy type coat with a faux fur collar to help keep my neck warm in a charity shop last autumn.

[dontcallmelen]

@ElGuardiandenoche sewing machine is beautiful, I’m in awe am hopeless with a machine, despite my lovely mum trying so hard to teach me, she was a wonderful seamstress & so talented.
Cocolapew I blinking love Doris Day & Dean Martin.