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

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

What a fabulous thread!

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

@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?

You might have to knit your own, sadly, CrazyBatLady66

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

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.

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

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.

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

Knitting patterns, that is