Glasses half full

A redheaded woman looking at a pair of spectacles
Argh, I talked this one up! In my last post I mentioned not having a problem with buying stuff new… well, Thursday’s eye test introduced a problem. My eyes have declined with every test so I fully expected to need to fork out £75-£100 for new glasses. BUT NO. They’ve hit the point where I need varifocals, and those aren’t cheap. To be fair to Specsavers, they do sell much cheaper lenses than the £189 ones I’m probably going to get, but the ones I’m considering are optimised for screen use. I work on a computer for eight hours a day and have screen-based hobbies like gaming and blogging, so it makes sense to fork out a bit extra to really look after my eyes. In all, my glasses look like costing over £300. Owwww.

Anyway, that means it’s a good job I’m getting back in the sewing habit and rediscovering the neglected clothes in my wardrobe because there aren’t going to be any more new ones for a while. Browsing the chazzas will still be an option, but other than that I’ll have to make do with the fabric in my stash and the clothes I have.

Here’s a couple of this week’s looks, modelled in the stairwell at work – yes, I do need to sort my photography out. First is an olive houndstooth skirt and olive top with black tights and Clarks Hamble Oak shoes, and a necklace of (I think) agates bought in Burma. The skirt was a charity shop purchase, and the St Michael label inside says it’s copyright 1997, so that’s pretty clear dating. If you class the 90s as vintage, I guess this is vintage. Not that it feels like it to me. I’ve been shying away from wearing it with black tights, but this week it struck me that we wore black tights with everything in the 90s, so why not with a 90s skirt now? In a way I’m breaking my rule of ‘never wear anything you’re old enough to have worn the first time round’, but 1) we’ve all agreed clothing rules are silly and for breaking, right? and 2) even if I steer away from 1990s clothes, it’s pretty obvious I’m in my 40s, so why worry about it?

I really like this overall look.
A redheaded white woman in an olive top and skirt, black tights and black shoes.
The second look is a little less dressy, because it’s from eye test day, and like an idiot I booked my eye test for 8:30, which meant getting a 7:45 train from Trowbridge, so an outfit with limited fuss was called for.

It’s one of my me-made shirts, brown tweed trousers from the menswear department at Marks and Spencer, a red cardi from a charity shop, and those black shoes again. I actually like them so much I bought another pair, though I’m currently in the old ones to give my feet a rest from breaking shoes in. I love this shirt, but always wear it with these trousers, and I’ve been looking at all the colours in it thinking of other things I could wear it with. I don’t really have much else, so that’ll be something to look out for in chazzas. I’d like a skirt in aubergine, mustard or slate to go with this and my lime green loafers.

Anyway, I hope your week’s going well and you don’t get hit with any unexpectedly high bills!

Comments

  1. Oh yes, I remember buying first varifocals and they were about the same as yours. Then next time I went to Spec Savers and bought 2 in BOGOF - 250.00. I am well overdue for another test plus I broke my second pair so need to make an appointment asap!

    I love that blouse - the colours are beautiful. I already commented on IG about the skirt and top which were fabulous.

    If you've not had varifocals they take a bit of getting used to - but persevere!
    xxx

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    1. Mine are Specsavers. Picking them up today. I'm actually getting identical frames to my favourite pair I already own.

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  2. You'd probably be shocked to hear that my varifocals were more than € 1000. Admittedly, I took one of the most expensive options, with lots of extras including optimalization for screen work. They did take some getting used to, but now I wouldn't be without them and I think they were well worth the money. I probably could have gone cheaper buying from a chain, but we've been with our optician's for years, and he's very, very good. I'm loving both of your outfits, and that you-made top is especially delightful. A skirt in any of the print's colours would look fabulous! xxx

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    1. Yeah mine are optimised for screen work too. As I only get one pair of eyes I should look after them.

      I'm now leaning towards a mustard/saffron skirt as I have a couple of other tops one in those colours would work with.

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  3. By the time I get through with all the anti-glare, anti-scratch, anti-everything coatings it will be about the same as yours. I've been putting it off but know that poorly made specs just aren't worth it.

    Are you getting new frames as well?

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    1. Yeah, it's the easiest option. I'm going to Specsavers so they're not that pricy, and I get a 'buy one pair get one free' deal. I'll just have to pay for the coatings on the second pair but the lenses and frames are free.

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  4. Love that shirt, it fits you beautifully. I thought I was the only one wearing mens trousers, I really love that garçonne-look. As I grow into (and towards the end of) my 40's, I find myself experimenting more with my looks, and mens trousers (vintage in my case), a nice striped shirt or monochrome 1940's blouse topped with a waistcoat or vest, and perhaps a cravat if the fancy takes me is currently the outfits that gets the most airing.

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    Replies
    1. I do love a bit of menswear. I'd never thought of looking for vintage menswear but that's definitely an option!

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  5. Lovely tweeds and subtle colors, and also cute shirt (great job!). Totally agree that it's a great idea to buy a second pair of any comfy shoes, as I'm a huge fan of comfort!
    Sorry that you had to spend so much money in your new glasses, but at least they're going to improve your wellness. I (still) don't wear varifocals, so my glasses are pretty affordable, which make me feel grateful nowadays!
    besos

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    1. Wellness is definitely the most important thing. We only get one pair of eyes each after all.

      I'm planning to make loads more of these shirts. I love them!

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  6. My last pair of glasses were over $800 Canadian (over 1000 Euros) - it's always worth it for your eyes. My medical plan (hooray for Canada) covers some of it, and my husband's coverage also applies to me, so they ended up being only (only, ha) $400 or so.

    I love your outfits! Nothing wrong with a stairwell (says the woman who takes a pic every day in a stairwell). I also struggle with labeling the 90s (and 80s!) as vintage, since I lived through both of them. Ha, I got married in '97, same year as your lovely skirt.

    When I look at your pic of your me-made shirt, the colours that jump out at me are the lime and that soft pinky-sorbet colour. I would love to see skirts in those colours with it.

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    1. Lime is definitely one of my colours. I tend to shy away from pink because of my hair colour though I guess in a skirt it would be far enough from my hair not to clash too badly.

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