Count Basie

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Dress: Anthea Crawford mesh, sequins, satin

Jacket: Portmans leather

Ankle Boots: Wittner patent leather

Bag: French Connection suede with silver hardware

Ring: Georgini silver & onyx

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Reveling in the last vestiges of winter sunshine on the boardwalk, on my way to enjoy a sublime performance by the legendary Count Basie Orchestra with someone special. An 18 piece "big band" founded by William James "Count" Basie in 1935 & one of the most prominent jazz performing groups of the swing era, the orchestra still performs & records regularly as a "ghost band" following Basie's death in 1984. Avid readers of this blog will already know of my deep affection for so-called "big band" music like that of Glenn Miller & to say that this experience was transcendent would be an understatement - I am honestly still in awe of the talent & artistry of the performers & the sound they are able to create together.

To evoke the era & bring a bit of that old "razzle dazzle," I donned a gorgeous fit-to-flare dress from Anthea Crawford made from black mesh (with a satin lining) & covered in grey floral embroidery & silver sequin embellishment with a sweet black grosgrain ribbon belt, replete with leather bow detail; cropped black leather jacket from Portmans that "nipped in" at the smallest part of my waist; shiny black patent ankle boots from Wittner for that bit of edge & a boxy suede handbag with oversized silver handles from French Connection to carry all of my essentials. Such a shiny/sparkly/suede outfit needs no further embellishment, so jewellery was kept simple - a single silver & onyx cocktail ring from Georgini was enough to complete the look.

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Keep scrolling to see the ensemble without the jacket...