Friday Follies are back! I’ve been a busy Scrumptious while they were on brief hiatus. Are you a perfume lover here in Wellington? Ever So Scrumptious is organizing a day of fragrance exploration here in Wellington on in early April. Details and registration next week!

I’m frustrated at the amount of polyester on the clothing racks lately – I have serious problems wearing polyester, even in blends. Why so much poly? Cotton prices have been high, partly due to China’s stockpiling and partly due to global warming.

Having heart palpitations at the thought of this in My Actual Size and a rare favorite color….

I’ve cast a cold and skeptical eye on the burgeoning world of custom-made online clothing…until now. Custom-made crepe silk shirt in your pick of 400 colors. I’ve seen new silk shirts for that price.

Asos started it, and now other UK online stores are coming to the international party with very reasonable shipping rates to New Zealand. House of Fraser’s £10 shipping to NZ, and Marks & Spencer’s current free shipping to NZ and Australia with a £30 purchase. Rock out in the sale sections. UK clothes pop up frequently in thrift stores here. I’m finding them petite-passable (Per Una, Viyella, East) even when they aren’t actually petite, which means that tall women should check lengths where possible.

Leaping the Hurdles – The Bold Soul, at age 46, moved to France, became an author, fell in love, and successfully established a life in a new country and a new language. Which makes her expatriate worries especially poignant: “Will I ever seem to “fit” in my adopted country? Will I ever really feel French? Will I ever get the inside jokes, feel part of the group at a party or a dinner, and not feel like the odd one out? I truly wonder, and frequently doubt.”