It was a Sartorialist moment: in Blue Bag last Friday, time on my hands, iphone at the ready and a woman he’d be happy to include in his next book.

She was with a large family; on holiday I fancied, for no reason, from Spain.  A daughter, son-in-law, some sons and a granddaughter.  While the rest fussed about what to order, she and the little girl sat down to watch the day.

She was in her 50s, petite, hair just thinking of turning grey. She was wearing a woollen scarf like the Noro one made popular by Brooklyn Tweed …

… in green and orange like Noro’s Kureyon #185 …

… with red earrings like these I own …

… and, pièce de résistance, she carried a patchwork leather bag beamed in from the 70s, country cousin of these Josef Seibel clogs I’m coveting.

In a family of cheap black, she’d got the style gene of the entire group. The colours – against her hair, the neutral clothes, the fag end of the week – redeemed the street.

And what did I do?

Why, I let the opportunity go begging.  It was too perfect.  Not wanting to do what I knew I could do easily, I sat there and didn’t take her photograph.  And now all I have to show is these approximations.

*****

Image: Noro scarf by Beatriz of Busy Bea Knits on Flickr (top)