The final countdown

Today is going to be bedlam in our house, therefore I've put this post together sooner rather than later as I think my bedroom may end up looking like the remnants of a jumble sale. At the end of the post I've finally got a few frocks to show you after all those promises, but I must admit that some would have benefited from an iron. 

Maybe the expression on my face says - "Not long 'til I'm being whisked off on my hols!"

Does this happen to you? The minute you've made the appointment to have your hair cut it suddenly looks the best it's been in ages.

Let's talk about the coat first, shall we? I bought this from a charity shop in September and whisked it straight off to the dry cleaners for specialist cleaning. It took about a month to be posted back to me and ever since then I've been trying to show it off to it's best. It's got a lovely veined effect which shows up better in a close up later on, and has a distressed look that has probably just come about through the passage of time. I changed the belt as the other was too big. 

And let's not forget the boots. New, and having their debut with these wonderful tights which my sister Sandra sent me. I fancy they're called Argyle check rather than tartan. I know these boots will obviously look amazing with jeans, but wanted to try something a little bit different initially.

The beautiful woollen shorts came from ASOS via a charity shop in Penzance a couple of years ago. I like the feature of the side zips which conceal the pockets - very nifty.

I'm a regular in most of the charity shops in Penzance, so it was a lovely surprise to find that one of them had upgraded an area of the shop into a vintage section. Not unusual elsewhere, but pretty cutting edge for us out on this far peninsula of Cornwall. In one corner an old fashioned wardrobe was decked out in all sort of finery and hanging inside I came across this gorgeous suede coat which hails from Cypress. I slipped it gently off its hanger and slid it over my shoulders. I was soon the happy owner of this exquisite piece. A bit of neglect was apparent, but nothing that couldn't be sorted by some specialist cleaning. The coat is in the running as the holiday coat, but I have others to consider.

So, on to the frock situation. These are a few that might make the final cut, but at the moment it's as clear as mud.

Two beautiful beaded numbers. The peach chiffon one is new, but marred slightly by the fact that someone said it was a bit Bollywood, hmmmm. Can I let that put me off?

I have fellow fashion blogger Suzanne Carillo to thank for leading me to discover this stunning skirt by Anthropologie. It was in the sale, (sold out now)  which did reduce the sting somewhat.

This is the green beaded dress I wore to my 40th birthday bash - truly vintage now methinks.

I wore this gold maxi dress on our last cruise. Does that mean it ought to stay at home this time?

And this maxi dress hasn't had an outing since I bought in on eBay last summer. I can imagine Melanie from Bag and a Beret wearing this to an exotic soiree, with elbow length gloves, whilst brandishing a cigarette in a very long cigarette holder. 

The gold knee length dress is lovely with the gold beaded crochet top, but again has already been cruising. And the dark green 50's frock has never been worn, but looks amazing with my black net underskirt underneath. To be honest, it seems like I've got a whole lot of trying on to do to help with the decision making. Wish me luck!

I'm scheduling my posts to continue to go live on Wednesdays and Sundays for the duration of my holiday and so dear readers it would be great to know you'll still pop by to see some new outfits. Some are from last summer which I thought might be a bit cheering during the last weeks of the winter. I hope to also post some new shots from our holiday on Instagram which is under the same name as my blog - it would be great to hear from you there too. I'll be checking my comments on both and provided I have network will respond, so do keep in touch x

Coat: charity shop. Boots: Office shoes (sold out but these are similar) Shorts: charity shop. Top: eBay. Tights: gift. Belt: Zara. Bag: charity shop. Rings: charity shop.

All of the dresses shown are old, vintage or from eBay. The striped skirt is now sold out.