Squeezing the last drop out of summer

I'm the kind of person who likes to squeeze the last drop of juice out of a lemon, force that desultory dollop of ketchup out of the bottle and push the final slick of conditioner out of the tube. It'll be of no surprise to you then, that I've got one final hurrah before I say goodbye to my summer outfits. The defining line between summer and autumn for me is the lack of, or need to wear tights. That sudden bit of chill heralds the extra comfort layer for me. And golly, do I love my tights - patterned, tartan, lacy and every colour of the rainbow - I love them all! However today, here we have the (probably) final bare-legged offering of the year. And with that, a slightly formal, secretarial look too, I fancy.








The smallest of things give me such pleasure: these striped rings from my friend Wendy which work so well with this shirt and also the cuff links that I found in a charity shop.


This wonderful satin striped shirt (by Hawkes & Curtis, Jermyn Street, London) was a charity shop scoop from my last trip to the mainland. I thought the full spectrum of colours could stand an understated look, which brought to mind this simple grey pencil skirt. Black shoes and handbag would have been a classic way to take this, but hey, since when did I conform like that? My yellow, jelly, Candy Bag tones in beautifully and the wild card had to be my leopard print heels. 

Friday brought not just Polly's last day working with me, but also our final show of the year. The evening was a resounding success. The show is a platform for the emerging talent from Falmouth University's Drawing students - see the full exhibition here. We had a fantastic turnout for our drinks party, despite the wind and rain that descended just as we opened. Our normal photo shoot was a wipe out consequently so you'll have to make do with a couple of indoor shots. My (other) new boots had an outing along with a dress bought for the occasion from H&M. I was all ready to proudly link to something new for a change, but it turns out that the dress must have been so popular, it's all sold out! I can however let you see the boots from ASOS which seem to be still for sale here.



And I can't finish without giving a huge thanks to the team of helpers who have made the exhibition period run so smoothly. Thank you ladies - (LtoR) Ruth, Heather, Polly and Max - brilliant teamwork from you all. Please come back again next year!


Anna x

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28 comments

  1. I love both outfits! How nice that you got to hang on to summer a bit longer. The colors of the blouse are fantastic, and I love the rings. The whole look with the pencil skirt is great.

    The H&M dress is fabulous, too. I can see why it sold out quickly. And how great are those boots!!!! They can make an outfit all on their own!

    I hope you had a nice weekend!

    Andrea
    Andrea’s Wellness Notes

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    1. Thanks for all the lovely feedback Andrea. We're being battered by wind and rain now, so I think the summer edit is well and truly over. But hey, now that I've got some rather fab new boots - well autumn is all a bit more bearable isn't it?
      Wishing you a fab week x
      Anna

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  2. Anna you are HOT in a pencil skirt!
    Just stunning on your fabulous figure.
    Elegant, classy and quirky all rolled into one great look.
    XXX
    Samantha
    www.fakefabulous.com

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    1. Ah Samantha, you're so very kind with these lovely compliments. I thought this was all a bit tame, but maybe not so?
      Have a great week x
      Anna

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  3. A gorgeous send-off to summer, Anna. That's a gorgeous look and you rock a pencil skirt! xox

    -Patti
    http://notdeadyetstyle.com

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    1. Thanks so much Patti. Of all skirts, the pencil is my least favourite - it's so unforgiving after a big lunch!
      Wishing you a fab week x
      Anna

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  4. I'm drooling over those booties! WOW! Plus I love how you paired them with the very swishy dress.

    bisous
    Suzanne

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    1. Suzanne, I thought you might like these. I could see you wearing them very easily... I must admit, the prospect of the dark months ahead is much less daunting now I have two wonderfully colourful pairs of boots to play with.
      Will pop over to see you soon x
      Anna

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  5. Nice and funny bag is very exciting in your stylization.I love this planair behind you :) Greetings.

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    1. Glad you like the playful nature of the bag Kobieta. The view is what I look out at from my office - it's very beautiful indeed.
      Wishing you a great week ahead x
      Anna

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  6. What a lovely outfit, Anna, I like the stripe thing you have going on. You look like a very elegant and cool lady!

    Congratulations on your successful exhibition and those floral boots are amazing!

    Have a lovely week

    Veronica
    vronni60s.blogspot.com

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    1. Pencil skirts make me feel a bit like a school marm. My primary school teacher used to wear tweed suits (she called it a costume) and every one of them had a pencil skirt. I suppose it was the style of the day. She's what I think about when I wear mine - that sixty year old, grey haired teacher with long pink bloomers that peeked out from the bottom of her skirt when she sat down. So, thank you for saying elegant and cool as I can now try to apply that image instead.
      Wishing you a great week too x
      Anna

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  7. How sad to see them go again. Lovely Polly! What does she do during the winter time?
    Your outfits (both) look really great). The combination of stripy top, cufflinks and the rings is great- reminds me of sweeties. I really like them and the cool dress you wore for the last exhibition!x

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    1. It is sad Kezzie, but before I know it, we'll be rushing around making plans for 2017! Polly goes home to recharge her batteries, has a holiday then will be back on the island at the start of next year. Yes, the rings are just like boiled sweeties aren't they? Lovely feedback, thanks x
      Have a super week x
      Anna

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  8. Your blouse is like a little rainbow against the backdrop of a fall sea. It's a classic and the kind of clothing that can brighten a day! Also I can't help but notice how many of the colors in the blouse are replicated in those knockout, fabulous, boots!!!!! These two would make for a terrific pattern mixing moment... perhaps with a culotte type bottom?
    Lookout girl! There are inspiring fashion moments ahead that highlight those boots!!

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    1. Thanks Judy. You've no idea how many outfits are bubbling under thanks to these wonderful boots. They've already had a couple of outings that have yet to be shown and another is in the pipeline with Polly before she leaves. This is just the kind of project I need to keep my spirits up over the winter.
      Enjoy your week x
      Anna

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  9. Your blouse is like a little rainbow against the backdrop of a fall sea. It's a classic and the kind of clothing that can brighten a day! Also I can't help but notice how many of the colors in the blouse are replicated in those knockout, fabulous, boots!!!!! These two would make for a terrific pattern mixing moment... perhaps with a culotte type bottom?
    Lookout girl! There are inspiring fashion moments ahead that highlight those boots!!

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  10. I love the classic secretary-with-a-twist look - the stripe colours are fabulous, as are the matchy rings and cufflinks. I adore that green dress, and I would just rip those boots right off your feet, m'dear! Lovely to see all the ladies - thank you to Polly for all the pictures!

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    1. Sometimes we just have to do a bit of matchy-matchy don't we Sheila? And yes, these boots are pretty awesome. I'm having such fun bringing new outfits together thanks to all of these colours.
      Have a great week x
      Anna

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  11. I like your so called "secretarial look" with a splash of different colours. The boots that I wore with the dress are to die for. You certainly now how to make the brightest hues work for you, Anna
    https://lookingfabulousat50.blogspot.com.au

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    1. Dear Anna, anything too conservative brings on this compulsion in me to jazz it up, add a bit of my personality to it. And hey those boots seemed to have caused a bit of commotion, both here and on my Instagram account! I love this new baroque trend - it really suits me down to the ground. Thanks for dropping by x
      Anna

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  12. No secretary I have ever come across dressed up a straight skirt with such pizazz, the swirly striped shirt, fab rings, yellow bag and leopard pumps all add your own style. I also love your floaty dress with those baroque style boots. Enjoy exploring Autumn.

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    1. I like to think of my style as becoming progressively more flamboyant until I'll soon be classed as out-and-out eccentric I suppose! The green dress and jacquard boots were such a dream to wear, such fun. Thanks for taking the time to come along and comment x
      Anna

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  13. Wowsers, that blouse, what a find! Lovely splash of lemon from your handbag.
    Fight you for the boots Sheila.
    My mother used to wear tweed suits to her teaching post and she referred to them as costumes, havent heard that term for a long while. Maybe that's where the term costume jewellery came from? I googled it and it used to be used the way we use outfit. Squeezing the last drops of summer is what I do. Yesterday it was sunny for some of the day and warm enough to sit in the garden for a while. Have you tried Mary Berry's method for getting more lemon juice out of a lemon? It really works. Wish it worked for summer.
    Tessa xx

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    1. Golly, so you read every bit of my ramblings then Tessa? So dedicated of you. I only wish I could remember what that teacher's name was - that's a mark of how long ago it was! She had really long hair and wore it in a bun. Sensible shoes, and always a plain fitted shirt - I wonder if the budding fashionista in me was taking notes of all of those details? The boots are causing quite a stir, and rightly so. Am having to riegn myself in with both pairs of these boots as I love them so much, but don't want them to suffer from over exposure. Love your comments, Tessa, thank you x
      Anna

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  14. The grey skirt is ever soooo sexi :) . I love the way you combined it with this multi colour shirt and accessories. And your green dress plus flowery shoes are really special. Beautiful - cheers - Margot :)

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    1. Thank you so much for all of your lovely comments Margot. I'm delighted to have you as a regular - thanks for dropping by.
      Anna x

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  15. Hi Rachel - I owe you a visit! Thanks for the compliments, am glad you like it.
    Anna x

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