Project Sister Act

I'm delighted to be taking part in Project Sister Act this month. My blogging friend Sheela of Sheela Writes is the host of this project - see here for the very first feature. In her words "Project Sister Act is very close to my heart.  It advocates how women across all age groups (I’m talking about teens to 60s, 70s, 80s), are united in showcasing that style knows no age boundary. That style is indeed an expression of one’s personality, no matter if one’s a product of the 70s or 90s. And that the one same motif can be stylish on any and every woman, regardless of the year she was born."

The collaboration covers a group of us ranging from teens to 50's and the item we've all been asked to model is a maxi, so let's not waste another moment.  

Our teenage fashionista of the group is Eve from The World According to Eve.

Representing the 20's is Lizzie of Lizzie in Lace. 

For the 30's we have Vanessa of What Would V Wear.

Our 40's model is Sheela, the creator of Sheela Writes and also Project Sister Act.

So there we have the motif as Sheela calls it: the maxi dress as worn by women across the ages - teens, 20's, 30's and 40's. All such gorgeous young things I have to say, all wearing beautiful versions of the maxi dress. Follow the links to each blog for their own feature and outfit details. The final reveal, the 50's, is my offering. But before you look, I'd like to tell you a little story. 

The dress I'm showcasing was a purchase from eBay last winter, destined to be worn on holiday, but that didn't happen. The vintage piece has no label, is machine and hand sewn, finished to an exceptionally high standard. The colour is a lime green, almost an acid green due to the sheen of the satin. The reason I bought it is, I think, because it reminds me of a ball gown my mother wore when I was only about 12 years old. In those days my parents used to go out once a month on a Saturday to a dinner/dance with friends. On Saturday mornings my mother would go to the hairdressers for a shampoo and set, returning home with hair immaculately held in place by half a can of hairspray. 

By early evening my father would be home from work and the primping and priming would begin: I was enrolled to press my father's dinner suit, iron his shirt and polish his shoes - skills which would later earn me badges at Brownies for my prowess in all things domestic. I can remember as if it were yesterday, the moment when my mother appeared in her lime green silk dress looking like a glamorous movie star. The dress had a scoop neckline which was bejewelled in sparkling diamante stones that twinkled and reflected light onto her face. How radiant my mother was that night, resplendent in her shimmering green gown. Her make-up comprised of blue eyeshadow, black mascara and red lipstick. She rustled past me in a cloud of Coty L'Aimant, this Hollywood version of my mother, heading out to dance the night away.

My green ball gown pays homage to the magic of that evening of over 40 years ago: the night the seed of glamour was sown in a young girl's mind. I love to wear vintage as I'm a true romantic at heart.  For me this vintage dress and shoes bring with them such a sense of nostalgia, a reminder of days gone by. As the 50's representative of the group, I'm happy to portray the matriarch, the old fashioned glamour of the day. My thanks go to Sheela for inviting me to take part in Project Sister Act, thanks also to all of the contributors.

Once again, thank you for joining me here. I love to have you to write for, regardless of whether you feel the need to comment or not - just keeping me company is fine. My aim is to include you in my little world, this island life, the idyllic backdrop that also happens to be home. 

Details are -

Dress: Vintage, handmade

Shoes: Bebbou

Clutch: Leko London

Necklace, bangles and rings: all thrifted.

Linking with

Dawn Lucy of Fashion Should Be Fun

Anna x

Farewell to summer!

Much as it pains me to say it, I realise that it's probably time to admit that summer is nearly over now. This is my final nod to the dizzying days of twirling and laughter and general sun-induced madness that takes hold of me for a few short months of the year.

Hoping that the clouds will part.

This lovely handbag is from my dear friend Suzy who lives in New Zealand. It's an authentic bag from the South Island featuring pieces of Paua shell which are recognisable by their myriad of colours. 

Maybe I'll just give you one more twirl before we call it a day?

I've had such fun sharing my summer wardrobe with you all. The feedback and comments have been a great pleasure for me to read when I return to my blog at the end of a working day. I work hard and play hard, and it's so rewarding to share some of my memories with you knowing that you're enjoying them too. Autumn will bring changes again: Polly, my gorgeous photographer, will be leaving my employ as her contract finishes in a few weeks time. We're going to be busy capturing as many outfits as we can before she leaves me. I'm hoping that she will be able to stay on the island until November by which time I might have filled my draft box with lots of autumn offerings. We've already done a shoot for a December feature and we may even get a January one in the bag too before she heads off to the mainland. But the good news is that she plans to come back to work for me again next season - roll on March I say!

My dress is from H&M (many moons ago), shoes are charity shopped, both necklaces are by Charlie Dodge, watch is by Michael Kors, bangle and rings are charity shopped and sunglasses are by Quay Australia. Handbag as mentioned is from New Zealand.

Linking with 

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish

Thanks, Polly for doing such a great job x

Anna x

Two busy Sundays

The past two Sundays have been very busy for me. Rewinding to two weeks ago, I was still on the mainland after a mini shopping spree. I say mini as it only involved one spare bag being filled as opposed to a four bag real shopping spree. On the Sunday morning my daughter Sasha drove us down to Penzance so that we could have a swim in the Jubilee Pool which has been a long term dream of mine. It was watching some swimmers here a few years ago that inspired me to take up regular sea swimming. Ever since then I've tried to factor this in on one of my trips away, but it never worked, so it was fantastic when Sasha suggested it. This was the last day of the season at the pool but you can still read all about the wonderful Art Deco lido and pool here.

After swimming in the pool, I came home and looked up the website for the Jubilee Pool. I found the page on its history really interesting. See here for the story of this wonderful amenity.

So let's fast forward to the following weekend when we had a huge spring tide on the islands giving rise to a relatively new occasion - the low tide event. As the tide recedes, the islands are surrounded by sandbanks which can, on a very low tide, join up to lead from one island to another, albeit for a very short period of time. Hundreds of visitors came by boat from St Mary's (the main island of the Isles of Scilly) to attend this very different pop up event. They were landed at Carn Near quay and from there were able to walk along Appletree Bay out to Appletree Point where the flags were flapping wildly in the wind, indicating the location of the fun. 

This is the view from New Grimsby. If you look into the distance you might be able to make out the tiny ant-like figures gathering to join the party. 

This wonderful sight is even more awesome when you consider that this area is the main thoroughfare for the boats, and therefore will be completely under water in six hours.

The crowds were happy to be eating local fish, freshy cooked out in the middle of the channel. A glass of bubbly or a bottle of beer washed everything down perfectly, with the backdrop of music and laughter making it a memorable lunchtime party. All too soon the tide would be turning and everyone would scatter.

On my way back home I met these three Wrens from HMS Echo which was anchored up in deep water near St Mary's. They were conducting a maritime survey of the low tide, rather than heading for a bowl of fish stew. We had a quick chat before they went on their way. It's grand to have these little encounters on a day like this. Lovely to meet you ladies!

As I got back onto land I stopped to put on my shoes and found myself standing next to this colourful lady called Sue. Don't you just love those nails and that amazing hair?  Sue was having a holiday on St Mary's, and had enjoyed spending her Sunday lunchtime sampling the fare at the pop up party. I hope that everyone else had relished the low tide event it as much as we did. These islands offer an all year round calendar of outdoors activities - click here to find out more about what's on and how to plan your visit.

Anna x