Sgt. Pepper comes to Tresco




Hello again! How did your weekend go? Mine seemed to whizz by in a shot with a couple of good swims, a dash of cooking and a laundry catch up and here I am suddenly back at work. Today's 60's look is instantly recognisable, even to my dear hubby who chirped up "Sergeant Pepper" as I appeared for the photo shoot.




So, here we are, it's mid-October and I'm working hard at keeping on top of my mood by using colour therapy. The past few posts will testify that not only is it working for me, but you too, are finding it a pick-me-up. Thank you for that! I'm delighted that something so simple can change my day and make a difference to yours as well.




I last wore this Polo Ralph Lauren military jacket in the spring (see here) and it's been playing the waiting game since then and the trousers made their last appearance on the blog last Christmas (see here). I've always thought the jacket would work well with these brocade trousers, but I wasn't happy with the cut of them. They are actually men's trousers and as such are quite straight legged - or should I say they were until last weekend, when I decided that I wanted to streamline the shape of them. Every now and then I take a crazy notion to undertake some sewing and this was one of those times. It's crazy because I'm not very good at it and even find sewing in a straight line a challenge! But I turned the trousers outside in, tried them on, pinned them to fit, then ran a running stitch down the pins and finally machine stitched them. Ta-dah! The fit is much neater now and makes them much more wearable. Off to work I go!




And if last weekend's little bit of crazy was sewing, then this weekend's was counting shoes. I'm not sure why this came about, but I think it was because I couldn't find a particular pair of shoes and had to go through all of the cupboards, wardrobes, shoe boxes and tubs under the bed. At some stage I've had a comment from a reader asking how many pairs of boots I have and it must have stayed with me. Before I confess to the amount, let's take a moment to reflect on the fact that I haven't bought a single pair of shoes or boots since the last time I was in a shop, which is February. I'm on month 8 of my shopping ban and might have felt slightly smug about that had I not discovered that I possess 183 pairs of shoes and boots in total. (In fact, it's 183.5 pairs as I have one odd boot - a brand new, with the label still on boot - which seems to have come adrift from its partner somehow. My dear friend Ben sent them to me last winter and I've yet to wear them, although the chances of that are looking rather slim currently!)




Note that I don't looked in the least abashed at this excessive amount and that's probably because I'm not. Clothes and shoes, jewellery and bags are all part of my collection of finery that makes my life all the richer. I love them all, and if I don't then I get rid of them. Once I'm done with them I pass them onto charity shops so that someone else may enjoy the fun of them. I could justify my excesses by explaining how I don't smoke or drink, I can't eat cakes or sweets, crisps or chocolate, but really, that's got nothing to do with it. Dressing up is my daily pleasure. It makes me feel more me: brighter and happier with a spring in my step and hopefully it brings a bit of joy into someone else's day too - and surely that's no bad thing!




Anyway, let's have a quick run down of the outfit shall we? Jacket, by Polo Ralph Lauren, brocade trousers have no labels, but cost me £20 from the Oxfam shop in Truro (beautifully curated for a charity shop and well worth a visit if you can get to it). White lace blouse is from Zara last summer, black boots from Topshop (oops, I wore these last time!) and the red leather belt is pre-loved by Tommy Hilfiger. 




Jewellery is pre-loved and my sunglasses are by River Island, although they are rather old by now.




I love the close-up of this, showing all of the ornate details of the outfit. Sometimes my idea of dressing up might be mistaken as fancy dress and goodness, that makes me laugh!




Thanks for dropping by and thank you too if you follow me on Instagram. It's great to know that I'm inspiring you to try new things. Lovely too, to know that you're enjoying seeing the snippets of my island life. Perhaps the blog is a momentary distraction from the everyday stress of COVID-19. I hope you're coping with the latest upsurge if you live in the UK and are managing to keep safe as you go about your daily business. Wherever you are, look after yourself and come back soon.

                                                                                              Anna x

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9 comments

  1. Most of my clothes look like fancy dress to other people, I'm sure! :) You look wonderful in this, Anna! I adore that jacket (Ralph Lauren totally does military so well, doesn't he?), but those trouser are just...*kiss*...fantastic! I would have wrestled you for them, ha ha!

    Reading blogs of other fashionistas helps - I'm not the only one still dressing up! Keep up your colour, for yourself and others, Anna! Hang in there, this can't last forever. :) Hug!

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    1. Sheila, thank you for making me feel in such good company. Could you imagine what people might think to see us linked arm in arm dressed in our glad rags?! What a colourful sight that would be.

      Thanks for your enduring support you lovely lady x

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  2. Some people think fashion, and fashion blogs, are shallow. Hell, even a girlfriend said that she hadn't bought anything new sinc Covid because no one sees it!! Uh, what about yourself, is what I'm thinking. Why should fashion be more shallow then any other hobby or passion? It's my passion anyway and seeing outfits like yours life me up! Thank you!

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    1. It's great to hear of your passion too Nancy. We're all different (thank goodness) and surely one of the joys of life is learning how to live to be our full selves, not a half hearted version because we can't be bothered.

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  3. I adore your blog Anna; it’s uplifting; inspiring and, has me pairing my clothes (and footwear) in a much more adventurous way. I hope that you will continue to inspire us mature fashionistas for a long time to come!

    This outfit is great. I adore that blouse and the fabulously detailed jacket. I had a look back at the previous picture of your trousers and agree that the tapered leg looks better; they are so flamboyant, I love them!

    Impressive shoe and boot collection. So much choice...wonderful!

    Have a good week ahead! X






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    1. It's so lovely to have your enthusiastic support from the sidelines Phyl, thank you! I'm delighted that you find inspiration here on the blog as that's one of my main intentions. I dress how I do today because some wildly creative women have influenced me to be bolder in my clothes choices. Taken to its natural conclusion we will all inspire others to take a risk with their fashion choices - it's that a grand idea? x

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  4. Love your attitude and style, love to have a look at what are you wearing these days and this totally cheer me up!. Totally agree that some color therapy makes a difference!.
    So lovely outfit indeed, this is a magnificent jacket and the brocade trousers are just Stunning, love its colours and the strip on the side (cool!). You look particularly fabulous in these!
    Totally agree that having a lovely collection of shoes (and clothes) is not something to be ashamed of. No more than collect comics, antiques or whatever you fancy and makes you happy. And fashion is a creative and inspiring activity!
    besos

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    1. This outfit really does seem to have a transformative effect on my mood. I love the trousers now that they fit better and can see that I'll wear them much more often.

      Collecting clothes and shoes does make me happy and yes, surely that's not a bad thing! :)

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  5. Dear Anna, you are so right. Some people are collecting art or books or oldtimer cars or motorbikes, you are collecting beautiful items. Your clothes, shoes, bags, sunglasses and jewellery is marvelous. Why is, in general, the reputation of the first mentioned on a higher view? You have such a joy with your collection, Shares them with us and bring bright shine in our days.
    Hugs, Susa

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