Autumn Hues our SNA October challenge

Hello again! And welcome to our monthly Style Not Age challenge which comes from Hilda this month. Autumn Hues are very much my colours, as in what's recommended for my skin and hair shades but the season of autumn isn't one of my best. I begrude the dimming of sunlight, the shortening of the days and the general decline into winter gloom. But, hey, as you'll see from my shots, the day was golden when we captured this outfit so let's just leave it there shall we? 

Hilda has shopped her wardrobe for this stylish look, one that I'd happily wear myself. I love the pattern clash of cardigan and leopard print pumps! See more from her on Over the Hilda. 

Jacqui too has shopped her closet for this month's challenge, and very successfully I must say! The faux leather culottes in particular are very much to my taste. Catch up with all the latest news from her very busy life on Mummabstylish blog. 

Emma's following the trend of recycling her outfit apart from her new snazzy jacket from Jenerique, a brand I've not heard of. See all the other details on her blog Style Splash. 

Gail has just completed a seven day skirt challenge on her blog and continues to style it up with this cute mini here. Loving the brogues and belt Gail! See her back story on Is This Mutton. 

My outfit comprises both old and new (to me). The faux suede bomber jacket was a recent Vinted find as was the floral turtle neck sweater. I do like a thin knit turtle neck for layering up in the cooler months and this flowery version will be very handy in the months ahead.

The wide legged brown trousers were from TK Maxx many years ago and I was pleased to find that they still fit. The older I get the more I battle with an increasing girth, but I fancy I may not be the only one to struggle this way. To be honest, the latest setback for me has been the influx of purple stinging jellyfish that have been swarming across our shores for almost two months now. 

I'm staying out of the water as their stings have to be treated with a get normally used on chemical burns. I've been walking the beaches to try to find a clear beach to swim in but honestly as the tide washes in and out every six hours, well it's almost impossible to predict where they'll turn up next. That cold water blast to my metabolism has surely helped to keep my figure in reasonable shape but I'm noticing the difference lately. Hey ho!

My cream boots are old, from ASOS, I think. The handbag was a purchase in Rome when we were on a cruise there many moons ago - see that post here. Anyway, the strap broke and only recently Sash borrowed it when she went away for a wedding and very kindly bought a replacement one. 

Suddenly this little bag is back in the mix again! Nothing new jewellery wise though, one preloved ring and the other is an Emily Nixon Scribble ring (see here for similar) and old sunglasses from Radley London.

Steve and I dashed off to capture these shots one evening just before sunset. The golden light is very flattering and ties in perfectly for this challenge too. See below for the view in front of me  - what a fabulous sight that sunset is!

I do hope you've enjoyed this month's challenge! I'll be back next week with another dose of colourplay for you. In the meantime, take care!

                                                                    Anna x

Blue Monday post

Hi there! Thanks for swinging by again. I'm posting on Blue Monday, allegedly the most depressing day of the year as we're all supposed to be in a full post-Christmas slump, but hopefully it's not been too much of a trial for you. This year it's on the 15th of January which is my daughter's birthday (she's 35). We met up with Sasha yesterday to have brunch with her in one of the Seagarden Cottages where she's enjoying a few days of luxury as a gift to herself. I dodged outside to take a few shots of my outfit, but couldn't find the right spot either out of the sun (too bright)... 

...or in the shade (too dark). The view was pretty spectacular though!

I've been itching to wear this wonderful waterfall tulle skirt since I bought it recently on Vinted. I can hardly bear to tell you how much it cost. What do you think? Would you believe that even though it's brand new it only cost £5? Honestly! The rest of the outfit is from my wardrobe, nothing new. The waistcoat is years old and may not ever have been shown on the blog, but do tell me if I'm wrong. The blouse is ancient, was a charity shop buy from years ago, boots are from ASOS, sunglasses are from Quay Australia and cream tights are very old indeed.

Later on I swapped the waistcoat for this fitted jacket (very old). I really like this look; the yellow tweed jacket has a gold fleck to it and works so well with the soft fluid nature of the tulle and chiffon. The chunky boots toughen the look up without being too overpowering.

The broad tan leather belt is another way to add an accent without it becoming too much of a focal point. For me this outfit is all about the skirt, so hopefully the balance with the other pieces works to allow the tulle to remain at centre stage.

Nothing new with these citrine rings - I've had them for years now - they were gifted to me as part of a collaboration with Gemporia way back in  2017 (see here).

No doubt you'll see this skirt again and again and again this year. It's an obvious piece for summerwear, but I so wanted to try to winterise it successfully and think I did. Do you agree? I actually wore my cream cow print fur coat over the top of this as it was so chilly - sorry I forgot to get shots of that but we were running late. It's great to have your company again - many thanks and have a great week!

                                                                                         Anna x

Dressing up in December

Regardless of the month I'm always prone to a bit of dressing up, so December is no different I suppose. Fur coats are my coat of choice this month and this one, full length and luxurious, is my favourite. It's been hanging behind my bedroom door for weeks waiting for the opportunity to come out to play. Last weekend we had a glorious dry day (for a change) and by the time I had found my photo spot the sun came blasting down too. It was a scorching day for this time of year and an absolute bonus too.

The cream and mocca cow print coat was from River Island, bought by the family for my birthday almost a year ago. I'm not a huge fan of winter, but the upside is to get the chance to wear this fabulous coat again. 

I've opted for a neutral palette for the overall look which is very different for me isn't it? But this kind of neutral works thanks to the glamorous combination of fur and lace. I've shopped my closet for the whole look: lace body and trousers from Zara and boots from Asos.

Nothing new with my jewellery either. The rings are both charity shopped, necklace from Primark and sunglasses are by Quay Australia.

The pleather paperbag trousers are a lovely easy to wear fit thanks to the elasticated waistband. Pockets too make for an ultra casual look.

So, how has your weekend been? I've been busy at home mostly with cooking for the freezer. At this time of year I like to catch up on batch cooking so that I have meals ready to microwave at the end of the working day. Lighting the fire as I come home from work and having a homemade meal ready for Steve makes me feel that I'm making his day more comfortable. I've had a couple of sea swims too, which were good but challenging too due to the recent drop in air temperature. The sea doesn't seem to change much from day to day, but we had a cool Easterly wind blowing on Saturday morning which did make for brisk dressing when I got out of the water. Tomorrow's plan is for another morning swim and then to catch up on some housework and hopefully to get some online Christmas shopping done. Wish me luck!

                                                                                           Anna x

Two in five million

So, here's the explanation for my recent absence. Steve and I were two of the five million people in the UK who reported having Covid19 last week. And that's just the five million who reported it, not those didn't. It's alarming isn't it? And yet, this is indeed our new normal where businesses are closing temporarily or paring down their services to accommodate the prevalence of the virus. Tresco, like the rest of Great Britain, is awash with the illness. Steve and I are still at home waiting to show a negative test result or at least feel well enough to return to work. What about you? They say that one in 14 of us has the virus currently so we all know someone who has it. If it's you then I'd say stay home until you're well, keep warm, take paracetamol to control your temperature and pain, drink lots of fluids and suck on ice chips to soothe an inflamed throat.

Today's post is from last month, Mother's Day to be precise, when we went to the beachfront Ruin Cafe at Old Grimsby for lunch. Our table view was pretty idyllic and being indoors meant we were out of the driving Easterly wind too. I had flowers and gifts from my children, including a gift card for TK Maxx, but more of that later. I dressed a la 70's style for my lunch date.

It's been a while since I've worn this flower power jacket by Anja Rock. I remember I bought it when I was in Manchester four years ago on my modelling stint with JD Williams - read all about that here. TK Maxx in the centre of Manchester was a wonderful haven full of all sorts of fashion delights and bargains. See the first time I showcased the jacket here - it was a fabulously bright and breezy post that's worth another look if you missed it.

Steve and I had taken a stroll home through the woods after our leisurely lunch when we hit this golden pool of sunlight. Too good an opportunity to miss, eh?

The heart patterned flares were from Asos, the sweater is totally ancient, and the stone coloured boots of the moment are also from Asos. The observant amongst you may have seen that my pre and post-lunch sunglasses are different, but both are from Quay Australia.

My 70's jewellery collection is all pre-loved charity shop finds. 

My print clutch bag is from Zara and was actually part of the gift packaging of a new blouse, a birthday present from my dear friend Bo in January. See here for that. 

My boots of the moment are these chunky ecru dreams from Asos. The beautiful Chelsea boots can be found here. 

So, in between Mother's Day and Covid19, I've been to the mainland again for another health appointment, this time for some pre-cancerous cell removal on my face. The upside was that I went off clutching the lovely gift card and oh my goodness, what a super time I had! Not only did I shop there, but I snapped up some fab charity shop purchases too. 

These beaded sandals were from TK Maxx and the almost matching necklace was a charity shop find, hurrah!

Gradually I'll showcase these and give you the lowdown on where and how much etc, but in the meantime you'll just have to feast your eyes on the pretty colours and textures of my new springtime wardrobe. The fact that I've ousted 32 boxes of clothes and shoes out of the house means that this has been a guilt-free splurge - whoohoooo!

Wishing you a super week ahead!

Anna x