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


Thanks, Polly for doing such a great job x

Anna x

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Warm summer breeze

I must be brief today as I'm heading off to the mainland in a few hours and I still haven't packed yet. A weekend mini-break visiting family and friends in Cornwall, and yes maybe just a smidgeon of (charity) shopping too. So let's be quick. Here's the snaps. Featuring this wonderful paisley print maxi skirt which was, no surprise here, from a Truro charity shop. It encapsulates all kinds of lovely for me - maxi (perfect for those days when I run out of fake tan), paisley (one of my favourite of patterns), elasticated sparkly waistband (no worries about post-lunch bloat and also a bit of bling thrown in for good measure) and not too long (so no need to pick it up as I bolt up stairs to my office as it's just the right length), so all in all, my perfect skirt!


It never ceases to amaze me when I come across a find like this in a charity shop. Why would anyone get rid of something so exquisite? Well yes, I know all the obvious answers, but even if it didn't fit me any more, I'd still want to have it around, maybe as a cushion cover or even to frame a square of the material as a mount for a beautiful photograph. The fabric is light and floaty, the colours lend themselves to marrying up with so many tones and shades of the rainbow. In short, I love it. Here's the rest of the outfit.









This next run of shots are a bit of comedy which fits in well with that Friday feeling I think.






Oh I do hope that you've had a good laugh at these. I did shriek with laughter when I scrolled through them the first time. Is it a bustle or hidden contraband? Good on Polly for capturing these lovely playful shots. She's also captured the new sunglasses I bought in the sale at Sainsbury last month. Cute aren't they? Wish me luck at the shops this weekend. Sunday will be my monthly feature "As suggested by..." so do swing by to see what's been chosen this time. Until then, have a great weekend!


Skirt by Blu Deise, pumps thrifted no brand, top Evie thrifted, bag thrifted, sunglasses by Sainsburys and gold tipped shell necklace by Charlie Dodge.
Anna x

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Shameless, Reckless and Legless

Now that summer is truly upon us, we on the islands find our numbers greatly increased by visitors. These guests are, for most of us, our livelihood and are therefore vital. For me they are also a source of light relief and often friendship too. Enter, stage left, the two Anna's. These lovely ladies (and their families) have been coming to the islands for years and as such have become regulars at the gallery where they have made many a happy purchase from me. Most recently we did indeed have a moment of light relief when I was asked to pose for a photo by Anna R (my brooch pile jacket see here was the object of her admiration, not me exactly). This I did without hesitation which incurred a bit of heckling from her husband as to how brazen I was. "I'm utterly shameless" was my retort. There followed a brief ping ponging of comments regarding the complications of having three Anna's in one place and how it would be useful if we all had nicknames. Hence we now are Shameless (me), Reckless (Anna R) in the centre and Legless (Anna N) on the right. We each of us proffered our own nicknames therefore no-one was in the least offended.


Notice we're all sporting the very same, fashionable windswept look available only on these wild, windy islands. The messy tresses style is absolutely de rigeur this summer daaahling!






  
Today's outfit comprises of trousers from Boden, linen blouse is by Laura Ashley via a charity shop, as is the fab crochet bag. My retro print espadrilles are by Spanish brand Gaimo which I bought from TK Maxx see the same style here but in a different colourway. Sunglasses are by Quay Australia, rings are old, small seed peal necklace is from a charity shop and my dancing girl necklace is by Charlie Dodge. Worth a mention too has to be this fab orange (Tangerine Tent) nail polish by Rita Ora for Rimmel.

Hope that you too are enjoying the start of summer and that you have some great plans for the weeks ahead. See you soon!
Anna x

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Heels or flats?

Mornings seem to be such a rush for me. No matter how early I get up, I'm always rushing when I finally get dressed. I wish I could be one of those very organised people who get their prep done the night before. The idea of laying out my clothes in the evening seems like a great plan, but it doesn't work for me. I really like to wait to see the day before I commit. Once I've come back from swimming I have a better sense of what the day ahead will be like weather wise. Yes, I know that British weather can be so changeable, but at least I can make a better stab at it in the morning. 








And this is where the outfit goes wrong to my mind. Much as I love these shoes and was delighted to get the tartan tights out for their blog debut, it didn't take me long to decide I wasn't happy. By lunchtime I needed to get our of these crazy high heels (so impractical for work) and that's what I did.

My gold boots were instantly an improvement, and dispensing with the patterned tights in favour of the block colour also seemed like the right move. In addition, I could actually get up and down the ladder at work which is pretty important when it comes to moving artwork around! Dressing up for work is great, but sometimes I forget the need to be functional. Thank goodness I live only 200m from work making this quick change at lunchtimes an easy task. In fact I sometimes have to change my entire outfit because the temperature has risen so much by lunchtime. The huge gallery windows offer a great view, but can act as a greenhouse too, meaning a cosy outfit for the early morning start can cause meltdown by midday.





On a fine evening this is my favourite spot to watch the sun go down. 





Jacket: TK Maxx. Skirt: Mounts Bay Trading Co. Shirt: gift. Belt: old. Burgundy shoes: charity shop. Tartan tights: eBay. Gold boots: River Island. Cobalt tights: eBay. Necklace: Charlie Dodge. Pink ring: gift. Blue ring: charity shop.


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Rose gold from jewellery to shoes

I'm not usually one to wear minis, but I fell for this dress as it looked so cute on the hanger. The first time I wore it was with my pink brogues rather than these rose gold ones. However, when I look at the dress with the jacket over the top, and then belted up, well we get into an area of mini-ness I'm not so sure about. I'm not really a short skirt or cleavage kinda girl - it's all about your comfort zone isn't it?












Rose gold. These two words put together are music to my ears. I just can't get enough of this golden-pink hue and won't be getting over it any time soon. When I came across this rose gold dress recently I was over the moon. I love the simplicity of it, and even though it's made of a static-inducing synthetic material, I really fell for the cut and shape which was enough to override my reservations. However, once I got home at the end of the day and checked out how these photos looked, I decided it was just too short for me. I know I wore a short tunic recently as seen here, but my long cardigan acted as the ideal cover up. 

All is not lost however, as Polly was more than keen when I offered the dress to her. She is shorter than I am, and therefore the dress is knee length on her. Also, she added a long cardi as I really ought to have done! 





I think she looks so sweet in this pink and burgundy outfit. And I'll still get the pleasure of seeing the dress without that niggling doubt about the length of it, so it's a win-win for both of us.

Dress: TK Maxx. 
Anna -
Jacket: charity shop. Shoes: TK Maxx. Vintage handbag: charity shop. Tights: TK Maxx. Sun glasses: Quay Australia. Pendant: Charlie Dodge. Watch: Michael Kors. Bangle: Kate Spade New York. Rings:old.
Polly -
Cardigan: H&M. Tights: Primark. Boots: H&M.

Linking with
Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb
Patti of Not Dead Yet Style
Lindsey of The Pleated Poppy
Cherie of Style Nudge
Jess of Elegantly Dressed And Stylish 
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