What do you wear to work during a heatwave?




What to wear during in a heatwave isn't an everyday problem here in the UK, but golly we're having to consider it now! Lucky for me I've recently bought this large, loose, linen dress which fits the bill perfectly. It's another purchase from the small boutique, Number 36, on Causeway Head in Penzance. 




This lightweight linen dress is a heavenly piece of clothing, perfect for the high temperatures we're suddenly experiencing here on the Isles of Scilly. It's loose and airy, and shockingly for me, I didn't even add an underskirt! The Gallery has been like an oven despite us opening both doors and skylights so cool clothing is the name of the game. 




I love the stripe pattern, I love the side pockets and I totally love the colours - it's a fab find for the summer. Imagine how lovely this would be in turquoise too? Hmmm, I maybe need to search for one.




The free fitting, drapey dress was a dream to wear all day long. I conceded footwear-wise too on Friday, choosing to wear my new white leather Lazy Dogz sandals to complete the comfort factor of the day's outfit. 






This contemporary brushed silver chain necklace was also from Number 36. This will be a versatile piece of jewellery that I'm sure you see over and over again.




The fuchsia frock is another opportunity to bring out my pink Candy Bag. I've gone with pink and silver with my rings too, neither of them new, but both lovely none the less.




So, that was Friday's work outfit. Today, Sunday saw the mercury continue to rise and it was the hottest day so far this summer. Tresco was awash with boats and sun seekers, filling our beaches and enjoying the Jubilee Trophy gig race and live music at the pub. Steve and I however, are still hard at work on the renovations on our boat. I spent the whole day in the shade - 




Yep, here I am laid out under the boat applying the second coat of anti-fouling paint onto the hull. I was grateful of this face guard as it ended up dotted with drips and splatters which otherwise would have dotted my face. Steve is in charge of the the real renovations, all I am able to do is push a paint brush around. After two days the hull is much improved.




I haven't missed out on the lovely weather completely though - each day I've escaped during lunchtime to swim on the high tide. In due course, the boat will be finished and we'll enjoy our away day escapes to the uninhabited islands for picnics and sea swims. I'm not too upset at the delay as I know our efforts will be worth it. I must take some more snaps to share with you too. I'll leave you with a fab beach shot from the other day when Fiona and I had a lunchtime walk at the start of this fab spell of weather.




Cradle Porth is as beautiful as ever...
Anna x

Share:

Our Tutti Frutti Style Not Age challenge for June




Welcome to this month's Style Not Age challenge! We're all very Tutti Fruitti this time thanks to Emma and her very summery theme. I love how we've each interpreted this differently, but oh-so-coulourfully too!




I felt I just had to start with Gail who's set us off in the right vein with her tee shirt which is actually called "Tutti Frutti". The top and skirt both come from Kettlewell, but not from the same years. She has shopped her closet for the rest of her outfit. Read her style story on Is This Mutton




Jacqui's rendition of Tutti Frutti comes thanks to her daughter whose dress she borrowed - how blooming lovely is this? Her cute Steve Madden handbag and strappy green sandals finish off the look to perfection. Catch up with Jacqui's news on Mummabstylish.




Emma's fruity shirt and bag are from Fabienne Chapot - a brand I've not heard of before. Paired with zingy green trousers from Asos and lots of bright orange accessories she really has embraced the colourful theme. Find Emma's blog Style Splash here. 




Hilda has opted for this stunning kimono from Zara as her main featured piece, complimented by a Hugo Boss dress and Clark's shoes - none of these are new and yet are all totally fabulous! Catch up with her on Over The Hilda




The Tutti Frutti element of mine surely has to be this vintage Jaeger skirt. A customer of mine recently declared this a very Christian Lacroix design, which I suppose you could say is true. I've featured it on the blog before, but that doesn't detract from its charm. It was a charity shop find from a few years ago and gets an airing at least two or three times over the summer months.




The net underskirt is always a bit of fun and works really well with this look, although I must admit it does make me prone to flashing a bit of net from time to time without any warning or particular reason. Not sure if an ol' gal like me ought to do that, but what the heck!




The voile spotty sleeved top (from TK Maxx, old) adds to the flamboyance of the outfit. I have a black version which works equally well with this. 




Rings and pink Candy bag by Furla are all old too, but still pretty as ever. 




My black buckled and studded belt was a gift from a girlfriend many moons ago and is ideal for sleekly pulling a skirt and top together - great for those days when back fat and tummy bulge are in danger of becoming the focal points!




My dear old faithful (H&M) sock boots are still wearing well. Also going strong as these floral sunglasses which came from Sainsbury's years and years ago. This work outfit sparked lots of chats about women of my age making a style statement in the workplace and also earned me compliments from quite a few men too. So far, I'm still not invisible and hopefully never will be!

Thanks for joining us for this month's challenge. Do pop over to read the back stories from my friends if you have a moment!

                                                                            Anna x

Share:

Jeans and biker jacket with Furla handbag




Hello again! I've been sooooo blooming busy since my last post, but here I am with all my news. I normally post a feature on Fridays, but that was Sasha's birthday meaning my day was filled with baking and doing the prep for her birthday tea. A lock-down birthday is a bit rubbish isn't it, but I suppose many of you will have had one of those by this stage. We seem to have overcompensated by having three days of special family meals and it really has been great fun for us all. (Death by feeding, is what my husband is calling it actually!) Friday's tea was an old fashioned birthday party with sausage rolls, bacon frazzles, cheese scones, salads, cold meats and cheeses followed by millionaire's shortbread and a magnificent birthday cake created by her cousin Zoe of Bryher Bake Box






Sasha is 32 now and like most mother's I'm amazed at how the time has flown past since those baby days. I loved being a stay-at-home mum, never missing the world of work or the social aspect thereof. 




Seen here with her cousin David who is only 8 weeks older than her, Sasha loved being the big sister to Jamie.






Sash was dog mad from the start, in fact her very first words were "a dog, a dog, a dog!" as her father's gun dogs appeared in front of our window. Sasha is training her own spaniel, Brigg, now - you can follow his progress on her Instagram page here




And so, on to the OOTD, this blue biker jacket and dotty jeans. Like lots of others on lock-down I'm wearing casual clothes most of the time. These jeans by Cosmic Jeans were a charity shop find in 2018 but I've not worn them often. Hipster jeans don't flatter my hourglass shape very well as they seem to accentuate my rounded tummy. Pairing them with my bright blue biker jacket maybe wasn't the best move either as the two barely met in the middle :(  The polo neck sweater is rather ancient as is the leather belt - both are by H&M. My black and white sunglasses are from Quay Australia.








The cute little jelly bag by Furla has been a joyful discovery of late. I seem to have spells where I have a bag of the moment and then they get stored away for months on end. I have the  bigger version of this in yellow and the small one fits inside it meaning I do forget about it in that out if sight, out of mind way. The rings are both pre-loved.




The white leather boots were a Christmas present from Steve. The brand is Besson and they came from TK Maxx. I had a similar pair of white boots (see here), but they fell apart in the autumn, after only a year of wear. I've loved how my shopping desires have been brought into sharp focus since I gave up retail therapy. My wish-lists for both Christmas and birthday (soon) were, and are, so specific and therefore satisfying to receive that their worth seems so much more than ever before. I've found I don't need to browse eBay or retail sites searching for... and that's just it - what are we all looking for? Happiness? Fulfillment? A need to simply have something new? The psychology of shopping is a complex one that's for sure. As I was putting my wish-lists together I discovered that the enormity of choices swamped me if I didn't have an exact thing in mind and it all started to feel rather pointless. As the end of my shopping ban looms large, I find myself wondering what I'll do when it comes.

Thanks for dropping by again. I'll be back later on this week and also on Sunday with my birthday post. Monday the 25th will be our Style Not Age challenge so there's lots to come this week!

                                                                                             Anna x

Share:

Scarlet and cerise - my joyful colour therapy!




Happy Monday dear readers! How are you? Did you have a good weekend? Mine was a busy one, but a happy mixture of work and play. I had a good long swim with Fiona on Saturday when the weather was fine and then on Sunday she stepped in as blog photographer to do a mega shoot for various forthcoming features. Add to this some long-overdue housework, cooking for the freezer, catching up with laundry and a family meal on Sunday and I was flushed with success by the end of it.




This was Friday's work outfit, a joyful pick-me-up in scarlet and cerise. I'd had a blah day on Thursday which I blamed on a very dull outfit that set me of in the wrong frame of mind. It's not something you've seen and maybe won't see either! A navy flower sprigged dress is being charged guilty of dreary, drab and dullness on all three counts. I had tried my best to pep it up with red cowboy boots, red belt and red accessories which sounds great, but didn't really have the desired effect. 




Friday saw me utilise red in a much more successful manner when paired with a dazzling pink trench and handbag. The two tone dress (pre-loved) is by M&S and delivers colour therapy with a punch every time I wear it. During the winter months I pop a coloured long sleeved thermal top under it, add some tights and hey presto, it earns its place in both my seasonal wardrobes!




If I was channeling the 80's on my last post, then maybe this could be a throwback to the 60's? (Although the sock boots would probably have been knee high ones.) As you can gather, I'm not one to pay any attention to trends from this era or that - I'll throw pieces together regardless of what decade they hail from.




I'm rotating three very different bags for work at the moment and this cute little Candy bag by Furla always gets compliments. My pink rings are both charity shop pieces.




My red sock boots from H&M are still going strong. What will I do when they fall apart? Maybe I ought not to think about that until the time comes...




My white and black Quay Australia sunglasses tie in with the gingham checks of my Topshop trench. The rose gold heart pendant was a retail purchase in a little boutique in Truro a couple of years ago. 




They say laughter is the best medicine and I must admit it works for me. Well that, and some colour therapy. Keep on smiling everyone, and have a great week!

                                                                        Anna x

Share:

Welcome to this month's Style Not Age challenge.

This time for our monthly challenge Gail came up with the brilliant idea of "What I'd wear on the Frow".  To the uninitiated, like me, that's the Front Row of a fashion show. Paris Fashion Week is due to commence on the 28th of September and despite the pandemic, the show must go on! My take on this was that my particular fashion show was socially distanced and therefore the runway is an outdoors affair. You can tell by my expression that the next model is impressive.




As you can see, Gail truly entered into the spirit of things, inspiring us with this timely theme.  See more and get the low down on her outfit over on Is This Mutton blog now.




Jacqui chose a fabulous backdrop for her relaxed but stylish ensemble. Check out her blog Mummabstylish for her spin on this challenge.




Style Splash Emma opted for a funky pair of culottes to build her Frow outfit around. A spinkling of animal print raised the bar just that little bit higher too!




Hilda played it super cool with this fabulous Spanx trouser suit, topping it off with a stylish fedora - can't you just imagine her turning up at a fashion show in this? See more on her blog Over The Hilda.




If indeed I were going to attend a fashion show, then the coat would be equally important as the outfit. This pink trench, (Topshop, pre-loved), with its black and white gingham lining couldn't be a better match for today's ensemble. The turned up sleeves show the fabric nicely and also allow the lace cuff of the blouse to be exposed too.




The lace blouse was from Zara last summer and has become a real wardrobe staple for me. I seem to wear it at least once a week currently as it's so versatile with a vest top underneath or like today worn as part of a dungaree combination. I wanted to show the pretty pattern in this shot.






My outfit may not be of the caliber of the immaculate Anna Wintour and perhaps if I really did attend a fashion show I would chose to wear a less quirky and more classic type of ensemble. Who knows?




The mini Candy Bag is by Furla and is my bag of the moment. The black and white shoes are by Nine West, sourced at TK Maxx.




And of course if I'm showcasing a black and white outfit then it's gotta be my black and white Quay Australia sunglasses. 




Many thanks to Gail for throwing the gauntlet down with this great challenge. It was good to have a bit of role-play this time too! I do hope you enjoyed it and will find time to pop across to read the backstories of the others in the Style Collective.

                                                                                          Anna x

Share:
Created by bo design