When is a suit not a suit?

Well the answer to the conundrum is perfectly simply - when it's your pj's! Yes, this totally glamorous outfit is actually Karen Millen heavy satin pj's, bought recently, brand new with tags, from Vinted. I challenged myself not to share this info all day, regardless of the fact that I received many compliments on the ensemble, and even my husband who's the first to tease me about my outfit of the day didn't spot this.

The key to dressing up your pj's for daywear has to be good accessories and this gold link belt (Primark, old) goes a long way in the transformation. Another must-do is to add a bit of definition by way of the body hugging vest top (H&M, old) as this sharpens up the look too. The long gold necklace again shows this is very much an outfit rather than you making a sneaky dash to the shops in your jim-jams. 

Pockets too, clearly show that this is daywear not slouchy-at-home wear. I love a pocket for that easy-to-wear casual look and this is the ultimate in smart/casual dressing!

Jewellery can be transformational too and mine today leaves no-one in any doubt that this is serious dressing up not dressing down. The rope necklace was a gift from a friend and the two blue rings are both charity shop finds from long ago.

It's not by chance that today's sunglasses work tonally to pull this look together. These are by Radley London.

Pristine white trainers (by Replay) punctuate the look perfectly. Pj's as daywear, worn by Gallery Tresco Manager, with panache, as on Monday.

Footnote: the good news is that I've found my tweezers, also the lost reading glasses I didn't confess to losing at the same time. Note to self, don't tidy things away in new/better places as you'll never remember! The key from work remains lost however, but has been replaced and put on a very large, clunky keyring making it more difficult for me to lose.

And apologies for the late posting this week. Summer is upon us and the juggling of time and work needs are catching up on me. But thank you for coming back to catch up on my news. I've had a little creative moment sewing-wise, not a make as such, more customising something which I hope to showcase soon.  See you soon!

                                                                            Anna x

Sheer maxi over palazzo pants

Hi there! How's June for you? Are you enjoying sunshine or are you, like us here, having a mixed bag of weather? So here we have Saturday's work outfit, a new mash up, not seen previously and worth showcasing here I thought. 

I struggled with end of day fatigue and was also trying to people-dodge around teatime to find the right backdrop for the earth tones of this ensemble. Green was a good contrast, but the road looked a bit scrappy with these weeds.

This was a good jewellery shot however, so let's start with that today. My friend Maggie gave me this fab shell and chain necklace for my Christmas and somehow it ended up at the bottom of my jewellery box until recently. It was from Zara of all places! My rings are both old and sunglasses are from Radley London.

My second location after the Great Pool was the road overlooking Appletree Bay, which even on a low tide looks lovely. And so to the outfit - the nutmeg trousers are a silky fabric and I bought them last year in TK Maxx, fully expecting to wear them over the festive period, but never did. The sheer maxi dress is by Zara, but was a charity shop scoop for a fiver! The white vest top is a brilliant basic, seen often on the blog, and is from H&M (wish I'd bought a couple of them as the quality is really fab and they wash very well). The stretch belt with leather clasp is very old, from Principles. 

My third and final location is on Saffron Cove offering shades of green as well as white sands to provide the perfect backdrop. I'd been lurking about, waiting for everyone to go home at the end of the day and finally had the beach to myself. How spoilt we are to expect such luxury even at this time of year! 

I'd had a couple of compliments on this outfit which is good as I wasn't sure if this was very me. A few years ago I might have been happy to wear it without the sheer overshirt, but now I'm in my mid sixties, well my arms resemble anemic dimpled blancmange. Maybe a bit harsh, but depressingly true. I'm working on them though with a touch of fake tan supplemented by lifting weights to try to stop the decline.

Moving swiftly on, the daisy bejewelled sandals were from Amazon last year. They're super comfy as well as being very pretty. They have an elastic strap at the back making them easy to wear all day without any discomfort. Pardon me if my age is showing so much in today's post!

It took me almost an hour to find my perfect spot, but it was worth it, with photos taken and time to sit and chill, enjoying the view and looking forward to having a couple of days off. Thank you for joining me and hope to see you again soon!

                                                                                       Anna x

Another week, another trouser suit

Hello, how are you? Did you watch Eurovision? I'm afraid I opted out this year as I didn't think we could possibly repeat last year's success. Instead I went to bed for an early night with my book. I've just read The Lovely Bones for the second time and was so pleased that I had forgotten most of it, apart from the perfect murder weapon. I'll put it back onto my book shelf now that I know I can reread and enjoy it again.

This week's favourite outfit was yet another trouser suit and this one is from Boohoo, but I bought it from Vinted last year. I'm a huge fan of the trouser suit as you know - the brighter the better - and what could be better than grabbing a bargain for a brand new buy? I paid half the list price for the still-with-tags-on purchase which gives me a real rush of pleasure. I added my Orla Keily handbag to compliment the psychedelic print to good effect, don't you think?

The white ribbed vest was new last year from H&M and the white patent boots are from Deichman. Orange and white make such a fresh look and one that you can bet I'll be wearing often this summer. Weather-wise we're still waiting for summer, but at least we're getting the odd sunny day which does give a sense of hope. 

I've made a couple of adjustments to the trousers by way of taking up the hems and also sewing down the front pleats to give a smoother front, but seeing them here I think I probably could do with taking a little more off the length otherwise they'll get dirty and scuffed over time. Get me eh! Talking as if I know my way around a sewing machine now.

I went with my gold coloured chain belt and necklace (both old from Primark) along with orange resin rings (pre-loved) and my John Lennon type sunglasses (old from River Island), to complete the outfit. Feedback was good again this week with lots of flattering compliments from customers.

Apologies to those of you who are waiting to see my finished orange dress, but I still need to make adjustments to it. I've discovered that the length of the bodice is too long which means I have a lot of unpicking and resewing to do. It also means that the second version of the same dress in aqua will have to be redone too. I'm on a steep learning curve at the moment, but I suppose that's the whole point. So, sit tight and I promise I'll showcase it as soon as I'm finished.

I've been to the dentist this week as well as the hairdresser, but not much more than that to report. Somehow I managed to be two hours late for my hair appointment, but luckily I was still fitted in! I written the wrong time down in my phone, so I suppose that's more a senior moment than anything else...

Thanks for dropping by. Please leave me a comment if you can as it's lovely to have your thoughts and feedback.

Have a super week!

Anna x

September colour

Did you watch it? I was one of the 20 million viewers who watched the TV coverage of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II yesterday, Monday 19th September 2022. The majestic farewell was more spectacular than anyone could have imagined and one that we shall never forget; what a memorable end to the most wonderful life. The day encapsulated love and loss in equal measure, leaving me feel as if I'd been there myself. My heart goes out to the Royal Family as they begin to make their way forward without their matriarch.

And so, on to the outfit of the day. This colourful ensemble was a work outfit, but I failed to capture it at the time and so did a re-run on Sunday. The eagle-eyed amongst you will see that some photos show me with necklace and matching bracelet and others not. I had great fun (not really) chasing the sun and had given up cloud dodging at one point and gone home, removing some of my jewellery only to have another burst of sunshine appear.

And yes, this look is indeed all about the joy of colour being orange and pink mainly. Nothing new here though. The flares are from Asos, cardigan from Primark, vest top from H&M and jewellery is all pre-loved. As ever, I'm holding on to summer for as long as I can and what better way to convey this than will these candy colours?

The cream boots were from Asos last year and have never been packed away. I love the platform for adding height - just perfect for these long loon pants.

At least I'm giving you lots of different views as I chased the sun. My tripod and timer served me well as I hopped from place to place trying to get a few decent shots. 

Another glorious backdrop as we look across Saffron Bay and through New Grimsby sound and on to Cromwell's Castle in the distance. It wasn't too much of a hardship to be out and about early on Sunday morning. Once I'd gathered my photos together I went off for a swim on the high tide and it was probably one of the warmest and most enjoyable swims of the year so far. The sea was calm, not a jellyfish in sight and no-one on the beach at all. Idyllic!

My 70's look is completed by these round sunglasses (ancient, from River Island) and the perspex rings. It's fun to relive the fashion of my teens even though that was 50 years ago - yikes! I'll finish off with a few more local shots of Tresco looking rather stunning in the early autumn sunshine.

And this was tonight's sunset as seen from my garden. 

Anna x

Summer brights

Hello lovelies! I maybe ought to have called today's post "Better late than never!". August has taken its toll on me, meaning I'm way behind with everything apart from work. Well, maybe even at some areas of my work too if the truth be known... Anyway, here I am in the middle of the night, with a bout of insomnia and an internet connection that keeps dropping in and out trying to put this post together.

My summer brights outfit is a mixture of old and new items - the new being this ruffled skirt, yet another purchase from Number 36 in Penzance dating back to my spring visit to the mainland. The white vest top was from H&M earlier this year too and the pink linen shirt (M&S) was a charity shop find from last year. 

The tiered orange skirt feels flirty and fun and it seemed only right to flounce about on the sand for these photos. Fiona, my photographer extraordinaire, was awol as were family and so I had to make do with the timer on my camera and a bit of hamming up on my own. At least I managed to find a quiet spot on where no-one could see my antics.

I was prepared for the odd flash too by wearing my new bikini. I've yet to do a beach post proper this summer as my every spare moment has been spent helping Steve with our boat renovations. Goodness knows if we'll managed to get it into the water at all this year! Just as we've been trying to finish the last patch of paintwork the weather has turned wet and unpredictable here which is very frustrating.

Said bikini is floral and multi-coloured and is the first new one I've bought for years. Am I bikini body ready I ask myself? Probably not, but it's the only body I've got and may well be on display in September when I've booked a week off work. If the boat isn't launched by then, I plan to take myself off to the beach every day (weather permitting) for a high tide swim and then have a picnic and laze around reading a book and sunbathing. I've already put in for a dose of good weather so fingers crossed that will all go to plan!

There's nothing new jewellery-wise and the Radley sunglasses aren't new either. The beaded belt is very old indeed but has been brought out to tie in with my sandals which again were bought in the spring (from TK Maxx) and haven't made it onto the blog previously.

Side by side, the belt and sandals do look as if they match perfectly which for me it terribly satisfying. Matchy-matchy or clashy-clashy whichever is the plan always makes me happy if I manage to pull it off. Such little pleasures in life please me immensely.

So that's just about all from me. I'm having an overnight trip to the mainland this weekend to have my eye's tested but don't expect I'll have much time for shopping. I say that to almost prepare myself for any disappointment. I also have to get a new passport photo taken and have done an online search, but do wonder how reliable that is - one of the venues is KFC! Anyway, wish me luck and I'll be back on Monday with our Style Not Age challenge. Hope to see you then. Please leave me a comment if you've enjoyed this post.

Thanks for dropping by!

Anna x