Liberty's of London and a book launch party!

On Monday this week I spent the day meeting up with friends in London - a long way from home! Of course, as luck would have it, Monday was also the start of the London Underground strike which certainly made the whole day more complicated. 

Anyway, after a rather long time in the queue waiting for a taxi, I managed to make my way across town to Liberty's of London where I was meeting up with my fellow blogger, Jacqui. This is our third meet up in the city, but my first visit to Liberty's and what a treat that was!

We found a corner to sit and chat for a while and there on the coffee table was the beautiful Iris Apfel book, Colourful, featuring Iris wearing the peapod trouser suit. I couldn't resist having a photo taken showing us together.

Liberty's was all that I had imagined and more. The variety of goods is huge and didn't disappoint. Jacqui and I particularly enjoyed the clothes department where we found pieces for each other that were very 'you'.

Liberty's clearly encourage their staff in self expression through their clothes. Doesn't this young man look wonderful!

Every corner is a photo opportunity for a couple of bloggers!

Isn't this print fabulous!

Every floor was wealth of treasures...

All too soon it was time for Jacqui to make her way to catch her train home, so we walked the short distance to the station together, but managed to get one final tourist shot together. It had been a glorious day, perfect for many commuters to walk to and from work in the September sunshine.

By early evening I was in Marlybone High Street at Daunts Books, the location of the book launch party for my dear friend Tiggy Walker's love letter to her recently departed husband and radio 2 DJ, the legend Johnnie Walker.

Tiggy gave a wonderful, warm speech about their life together, captivating her audience with comedic moments which her editor had banned her from including in the book. Both Sides Now was also the song played as Johnnie's coffin was brought into the church for his funeral. Johnnie was a great believer in the afterlife and is making himself ever present in Tiggy's life which she finds so comforting. For Johnnie the human experience was only a small part of a much bigger journey.

Tiggy and TV and radio presenter Jeremy Vine stopped for a quick photo call.

The biography has already made it to the top 50 recommended reads in Amazon.

The evening was one of friends and fun, love and laughter. Tiggy's energy was infectious.

I asked for a photo of us together, only to be reminded by her press agent that perhaps we ought to include the book...

I'd had such a fun day, a wonderful opportuntiy to do something completely different and a long way away from my everyday life on Tresco. Jacqui and I had talked for two solid hours about blogging, family life and the joys of dressing up. And it was an honour to be invited to the gathering of friends and family who shared in the excitement of Tiggy's achievement. I can't wait to settle down and get reading the final installment of Johnnie and Tiggy's life together.

                                                                        Anna x

Gifts received with gratitude - what a week!

Wow, what a wonderful week I've had! Usually I'm raving about the weather or a fab sea swim, but this week I've had two surprise gifts in the post and this is the first one - Colourful by Iris Apfel. The book turned up in the post from a blog follower who saw it and thought of me. Thank you so much Rosemary H! 

In the summer of 2023, as Iris welcomed her 102nd birthday, she put pen to paper to write this very special project: what Iris called her legacy. Filled with over  300 personal photos Iris's incredible energy radiates from every page. 

This is one of her many quotes: her voice speaking my thoughts. She validates my joy in the daily pleasure of dressing up. The book is a beautiful rich tapestry of Iris's life - what an amazing gift!

Yes, here's Iris in my peapod trouser suit! Oh how I love this suit, but you already know that, don't you. According to Iris when she wore it felt like haute couture and it certainly elevates me every time I wear it too.

And here's my second surprise gift of the week. One of our Gallery Tresco artists, Lizzie Black, was recently on the island for a brief en plein air session and had taken some photos of me as I hung my washing out one morning. Fast forward a couple of weeks and this turns up on my desk. What a kind and generous thing to do. Thank you so much Lizzie! I've bought a couple of Lizzie's paintings in the past and now I have this very personal piece to add to my collection - wow!

The outfit for my lounging-about-at-home look is a pyjama suit that Sasha bought me last year. It took me a while to fix it as it didn't have any buttons on the jacket so I waited until I found the perfect buttons and then proceeded in making button holes.

It still thrills me that I can sew and mend and fix my own clothes! It's not exactly rocket science, I know, but the achievment still gives me a rush.

I recently bought these rather fab flowery sandals and thought they worked very well with today's flamboyant outfit - a great homage to the splendid Iris Apfel! Nothing else is new: the jewellery is all old, often preloved which would have met with her approval as thrift shops were some of Iris's favourite haunts too. I'll leave you with a few more of Iris's quotes - echo's from my heart. I feel such gratitude for my life, for these unexpected gifts. 

Thank you as ever for joining me. I do hope you have a lovely week!

Anna x

Homage to Iris, our Style Not Age challenge for March

Earlier this month the designer, decorator and style icon, Iris Apfel died at the age of 102, leaving behind a wealth of imagery to inspire the fashion lovers amongst us. Her viewpoint that "colour can raise the dead" sums up her dedication to powerful dressing. Iris enjoyed finding a bargain and never paid full price for her clothes or jewellery, trawling shops, flea markets and bazaars for unique pieces to add to her immense collection. To quote the Guardian Obituary, "She is the most decorative sight in each shot, her ensembles put together with complex cadenzas atop an underlying, tailored, structure - they are like jazz - not a statement, but a conversation."

A chestful of jewellery was her most favoured look and one that I've taken to heart for this month's challenge. I felt I simply had to choose Iris as our theme this month for all the right reasons. She stated that money couldn't buy personal style - according to her all that mattered is "attitude, attitude, attitude". Curating her clothes and improvising an outfit was her daily ritual, a joy, resulting in a 'zingy pzazz' unlike any other. 

I love Hilda's interpretation of this month's theme - I'm sure Iris would have approved too! The colourful shirt is fabulous adorned with bangles, beads and baubles in excess. See more from Hilda on her blog here. 

Another splash of colour in these citrus brights comes from Gail in her sporty homage to Iris. Catch up with all the latest from Gail on her blog Is This Mutton? 

Jacqui has taken a monochrome twist for her homage to Iris. Beads and bangles inject that signature pzazz to her dress and boots combo. See Mummabstylish for Jacqui's latest news.

Emma is sporting her Iris Apfel suit from the H&M collaboration (which I too proudly own) plus matching slippers topped with a fabulous jacket and Iris earrings. What a fitting homage to the Queen of Style! Emma carries the look off with true panache. See more on her blog The Style Splash. 

I bought this new suit with today's feature in mind as the colours and pattern are as bold as you get. Purchased on Vinted for the bargain basement price of £10 I thought it tied in with Iris's shopping philosophy too. 

The leather boots were also Vinted bargains at only £6 leaving me feel rather pleased with myself. I only managed to wear them for a few hours, but I felt they were essential to finish off the outfit.

Dressing fancy and fancy dress could so easily be confused, but hopefully I don't cross that line with my outfit of the day. I wore this to work last week to our first Timeshare drinks party and it did garner me some compliments rather than raised eyebrows.

I'm currently waiting for my copy of the book Rare Bird of Fashion: The Irreverant Iris Apfel and can't wait to feast my eyes on her exuberantly idiosyncratic style.  I was a latecomer to her fan club, but she epitomised all that I aspire to be - bold, bright with I-couldn't-care-less-what-you-think-of-me style where age is totally irrelavant to how one ought to dress. Every photo of her spoke of her joy in dressing up for the day, the pleasure to be had in mixing colours, fabrics and textures, no matter from what era or corner of the globe. I admired her strength, her self-knowledge and complete disregard to the self limiting rules of dressing. She truly was an inspiration and an icon. 

                                                                        Anna x