Craving Crochet is this month's SNA challenge




Hello and welcome once again to our monthly Style Not Age challenge where Jacqui has chosen Craving Crochet as the theme. This proved to be very simple for me as I only have one crochet item in my whole wardrobe. This Karen Millen cardigan is a pre-loved item, found in a charity shop and chosen because of the autumn colours which I love, plus the fact that it was only £8!  




So, here's Jacqui looking totally fabulous in this Boohoo crochet maxi dress. High heels and tote bag complete this monochrome look. See more on Mummabstylish blog.




Emma's cute crochet vest bring's a 70's vibe to her deliciously bright ensemble. Catch up with the catwalk chick on her blog The Style Splash here




Another retro look comes from Gail in this adorable shift dress with crochet overlay - an impressive charity shop find for only a fiver! Check out her back story on Is This Mutton blog




Hilda's back story for her outfit is quite dramatic as her red gloves are in fact bandages from a recent fall, resulting in splints to hold together a broken finger and knuckle. Her planned crochet top wouldn't fit over her bandages, but a friend came to the rescue with a tank top and bag instead. Do pop across to her blog to hear her account on Over The Hilda.




I've shopped my closet for my whole outfit this month which makes me feel good after what seems to be a bit of a heavy retail summer. 




The satin kitten heels must be vintage by now as they were from Dorothy Perkins well over 20 years ago. I decided to ramp things up to create an evening out look and these shoes pretty much nailed it. Satin and pearls say evening glamour to me, don't you agree?




The satin trousers are very old and I think may have come from my daughter at some stage. The vest top is old too and the leather belt was a charity shop find a few years ago.




All my accessories are old. The chunky pearl necklace was from Debenhams many moons ago and yet is still a firm favourite of mine, and maybe yours too? My large cocktail ring is  from TK Maxx and the flower one was a gift from a girlfriend some years ago.




This wasn't my finest hour, photography-wise. I battled to find a quiet corner as the evening sun was dropping in the sky, resorting to my old faithful haunt of the slipway in front of the gallery. I'd mooched along to stand on the quay in the golden evening light, but there was a rush of small dinghies appeared alongside bringing the yachties in to New Grimsby quay in search of somewhere to have supper. I had great intentions to do a re-shoot, but life seems to have been busy as ever. Next week I'll feature myself and the girls from work as promised when we went out for our end of season meal together. The flower strewn vintage frock was much admired... 


Wishing you a lovely week!

Anna x

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The party outfit




Well, here it is - the party outfit from last weekend! I packed three options for the surprise birthday bash for ex-Tresco farmer, Paul Christopher who turned 70 on Friday. Paul was indeed totally surprised at the turnout for him and we were all so happy to see the look on his face when he opened the door of the pub in Cornwall. Family, friends and work associates filled the venue, sharing stories, filling the air with laughter, and showering Paul with hugs and kisses. The night was a fine celebration for this unassuming, gentle and kind man to give him the affirmation that he so deserved.




My wonderful husband, diplomatic soul that he is, advised me not to wear my beloved pea-pod suit to the party and how right he was. It's not that kind of party, he told me, as I was giving him a show of each outfit an hour before the party and it was great advice. This, however, was just right to ensure I felt comfortable, not out of place, leaving the focus clearly on the birthday boy and not my extravaganza of an outfit.




The trousers were new from TK Maxx in the spring and this was their first outing. They're a mix of polyester and elastane, making for a heavy drape with a comfy bit of stretch too. The high waistline is emphasised by the twin belts with brass popper fastenings, an unusual feature that lifts these Oxford bag style trousers out of the ordinary and into something quite stylish.  A white turtle neck body ensured a sleek, streamlined fit avoiding that constant tucking in that a vest top might need. The zip up crochet cardigan in autumn hues is by Karen Millen, a pre-loved purchase from a charity shop from some time ago. 




My Asos ecru platform boots finish off the look. The trousers are too long to wear with flats so these will be what I wear with the trousers next time too.




The vintage necklace works well with the colours of the cardigan don't you think? The rings are old as are the Quay Australia sunglasses. 




No mainland trip would be complete for me without a tad of retail therapy. I dodged into TK Maxx, rattled through Primark and bustled into a couple of charity shops during the couple of days resulting in an armful of new and pre-loved clothes in a rainbow of colours -






Trousers, sweaters, cardigans, a skirt suit and two pairs of boots plus one pre-loved necklace was the haul. It's so lovely to end the season with an array of bright colours to dress in over the drab winter months ahead. I really don't enjoy the gloom of these next few months, but having some cheerful clothes to ward off the winter blahs will surely help!

                                                                       Anna x

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Dressing to boost your confidence




Hello again! It's great to have your company, so thank you for joining me. Today I want to chat about what makes me feel confident, clothes-wise. It's not an easy thing to feel happy in your skin all the time and I certainly have periods when I struggle with the person I see in the mirror and how I feel about what I see. I think we've all had such a tough time of late with the less-than-normal life we've been subjected to over the past 20 months. For some we may have struggled with our mental well-being and for others it's been a battle to keep fit and trim when our lives were in lock-down with all its restrictions. With life still being far from back to normal it's understandable that our self confidence has taken a knock. Covid19 has a lot to answer for!




For me, confident dressing boils down to wearing clothes that make me smile. At the time of purchase when I try on a new item of clothing if it makes me want to do my happy dance then it's a winner. Whenever I'm felling bit low then I always make a bee-line for bright colours to lift my mood. My mood and self confidence pretty much go hand in hand; they both rocket up and down within the same scale. If I feel a bit lacking in body confidence then my go-to remedy will always be to pop on a dress as it can hide a multitude of sins. A loose fitting dress that skims over tum and hips can be a real confidence booster as well as making you feel very feminine. See the maxi dress I wore recently here. It's already a mainstay for work. 




Another new joy in my life is this Joe Browns Timeless Tea Dress, a perfect everyday dress for any time of year. It's currently on sale so do follow the link to grab yourself a bargain! I'm delighted to finally showcase this crochet cardigan by Karen Millen as I've been waiting for the perfect partner and here it is. I found this beautiful rust and brown and sludge green zip cardi in a charity shop a couple of years ago for the ridiculous price of £2.50! Layering is the best way to extend the life of what may be thought of as a summer frock; you could even add a thermal top underneath for a bit of extra of warmth. The tea dress is indeed a timeless classic and a real winner when created in such a pretty pattern with this warm palette of colours; green, orange and pink lend themselves to all sorts of happy mixing and matching. I've worn the dress previously with a long orange v neck sweater over the top which left the collar peeking above the neckline. A polo neck could be worn over the frock for warmth with a stylish twist. 




This is a new coat I was also gifted by Joe Brown's - it's called the Statement Checked Coat and does live up to it's name. Beautifully shaped to flatter the figure it's gem of a piece for the winter ahead. It ticks all of the boxes to make me smile and raise my confidence. Bold in pattern and bright colours mean it's a cheery find when I open my wardrobe. It's a good length for keeping the nether regions warm and also looks great with trousers. Of course, I'll show you that another time.




The big collar is perfect for keeping out the chills without the need for a scarf (I always seem to forget mine) and it's all the prettier for these flower shaped buttons. The check coat and floral dress team up so very well thanks to the harmony of green and orange in both. I do love a bit of pattern clashing and yet this is hardly a clash in my view.




Another of my confidence tricks is to create an outfit in my personal style; what particular style will definitely depend on my mood of the day. Quirky, more often than not, but other times I'll be channeling my rock chick or a touch of hippy chic or even an elegant, stylish and very grown up version of myself. I love to be a chameleon; to change up an item again and again is a joyful challenge for me and makes for an interesting life. And the easiest way to make a strong style statement is by adding accessories. Mine are more often than not from charity shops which serves my purpose well, bringing together items from all sorts of sources as well as different fashion eras. The belt, perspex rings and necklace are all very old and from vintage or charity shops. My sunglasses are from Radley London. Mixing old and new is a simple way to create a unique style and that makes me happy. We all want to be seen as individuals after all.




A bright belt draws the eye to the waist, a good indication that today I'm not suffering from tummy bloat or feeling too wobbly around the mid section. That may have been helped by the fact that only an hour previously I'd had my first sea swim for some time (howling gales have prevailed of late). I'm delighted to say that it wasn't too cold at all which was a lovely surprise. I was basking in the afterglow, the result of submersion in a calm, silky sea during a break in the clouds. It's totally life affirming, but I'm sure I've told you that many times before!




I've only recently purchased these Asos wet-look boots and must admit that they too make me smile. In my teens wet-look boots were soooooo in fashion and here they are again. The platform sole helps to make the high heel more comfortable and golly, how I love with them! I knew that they'd work so well with my new Joe Browns clothes - it's the main reason I bought them. 




I'm on a gradual clothes clear out currently and although I'm featuring quite a few new items here it's all part of my master plan. The clothes excesses are going, leaving only pieces that I love, and that goes for all of today's outfit. The gathering over the years of clothes that I thought would be useful or might come in handy - well, that's what I'm going to be turfing out first of all. Likewise anything that doesn't fit. I can't hope to lose weight forever nor hold onto things that are too big either in case I need them again. No, life is about today and my clothes have to be what works now. I'm working on creating a clothes collection worthy of my happy and confident self. My best me is who I want to be which starts with clothes that reflect my state of being. 

My coat and dress were gifted by Joe Browns but all comments are mine.

                                                                                                 Anna x

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