September Style Not Age challenge - All dressed up with nowhere to go.

Hello and welcome again to our Style Not Age challenge where this month Jacqui chose the theme "All Dressed up with Nowhere to go!". Our interpretations of this are all delightfully different so I'll linger no longer and share what the posse chose.

Jacqui's outfit has graced a wedding and an anniversary which is no surprise at all. The dress is classy and stylish and yes, is begging for another outing I would say. See more on her blog Mummabstylish.

Gail's spin on this was more along the lines of "All dressed up with no office to go to" which is as sharp as her outfit. I love the mix of office smart and sassy after-work outing that speaks volumes about her idea of good work/play balance. Catch her back story on Is This Mutton blog.

Emma from the Style Splash has also opted for a lace dress for this challenge. I love the vibrancy of yellow which works so well with the russet accessories. 

Hilda is stepping out in a dress from LK Bennett with a brand new Zara jacket from two years ago that still is waiting for its debut - we all know how that goes don't we? See more from her on her blog Over The Hilda.

As you can see, I took this month's suggestion very literally, marooned as I was on Ganilly sandbar on the low tide last Sunday. There's surely no place that says "Nowhere to go" more than here. 

My mermaid coat seemed an obvious choice for this castaway shoot. I do love how this shimmering jacket catches the sunlight and said to Steve that I could easily waft about in it every day of the week. It's the most glamorous piece in my wardrobe with fabulous powers of transformation - oh how gorgeous it makes me feel!

The pastel shades remind me of the inside of an oyster shell. I felt in my element to be dancing and gadding about across the deserted sandbank, swooshing this way and that. Our only companions were the various seabirds who cared not a jot for my antics.

It's taken me a year to fulfill this desire to showcase my shimmering coat here on this sandbar.  In fact, it's my third photo shoot on this desert island beach this summer - see the others here. If you have another moment to spare you can read the post about St Martin's from last summer when I espied the heart shaped white sandbank appearing out of the receding tide. I'm such a romantic soul and loved the notion of showcasing this spot in a totally tropical photo shoot.

We were very lucky to find the right moment to take these shots, Steve and I. This was one of he biggest tides of the year and to have it fall on a Sunday in the middle of the day was perfect. We had spent a couple of hours on Nornour island, just a little way away from here waiting for the tide to go out and reveal the sandbar at its largest point. During that time we had a picnic as we watched several little boats and kayaks appear and disappear from the shoreline. Bang on low water Steve saw our opportunity to take sole ownership and off we went. 

We had picnicked on this little spit of sand on Nornour island, one of the Eastern Isles. The helicopters and planes fly across these en route to the Isles of Scilly. If you every spot our boat moored up as you fly into the islands, I'll be that crazy little dot on the sand waving to you.

To some, this may look like a little cool bag, but it did in fact contain my ensemble for the shoot. The pleated dress and sequinned coat both rolled up to fit inside without creasing - and they were kept dry too!

This beaded dress was from Monsoon and was a happy find in a charity shop a few years ago. I've worn it for gallery exhibition parties and love the fact that it doesn't seem to crease, no matter how badly I pack it. Talking of which, today (Sunday) is phase one of my clothes change over. Stripping the summer clothes out of my wardrobe will be the first step and then I just hope to bring out enough outfits to last the first week at work. Next weekend, I'll delve a bit deeper. It's always tinged with sadness to pack away my summer clothes. Summer is my favourite time of year.

I was particularly pleased to come across this rose coloured necklace which echoes the shape of the scales of my mermaid coat. Necklace and rings are all pre-loved. The rose gold bangles are: one from the Barbican shop and the other is by Kate Spade New York, bought in Singapore airport en route to New Zealand about 5 years ago. 

My blue tinted Quay Australia sunglasses seemed to be the perfect pair for this maritime shoot. 

Sunlight and reflections abound on this sparkling location. I'd like to say this was an staged shot by my creative director, but Steve confessed it was an absolute fluke.

As we left the stunning sandbar nature took over once again as seabirds and seals reclaimed their homes. We, and all of the other adventurers, had enjoyed escaping to this oasis of calm for a short while before the tide turned and moved us on.

My thanks go to Jacqui for creating this opportunity for one final beach day before the weather forces us to bring our boat up for the winter. It was a great style challenge - one that really captured my imagination. 

Update 

Apologies to my long term readers and also to the Style Collective - it seems that old age has set in with me. I've showcased this coat 18 months ago during one of our previous monthly challenges. I completely forgot - oops! 

                                                                                Anna x

Utility wear for summer

Hooray, it's the weekend! Do you have to work weekends? I do sometimes, but yesterday Steve and I both had the day off and found time to go for a walk together rather than rush from chore to chore as we seem to have so far this summer. Talking of which, can you believe that we're more than half way through July? Oh my goodness!

Anyway, Steve's work shed is tucked away off the beaten track and it was here that I decided we might capture my weekend outfit. Utility wear is a big trend this summer and much as I always protest that I'm not a follower of trends, well if you shop on the high street then of course the trends are waiting to pounce on you whether you're aware of them or not. And so it happened to me. My foray into the Oxford Circus branch of Topshop was hot and hectic yes, but at least it was fruitful with this and my other gingham playsuit (see here if you missed that post).

Call it utility wear or just bog standard boiler suit, but whatever, I do love this nude cotton overall, especially for downtime. The cut is loose aka very cool and airy which is perfect for the hot summer we're having down on the Isles of Scilly currently. I do like the fact that the back has a elasticated waist giving a feminine shape to what could otherwise be a shapeless piece. Steve kindly added that I was suitably dressed to be hanging out at his workplace as I looked ready to fix chainsaws - the sawdust would hardly show at all he assured me!

Some you may wonder if I'm on commission here as I'm about to add that these chunky trainers were also from Topshop, in the sale. I seem to have fallen hard for the high street brands of late - what can I say? The temptation was too much for this island escapee!

The all-in-one has become my go-to wear for when Polly and I hang our exhibitions. It's ideal for climbing up and down ladders, stretching, lifting art and generally getting the job done. The roominess means it's comfortable without making me overheat. Perfect!

I've chosen rose gold jewellery to compliment this pale apricot outfit. My watch is by Michael Kors, from a couple of years ago, the knot bangle is by Kate Spade, the other was from the Barbican shop last year (forgotten the maker), the broad rose gold ring was a charity shop find and the knobbly ring was from a street market in Cape Town. Oh, last but by no means least, the new sunglasses are Quay Australia (my favourite brand).

I'll be wearing this again tomorrow night as it's time for our next exhibition to go up. How quickly these 10 day shows seem to come around! Next thought will be, what on earth am I going to wear to the Opening Night party? Do swing by to find out on Thursday!

                                                                                           Anna x

Here I go again

Yes, it's my (dreaded for some) trainers challenge again this month. Sorry Veronica, you may be excused from this one as I know it's not your favourite of shoe. For those of you who remain, I'll be brief. I'm aware that all around me bloggers are breaking out the sequins and glittery tights, but at least today's offering does have a bit of a bronze burnished look to it that could pass for a nod towards the glitz of Christmas.

I'm kinda liking this version. What about you? I've played along with the bronze tones in the jacket and trousers which do tie in so well with the shoes don't you think? A bit of pattern play comes by way of the leopard print cardi and I think it's fine. More than fine and better than the last effort see here. The definitive offering? Well, I do have one more lurking in my draft box, but will hold back until 2017 before I force that upon you all. 

I can't however hold back the forces of nature that are propelling me in the direction of even more bling than normal, so you'll have to get ready for swathes of velvet, and yards of sparkle in all sorts of textures. Yes, the festive season is upon us and I can't deny the urge to sparkle and shine any longer. You have been warned!

Details - jacket and trainers: TK Maxx, trousers and cardigan: H&M, necklace: Love Noel, rings:old, rose gold watch: Michael Kors, rose gold bangle: Kate Spade New York.

Anna x

Not #PPP

Sometimes we Ping Pong Posters have an item that's been on its travels and that for one reason or another doesn't quite make the grade. Today's post is one of those. These fabulous paisley trousers belong to Ann of Kremb de la Kremb. They're her Thanksgiving pants she says and I drooled over them this time last year. She very kindly sent them on to me with a bundle of other goodies which have all since been aired. These lovelies, however, were too short for our long-limbed Samantha of Fake Fabulous and so were dropped from the schedule. 

Paisley is one of my favourite patterns, but translated into rich corduroy and these trousers become my ultimate winter wear. I kinda hoped that Ann would donate them to my undernourished wardrobe, but no such luck. I spent this particular Sunday gadding about with these on, mixing and matching with all sorts of separates that didn't get in front of the camera, but which were all rather lovely. A fair isle cardi and orange pussy bow blouse looked rather gorgeous, as did a sleek polo neck with these long beads and chunky belt, but this charity shop tunic gave the best look of all. I love the pattern clashing, the bold colours and the real autumnal feel of this version. It was great to come across these photos in my draft box although for some reason they do look a bit dated - or is that just me?

Trousers: Ann's, tunic: charity shop, boots: River Island, cardigan Fenn Wright Manson, beads: gift, watch: Michael Kors, flower ring and bracelet: Dorothy Perkins, perspex ring: gift, rose gold bangle: Kate Spade New York, sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Anna x