October Style Not Age Challenge




Hello again! Yes, it's the last Monday of the month and that signals our Style Not Age Challenge again. This time Hilda has chosen Cosy Autumn Coats as our theme which seems to have turned up all sorts of lovely offerings. Mine is a bit lame I'm afraid as it's not exactly cosy, but still rather lovely even if I say so myself.  I'll spin my excuses later, but let's dive right in and see what all of my style sisters have come up with, shall we?




Jacqui is wearing a very sleek black quilted coat from M&S. It's my idea of a heavenly winter coat, ideal for cosying up in. Catch her backstory on Mummabstylish blog. 




Emma's Style Splash is also sporting an M&S coat, although hers was an eBay bargain for £10! I love the leopard print collar and would be very happy to add this to my coat collection. 




Gail's velvet military style jacket is from Joe Browns, paired with a velour skirt from Hope, giving a very sumptuous look. M&S brogue boots add an edge to the outfit which I love! See more on her blog Is This Mutton




Hilda wears a super Michael Kors coat from TK Maxx that has a fur trimmed hood to keep cosy against the chill winds. See her full feature on Over The Hilda.




You'll have seen my KEW 159 coat before and I had hoped to have something much more cosy for this challenge, but honestly my life is like a whirlwind at the moment! I've still not had time to do my clothes changeover this week and do wonder when that will happen. I'm scheduled to work all next weekend, so goodness knows when I'll find the time! Anyway, this is one of those transitional outfits where my Topshop lightweight dress has been given the seasonal treatment by adding a long sleeved thermal layer underneath, plus some thick tights creating a warm under layer. 






I've found that another clever way to keep cosy is to add a belt which traps warm air around the middle. My olive green studded belt was a gift from my friend Bo in Portugal. I'd admired this and a black one when I was last there on holiday and lo and behold she sent both to me as presents! My rings are both pre-loved and the dark green pearls are very old but much loved. Blue rimmed sunglasses are by Radley London.




We're still basking in some glorious golden autumn weather here on the islands which is probably how I'm still getting away with not having any autumn/winter clothes to hand. 




My mint green Office brougues are quite old now, but I'm still very happy with them despite the odd scuff or two around the toe area. Less than perfect is fine and is surely a sign of being worn and loved.





Yup, can you believe the size of this stick insect? I've no idea what kind it is, or even how common or uncommon this fella is, but it was a lucky break to stop here for my photo shoot and capture him. Details on the back of a postcard please.




Many thanks for dropping by again. I do hope you've enjoyed this month's challenge. I'll be back soon and plan to share the last bit of boating fun that Steve and I managed to squeeze in while the fine weather held out this month. Boating fun and some swimming news - how does that sound? Hope to see you soon!

                                                                             Anna x

Share:

My pre-Christmas rush


Thank you for taking the time to visit my lovelies!

Is it bedlam in your house at the moment? Oh my goodness, well it's madness with us, that's for sure! In the past 24 hours I've -
  • Made my first batch of Christmas fudge
  • Packed up all my Christmas presents, including said fudge and got those off in the post.
  • Had an hour's power walk as part of my daily exercise routine and effort to drop 5lbs before Christmas (1.5 to go...)
  • Written all of my Christmas cards, ready for posting tomorrow
  • Cooked a roast dinner
  • Done three loads of laundry
  • Got up and gone to work
  • Made a casserole in my lunchtime
  • Made the Christmas dinner gravy a la Jamie Oliver - this get ahead recipe is well worth the effort (even if you have to do it after a day at work!)

On the blogging front however, I'm constantly playing catch up. It's taken me a week to get this outfit in front of a willing photographer (thank-you Steve!), but the weather was quite a challenge. The wind-swept look was hard to avoid, even here at Old Grimsby which was the most sheltered spot we could find in my allotted five minute slot.




Just recently you may have seen this pea coat by Kew159 (see here) and since then it's been on my mind to make the most of this flattering longer length jacket. Although it's not cosy, it's just so pretty that I knew I could layer it up to make it wearable at this time of year. The shaggy sweater supplies warmth to the outfit and the jacket adds style. Do you agree?


I hope to bring this outfit into play over the festive period, perhaps to wear to a drinks party. We're hosting a couple of drinks parties at work over Christmas and New Year so this may well make an appearance. 


The fluffy pink sweater came from the retro shop "Enjoy" in Truro. My midnight blue velvet trousers were £1 from a charity shop which I customised by cutting off the bottoms to make them into crops and then adding some beading trim and flowers that I'd scavenged from an old lace and beaded vest top. See the post about that here.



The star of the show today however, has to be this fabulous pre-loved multicoloured handbag (£11) that I found recently during my shopping trip to London (here). I adore the sweater and bag together, but annoyingly I did also have my new pink leather gloves inside the bag, ready for the shoot, but forgot to flash them at the right time. Once back home I found them - doh! The large flower ring and bangle were both gifts from friends and the jewelled ring was £1 from a thrift shop. The oversized pearls are old now, but were from Debenhams.


The pink sock boots were my Christmas present from Jamie last year. They're from H&M, and yes are the exact same pair as my red ones. My passion for these still burns bright.


And this is me, striding off to the next challenge that awaits. Don't bother calling me Superwoman yet - by tomorrow I'll probably be sobbing as some tiny problem swamps me, bringing me to a standstill! Balance in life somehow always manages to elude me ...

                                                                                    Anna x

Share:

Note to self...


Dear Anna, 
Sometimes you forget how to keep yourself happy, how to keep yourself well. This is a little memo for you to refer to when you're feeling cranky, low, or generally out of sorts.

  • Clean shiny hair will set you up for the day. I know it's a faff to wash your hair every day, but honestly it does make all the difference. Bouncy clean hair makes you feel bouncy too!
  • That daily sea swim is a lifesaver, mood-wise. However, if you're unwell or still carrying that lingering cough - (yes I know it's been over two weeks now), then even a walk every day helps lift your mood. 
  • On the same note, try to incorporate some downtime that invests in yourself. Find time to read a book/magazine/be outside to enjoy the view. By doing this you're putting some good habits in place to future proof yourself against the S.A.D. that plagues you every winter.
  • Have an early night. The lethargy of staying up late, zoning out in front of the TV really won't improve your lot.
  • Try to catch up on one outstanding chore every day, even if it's only a little one like running the hoover round or moving the laundry from A to B.
  • Paint your nails. It's so lovely to see unchipped nail polish and doesn't take long to do.
  • Make some time at the weekend to organise your wardrobe and try on some clothes. There's nothing nicer than knowing an outfit will look good because you've tested it out already.
  • Plan a holiday. We all deserve a break!


As you can gather, I'm finding things a bit tricky at the moment. I'm missing the lift that my daily swims inject into my routine and finding it difficult to motivate myself to do anything apart from lay about after a day at work. I can't seem to shake this cough, despite eating well and taking lots of vitamins. My immune system is clearly depressed, making my mood the same. I hate to play the "poor old me" card, but honestly - Poor Old Me!




Today's OOTT is indeed one that I planned in advance as a result of my new ankle boots. These are still in the Office sale see here. The only problem I'm having with these fabulous Chelsea boots is that I want to use them as the starting point for most of my outfits currently! They look great with skinny jeans, super with blue tights and my floral tent dress and groovy with black leather jeans. But I shall hold off from the siege of the snakeskin boots and just trickle a post in from time to time over the next few months.


I've had this Pea coat since last year when I bought it in a charity shop in Truro for £10. The condition was like new and the brand is Kew159 which apparently went out of business in 2012. The 3/4 length sleeves and slim fit are both very figure flattering. The geometric pattern looks very contemporary and I do love the colourway of blue, zesty green and soft lilac. The long ditsy print dress was a bargain in the H&M sale when I was in Manchester one time last year. 


My rings are both pre-loved and the lovely embroidered Fat Face leather belt is too. My white and black sunglasses are from Quay Australia. I've enjoyed putting this collection of patterns and colours together today. For some, a patterned dress might call for a plain coat with accessories, but this mish-mash is such fun in my eyes.


Thanks so much for dropping by today. Hopefully by this time next week, I'll have shaken off the last of this blooming virus. In the grand scheme of things I know this is nothing and have pangs of guilt when I think of others battling much more serious health problems without a word of complaint. 

I'll be link with -
Patti of Not Dead Yet Style
Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb
Jacqui of Mummabstylish

Until next time, take care!

Anna x


Share:
Created by bo design