Lovely leopard print!

Hello again! Are you okay? How's life treating you?  I love to hear from you so please add a comment at the end of the post to share your news. This is a hot off the press outfit, taken just an hour ago. 

The look is inspired by a dear friend. We were discussing our plans to clothes shop next month (me in the UK and she in Portugal) and what we hoped to buy. I was bemoaning the fact that I had missed purchasing three wonderfully bright linen summer tent dresses; one in turquoise, one in orange and the other in bright pink. Big, loose and airy for the summertime is how I described them and such a heartache that I dithered over them two years ago when I was in Truro. Her observation was that the voluminous tent dress can swamp me (and her - we're of similar heights). She suggested that I might consider figure hugging styles as they're more flattering for us, giving the illusion of being taller.

Leopard print is one of her favourite patterns, so this one is for you Bo. The skinnies are  indeed figure hugging, but thankfully they do have lots of stretch. Purchased years ago from Zara, the bonus feature has to be the lovely pockets. You can't beat a good pocket can you?

The pre-loved blouse is by Boohoo and is a great match for this vivid outfit. The mix of animal and chain prints in red, black and blue work really well with the leggings. 

The final dose of pattern comes by way of these M&S tartan boots, again not new, but from a few years ago. 

Skinny trousers, fitted shirt and high heeled boots do give a streamline look which does help to quell the voice of the fat woman who lives in my head. Please tell me I'm not the only one to suffer from mild body dysmorphia? My lovely friend Bo has a knack of saying just the right thing to help me open my eyes to what others see. Thank-you darling!

Pre-loved rings, Primark gold chain necklace and Quay Australia sunglasses are today's accessories.

I'll be back on Monday with my fabulous fashionista friends for our monthly Style Not Age challenge. Do come and join us if you can!

                                                                                      Anna x

Mixing it up

My idea of a good outfit is one that has a mix of old, new and pre-loved, so today's offering is ticking all of these boxes. Let me walk you through the pieces - the jacket is by Moschino and was a bargain from TK Maxx last summer. The jeans are pre-loved by Boohoo, the tee shirt is from TK Maxx and the boots are from M&S. The sunnies are by Quay Australia, necklace is old and resin ring is pre-loved. 

The daffodil season is in full swing here currently with boxes of the golden flowers being shipped to market three times a week. Everywhere you walk on Scilly you'll see these local blooms lining paths and rides as well as in rows where old fields used to be. The sight of daffodils always reminds me of Mother's Day - you too?

I bought this tiger tee shirt when I was on my way to Cape Town. It's very lightweight and the idea was for it to be my swap over piece during the flight in case I was too hot in my long sleeved tee. The air con however was blasting chilly air out for the duration, so I popped it over the top of my layers to help to keep me warm. It'll be handy for the summer too. 

I got these Quay Australia sunglasses at half price almost a year ago when I was in TK Maxx in Harrogate. I'm guilty of always having a favourite pair of this brand on the go, but am determined to keep mixing these up as I do have six pairs now and want to showcase them all equally - so watch out for that to see how I get on! I aim to show you more of my grey hairs and wrinkles too this year - the tricks of photography can have me masquerading as something I'm not - so full disclosure photo-wise is what you'll see. I'm nothing if not honest!

Just a little word about the jeans, in particular the tape - I love these for the simple reason that these parallel lines are great for drawing the eye downwards and creating the illusion of length. My legs are a pretty average length, so I'm always looking for ways to make them look longer. The combination of the stripes plus heeled boots are really effective, don't you think?

My Scottish roots inform my passion for tartan and I really have to battle against my desire to wear these daily - I just love them! I've succumbed to a wee bit of online retail therapy recently (oops!) and one piece that has me mega excited is a pair of red and black leopard print trousers which pair up magnificently with these boots. Of course you'll get a chance to see this happy pairing soon.

This final shot has me suffering that sinking feeling as my heels are gradually disappearing into the soft soil - ya gotta laugh, eh?

This weekend will see the final post of my trip to South Africa, so do drop by if you've been following that. If not, then hurry up and read the previous four episodes now! Have a great week everyone and I look forward to catching up with you at the weekend.

                                                                      Anna x

More tartan and checks with feathers!

Hello peeps, how's your week going? 

My outfit of the day was spawned by these boots, first seen on another blog in September. Fellow blogger Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb runs this fabulous monthly round-up of all that's worth mentioning in the blogsphere and that's what piqued my interest. See the post in question here. And there, slap bang in the middle of the page, were these beauties from M&S.  The stilletto heels aren't too high and the pointed toes aren't too narrow making for all day wearability, and the look is a mix of sleek and fun which is perfect in my eyes.

Straight away I knew that these boots were for me. Is it because I'm a Scot through and through that I have this passion for tartan? I honestly don't know, but perhaps being a Scottish exile has sharpened my sentiment for all things Scottish (the bagpipes, a misty glen, shortbread, a man in a kilt, butter rowies and mutton pies, leather soled brogues, Scottish Country Dancing, in particular Strip The Willow, teeth-achingly sweet tablet, the heady scent of gorse, the rough texture of a tweed jacket and Paul McCartney singing "Mull of Kintyre" - oh, the list could run and run).

You may remember this Zara dress from last winter, see here. I've had it packed away all summer and now it's back! I totally love this over-the-top feather trim. If you took away the trim then all you'd be left with is a checked dress in a boxy shape with not much to lift it out of the ordinary - and you know I hate to look ordinary! The ring is a charity shop find for a pound, yes that's £1 I said. If it gets broken or lost it won't break my heart at that price.

My silver coloured necklace is by Melissa James, not very expensive if I remember rightly, and my sunnies are by Quay Australia.

The signature shots of me larking about are from when Polly and I were working together. Mornings aren't quite the same without her, but it will force me to be a bit more inventive in finding ways and places to pose on my own. Larking about in front of a tripod somehow won't be quite as much fun though!

And who's gonna feed me punchlines or tell me to shut up, or say "You'll not like that when you see it!" Come back soon Polly, I'm gonna miss you!

Linking with Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Anna x