Yes, another Dress Up Friday!






Hurrah for Dress Up Friday!

As the weeks progress I'm increasingly thankful for this weekly distraction which has motivated me and so many other like-minded women. I'm very partial to a bit of dressing up meaning this Friday meet up has been a wonderful ruse for me, allowing me to rummage through my wardrobe and try new combinations that I'd not worn previously. Take this dress for example. It's one that I often bypass because it's pretty without being eye catching. Today's styling however, has upgraded it to one that deserves a second look. 




The floral creation by Mango was a purchase a couple of summers ago and has been featured on the blog before (see here). Today's reprise relies on the focus of pink as the accent colour to add a bit of pizazz, mainly due to these cute bow tie satin sandals (Miss Selfridge) and matching stretch belt. 




Word on the grapevine has it that I could be back in the workplace by July which, for a workaholic like me, is a relief (see my recent post on Instagram on this). Yes, I know that with that comes an element of risk and worry as to how this will all pan out, but guidelines are in place and hopefully we will all be able to function within these and with respect for social distancing to ensure safety for all. Beyond that will come the daily excuse to dress up for work once again and that does bring me joy.






Until then, I'll be dressing up on Fridays for your delectation. My thanks go once again to Lucy Walsh our host of #Dressupfriday on Instagram every week. 




The cross over front of the dress allows for a vest top underneath too on a cooler day. It's got a side zip, and a button up opening off centre to give the odd glimpse of thigh - a bit saucy for an old bird like me, but hey, since when has age stopped me?




The New Inn cat was suitably unimpressed with my catwalk sashay.




One or two comments on last week's frock suggested a belt to add definition to the smock, and this week I went with that for not only the colour factor, but also to give the frock a cinched waist - without it the line was just too floppy. The elastic belt was from Ebay many moons ago. Rings were both gifts from friends.






The gold chain necklace likewise was a gift and my sunglasses are a fab new pair by Radley.






Needless to say these vertiginous sandals are of the car-to-bar category!




Thanks for joining me again today. 
Wishing you a lovely weekend!

Anna x

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The final summer show!

I really can't quite believe that another entire summer show period has come and gone. Summer in my book is highlighted by the start of our exhibitions and ends 60 days later when the six shows are all done and dusted. We opened our final summer exhibition on Friday the 24th August, sadly without any artists in attendance and also without a single shot of my lovely assistants. Life, as they say, rarely goes to plan and just to add insult to injury the perfect summer weather I had imagined somehow failed to appear. Instead the sky was grey and the wind was mighty fresh!


This is my vintage two piece that I bought in Harrogate for £8. It's real silk too.



The padded shoulders make me think this is an 80's piece, but please tell me if you know otherwise. The skirt length too indicates an 80's hemline don't you think? I certainly felt a bit Dallas in this. 


Fuchsia was what came to mind when I was searching for my accessories. The handbag and rings are all preloved, of course. The oversized pearls are from Debenhams.


The shoes are from TK Maxx (£14.99) and are by Miss Selfridge. 


The belt was a gift from my friend Bo in Portugal. She also sent me a dark green version too. Both are leather with elastic back, which is my favourite type of belt, but of course you know that already.


Here's a peek at the gallery just before opening and if you want to see the show in full you can see it online here. The party went really well; much busier than I expected given the wet and windy evening. I had resigned myself to having a very slow start with just a trickle of guests, but it was a lovely turn-out with sales being strong too. My windswept photo shoot was before the show and I had planned to capture the team at the end of the evening as we always do, but instead I was tied up with a last minute purchase and when I finally finished, I discovered that the girls had deserted me in favour of dinner at the pub!


And finally, I forgot to mention that the skirt has pockets - hurrah!

Have a lovely week.

Anna x

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