A fiesta of colours

After my all in black look from the other day (see here) I thought I'd revert to my default setting of glorious, technicolour. Another wonderful day of sunshine prompted me to bring out this bright mix of colours by way of these floral wide legged trousers and orange vest, topped by this pink lace top. Cheery colours = cheery mood. 

I like this crazy shot where the wind is behind me and my legs look totally like one of those bendy toys!

I found these beautiful silk trousers in a charity shop about three years ago and this is probably their third outing. The pink top was also a charity shop find bought only recently from April's shopping spree (see here) and was an absolute bargain for 99p. The orange vest top underneath (charity shop again) was a bit of a masterstroke I thought, tying the whole look together beautifully. The black sandals from New Look were featured just the other day, and although I have other wedges that I could have worn, these are remarkably comfortable as well as going so well with the black of the trousers. The orange necklace is old, the pink perspex ring and pink bangle were both gifts, and the pink and silver ring was from a charity shop, as was the sweet handbag. Sunglasses are from Quay Australia and my gorgeous watch is by Michael Kors.

So here we are on the cusp of the weekend, with that little bubble of excitement building as we look forward to some down time over the next couple of days. For some of you that may mean family time which it does for me too as my daughter is coming home for 10 days holiday. Others may be heading off for some retail therapy (I'm only slightly envious) or maybe you're heading off for the beach now that summer is showing some level of predictability. Whatever you're up to this weekend, I ask you to take a moment to stop and focus on where you are, who you're with and what you're doing. In a world where we are so busy, it's important to focus on the special moments, to value them and lock them away in your memory bank. What I don't mean is take a series of selfies where you become so absorbed in that moment that the real moment is lost. When you find yourself enjoying a particular sight or emotion, switch on your inner recorder to capture that moment internally so that you may draw on it at any time, anywhere for the rest of your life. Be in the moment, as often as you can, be present in your own life, not a spectator in someone else's. This being present is otherwise known as mindfulness, a buzzword currently. It deserves more than just a passing reference, but that will have to wait for another day. Enjoy your weekend and I hope you'll swing by again on Sunday.

Linking with 

Lucy of Fashion Should Be Fun 

Anna x

Black, totally black.

I know I recently published a post claiming to be wearing only black (see here), but I cheated by adding a splash of orange. So here we have the real thing. Black from top to toe. A lick of orange lippie is all I've added to lift this monochrome outfit. I usually find an all black look very boring, or draining at least, but today I decided to give it a whirl again.

As you'll see I'm still smiling, so it surely wasn't too painful after all. I will interject, though, that despite being a simple black outfit, the look is far from plain. My skirt is by Fahri, of Nicole Fahri and therefore never to be mistaken for run-of-the-mill. See the beautiful flower detail below and you'll get what I mean.

I bought this from eBay a couple of years ago, but when it arrived I wasn't convinced it was very me. And yet today it feels very me indeed. By pairing it up with this ruffled blouse I felt the two were pretty much a marriage made in heaven. The skirt is cotton lawn, so in principle is very fine and light, but the flowered appliques make the hemline have a lovely, weighty swish. The cotton poplin blouse was a gift from a friend and is such a great fit, very long and slim, with a zip up front and adorned with these uber feminine ruffles and frills. 

The gold coloured cuff is actually brass and is by Almost Perfect. The gold edged ring was from Boots recently and cost me the princely sum of £1. And the perspex ring was a gift.

Shoes are from New Look. I love the laser cut holes and the angled front gives a great easy roll when you walk. And my old faithful sunglasses are by Quay Australia.

Good ol' Polly has brought on a fit of the giggles again. 

OK, you've caught me out here. Yes, this smidgen of pink crept into the mix as I was looking for a necklace. It's a new purchase of mine from the Emily Nixon range of silver jewellery which is a mainstay of her range. The silver hearts come with a velvet ribbon - I've got a grey and a pink ribbon to swap around. I love the rough organic nature of the silver and had the hard decision between the large size, which this is, or a smaller, but equally cute one. 

So there you have it, my all in black finally achieved. I think for me black in the depths of winter is a real challenge as I'm so very pale skinned, but sporting a bit of a tan the colour is not so draining. I'm really pleased with this outfit and can see I'll be wearing it again over the forthcoming months. Maybe with a pair of colourful sandals next time and my bright orange necklace? We'll wait and see. Your feedback is welcome as ever and I'd be delighted to have your ideas for my monthly feature "As suggested by..." so do share your thoughts on that one too. Until next time, 'bye!

Linking with

Jess of Elegantly Dressed And Stylish

Cherie of Style Nudge 

Anna x