leopard print and velvet

These next couple of weeks are the best ever for bringing out the sparkle without looking the least bit out of place. My wardrobe is pretty well stocked with sequins, lurex, velvet and metallic shoes of every hue, all primed for stepping out over the festive season. But before I go any further I'll let you know that my outfit for Friday's party was the blue dress. I spent most of the day thinking I was going to wear my Friday's suggestion see here. It was only on Friday evening when I saw a TV presenter wearing a red sequin dress that I realised how effective that simple shape with a riot of sequins could look. It's about perspective sometimes isn't it? I was too close to see how lovely this was I suppose. Anyway I paired it up with the shoes and bag from the other outfit and bang, that was my party outfit. I went along with Kate, my utterly gorgeous niece and we had a lovely evening. Sorry Judy, for the lack of photos but my camera was at home on charge!

Friday was also Christmas Jumper Day here in the UK, a great fundraiser event in aid of Save the Children. The workforce from the island is encouraged to don their best Christmas jumper for a photo shoot followed by donations to the cause accompanied by all sorts of delicious cakes and mincepieces. 

If you're having problems finding me, just follow the ladies striking a pose in the name of blogging and I'm to the right - thanks gals for entering into the spirit of things!

Today's outfit is a mixture of old and new. The new, being these beautiful velvet trousers which come from F&F at Tesco's in the recent sale for only £9 and the old being this gold lurex cardigan which is so old I can't recall where I bought it. My sister Sandra gave me the lovely silk blouse which ties in with all of the luxurious fabrics. The gold loafers are from New Look (old), the rings too are old/charity shopped and the sunglasses are from Quay Australia.

Tuesday will be the 20th of the month and therefore time for another edition of Ping Pong Post. The festive item being styled is a fabulous sequined top from Ann in Hong Kong and I do hope you'll come back to see how we did.

This week I'll also be linking with -
Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb
Patti of Not Dead Yet Style
Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish

Anna x

Mighty monchrome

I'm a flighty type when it come to dressing, as you'll surely know by now. One minute it's all Barbie leggings and leopard print bikini top and the next, this simple monochrome look. I love being a chameleon. This skirt has been showcased recently in the post "As suggested by ...Joan" and I won't apologise for that as I love it so much. Today's offering is a variation on that theme - I thought it would be fun to pair the skirt with this satin jacket, after giving my other satin one an outing recently. I know it won't be jacket weather for much longer!

This sweet knitted top was a gift from Ann of Kremb de la Kremb recently. One of the perks of our global game of clothes ping pong is that we often include an extra piece that may work for one from the other. Ann sent me a couple of things - this very fine sweater which fits me perfectly and the other was a midi length skirt that Polly snaffled as it was a bit too big for me. I love the simplicity of the top which works perfectly when put with all of the pattens going on here. The shoes are new, from H&M sale some time ago and are downright copies of the ones my daughter bought last winter. Thank goodness she's not upset when I copy her style, and neither am I if she copies mine. 

Details - jacket: New Look, shoes: H&M, skirt: H&M, sweater: gift, tights: Walford, belt: H&M, rings: charity shop.

Linking with -

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Cherie of Style Nudge

Jess of Elegantly Dressed And Stylish

Anna x

Pattern play and seriously tight skinnies.

Skinnies, hmmm, not really my thing y'know. I mean, I do like tight jeans, but these are my first pair of "super skinnies". These pastel hued babies were too good to pass over when I spied them in my latest raid of the Truro charity shops. They are ridiculously tight (no back views this time), but I suppose that's why they call them skinnies. Massively in their favour is the flower print which lifts them out of the ordinary. 

The story that runs throughout today's outfit is the pale pink which is present in the jacket, blouse, jeans and brogues. I love the fact that the blouse and jeans are almost in an identical flower print, but with a different background colour. Leopard print and florals wouldn't be an obvious choice for most, but the pink hue links everything together beautifully. Pattern play needs to be applied with a light touch, not be over thought, and stopped before it turns into a jumble sale. I always lay everything out on the bed first, swapping things in and out until I get the right balance. There has to be a major player or else everything will just be jockeying for position. Here, it's this rather exquisite satin leopard print jacket that takes the lead (the black makes it dominant) allowing everything else to fade and blend while the eye takes it all in. The size of the patterns are all pretty uniform here too which helps with the mellow flow of things. Sometimes it's more that one pattern will be much larger than the others that will make it the dominant feature. Lesson over my lovelies. Most importantly, have fun.

Tomorrow is time for our monthly Ping Pong Post challenge and for no other reason than that, I'm going to have to love you and leave you. That feature is still in need of some work from me and I don't want to let the ladies down. This one is to be a bit different, probably a one-off, and requires a bit more organising from all of us involved. I do hope you'll find time to come back for another visit so soon - I promise it'll be worth it!

Outfit details - jacket: New Look, jeans: Papaya, blouse: Topshop, shoes: H&M, belt: H&M, rings: old.

Linking with

Cherie of Style Nudge 

Anna x

Summer show: 6 of 6

Ah well, as the saying goes "All good things must come to an end", and so it has with my summer exhibitions. We've had an amazing run of shows this summer including this last one featuring three fine artists all so very diverse in their styles. But more about that in a moment as I really have to point you in the direction of the star of this particular evening, yes it's Polly! My darling assistant saved the best 'til last, making a dazzling entrance in this gold seqinned skater dress which sparkled and shone.

I'm so happy for Polly to have knocked me off my perch for the last evening.  She looks radiant from that gorgeous smile down to every last sparkling seqin. A passing boatman commented that she could be seen from Bryher! (The island opposite the gallery)

And as the evening sunshine dazzled these guys, let me introduce the attending artists, Alasdair Urquhart on the left and Stuart Kettle on the right. See Alasdair's work here and Stuart's can be seen here. The third of the trio, Anthony Garratt, couldn't make the opening night but you can view his striking paintings here. I love the fact that these three artists, more than ever, have managed to portray these islands so very differently. Their interpretations are as unique as the islands; full of character, individual, unrivalled in their beauty.

And for one last time this summer I'd like to say a very big thank you to the team who have held things together behind the scenes as well at on the frontline. Thank you Max, Polly and Heather!

Well, if we had to finish, then let it be on a perfect note like this. These two guests had spent an evening with us, enjoying the art, chatting to the artists and finally sipping wine as they watched the sun drop below the Bryher. We couldn't have laid on a better entertaiment than that I say.

My dress for the event was an absolute find from Tesco of all places, although the label denotes AX Paris, a concession I've previously found at New Look. Shoes are from H&M (sold out), necklace is from Dorothy Perkins (similar), my old faithful watch is by Michael Kors, bangle by Kate Spade New York and the rings are charity shopped.

This week I'll be linking with
Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb
Cherie of Style Nudge
Patti of Not Dead Yet Style
Jess of Elegantly Dressed And Stylish

Anna x

Last year, this year.

If you're a long term follower you may well remember this jumpsuit from last summer. I wore it to an opening night party at the gallery see here. This year I've drafted in a whole lot of long gowns for my partying and therefore this has been demoted from posh to everyday. I'm sure this is what we all do isn't it? The dress that starts out being for a special occasion, once the event is over can't keep it's place at the top of the heap forever, can it? Granted, if it's all sparkle and sequins, then it may always remain as evening wear, but aside from those, I'm always happy to demote so that I can get the wear out of it.

To change things up I've added some different accessories, namely this colourful beaded belt which I'm wearing with the clasp at the back to give the rear view a bit of interest. While we're on the subject of rear views, I just have to say how unflattering this jumpsuit is in that department. Let's see, I hear you cry, but no! A woman has to have some pride, please. Suffice to say that I appear to have yards of arse in this ensemble (sorry if that was a bit coarse). If I'd know how this area was not to be highlighted I wouldn't have drawn attention to it by adding this back to front belt. Hey ho, the deed is done. The daytime debut of the jumpsuit was warmly received with lots of compliments on the fabulous cut and print. Early on in the morning I started off wearing my black and white floral jacket too, but it was soon warm enough to dispense with the extra layer. The other difference I introduced this time is the accent colour of turquoise which seems to work well against the russet tone. Last year, this year, I think the styling works well with both, but I prefer this latest version. What do you think?

Jumpsuit is from F&F at Tesco (this one is nice), jacket from Zara (I like this new version), shoes from New Look(similar), handbag charity shopped, sunglasses from Quay Australia, belt by Tu at Sainsbury (sold out) and my jewellery is old/charity shopped.

Linking with 

Jess of Elegantly Dressed And Stylish. 

Sammy of Bargain Baglady 

Anna x