Spring is in the air

We are days away from the island being declared open for another season and spring is definitely in the air. Later this month the clocks will go forward and my morning swims will also move forward as I experience the joys of an early start. I love that feeling of anticipation, the excitement of another season ahead with all the new staff and holiday makers changing the dynamic of these small islands once again.



Very soon these blurry photo shoots will become a thing of the past as Polly takes on the role of my photographer for another summer season. Hurrah!




I just love the combination of camo and gold together. 







I'll make no apologies for showing this gold (H&M) sweater again. It made its debut on my birthday in January (see here) and then again last month (as here) which just goes to show how useful it is (thanks Sasha). I've yet to pair it with a skirt so you may see it next month in a new guise. The three quarter length tartan jacket was from Next many moons ago and yet is one of my winter favourites. The gold boots were in the River Island sale a couple of years ago. I'm sporting sunglasses by Quay Australia and my rings are from charity shops.

I have to thank Sasha too for these camo trousers (Primark) which she gave me for Christmas. I'm a bit late to jump on this fashion bandwagon, but you know me, I do things at my own pace. I've worn these on and off for most of the winter. Working alone, seeing so few people within the course of a week, never mind a day, led me to slip into slovenly ways of repeat dressing. These camo trousers and a pair of blue jeans became my uniform with a thermal layer and cashmere polo neck finishing the look, day after day. Comfort seems to drive me more in the winter rather than innovation. But hey, spring is here and I feel inspired, refreshed with new ideas and opportunities to dress up, mix things about and find new outfits within my closet. At the end of the month I'll be breaking my clothes shopping ban (three whole months without buying a thing!) as I head off to the mainland on business. During my downtime, I'll be rooting about in each and every charity shop I come across as well as visiting my most favourite of retail stores, TK Maxx. I can barely contain myself!




My original camo trousers from over 20 years ago. Check out my pixie cut!



Straight ahead is the island of St Mary's, the main island of the Isles of Scilly, and to the left are the tiny uninhabited islands called the Eastern Islands. These small atolls, surrounded by virgin white sands are a perfect escape for the day - all you need is a little boat, a picnic with some long cool drinks and your perfect castaway companion!

Linking with -
Laurie of Vanity And Me
Anna x

Share:

Gold sequins, gold heels

Sunday's blue sequin dress was really well received, so much so that I feel a bit nervous about today's outfit. All of this week's outfits were captured in the same photo shoot, and I must admit that this one was my favourite. It felt more elegant, less over-the-top-party-animal I suppose. Friday's offering is very different again, but let's not get ahead of ourselves shall we?










I really like the slightly underplayed look of this ensemble (yes, gold sequins and gold heels are indeed underplayed in my world). It's still sparkly with some sequins on the top and clutch as well as obviously on the skirt, but doesn't feel as loud as the blue dress (see it here). It's more age appropriate I suppose, which is a first for me, as I can't really say that dressing for my age comes into my head very often. I wear what I like, because I like it and hope that sense of liberation comes across. As long as I feel comfortable in what I wear, I don't mind what anyone thinks. Life's too short for those kind of worries. (Yes, I'm aware that I do share my self doubts with you from time to time, but that usually ends up being my crazy body dysmorphia rather than actual clothes angst.)

And there you have it. Friday brings the last get up, and on Friday evening the party itself, so goodness knows if you'll have time to drop by to cast your final vote before I don my glad rags and take the party by storm. 

Details - skirt: H&M (sold out), top: TK Maxx, shoes: Primark, handbag: charity shop, necklace: unknown: sunglasses: Sainsbury's, rings: old.
Anna x

Share:

Transitional dressing and the big changeover

Autumn, hmmm. Not my most inspiring season: it obviously leads into winter which is the worst time of the year for me. I hate winter. Yes, I said it quietly as I try very hard to be positive about all things. I really have to work hard in keeping cheerful in the dark winter months. I'm one of the many who suffers from the horrible SAD which blights me for every grey day ahead. If you have any remedies or even tried and tested light boxes you can recommend then please do drop me an email or let me know in the comments box. I'd be most grateful. In the meantime, Polly is keeping me smiling.


This is what I call transitional dressing: still bare legs, but the addition of a little jacket which can be removed by lunchtime when the temperature picks up.











Let's just take a moment to admire this bag and shoes combo, shall we? The shoes are suede and are charity shopped from my most recent trip away. The handbag is imitation leather and from a different trip, different charity shop. But hey, don't they look amazing together? Such is the joy of charity shopping and they cost under £9 all together!




So, on to the matter of the big changeover. I spent all last weekend and some of this one, moving clothes out from under beds, suitcases and bags to access all of my A/W clothes. The swap is all done and my summer finery is all laundered and stashed back in every nook and cranny I can find. There has been a lot of dithering re what can be worn in this transitional time. Take this dress for instance. Well, it did make the grade as I can add some coloured tights and long sleeved top underneath to extend the wear of it. I was also pretty brutal with things that just hadn't been worn this summer. I've put lots on to my eBay pending shelves and that will be one of my ongoing winter projects. 



Goodbye to the summer brights...


...and out come the winter sparkles.





This is just a snapshot of the wardrobes where it's all lurking. I have clothes spread out over three bedrooms and four wardrobes as well as in dressers and drawers and under bed boxes for shoes, tights and more sweaters. The majority of my shoes are in their boxes under the bed too, mainly boots and brogues. My friend Nicky was very keen that I feature some of my storage, but that's maybe because she's more a minimalist compared to me. Her rummage about in my closets was a bit like a child in sweetie shop. 

Outfit details are Jacket: Toxik3, dress: vintage by Peekaboo, top: Primark, shoes (M&S) charity shopped, and bag: charity shopped, rings: old, watch: Michael Kors, sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Linking with
Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb


I'll leave you with this sunrise snap from outside my house this morning at 7.30. Wishing you all a lovely weekend!
Anna x

Share:

Summer show: 4 of 6

I can hardly believe that we're more than half way through the run of our summer shows already. Polly and I are in the flow of hanging a new show, hosting the opening night party, selling and packing the work ready to dispatch and then before we know it, it's time to take it all down and start again. Details of the work for this particular show are here. Nick Botting, Rosemary Trestini and Gary Long have all been inspired by the islands so do take a look at the link to see the resulting works. And an opening night couldn't take place without my team of lovely assistants, so take a bow, Ruth, Polly and Max -


We rallied outside the gallery for our obligatory photo shoot and the weather put on its blustery best just to add a bit of interest to the shots. As skirts flapped and flew, we grabbed and clamped down what we could amidst shrieks of laughter.










The dress of the day for me is a small mending success by way of my new found sewing skills. I bought this (H&M) frock which was brand new (rrp £79.99) but due to the broken zip was retailing at £7.99. These brand goods are coming through a Truro charity shop that is in receipt of their "rejects" the best of which my daughter and I scoop up from time to time. My sewing teacher would be proud at my efforts. I carefully unstitched the broken zip, and lovingly pinned the new one in before machining it in place. The skirt has a nude lining as far as the knee, so looks more racy than it actually is. And that's it - four exhibitions down, two to go! 

The dress, as I say, is from H&M, the gold beaded top is so old that I can't recall where I bought it, the shoes are from Primark, handbag is Accessorize (again, very old though), necklace comes from Magpie Vintage, nude ring is from Boots and yellow ring is Martin James (airport stock).

This week I'll be linking with
Cherie of Style Nudge

Anna x

Share:
Created by bo design