Last week's most loved...

Hello lovelies! This was my most loved outfit from last week and what a surprise that was to me. As you know, dressing up is my daily pleasure, but that doesn't mean I always have a plan. On this particular day I returned from my morning swim and as is my habit sat in front on my wardrobe with my hot drink in hand to find inspiration for what I might wear to work. It was a muggy morning and therefore I knew it would have to be something loose fitting. Squeezed between my trouser suits I found this - a brand new pyjama suit with labels on which I had bought from Vinted, but goodness knows when and had stashed it away without even trying it on.

I'd obviously bought it because I liked it but for me the colours are very understated and therefore it hadn't caught my attention whenever I'd scanned the hangers over the past months. Anyway, I tried it on, thought it was okay so snipped off the labels, ironed it and got ready for work. 

My first compliment came from Steve when I dashed in to collect my bag for work. He's so used to me dressing up in all sorts of flamboyant outfits that he often doesn't pass comment, but this morning he was very enthusiastic about my look. I was a bit taken aback as it seemed so different to my shout-out-loud outfits but he said it really suited me.

Minutes later I was at work being greeted by Rachel with great enthusiasm too. She totally loved everything about this - the colour, the pattern, the fit - it was a 10 out of 10 from her. I was slightly bemused as I didn't really get it.

As the day went on I found myself showered in lovely compliments about the suit. At work I had so many kind remarks and later when I was out and about the pyjama suit seemed to be a bit of a showstopper. I was more than a little surprised.  In case you're interested the brand is H&M and I have no idea if it's current or from last year.

The Dune handbag was from TK Maxx a couple of years ago and every once in a while I find the perfect outfit to warrent its appearance. My rings are both from Emily Nixon.

The necklace is an old favourite and was from Topshop many moons ago. I wear it often as the colours work with so many of my outfits. The sunglasses are by Quay Australia and are very old too.

The cream mules are by Zara but were a charity shop find last year. I don't wear them often as they still need to be properly broken in which means they pinch a bit by the end of the day, but sometimes one has to suffer for one's art!

My thanks to Fiona for doing the honours with the photography last week. She too was very keen on the look. I must admit that the suit was incredibly comfortable and once on was so easy to forget about. I think I read that a good outfit is meant to be put on and then calls for no further thought as it simply works. By the end of the day I had acclimatised to this elegant, stylish suit that seemed to attract attention wherever I went - what a joyful find!

                                                                        Anna x

Orange and pink - what joy!

Hi there! How are you? I'm firing on all cylinders again and wanted to share this, my favourite outfit from last week. As you know, I'm all about bold colours and this is certainly bold! 

There's nothing new here and yet the look is a joy to behold. I love the marriage of orange and pink especially with this ornate and embellished outfit. The skirt was a Dorothy Perkins purchase and is well and truly vintage now. Every so often I check it over to see if the moths have gotten hold of it or if the stitching is unravelling but so far, so good. Underneath is a white stretch bodysuit from Primark, a basic and essential to buy every year as the white gradually dulls. 

The gold trimmed jacket was a Vinted purchase last year and is still looking bright and fresh as a daisy! I added a gold coloured link chain belt (from Primark) to tie in with the gold trim of the jacket. 

My cute pink Furla Candy bag was a perfect addition to the look as it just cries out Fun! My sunglasses are rather ancient, by Quay Australia and my rings are both by Emily Nixon. My gold link chain necklace was a cheap and cheerful buy from years ago.

I seem to wear these pink and orange bejewelled sandals all of the time lately, but why not? I totally love these and they're all-day-long comfortable too!

Another fun element to this look is my pink and orange net underskirt. I'm so proud of the fact that I made this (two years ago, see the post here) and that I still love it. This resurgence of love has meant that I've been wearing the petticoat with many an outfit of late so I'm sure you'll be seeing it again soon - sorry!

Aside from the outfit I've not got much to report. July is upon us and the island is teaming with happy families returning for their dose of Tresco magic. Rachel and I are rushed off our feet at work, but that's exactly as it ought to be. The Gallery is looking fab - bright and colourful too, full of all sorts of paintings inspired by the views and clarity of light of the islands.

And here's me in yet another orange and pink outfit with the requisite net petticoat to finish it off. Rachel said this looks like an angel dress thanks to the huge sleeves. The painting I'm hanging is by Teresa Pemberton, one of our long term artists - you can see more of her work here. Thank you so much for joining me once again and I do hope you're having a lovely summer too!

                                                                            Anna x

Dress for the heat, our Style Not Age challenge for June

Hello once again, and welcome to our monthly style challenge! Hilda has chosen well this month opting for the timely theme of Dressing for the Heat. Much as I'd like to report that the islands are basking in the UK heatwave, we are in fact sitting under a heavy cloud cover which is making for very muggy weather. My outfit is a preloved offering, but first let's see how the other ladies of the collective have fared...

Emma is basking under sunny skies on holiday abroad and is wearing a leopard print cover-up and gold sandals along with the essentail sunhat by Oliver Bonas. Catch up on her holiday news on Style Splash here. 

Jacqui is wearing her cover-up as an open shirt (by Salamander Shirts) with white top and shorts and white Lotus sandals. Catch up on all her news on Mummabstylish blog. 

Hilda is sharing her sizzling Sicily style from her recent holiday. The long, cool maxi dress is from Primark and her sandals are by Clarks. See more from her on Over the Hilda blog. 

No dazzling sunshine nor holiday backdrop from me, but Steve did land us on a brilliant white sandbar for my photoshoot of this white sundress by ME + EM, a lucky find in a charity shop in Penzance last month where I paid the grand sum of £5 for it! I found a similar one on their website here and it's retailing for £150! And let's not forget to mention that It's Got Pockets!

My green and white swimsuit was a Vinted purchase and works well with the chunky necklace from the bottom of my jewellery box. My sunglasses are old, by Quay Australia.

The beach dress is pretty but also pretty much transparent which might limit the opportunities to wear it, but I did in fact wear it to work last week...

I've added an orange vest top along with my hand made pink and orange petticoat underneath using the transparency to allow the colours to show through. I love the look as it's flamboyant and a bit different to the simple beach cover-up. 

I've continued with orange as my accessory colour - nothing new here apart from my Emily Nixon birthday ring (18 carat gold with sapphires and diamond).

I finished off the look with my favourite this season sandals (from Vinted) to tie in with the pink and orange theme. I did actually wear an orange jeans jacket over the top when I popped out at lunchtime, but forgot to capture that version for you...

And one final flash of petticoat reveals the orange trim and pink netting. I'm delighted to find another reason to bring out my fabulous underskirt again.

Many thanks for joining us for this month's Style Not Age challenge. As ever, I do hope you've found some inspiration amongst our offerings!

                                                                            Anna x

The shoes were the starting point...

Hi there! What do you think about my new shoes? These are by Irregular Choice and were a recent find on Vinted, costing me £45. I'm a sucker for a funky pair of shoes so what could I do but buy them when they popped up on my feed.

I'm in the middle of a huge clothes clearout the likes of which I've never undertaken before. The immediate impact of this was that I didn't manage to find the right pair of trousers to create the perfect oufit to compliment these rather fabulous poodle shoes. Instead I opted for this vibrant skirt which somehow offered the right balance of colour and print to please my sense of style.

The skirt is vintage by Jaeger and I've had it for years. The button on the waistband has been moved in and out as my weight has fluctuated from one summer to the next - this year it's static which I suppose is a good sign. The pink stretch belt ties in with my pink Candy handbag. I added a cream floral lace bodysuit underneath with my cream jeans jacket by Jack Wills to top the look off. 

The large blue ring is old, pre-loved from a charity shop many moons ago and my other ring is a gold gemstone one with aqua coloured sapphires and diamond from Emily Nixon Studio. 

The pearl and heart necklace was a hand-me-down from my sister who's also on a big dejunk currently. The pearl necklace echoes the pearl leash on the poodle shoes, but I know you understood that without my saying. The yellow sunglasses are by Quay Australia - I fancy I've outgrown the Dame Edna Everage look now and will probably move these along too. The brooches will stay however as I do love these old fashioned trinkets.

I wore a big petticoat under the skirt to give that lovely full look - such a simple addition makes all the difference.

The shoes are a joy, adding such fun to this outfit. I'm always amazed at how much pleasure I get from pulling a few interesting pieces together to create a new look. 

And finally... I'm going away on Friday, meeting up with my daughter for a busy weekend. I'll be back with all the details on Tuesday.

                                                                            Anna x

Frilly jumpsuit

Hello again and thanks for dropping by! Apologies for my week off - it wasn't planned, simply a case of being overrun at both work and home so something had to give. Sometimes I just expect too much of myself which results in burn-out, last week being a prime example of this.

Do you like my new frilly jumpsuit? I wore it for the first time for one of our evening drinks parties recently and my assistant Rachel kindly did the honours with the photos. The jumpsuit was yet another lucky find on Vinted. No labels, no brand, but it's a gem of a piece and a joy to wear. I've added a green stretch belt and the yellow link necklace, both from Vinted too. My sunglasses are from Quay Australia. Rings are not new; the fluted one was a gift from a friend and the other is my Emily Nixon ring.

My sandals were from TK Maxx last summer. I bought them in two different colourways and golly, how comforable they are!

The jumpsuit has a 70's feel and makes me think I ought to be drifting about in a corn field with a chocolate ripple in my hand. Am I the only one who remembers that advert?

Rachel did a great job with the photos, but she did spend most of her time trying to make me laugh, which I suppose is no bad thing. Thanks Rachel, I'll let you help out again!

                                                                            Anna x

Zingy spring outfit

Hi there! How's tricks? I do hope you're enjoying this fabulous springtime weather. It's been glorious here with only a brisk easterly wind keeping us all in check and wearing our jackets when out and about. My pretty spring jacket is by Heyton, bought from TK Maxx a few years ago.

Despite being one of my favourite jackets I don't seem to have many things to wear it with so it was a joy to bring it together with my lime jumpsuit by & Other Stories (from Vinted). Fiona has become my Friday photographer again which is another joy in my life. It's lovely to have a bit of friendly banter to loosen me up for these photoshoots.

I have no idea what this gesture was in response to, but I was clearly having some Friday fun!

I decided on blue and turquoise as my accent colours against the lime green by adding two turquoise beaded necklaces and my recently purchased blue and coral beaded belt (yes, from Vinted of course). 

My white leather cowboy boots finish the outfit off with a sharp edge. Despite looking narrow they are actually all-day-wearable, thank goodness, as I do love them.

I'd like to finish off by giving a big shout out to all the ladies who drop in to see me at the Gallery throughout the year to pass on their positive comments on my outfits. Rosemary, it was so good to see you last week and to have your very kind feedback and valuable input - thank you! It's heartening to have these lovely ladies appear from time to time just to say how much they like popping in to see what the outfit of the day is. It's a real bonus for me, especially as I dress for myself, not for the approval of others therefore that makes it even more appreciated.

Have a great week everyone!

Anna x

Spring has sprung!

Hurrah, spring has indeed sprung! This is from today on Tresco (Wednesday 26th of March) a beautiful bright blue morning that surely imbued everyone with the feel-good factor here on our sun-kissed island. Tresco has recently hosted a Wellness Week followed by a religious retreat both with resounding success. For those of us who live here it's no surprise to see how well these breaks are received; it reflects the lure of this special island. 

I'll admit that I'm a fair weather kinda gal whose mood is influenced by sunlight for its natural high. The brilliant blue sky is a joy to behold. The sunlight on the water is a joy to behold. Simply being on Tresco is a joy to behold!

I felt more than a little giddy on my way to work this morning. Sunshine is all I need to feel good and golly did I feel good!

The outfit of the day was chosen to reflect the bright morning and the optimism it fills me with. I bought the ASOS suit from Vinted last year. I had to rework the trousers as they were too big, but it was worth the sewing challenge (see more of that here) to get them right as it's a fabulous suit now. It seems I might be a bit colour blind as I've considered this to be a lime green but it's just yellow to everyone else. Hey ho!

The multicolour bodysuit in a retro print and suede trainers were also from Vinted and the yellow sunglasses are from Quay Australia. 

If you're interested in another wellness retreat, Gem Hansen is hosting a Restorative Retreat on Tresco at the end of November - see more about that here. 

                                                                            Anna x