Transitional dressing for autumn

Hello again! How are you? Is a local lock-down affecting you personally, be it physically or mentally? It's difficult not to let it get you down isn't it? On a different note, I'm missing having a work mate more than ever now. Just having someone to pass on those little daily niggles can make all the difference. Poor Steve really gets it in the neck some days, I can tell you!

Anyway, let's talk clothes shall we - it's my favourite subject after all! I managed to get most of my wardrobe changeover done last weekend (no photos of the bedlam - not inspiring in the least, I can tell you!) and will finish this weekend. I packed most of my summer clothes away, giving extra time to checking whether they would work as transitional outfits.  This much worn and much loved two piece (aka the old fashioned trouser suit to you and I) has survived the cut purely because I know it works so well with my other big passion, the sock boot. 

The white and black check of the Primark suit lends itself to a multitude of colour options to play with, and yes I do mean play. Dressing for me is fun, even on a work day. Using this look as a template, I could easily add pink to replace red and have yet another fun and colourful ensemble. If the weather holds out, I'll try to get that variation captured for you next time. Black is another obvious permutation as is white. I have ankle boots in both of these neutrals which look equally sharp. The only limitation for this suit will be when the temperature drops and it becomes too lightweight to be functional.

I have no regrets buying these H&M sock boots. They have been an asset to my wardrobe and seem to go with so many outfits, both dresses and trousers, giving an edge that normal boots don't deliver. My son Jamie bought me the pink version for my Christmas last year and I've worn them endlessly too. Hurrah for the sock boot I say!

The frilled linen top is by M&S, a pre-loved purchase from last year, but only showcased this summer for the first time. Rings are charity shops finds too. My black and silver necklace adds a sharp contemporary feel to the jewellery - this is by Melissa James, a brand I sell at the Gallery. And talking of sharp, I've changed up my usual Quay Australia sunglasses for a different, but equally cool pair of shades. I'm hoping that one of these days this brand will reward me with a discount code for my readers...

One look that I've not tried out yet is to wear this two piece as separates. I did try the jacket on today over a pink pleated skirt and black top, but felt it didn't really pop the way I had hoped. Perhaps that's a project for next summer.

According to the weather forecast we're about to be hit by high winds and endless rain for the next couple of days. Fingers crossed there will be a lull at some stage over the weekend otherwise I'm not sure what I'll have to show you in my next post! But before I leave you, I just would like to share some news...

Myself and my blogging friends, Jacqui of Mummabstylish, Hilda of Over The Hilda and Gail of Is This Mutton along with Josephine of Chic At Any Age have all been featured in the latest edition of Yours magazine!

I've not managed to get hold of a copy of the magazine yet as our local shop is no longer selling newspapers or mags, but Jacqui posted this snippet on her stories the other day -

The feature is about over 50's bloggers to follow for style inspiration - what a fabulous showcase for us all! Do rush out and buy a copy now x

                                                                                     Anna x

Two summer jackets (in autumn)

Hello there! At the time of writing it's blowing a gale outside with torrential rain battering against the windows which makes this seem a rather odd feature to be posting, but I've been promising this for days, so here we go. So far I've managed to get photos of two summer jackets and still have two more waiting in the wings, however they may have to wait until next year.

I was particularly pleased with the pairing of jacket and dress in this outfit. I love the stripes of colour echoed in each even though the patterns are different. The colours too work really well together. It's a real match made in heaven.

It's the first time I've worn the jacket (the brand is Divas) and it's a neat fit with discreet zip up pockets and zip front. The dress is by Per Una and is a perfect summer weight in linen with fitted waistband and inverted pleat creating a generous skirt and those lovely pockets making it a sure fire winner. The v neck kept me cool and the pretty pleating added a bit of style in what could have otherwise been an overly simple frock.

The dress, jacket and rings are all pre-loved pieces which just goes to show how second hand isn't just the green option, but can be a colourful and stylish one too. The necklace is by Drift jewellery one of the brands we stock in the Gallery. I collect Tresco sea glass from our beaches and send it to Fiona, the maker, who turns it into one-off pieces for us to sell. 

The Primark petal sandals have jewelled centres. I've had these for a couple of summers now and goodness, they're so comfy!

The second summer jacket is showcased just a day later in what was a real dose of pea-souper fog. It disrupted flights, delaying departures and arrivals with some guests not moving to or from the island at all. Fiona and I decided to go ahead, aiming for that atmospheric shot ...

The pre-loved jacket is by River Island. It's unlined, but has pockets and again this is its first outing. I seem to collect jackets as that handy item to finish off an outfit. I'm quite formal on the quiet, despite my efforts at rebellion sometimes. When I'm being smart, a jacket is the finishing touch and yet is easy to discard when it gets too hot.

The Topshop orange satin trimmed top is also pre-loved and very well worn by me. The off-white trousers were from F&F at Tesco many moons ago. They are great wash and wear trousers requiring the minimum of ironing to look sleek and smart. 

Comfort and style are combined in these glorious embroidered trainers by Replay, bought in the Harrogate branch of TK Maxx last spring. They certainly do draw lots of compliments every time I wear them. 

The shopping my closet theme continues with my jewellery too. Both rings and the tiny seed pearl necklace were all gathered along the way over the years. Vintage and second hand are always more interesting to me. 

And so here we are bang into autumn with fog, rain and gales. My newly found jackets look like the only place they're heading is into a suitcase along with the rest of my summer clothes. The big clothes change-over may be coming sooner rather than later...

In the meantime, I've got one more summery outfit coming up on Monday for our monthly style challenge with the posse from the Style Not Age collective. Our theme for September is "All dressed up with nowhere to go". It'll be no surprise to you if I say that I took this one rather literally! Do swing by on Monday to see what that might look like.

                                                                                                Anna x

Summer jacket no. 1

Hello again and thanks for swinging by! 

It's half way through September and I'm on a mission to show you four new-to-me summer jackets that I've never worn before. Shame on me for hoarding these for so long! Anyway, here's the first of four. I was drawn to it because of the patchwork fabrics as well as the colours and patterns. It's such a cute little jacket and the first time I wore it was last weekend on a jolly jaunt to the beach. Steve and I cycled to the south end of the island to stretch our legs and get some photos for the blog - a two for one morning.

The outfit was built around the jacket, a lightweight cotton piece which I found in a charity shop in February.

Sorry about the blurry shot. I've never heard of Foul Fashion, so I did a search for the brand and had to laugh when I found a similar jacket, classed as suitable for fancy dress or hen party! Not that it'll stop me wearing this. I think it's great fun and all the more so when I came across this (pre-loved and unworn) long sleeved top (by East) which was lurking in the back of my cupboard. They look great together, don't you think?

I love the floral print and turquoise colours that tie both top and jacket together beautifully. My stretch jeans are from Tesco, a few years old now.

These satin ribboned Puma trainers have really come into their own this summer. They're perfect for being on my feet all day long and after a quick cycle in the washing machine come up good as new!

Today's rings are both charity shop finds, in keeping with the shopping my closet theme of late. 

Good ol' faithfuls, my Quay Australia sunglasses.

Check out the fabulous colourful lining of this too!

The back of the jacket is just as fancy as the front!

My next quest is to find a block colour shift dress from my closet to go underneath this for work. I surely have one of those don't I? In the meantime, I'll be looking at those other three jackets, trying to find some new outfits to go with them. It's 7 months since I last visited the shops and I've surprised myself how easy it's been to shop my closet instead. Are you inspired to give this a go?

                                                                                 Anna x

White Stuff aqua top

Hello again!

Golly what a busy week I've had! So sorry to neglect the blog, but I've had to prioritise my time with work coming first. We've had a rush on sales this past week and next week will be equally busy as I have to pack these all up and despatch them to the mainland. The last big shipment I sent off got caught up in the Bank Holiday weekend which complicated matters terribly, so hopefully this next consignment will be a bit more straightforward.

Anyway, here I am on the beach wearing the second of those White Stuff linen tops I recently showed you. See the first feature about them here. The aqua one is perfect to go with my paisley harem pants which are kept solely for beach romps, purely because they're very see through. Steve and I cycled to the beach yesterday to take these shots as I was worried that this might be the last summery weekend we have before autumn properly sets in. When I appeared in the doorway with these trousers on he raised his eyebrows in question at the prospect of me cycling in them without them getting caught in the chain. But I had a trick up my sleeve...

Et viola! From long shorts to harem pants in one easy step. 

The side buttons and ladder stitch insert are little touches that add to this very simple boat neck top. Both the white and aqua versions are proving to be very useful, if somewhat tame as my dear blogging friend pointed out. I suppose I must have a reputation for being flamboyant most of the time! Hahahah. Considering I buy the majority of my clothes from vintage and charity shops it's inevitable I'll end up with some pretty mainstream items, but the brand of White Stuff was too good a bargain to miss. Linen for the summer is a no-brainer isn't it?

The whole outfit today is all about sea colours. I had intended to have this photographed on the sandbar where I recently showcased my mermaid dress - see here. The only trouble was that it's probably a 15 minute boat ride plus hopping in and out of the dingy which I thought would result in a very creased top indeed. 

The only jewellery of the day is this turquoise anklet, an airport purchase from a few years ago - it was from Accessorize. 

My orange leather sandals are very comfy, functional and are still going strong after several years of beaching. The brand is Autenti by Penta and they came from TK Maxx.

This was the view from the banks above Pentle Bay yesterday. Steve and I had been off for a picnic in our boat on Saturday, spending the afternoon on Nornour Island. I posted a feature about this beauty of a desert island in 2018 if you'd like to see more. Sunday was a family day for us as it was my son Jamie's 29th birthday. He and Sasha came round for dinner and I did that mum thing of getting out his baby album (as if he's never seen it before!) - we just can't help ourselves, can we?

Ah, the joy of a sleeping baby eh?

Anna x

Welcome to this month's Style Not Age challenge.

This time for our monthly challenge Gail came up with the brilliant idea of "What I'd wear on the Frow".  To the uninitiated, like me, that's the Front Row of a fashion show. Paris Fashion Week is due to commence on the 28th of September and despite the pandemic, the show must go on! My take on this was that my particular fashion show was socially distanced and therefore the runway is an outdoors affair. You can tell by my expression that the next model is impressive.

As you can see, Gail truly entered into the spirit of things, inspiring us with this timely theme.  See more and get the low down on her outfit over on Is This Mutton blog now.

Jacqui chose a fabulous backdrop for her relaxed but stylish ensemble. Check out her blog Mummabstylish for her spin on this challenge.

Style Splash Emma opted for a funky pair of culottes to build her Frow outfit around. A spinkling of animal print raised the bar just that little bit higher too!

Hilda played it super cool with this fabulous Spanx trouser suit, topping it off with a stylish fedora - can't you just imagine her turning up at a fashion show in this? See more on her blog Over The Hilda.

If indeed I were going to attend a fashion show, then the coat would be equally important as the outfit. This pink trench, (Topshop, pre-loved), with its black and white gingham lining couldn't be a better match for today's ensemble. The turned up sleeves show the fabric nicely and also allow the lace cuff of the blouse to be exposed too.

The lace blouse was from Zara last summer and has become a real wardrobe staple for me. I seem to wear it at least once a week currently as it's so versatile with a vest top underneath or like today worn as part of a dungaree combination. I wanted to show the pretty pattern in this shot.

My outfit may not be of the caliber of the immaculate Anna Wintour and perhaps if I really did attend a fashion show I would chose to wear a less quirky and more classic type of ensemble. Who knows?

The mini Candy Bag is by Furla and is my bag of the moment. The black and white shoes are by Nine West, sourced at TK Maxx.

And of course if I'm showcasing a black and white outfit then it's gotta be my black and white Quay Australia sunglasses. 

Many thanks to Gail for throwing the gauntlet down with this great challenge. It was good to have a bit of role-play this time too! I do hope you enjoyed it and will find time to pop across to read the backstories of the others in the Style Collective.

                                                                                          Anna x