More glittery shoes

I'm on a bit of a run at the moment, and it's all about the glitter. But these trainers are proving to be a bit of a problem. I keep bringing them out, putting a few items together, gadding off to work, then half way through the day I decide that this isn't quite it. Take a look, let me know.

I think these sparkly trainers are so cute, but they're proving to be a big style challenge for me. I can't quite visualise what I'm trying to achieve which I suppose is the problem. I've another outfit with these to show you soon, but in the meantime if they inspire you, if you can see what I need to be wearing with them, then please do drop me a line. If my legs were those long, slender ones, then I'd maybe wear a skirt, but hey, that's not the case. 

Diane of Fashion On The 4th Floor see here showcased a fab pair of baby pink trainers earlier on this year, which sent me hurtling off to the shops to find something similar, and since then I suppose I've been hoping to emulate her sleek style (with not much success). She wore them again here, and once more this inspired me to pare down my naturally flamboyant look to acheive something similar. I've not pulled this off yet, and maybe Diane's height is what makes this willowy, sleek look impossible for me to mimic. Imitation, as they say, is the sincerest form of flattery, and I do hope Diane can smile down on me from the lofty heights as I seek to live up to her immaculate outifts.

Details - Blouse: charity shop, trousers: TK Maxx, trainers: TK Maxx, rings: charity shop, sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Anna x

#Ping Pong Post no 8

Welcome to another edition of Ping Pong Post, the feature where one well travelled item of clothing brings me and my blogging friends together for our monthly style challenge. This month I'm delighted to announce two additional guests to the feature by way of fellow bloggers, Sheela of Sheela Writes and Greetje of No Fear of Fashion. Both Sheela and Greetje have followed the feature with great interest since it started (see here) and were very keen to join in for this special edition.

The dress/tunic this month is from my wardrobe and started its journey from the Isles of Scilly to Holland in April, then travelled to Texas, Hong Kong and finally on to bonnie Scotland a couple of weeks ago before heading back home to me. So let's see what this diverse collection of bloggers made of the green shaggy beast shall we?

Here's Samantha from Fake Fabulous, one of our regulars. This shaggy dress caused quite a dilemma for her, but in the best possible way (I think) as it presented so many possibilities. She opted for a simple, neutral palette to offset what is quite a flamboyant, fuzzy top. Samantha has given this green monster a classy, chic look that I wouldn't have thought possible. Bravo, my dear! Follow Samantha on Instagram here.

Details -

DRESS: H&M (Anna’s)

TIGHTS: Levante

BOOTS: Duo (now Ted and Muffy)

CARDIGAN: Urban Outfitters

POLONECK: Redoute

NECKLACE: Oliver Bonas

SOCKS: M&S 

Our other regular, the very creative Ann, of Kremb de la Kremb has done her typical Ann thing and turned the piece right on its head, and oh how gorgeous does she make the shaggy shawl look? (Such glowing skin - it shouldn't be allowed!) I love all of the ornate jewellery she has accessorised it with. Go to the top of the class girl! Follow Ann on Instagram here.

Details -

Sunnies--Forever 21

Earrings--Ben from Jardines Bazaar, Hong Kong

Shrug--Anna's dress

Brooch--Banana Republic

Ring--India

Shirt--Gap

Leather Shorts--Forever 21

Jungle Bag--Louella Odie

Anklets--La Jolla Beach, California 

Booties--DIY on an old Forever 21 pair (http://www.krembdelakremb.com/diy-painting-scuffed-shoes/) 

And here we have the ever so cool Sheela of Sheela Writes. Sheela lives in Houston, Texas where she exploits her stark,urban backdrop to contrast her downright outrageous outfits. My readers may well think I have an extensive shoe collection, but they really need to check out some of the amazing footwear lurking in this lady's closet! Follow Sheela on Instagram here.

Details -

Leather Top - StitchFix

Belt worn as necklace - JCrew

Clutch, Booties, Sunnies & Leggings - thrifted

Ring - a gift from Eve

Yellow Cuff - courtesy of Unearthed

This vision of elegance is Greetje of No Fear of Fashion. Greetje too, has a rather amazing collection of shoes and boots, and these are a particular favourite of mine - those heels are something else aren't they? Greetje features not only her fabulous clothes on the blog, but also the local sights both in Holland as well as on her various trips away with girlfriends that seem to be a regular occurrence (lucky lady). Follow Greetje on Instagram here.

Details

skinnies: Closed, 

booties: Eijk Amsterdam, 

shirt: Marco Polo (old), 

pendant: through Heleen Tuinman.

So here we go with my take on this shaggy beast of a top. These shots were taken at the end of March and seemed to be my typical mix of elements that made the outfit very me. However, the fly in the ointment was when Samantha diligently returned the top last week which was a terrible trial for me. You may well have noticed a couple of pairs of jacquard boots making their debut on the blog recently... Well, I really wanted to re-shoot wearing a pair of those, but time and weather put a stop to that. Maybe another day. In the meantime here's how I styled it -

This extended edition has been such great fun. Thanks to all of my blogging friends for taking the time and effort to present their own version of this crazy green top/dress/shawl. It's been really interesting as usual, and I do hope it was worth a visit for you, the reader. Next month we have an offering from Samantha which is currently under the care of Ann as she considers her options. I fancy her creative juices are already flowing with some marvel or other. If you'd like to, then please follow me on Instagram here.

My outfit details are -

Dress: H&M

Disco pants:H&M

Polo neck: eBay

Shoes: Office

Pendant: Vivienne Westwood

Sunglasses: Quay Australia

Watch: Michael Kors

Rings: old.

I'm asking if I may be excused games tomorrow Miss! Well, what I mean is, I'm having a day off from my regular Friday post, but will be back again on Sunday. Amuse yourself with a dip into some old posts I say, as I'll be setting questions for your assessment soon!

Anna x

Squeezing the last drop out of summer

I'm the kind of person who likes to squeeze the last drop of juice out of a lemon, force that desultory dollop of ketchup out of the bottle and push the final slick of conditioner out of the tube. It'll be of no surprise to you then, that I've got one final hurrah before I say goodbye to my summer outfits. The defining line between summer and autumn for me is the lack of, or need to wear tights. That sudden bit of chill heralds the extra comfort layer for me. And golly, do I love my tights - patterned, tartan, lacy and every colour of the rainbow - I love them all! However today, here we have the (probably) final bare-legged offering of the year. And with that, a slightly formal, secretarial look too, I fancy.

The smallest of things give me such pleasure: these striped rings from my friend Wendy which work so well with this shirt and also the cuff links that I found in a charity shop.

This wonderful satin striped shirt (by Hawkes & Curtis, Jermyn Street, London) was a charity shop scoop from my last trip to the mainland. I thought the full spectrum of colours could stand an understated look, which brought to mind this simple grey pencil skirt. Black shoes and handbag would have been a classic way to take this, but hey, since when did I conform like that? My yellow, jelly, Candy Bag tones in beautifully and the wild card had to be my leopard print heels. 

Friday brought not just Polly's last day working with me, but also our final show of the year. The evening was a resounding success. The show is a platform for the emerging talent from Falmouth University's Drawing students - see the full exhibition here. We had a fantastic turnout for our drinks party, despite the wind and rain that descended just as we opened. Our normal photo shoot was a wipe out consequently so you'll have to make do with a couple of indoor shots. My (other) new boots had an outing along with a dress bought for the occasion from H&M. I was all ready to proudly link to something new for a change, but it turns out that the dress must have been so popular, it's all sold out! I can however let you see the boots from ASOS which seem to be still for sale here.

And I can't finish without giving a huge thanks to the team of helpers who have made the exhibition period run so smoothly. Thank you ladies - (LtoR) Ruth, Heather, Polly and Max - brilliant teamwork from you all. Please come back again next year!

Anna x

Let the wind blow!

Today's outft and the sunshine are a heady combination for me. The wind has a brilliant energising effect too, which when added to this pink and orange shirt with its paisley print pattern is a recipe for outright joy - it's enough to make me twirl and even do a little jig. I recall reading a really good piece of advice about buying clothes. The fashion designer in question said to only buy something if it makes you want to do a little dance. I apply that to my daily outfits: I try to find something that makes me do a little jig as I'm getting dressed. This combo certainly did. It's all harmless fun eh?

The blouse was a recent hand-me-down from my daughter, and golly what a treat that was! I'd been secretly coveting this since she bought it couple of years ago. It's from H&M and is a lovely silky material, manmade I'm sure, and is like a synthetic silk. I've paired it with these stretch trousers which are also from H&M, but purchased last year in the spring. I love the slim fit. I'd normally go with my default setting of brogues but wanted to have a longer, leaner look for a change. These high heels in leopard print are a good pattern to work alongside the geometric, mosaic print of the trousers. The cute little handbag finishes off the look.

The shoes and bag were charity shopped, top and trousers are from H&M but no longer in stock, and the jewellery is all charity shopped. Sunglasses are by Quay Australia. 

Anna x

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

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Jess of Elegantly Dressed And Stylish

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