Fun with pattern play

Hot off the press - this is today's work outfit! A comment from my blogging friend about last week's offering was pretty accurate about my rather tame trousers; so thank you Sheila for your constructive criticism! It spurred me on to work a bit harder with this week's post.

I spent more time on curating the outfit than ironing this time and I do believe it paid off. There's nothing new here, but that's not to say that it's not a fun offering. I'm delighted to say that this does spark joy for me and was much appreciated by a couple of lovely ladies too while I was serving them at work. One of them remarked that she would never have put these patterns plus the necklace together, but what a raving success it was - praise indeed for my pattern play!

The jacket and trousers are both by Zara, both second hand, and the H&M shirt was a charity shop buy some time ago, but I think this may be its first appearance on the blog. The necklace is from Topshop many moons ago and the purple stretch belt is very old too. Once again I'm wearing my two Emily Nixon rings as is my wont at the moment.

My sunglasses are old too, but still rather lovely - they're by Radley London. I'm not sure this is the most flattering of my snaps but it does show up the pattern play perfectly.

It's the first time this year for me to wear sandals; these were featured heavily last year I fancy as they're pretty much my favourite sandals of the moment. I bought them on Vinted and would love to find them again in another colourway, but no joy as yet.

Fiona did the honours taking the photos today at the end of our working day. We were caught up in the end of day rush hour although our idea of rush hour and yours will probably be many miles apart. Anyway, Fiona attracted attention as she was kneeling down for some shots and a lady approached her enquiring if she was on her knee proposing to me... We were quite tickled by that.

                                                                                    Anna x

Drinks party

Wednesday evenings are our drinks party nights at Gallery Tresco and this was my outfit from the latest one. I have a quick break after the dayshift, drink a cuppa and then I search for inspiration as to what to wear for the evening do. My outfit is usually led by the weather, in particular the temperature as I hate to be cold, but also dread to overheat. 

It had been a beautiful sunny day which turned into a golden balmy evening so that formed my decision to opt for this lightweight duster coat. I altered it two years ago (see the full post here) and don't seem to have worn it again since.

I was about to say, I can't imagine why I've not worn it, but really I think it's because it's so dressy and I really don't have many occasions to swan about in it - apart from Gallery parties! Anyway, I've set myself the challenge to get more wear out of it this year.

Underneath the coat I'm wearing a pair of nicely fitted (Primark) trousers that I was about to cull, but I decided to try them on first and - they look absolutely fine! The only problem with them is that they're a manmade fibre and have to be ironed on a cool setting plus they were very creased from sitting packed up in a suitcase for months on end. All in all, it took amost 25 minutes to get them smoothed out enough to wear. Maybe that's why I was getting rid of them...

The cream lace bodysuit was a Vinted purchase from either last summer or the previous one, but whichever it has been a really useful addition to my wardrobe as I wear it lots. I added a stretch beaded belt, very old from Tu, as the colours seemed to tie in well and I seem to be partial to a stretchy belt to pull a look together. None of my jewellery is new, but the necklaces were spot on colourwise to wear with the shimmering coat. The short one with cowrie shells is by Julian Warrender (bought from the Gallery) and the long one is my much loved Dancing Girl from years ago, by Charlie Dodge, also from Gallery Tresco. Both my rings are by Emily Nixon. Sunglasses are old, from Radley London.

I was delighted to pair the jacket with my MOMA fabric boots as one of the toes has the same fabulous turquoise shade as the coat. All in all, the outfit is very me and therefore I rated it as a success, and that's all that matters. I don't rely on compliments or feedback from others - of course, that's lovely and a bonus - but all I need is to see something in the mirror that makes me smile (or sometimes even dance) and I know I've got it right. 

And finally, I must thank Rachel for taking my blog photos after the party was over. We'd had a successful evening with not too many guests and most of them were happy to stand outside with a drink in hand, chatting and enjoying the view. It was a lovely end to the day - happy guests and Rachel and I wandered off home to bask in the afterglow of a job well done. Oh, and here's that view...

Thanks for swinging by and do come again!

Anna x

That was Mother's Day!

How was your Mother's Day? Did you get up to much or was it all about doing nothing for a change? Jamie treated us to lunch at the Ruin Beach cafe which was a lovely little outing. Of course we missed having Sasha with us but she was having a little outing herself as she took the train to Chester for the day. 

Tresco daffodils picked by Jamie brightened up the house along with cards and a lovely tub of body butter from Sasha. 

The weather was showery so my orange Barbour jacket was perfect to go with this outfit. We stopped on the way to the beachside cafe and Jamie did the honours with the photos. As always there was much bossiness from me and a look of panic on his face in response.

The dress is old, from Vinted maybe last year but pepped up with these rather fabulous and totally perfect tights that were a birthday gift from Fiona. I wore a thermal long sleeved top under the dress as it was a decidedly cold day. The black patent boots are from Deichman and my handbag is by Steve Madden. All in all, I was rather pleased with the look.

Steve assisted from the sidelines holding my coat as the wind gusted round about us and I pretended it was a warm spring day.

The orange perspex rings seemed right for this bright outfit and I added my Vivienne Westwood orb necklace. It was a fun look and felt very me.

We had a lovely, gentle lunch with a beautiful view to boot - it was a good time to count my blessings. As I write this now my husband is listening to James Taylor and I'm feeling rather sentimental about our life together. Recently one of my dear friends, Lucy Dorrien-Smith passed away after her long battle with cancer. Lucy was a big part of my life on Tresco, giving me the job at Gallery Tresco 28 years ago and mentoring me in the role as Manager some time later. But not only was she my boss, but a dear friend, supporter and guiding light when life was tough. Lucy believed in me, encouraged me and helped me to become the woman I am today. I'm missing her daily and can't quite get my head around the sense of loss that has hit me. To know that she's no longer in pain is the only balm to my sadness.

Dearest Lucy, you've left a huge gap in our tiny community, the loss is immense.

Anna x

Back again!

Hello again and apologies for the absence! As mentioned in a previous post my spare time has been taken up with some DIY. I'll show you the before and after snaps in the hope of impressing you with my handiwork...

As a before shot this is a grim as it gets really. Rising damp had caused the wall to collapse and needed professional help. We had a local expert come in and pull the entire wall down and he plastered that and the adjacent wall to make them sound. 

So you get my drift then... it was a big job, dragging these old stairs back into something not just acceptable but rather smart I'd say. That's what I've been up to since my last post, but I have had one long walk during that time.

There's nothing new here - Zara jacket, Joules wellies, old jeans and sweater. I wasn't intending to use this on the blog, but I simply haven't had time to think about anything but decorating!

Gallery Tresco is due to open for the 2026 season on Monday and I'm sure you can imagine the flurry of acitivity going on currently to get things ready. My focus is entirely on the job but I'll be back on track soon, dressing up and showcasing my colourful wardrobe for another season at the helm.

                                                                    Anna x

A toned down colour palette this week

Hello again and thanks for dropping by! Today's outfit owes quite a lot to the Traitors influence, namely that style icon Claudia Winkleman (again). There's no point in me apologising as I find myself loving an oversized sweater and leggings a la Claudia. 

This fabulous cream sweater is from M&S, purchased just before Christmas when I was in store. I'm pleased that I was able to try it on in the shop as I sized up to get the loose fit that I wanted. 

This is my second week of wearing cream and honestly it's such a surprise to find that I like it so much. The loopy knit sweater is warm and weighty (oh you know how much I like a weighty fabric). And of course, cream is very good to warm up a pale complexion like mine. I wear a tinted moisturiser and blusher to ward off the pale winter tone of my skin.

My black leggings are very old, from Primark and the cream boots (by Catwalk) are on repeat from last week. I found them in the British Red Cross shop in Truro, brand new and only £6! Aplogies for repeating myself, but clearly I'm chuffed with them as well as them being an absolute bargain.

Cream crunchy cotton socks join that no man's land between boots and leggings, plus they add a toasty layer around the ankles.

My rings are both pre-loved and the sunglasses are by Radley London. I have to mention that it's a total relief to me to be in February now. Despite having a January birthday I really don't like the post-Christmas slump that seems to happen to me most years. I think my body responds to January by throwing up some ailment or other and this year I've had bronchitis. I'm just emerging from that and it's left me washed out and weary. A bit of sunshine yesterday was just what I needed.

It's only a month now until the island re-opens for another season which seems incredible. I have so much to achieve at work and that will have to be somehow condensed as I've missed two weeks while I've been recuperating. I'm hoping I can wave a magic wand to bring all of the projects and restocking and setting up all together in time. Wish me luck with that!

                                                                        Anna x

Joyful January our Style Not Age Challenge this month

Many thanks for joining me and my fashionista friends for our monthly Style Not Age challenge. It was my turn to set the theme and so I thought it might be good to view this normally anti-climatic month as a positive. Let's dive right in to see how everyone approached this one...

Emma is embracing her Joyful January look with gusto! Her joyful jacket is by Jayley and the perfect handbag for today's feature is from Vinted. See more about this rainbow bright outfit on Emma's post on Style Splash.

Hilda has opted for a more casual look this month. Her barrel jeans are by Cos and jacket is by Zara. Shopping her closet still results in this on trend look for her. Catch up on on her news on Over The Hilda blog. 

Jacqui is looking joyful indeed in her new Damart jacket paired perfectly with the maroon faux leather midi skirt. Catch up with Jacqui's backstory on Mummabstylish blog feature.

My Joyful January outfit coincided with an outing for my birthday a few days ago. This is what it looks like to be 68 - well, when you're me that is! I'm happy to say that I don't know what the expectation is for the average 68 year old woman and how she ought to look nowadays. No matter anyway. I'm making up my own rules as I go and the journey is indeed a joyful one!

For our picnic lunch at the north end of the island I gathered together some of my favourite items to create this daytime look. My cream shaggy jacket may not say daytime to you, but my style ethos is always to look my best every day without needing a reason to dress up. I think the jacket works equally well with denim as it did with my sequin leggings from the festive season.

The fairisle jumper is a wonderfully cosy knit as well as being the perfect length for these high waisted paperbag jeans. My favourite style icon Claudia showcased many a fairisle sweater during the Traitors series - I'm sure all of the Scottish Fairisle knitters were applauding her stylist for that bit of promotion. I wore a cream thermal top underneath as the jacket is more fashion than functional, but hey sometimes one has to suffer for one's art!

Nothing new with my accessories: the belt was from Amazon years ago, the cream flower ring is a charity shop find and the other is my birthday ring by Emily Nixon from last year, and the sunglasses are by Radley London.

My cream Chelsea boots were a find in the British Red Cross shop in Truro in December, a wonderful purchase as they were brand new and only cost me the ridiculous price of £6. Sometimes I just find myself being in the right place at the right time!

                                                                    Anna x