My festive round-up - part one

Hello and here as promised is my round-up of festive outfits. It's probably no surprise to you to learn that the past two weeks bridging Christmas and New Year are my favourite for the opportunities to dress up. Even the mundane daily trip to the shop warrants a fur coat over jeans during the festive season.

The fur is very old, from TK Maxx, jeans old too, the bejewelled belt was from Amazon a couple of years ago, the cream sweater has a light smattering of lurex threads spun thoughout - it was from TK Maxx last month and Dr Martens were a Vinted buy a few months ago.

Wrap me up in fur and I'm at my happiest, feeling glamorous and believing I'm gorgeous, regardless of what anyone else might think! There's nothing nicer than a cosy fur coat at this time of year.

Somehow this particular outfit didn't make its party debut this time, but Fiona had assisted with a photo shoot ready for an invite to drop on the mat. No matter, it's my birthday this month, so I've not missed my chance...

The lightweight shaggy jacket was from F&F at Tesco - a find while I was doing my Christmas food shop there last month. At £50 it was more than my thrift finds, but I fell in love with it straight away and didn't think twice about adding it to my trolley. 

The sequinned leggings cost me £9 from the Cancer Research shop in Truro last month. The pale gold glitter knitted top was from New Look at the same time and the Kurt Geiger ankle boots were a bargain from TK Maxx during the same trip - a successful shopping session!

The black boots are velvet and the bejewelled bows are like huge brooches, stiff not soft, and make these such a statement. I'm thrilled with them.

This is what I wore to our pre-Christmas drinks party in the Gallery on the 23rd December. Nothing new here at all: the gold lurex cardigan was a charity shop find in London many, many years ago, but a huge bargain at only £6! It's a heavyweight knit which feels lovely.

The velvet jeans are Levi's, second hand from goodness knows when and the cream lace bodysuit was from Vinted some time ago. The bejewelled Amazon belt is making another appearance along with gold leather boots, pre-loved too, from Vinted.

As for accessories, the gold chain necklace was a recent purchase from Vinted, the sunglasses are very old from Radley London, the flower ring was a thrifted piece and my other ring is from Emily Nixon Studio. The whole look is probably a bit understated for me, but sometimes it's good to surprise people and not be too predictable.

And this was my Christmas Day outfit for the lunchtime drinks at the New Inn. I had hoped to make a net skirt like the Claudia Winkleman one shown on my blog previously - see it here. I was definitely up for the task, but the fudge production took presidence. I still have every intention of making it - that's once I can fathom out its creation without a pattern.

Plan B was this tiered frilly net skirt, bought in TK Maxx last time I was there. I added a red flouffy underskirt along with red tartan tights with black patent boots (new from Deichman). The red top is by Hobbs, but amazingly only cost me £3 when I found it in a charity shop in Manchester in September - God I do so love a bargain!

The fake fur and feather trimmed handbag is truly a vintage piece now. I've had it for over 20 years but store it away in its own plastic zip lock bag to keep the moths away. It always earns me compliments every time I bring it out.

Steve took my Christmas day snaps en route to the pub so it was all a bit rushed. As for this one, it's meant to showcase my Vivienne Westwood orb pendant but I fear my bazookas are stealing the scene! I'd bought what used to be known as a foundation garment aka all-in-one spanx to give me a smooth, steamlined look with some of my more fitted party clothes but honestly, I think I'd hoiked my boobs up towards my ears on the first wearing of it. I definitely don't have pneumatic bosoms normally!

This comedy shot of Jamie through the broken window was one of his best oops moments of the holiday. Our front door had swollen up after many days of rain and Jamie had put his shoulder to the door to help heave it open - with smashing results! I heard the crash of glass and snapped his rather sheepish look.

I'm going to finish here today, but I do hope you'll come back next week to see the final three festive outfits I have to share with you, including my New Year's Eve party outfit - a real sequin extravaganza!

                                                                    Anna x

Belt Up, our Style Not Age Challenge for November

Yes, it's that time of the month again! Here we all are rising to this month's challenge where Jacqui has prompted us to Belt Up! My outfit is one that I gathered together in September and yet never managed to showcase on the blog for various reasons so here it is now in all its technicolour glory! But as always, let me share the outfits from my fashionable friends first...

This month's feature is pretty much a story of two halves where Hilda and Jacqui are also touting an autumn vibe along with their belts whereas myself and Emma are pushing the boat out colourwise! Read Hilda's backstory here on Over the Hilda blog.

Rich chocolate hues work perfectly with Jacqui's tan leather belt in her seasonal look. Find out what she's been up to this week in her latest blog post at Mummabstylish. 

Emma's really delivering the wow factor this month with her fabulous two-tone jacket and golden accessories. This outfit shows she's ready for the party season right now! Catch up with all of her latest news on her blog, Style Splash. 

My colourful offering is all pre-loved, so excuse me for feeling a bit smug. The jeans, belt and cardigan were finds from Truro charity shops when I was passing through in September. The linen shirt is very old and the Dr Marten boots were from Vinted. I totally understand it this isn't your kind of thing as it truly is a Marmite outfit - obviously I love it, but it's okay if you don't.

The cardigan had been lovingly hand knitted which obviously adds even more appeal for me as I truly appreciate the time and effort it would have taken to creat this colourfest of a cardi. 

The boots are hopefully going to add cheer to my winter dressing as well as being comfortable. I do love a clumpy boot and these do have big heavy soles hinting at longevity too.

I was so excited to discover these hand painted jeans in the rack of a charity shop during one of my browsing sessions. The are many sizes too big for me, but I went straight away to the local haberdashery and bought some wide elastic to add to the inside of the waistband. Between the elastic and the jazzy yellow belt I managed to pull the waist in sufficiently to carry off this baggy legged look. 

Nothing new with my accessories here. My sunglasses are old from Radley London and rings are both old too. 

Many thanks for joining us for this month's style challenge. It's a wonderfully diverse spread of outfits that we're sharing with you again. Maybe you'll find some inspiration here?

Looking forward to seeing you again!

Anna x

Autumn Colours, our Style Not Age challenge for October

Hello again, and welcome to our Style Not Age challenge for October. This month Hilda has opted for Autumn Colours as our theme, a most timely choice. I just happened to be wearing this (non-outfit) outfit the other day when the photos started to arrive in my inbox and so I thought it might just pass muster.

So, let's start with Hilda, who has recently become a grandmother (again) to a dear little baby girl. The chocolate brown trousers are new, from Cos and the pretty embroidered cardigan, tee shirt and trainers are all shopped from her closet. Catch up on her news on Over the Hilda. 

Jacqui too has shopped her wardrobe for this month's look. She's wearing russets, greys and black as her autumn colours - see more from her on her blog Mummabstylish.

Emma is sharing one of her holiday snaps with us from the sunny island of Madeira where she's wearing a favourite orange jumpsuit by Nutmeg with gold accessories. See more from her on Style Splash. 

Despite this not being a staged outfit per se, it is one of my most seen looks of late. I love this embroidered coat and am wearing it often as I know it's a brief window of opportunity before I'll have to pack it away until warmer spring days. I found it on Vinted earlier on this year and love that I rediscovered these jeans recently - hence they're turning up on the blog like a rash at the moment! Anyway the jeans and coat marry up beautifully so excuse me if you see me out and about in them, again.

Something that is new however is this rather grand Harris Tweed and leather backpack which I bought in Inverness last month. Scotland prides itself on fine goods in Harris Tweed and I was tempted to buy a handbag in this pattern, but after much thought I hit on the idea of having a backpack to not only free up my hands, but to use as my travelling bag when popping off the island. 

It's big enough to hold all of the essentials plus my drinking bottle and still has enough room for my book of the moment and glasses - so important when I'm waiting for a flight on sitting on the train. Needless to say I love the dear little backpack and hope to have many happy trips with it in years to come.

The embroidery theme continues with my Replay trainers which you'll no doubt have seen many times before. I have these in two colourways and wear them often as they're jazzy enough for work and yet so blooming comfortable when I have to stand at the desk all day.

As ever, I'm delighted to show you my Emily Nixon gemstone ring which I've worn daily since Steve bought it for my birthday in January. I so hope that this is the start of new trend for him after many years of being sidetracked during my birthday month... Apologies for the lack of manicure, but it was an impulse photo shoot!

This little beach track is just across the road from our doctor's surgery and is a much nicer place to hang out whilst waiting for the annual flu jab that Steve and I had recently. He's not doing too bad a job as my blog photographer of late, don't you think?

Thanks again for dropping by and I do hope that our monthly style challenges feed your imagination!

                                                                        Anna x

Second hand jeans - two ways

I recently had a couple of nights on the mainland during which time I managed to fit in a bit of charity shopping. My most exciting find were these two tone jeans for £6. They seemed relatively new as they had a crispness to them which made me think they'd not yet been washed, so were perhaps a bad buy for the previous owner. For me they're an absolute joy of a find and I couldn't wait to wear them!

I rolled up the trouser legs, added a belt and they were good to go. I have a simple white tee shirt underneath this new sweater from Number36 boutique in Penzance - I now have three of these Miss Carla jumpers and I love them!

This is a great weekend outfit. It's perfect for out boating when you need an extra layer when out on the water. By the way - could someone slow things down a bit - the last of the summer is simply speeding by!

My second look for these jeans is with this colourful jacket which I've showcased previously, see here. The no label jacket was from Vinted and really ticks all the boxes for me. It's colourful, easy to wear and great fun. Wearing it with the jeans is a good smart/casual combo and one that I'll look forward to showcasing again.

The tee shirt is old, as is the bejewelled belt (was from Amazon) and the crochet flowered sandals were from TK Maxx (maybe last year...). 

The outfit is another ode to summer from me. A wonderful mix of colours and patterns that typifies my style.

Nothing new with the jewellery. The rings are both old, charity shop finds and the sunglasses are from Radley. Reflected in my sunglasses is my bike leaning against the bench and my phone on a mini tripod. This spot is great for not only catching the evening sun but also for getting out of the main thoroughfare of the island. Hopping on my bike to come here beside Pentle Bay gives me the chance to capture the look of the day while still being relatively private. Not only that, but I always stop to enjoy the view of the beach beyond...

Many thanks for dropping by. Enjoy the last of the summer!

Anna x

Festival Fashion

Hello again and welcome to Festival Fashion, our Style Not Age challenge for July! It's a topical style choice at this time of year and we have Jacqui to thank for that. Before you scroll any further however, I just have to say that I was surprised at how differently we all approached this theme, but that surely goes to show our different personalities. So do please carry on - scroll away to see how my fashionable friends fared!

Emma brought out the big guns for her look with silver and sequins and all that sparkles! She's left us in no doubt as to where she's heading. See all the details on her blog Style Splash. 

Jacqui's look is more boho than disco with a slight country vibe to it too. I love the muted palette along with the leather accessories. Find all the details on Jacqui's blog Mummabstylish.

Hilda decided on a more relaxed slant for her outfit, choosing a comfortable, loose-fitting shirt and jeans for her festival fun. Catch up on all of her latest on her blog Over The Hilda.

I've shopped my closet for my festival finery and am really happy with the result. It's not an outfit I've worn before but now that I've assembled the look I think I'll wear it again. Everything is from Vinted, purchased last year. The frilled top has only been worn once before and I'm asking myself now, Why? 

Both the top and trousers are by River Island and the boots are by All Saints. I've been quite restrained of late and haven't made a forray into the realms of Vinted for months now, but when I see these pieces it does make me happy that I found them.

Behind me you'll see the last of the agapanthus still in bloom, but definitely past their best. I do love this beach path leading down to Pentle Bay, one of my swimming beaches. My only accessories are a couple of pre-loved rings and these blue Radley London sunglasses.

As a backdrop you really couldn't find anything nicer. Of course, I may be biased, but hey! I do hope our challenge has entertained and maybe even inspired you too. Enjoy the rest of your week!

                                                                        Anna x