Mother's Day lunch

Happy Mother's Day to all you lovely mums out there! My kids treated us to a lunch out yesterday at the Ruin Beach Cafe on Old Grimsby. We started off outside but as the sun faded behind the clouds we relocated inside but still with a great view to enjoy. 

Pud of the day was this lovely chocolate desert. Steve didn't so much eat it as inhale it within minutes!

Unusually for me I opted for an all black outfit. Levi jeans and Ralph Lauren jacket plus white frilled shirt are all old. The pared down look was chosen to highlight my rather fabulous new cowboy boots - these are definitely the stars of the show. 

I bought the boots on Vinted last week. They're brand is MOMA New York - the Museum of Modern Art and you can find them here. They are called Sunny Days Ankle Boots and each pair is made from vintage saris and hand decorated with embroidery and beads making them quite simply unique. This was their first outing and I was thrilled with the fit and comfort of these cowboy boots. The sole and inner are both leather and are true fit for their size. These are boot heaven!

I took my lead from the boots with my accessories too - orange belt and scarf are old as are all my turquoise coloured necklaces and ring. Sunglasses are from Radley London.

Workwise I'm happy to report that I ought to be finished in the cottages within the next week. It's a wonderful creative project, but I am missing the Gallery and all that comes with it. If you've been on the island recently and popped in to see me then I do apologise for being awol. As I say, normal service ought to be resumed by next week!

                                                                                      Anna x

Last week

Hello again! Yes, this was me last week at work, outside Norrard Cottage which is having an art upgrade to complete the recent refurb that's taken place. Apart from managing Gallery Tresco, I also curate all of the artworks in the 100 cottages on the island which can be quite a juggling act. This winter I've been tasked with the refresh of over 30 houses to make them ready for a photo shoot for the Tresco Island website. It's a joy to do, to find the perfect pieces to suit colour schemes and layouts of rooms. My new gallery assistant Mel drives us around on a little golf buggy loaded up with armfuls of art wrapped up in bubble wrap and off we hurtle in every direction most days. 

Workwear has to be practical on these days and for me that often means lycra to offer stretch and ease of movement. This camo two piece was from ASOS a couple of years ago and has been a great buy. I've paired it with these comfy boots from TK Maxx.

The orange puffa gilet was a purchase from Primark last summer (yes, shame on me for succumbing to fast fashion, especially after last week's post!). I'm a sucker for anything orange... Sunglasses are by Radley London.

You can check out some of the views from the holiday cottages on the Gallery Tresco Instagram account here. This back door view may not look terribly inviting, but just see the wonderful view from the loo here! Mel and I will be dodging about from cottage to cottage over the next couple of week as we add the icing to the cake in each of these holiday homes ready for the summer ahead. I'll post a link once the images are live on the website.

Have a great week!

                                                                                       Anna x

Slowing down fast fashion

Hello again! Today's outfit is all about slowing down fast fashion. Every so often I get an attack of the guilts about fast fashion and so this is my attempt to prolong the life of one such item. The piece in question is this pair of black and green joggers by Shein which I bought in a charity shop, a move that I can of course applaud myself for as this is step one in affecting a change. 

Step two, for me, is to customise an item, hence making it not only more unique and so the very opposite of fast fashion, but also to prolong my love affair with it as it becomes much more individual and therefore more likely for me to retain and love it for years to come. When I bought these joggers (for only £3!) the one thing I found lacking was pockets. After wearing them once I decided to rectify this by adding my own. It was easier than I expected as I first scavenged two pockets of similar material, but beautifully contrasting pattern, from an old silky dressing gown that I keep as best, therefore never wear. I carefully opened the side seams of the joggers and simply stitched the satin pockets in place. I tested the materials on the sewing machine, but they puckered as they are different fabrics so I sewed them by hand in a tiny stitch first one direction and then back the other to give it strength. Et viola! 

The marriage of joggers and boots is indeed a perfect and very happy one. I'm thrilled to find yet another reason to wear these fab, comfy and trendy boots (TK Maxx, but see similar ones here from ASOS). This was a work outfit from last week. I'm currently updating art in many of the holiday cottages and these photos are from a trip out to the Sea Garden Cottages. Check out the view from Nautilus below - 

Stunning eh?

The rest of my outfit is all old, some preloved, such as the roll neck sweater. The studded jacket is by Michael Kors, a purchase from TK Maxx many years ago, but still much worn. We all love a classic jeans jacket and this one simply has a bit more bling than usual!

None of my accessories are new; the sunglasses are by Radley, rings are thrifted and my Vivienne Westwood pendant is quite a few years old now, but more precious than ever since her recent death. 

For my birthday last month I was given this beautifully comprehensive tome of Vivienne's legacy to the fashion world, one that will be a source of inspiration to me especially when I look to customise clothing in the future. There is nothing that she didn't make and no fashion rule that she didn't break. Bold and brilliant, her designs were cutting edge, her lack of respect and perversity were legendary. The most memorable photo I saw of her was outside Buckingham Palace after receiving her OBE from the Queen when she flashed her knickerless parts for the press. The book catalogues her wit, her passion and all of the models who flocked to be part of her world.

Thank you for joining me for this week's round up. I hope you have a great week and look forward to seeing and hearing from you again soon!

                                                                                Anna x

Fun fur in Feb

Hello lovelies! How are you doing? I hope that you're well and maybe feeling that promise of spring in the air. Here's my favourite outfit from last week. Sunday morning saw sunshine and clear blue sky on Tresco, but the wind was coming from the East, an icy blast if you were on the wrong side of the island. This gave me the perfect opportunity to don my beloved cow print fun fur (from River Island last year) and to have a Sunday saunter along the quayside to enjoy the peace and quiet of the day. You'll notice I was facing the direct sunshine in many of these shots which in turn featured the shadow of my camera mounted on my gorilla tripod; this small tripod has flexible legs, ideal for wrapping around fences, rocks or trees when you don't have an eager assistant to hand.

My outfit was all about animal prints, although I balked at adding my snakeskin boots to the mix, opting instead for my chunky cream boots (ASOS). The leopard print kick flare trousers are from Primark, purchased last year. I love the stretch fit which makes them easy to wear for work or even if I've had a large lunch... The leopard print shirt was a second hand find a few years ago, but is also the Primark brand. The button front and hip length makes it easy to wear with skirts and trousers, but looks best left untucked.

I finished the look off with this orange cashmere sweater, a fabulous charity shop find from a couple of years ago. I paid £10 for it and couldn't get out of the shop quick enough!

None of my accessories are new. The tribal print neckace pops up frequently on the blog, and also at work earning me many a compliment. The sunglasses are by Radley and my rings are various gold rings, including my wedding band, all bought by my husband.

I loitered about on the quay for some time, enjoying the sunshine and the view. If I'd had a soundtrack for these shots it would have been "Easy like Sunday morning" by Lionel Richie - cheesy, but still a great track!

Thanks for dropping by and I'll see you again next week!

Anna x

My outfit of the week

Hello again! How are you? I've been busy as ever this past week with some days spent out in the holiday cottages packing art and others back at my desk catching up on admin. This was an office outfit, a new houndstooth check suit, a recent purchase from Primark. The inverted pleat skirt and boxy jacket aren't lined but are a heavyweight fabric which is ideal for this time of year. 

I'm very partial to a suit as you probably know, and this green and black combination is zesty and fun. It's definitely a winter outfit as I won't be wearing it without thick tights due to the length of the skirt. I sounded Steve out at the time of purchase to see if it was okay and it got his approval. 

It's easy to be a bit dismissive of high street fashion, but if you curate the look with some individual accessories you can personalise it to speak your own style. By adding this double buckle and stud trimmed belt the focal point moves, drawing the eye to the waistline. From there the eye travels to my green orb pendant by Vivienne Westwood. My rings are old, preloved and perfect finishing features for the look.

The final flourish has to be these black stretch ankle boots with contrasting green soles. The chunky soles are bang on trend and work to balance the outfit avoiding a top heavy look. I found these in TK Maxx. 

My old black Radley sunglasses finish things off nicely!

This outfit will work equally well when we re-open in March and I'll still be wearing tights for warmth. I can swap out the white body for a black roll neck on colder days and also have a lime green tank to slip on for a different take. 

I've had two trips to the mainland in October, each enabling me to have a few hours of lovely retail therapy. I had time to visit some of my favourite charity shops as well as some high street stores. The spread above is a joyful collection gathered with winter in mind to give my wardrobe a huge injection of colour. The happiest find of all had to be a pink trouser suit, the holy grail of shopping for me. You may have heard me talk of the fruitless search for my perfect pink two piece a couple of years ago and suddenly, out of the blue, I found it! A special suit deserves a special occasion, so it'll turn up at some stage, don't worry.

                                                                                                     Anna x

Hurrah for that Friday feeling!

Yes, after a week back at work, here I am at the end of the day, flushed with that Friday feeling. Much as I love my job, it's been tough to know that there was a second Triscape retreat taking place just on the other side of the island - without me! I've been green with envy at the very thought of it all. But hey ho, life goes on and I've had a busy week catching up on sales and making plans for the weekend ahead. 

 

I'm sporting my new work glasses here, not too expensive as they were from Specsavers, but they are great for my computer work when my eyes are getting tired. I wear reading glasses for my bedtime read, but apart from that it's only computer work that has me reaching for my glasses for a clearer vision.

And once work is over, it's time for a bit of fun! I love to have a bop around the back of the gallery when we're closed and I'm winding down. The weather wasn't good for outdoor blog photos so I settled down to capturing some shots indoors for a change...

My outfit of the day shows nothing new, simply a joyful collection of animal prints along with my cream Asos boots. The frilled blouse was a charity shop find from many years ago and is still going strong. I had planned to wear a fab fur coat over the top of this, but we had mix of wet and windy weather that scuppered my plans. I'll show you next time!

The cream leather belt was a second hand find, but actually brand new from Country Casuals. Rings are old too, but perfect tonally for today's look.

And it's that time of the year again, when I bring out my Paul Costelloe leopard skin handbag. It's sleek, stylish and great fun!

And talking of fun, the rest of the shoot was all about hamming it up for the camera - and why on earth not?

Hurrah for that Friday feeling and hurrah for having the freedom to dress as I please, even at work! 

Wishing you a fab week ahead x

Anna x