White jeans and gingham top

Welcome back!

Hello there! How's your week going? The Monday rush pushed my post back into to Tuesday, but here I am resplendent in my new white jeans. No, I've not broken my shopping ban - I've been rummaging through my stockpile of goodies that I've not worn yet. The last time I was on the mainland was February and that's when I bought these River Island jeans. I picked them up in TK Maxx where they were reduced to £16.99. I'm a late bloomer as far as white jeans go, but have ended up with two new pairs both bought out of season at bargain prices. 

Much as I like how white jeans look on others, I've always struggled with how they look on me. I've not helped myself by choosing wide legged cropped jeans as they can only serve to broaden and shorten the wearer. Oh to be six foot tall and willowy as a beanpole!

That old trick of standing sideways sometimes helps... Nah!

Anyway, moving swiftly on. I've  chosen this checkered top with frilled sleeves as partner today, adding black and white hessian platform sandals as a kind of bookend look. The blouse is years old and was a supermarket purchase from Asda at the time. It's particularly useful as it requires minimum care beyond chucking it in the wash and line drying. I've not had to iron it, ever.

I bought the wedge sandals last year in the Harrogate branch of TK Maxx for £14.99. I love the chevron sole plus the fact that they're a broad fit and therefore all day comfortable. 

I decided to pep up the look with orange as an accent colour by way of these two perspex rings (pre-loved), matching necklace (a boutique purchase many years ago) and these retro sunglasses from Topshop last year.

So this is my second week of being open to the public again and I'm pleased to say that I'm getting used to it. The islands are looking like normal again, which is great for business, but can be tricky as far as remembering that this is our first (potential) exposure to COVID19. Anyone travelling to, from and between the islands must wear face coverings for the journey and I'm seeing people coming off the boats choosing to keep their masks on as they walk around the bay past the Gallery and beyond. The islands offer a carefree, relaxed beach holiday experience and as such are enjoying a veritable stampede for bookings. I've heard that Tresco is fully booked until mid October. Hurrah! Our Tresco visitors are very grateful to be able to come back to the island and as such are happy to comply with our local safety measures and restrictions. We've seen shopping queues on TV for months and now our local supermarket has one every day too. I'm offering appointments for viewings at the gallery and am as busy as ever. Even though the risk assessment for the building is for only two people at a time I'm still managing to keep up with demand. All in all, it's good to be back in the swing of things.

                                                                                          Anna x

Ralph Lauren military jacket

Hello again!

Welcome to my Friday hook up. I'll confess that this OOTT was from those pre-furloughed days when dressing up for work was the joy of the day. There's no better motivation than knowing that you'll be customer facing and therefore under scrutiny. I have lovely clients who pop in to see me, confessing that they merely want to check what I'm wearing that day! So, no pressure there then. But honestly, I do love the excuse of work, in fact any excuse, to dress up. 

This is the first time I've shown the bargain of the month that I found in February when I was on a quick trip to the mainland. As is my habit, I checked out TK Maxx on this very brief trip and was lucky enough to happen across this wonderful military style jacket by Polo Ralph Lauren. It was the only one in the store as is often the case and to my delight it fitted like a glove!

Regardless of the crazy price saving here, I have always lusted after this style of jacket. I think Victoria Beckham designed one a couple of years ago, but even before then it's been on my wishlist. I see it as a wardrobe staple, one that can be dressed up or down and is an absolute classic in my eyes. You'll be seeing a lot of this in future I promise you.

Barrel buttons and braiding are typical of this type of jacket, but on top of that, the woollen fabric is weighty in a reassuring way, without being too heavy - it remains sleek, is what I'm trying to say. Yes, it's true love, that's for sure.

Perfectly pleasing pre-loved rings.

I bought the off white jeans on the same shopping trip. The brand is River Island, but they were on sale at TK Maxx for £9.99 as opposed to the £40 original price tag. You know how I just love a bargain! Next time I'll style them up with a sweater to show you the neat cut of them including the black belt which ties in with the black contrasting stitching. They're high waisted, neat fitting and will be great for the spring/summer period. I've paired them with my much loved black patent chelsea cowboy boots from Topshop last year.

Yes, here's another pair of Radley London sunglasses, courtesy of my friend Ellie who designed them.

And finally, I think I'm beginning to make headway with all of my chores at home. I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed at the sheer number of jobs that are calling out for my attention. So the other day, I decided to break these down into bite size pieces and hey presto, I've tidied the cupboard under the stairs!

I'll leave you with a few beach photos from the past week. I've been following the tide around, swimming on the high tide every day which has  been such a treat.

 

Until next time, stay home, stay safe!

Anna x