Lucy & Yak dungarees

Hello again, my lovely readers! It may seem hard to believe, but this was Tresco on the 2nd of January. It was very much a case of 'seize the day' for me, a great opportunity to showcase these fab Lucy & Yak dungarees which my daughter bought for my Christmas. I'll be honest with you and confess that this is a new brand for me despite their dungarees being around for the past five years. 

Sasha knows me so very well - I totally love these cheery all-in-ones! I was delighted to get the chance to wear them during the sunny weather when I'd been ready to pack them away for the summer time. I took a leisurely walk along to the quay and managed to capture these shots without any interruptions.

The bright orange roll neck was a recent purchase from Vinted (£5) and the rings are - yellow pre-loved and pink, a gift from a friend. Pink, yellow and orange make for the most joyful of outfits!

The white patent leather boots (TK Maxx) are old, but work so well with this, don't you think? I added my lovely, but old, River Island sunglasses. It's a fab weekend look that is both fun and easy to wear.

It was an absolute bonus to have this glorious outfit to wear on such a super day. The sea was flat calm, the sun was warm and it really was a wonderful start to 2023! Thanks so much for dropping by and I hope to see you again soon.

                                                                                             Anna x

Winter layering

Hello again! It's been so good to have a week off work, but here I am back in the groove. I managed to find a happy compromise with my time off, catching up on a few chores (even spring cleaning two cupboards) and doing some batch cooking for the freezer, but also having some lovely swims, watching a few movies, read a book and had the odd daytime nap. It's been great!

Today's outfit is all about winter layering, the perfect answer to indoors heat and outdoors cold. My dress is a charity shop purchase from last month when I was on the mainland. It cost me all of £4.95! I love the pattern, the colours and the retro vibe too. The v cutout and neck band lift it out of the ordinary, don't you think? I popped a long sleeved thermal underneath to give an extra bit of warmth to this cotton dress.

Next I added this fur gilet, not new, but still a fab bit of glamour plus warmth when you need an extra layer. The waistcoat was from TK Maxx a few years ago and comes out every winter.

My boots aren't new either, but were from ASOS a few years ago. I love how I've created a brand new look without breaking the bank.

Nothing new with my rings or sunglasses either. 

Last of all is this oxblood leather coat, another charity shop bargain from years ago - it was £20 from Oxfam and worth every penny of it. I love how windproof leather is and how it copes with rain without marking. Once the temperature drops a bit further I'll add a scarf and some leather gloves to make this entirely chill proof.

Can you believe that in a month's time we'll all be in the run up to Christmas? Is it just me, or are the months simply speeding by? I've bought one Christmas present so far and a couple of packs of cards so maybe I need to start getting my act together!

I'll be back on Monday with another of our Monthly Style Challenges. Please do swing by to see what we're up to!

                                                                                           Anna x

September colour

Did you watch it? I was one of the 20 million viewers who watched the TV coverage of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II yesterday, Monday 19th September 2022. The majestic farewell was more spectacular than anyone could have imagined and one that we shall never forget; what a memorable end to the most wonderful life. The day encapsulated love and loss in equal measure, leaving me feel as if I'd been there myself. My heart goes out to the Royal Family as they begin to make their way forward without their matriarch.

And so, on to the outfit of the day. This colourful ensemble was a work outfit, but I failed to capture it at the time and so did a re-run on Sunday. The eagle-eyed amongst you will see that some photos show me with necklace and matching bracelet and others not. I had great fun (not really) chasing the sun and had given up cloud dodging at one point and gone home, removing some of my jewellery only to have another burst of sunshine appear.

And yes, this look is indeed all about the joy of colour being orange and pink mainly. Nothing new here though. The flares are from Asos, cardigan from Primark, vest top from H&M and jewellery is all pre-loved. As ever, I'm holding on to summer for as long as I can and what better way to convey this than will these candy colours?

The cream boots were from Asos last year and have never been packed away. I love the platform for adding height - just perfect for these long loon pants.

At least I'm giving you lots of different views as I chased the sun. My tripod and timer served me well as I hopped from place to place trying to get a few decent shots. 

Another glorious backdrop as we look across Saffron Bay and through New Grimsby sound and on to Cromwell's Castle in the distance. It wasn't too much of a hardship to be out and about early on Sunday morning. Once I'd gathered my photos together I went off for a swim on the high tide and it was probably one of the warmest and most enjoyable swims of the year so far. The sea was calm, not a jellyfish in sight and no-one on the beach at all. Idyllic!

My 70's look is completed by these round sunglasses (ancient, from River Island) and the perspex rings. It's fun to relive the fashion of my teens even though that was 50 years ago - yikes! I'll finish off with a few more local shots of Tresco looking rather stunning in the early autumn sunshine.

And this was tonight's sunset as seen from my garden. 

Anna x

Maxi Madness, our Style Not Age challenge for August

Hello and welcome to Maxi Madness, our Style Not Age challenge for August! Month by month we 5 friends take it in turn to choose a theme for our challenge and this time it's Hilda's choice which has brought about a lovely collection of summer maxi's so let's take a closer look shall we?

Jacqui's look captures the golden glow of summer in what is actually her daughter's maxi dress. Floppy hat and espadrilles complete this balmy day outfit. Read more from jet-setting Jacqui on her blog Mummabstylish. 

Gail from Is This Mutton has chosen her Asos green maxi dress for our challenge paired with sandals from Accessorize. By her own admission it's madness to own such a lovely dress and never worn it until today!

Hilda's maxi is what she wore on her recent wedding anniversary - a skirt from her local boutique worn and a much loved top. Her maxi madness looks utterly elegant I'd say. You can find her backstory on Over The Hilda blog. 

Emma's glorious maxi dress is by Stella Nova, and is a fabulous combination of summer colours. The figure hugging wrap dress can be seen on her blog Style Splash here. 

My maxi dress was from Hush last summer and golly, what a lot of wear I've had out of it this summer too! It's been great for those super heatwave days when you only want to wear something loose and airy. The shade of pink is neither too wishy-washy nor too fluorescent to leave the skin looking washed out.  

Last week's blog Summer Brights outfit (see here) was such a success that I decided to repeat the happy combination of pink and orange again, this time using the orange for my accessories. Nothing new jewellery-wise nor with the sunglasses or old sandals, but all adding a welcome splash of contrasting colour to liven up what is already a pretty lively frock!

The backdrop is of New Grimsby quay for those of you who haven't visited the island. We mooched along at the end of the day to capture these shots with only a few fishermen for company. 

My daughter kindly did the honours with this week's photography. This atmospheric shot is one of my favourites. 

I do hope you've enjoyed this month's offering - maybe we've given you some inspiration for these last few weeks of summer weather and what you could wear. Thanks for dropping by!

                                                                            Anna x

Baggy trousers

Hello and happy Easter to you! Have you enjoyed a lovely weekend? And did the Easter bunny deliver lots of choccies to you? This is my Easter outfit which I would have worn had we gone anywhere. Instead we've been helping my son to move house from one side of the island to the other, and some four days later we're still not done. Today is all about culling the gathering of some 6 years to fit into his brand new home. He's keen to create a minimalist pad, but that takes a bit of discipline at this stage. Dejunking is the name of the game.

On to the outfit. This is from my recent shopping trip, a super spring outfit bought from various shops in Truro. The stars of the show are these fabulous baggy trousers which I found in TK Maxx, although the brand is Zara. I love the colour and the fabric, but it took a little bit of mending to get them wearable. The heavy woven material had one of those nasty catches where a strand of thread had been dragged through to the front which is probably why they were reduced to £9. I managed to tease the thread through to the inside of the fabric and then pulled them back into shape. The other issue was that they're an XXL and I'm a medium in Zara... I loved these straight away and bought them regardless of the size and when I got them home I stitched them up along the seam on the derriere taking in a couple of inches. They're still oversized, but the bright orange belt helps to cope with that.

The rest of the outfit came from Primark - belt at £2.50, ribbed body £4 and ribbed cardigan £6. The whole look is fresh and very spring-like don't you think? I'm so pleased with it all.

This pic makes me want to sing Baggy Trousers by Madness! 

Nothing new jewellery wise: pre-loved rings and rose gold heart pendant a long time ago purchase from a now defunkt boutique in Truro.

Old sunglasses from River Island many moons ago work nicely with this look.

My Missoni style trainers are by LA Gear and again aren't new by any means. Another purchase from TK Maxx some years ago and are still going strong.

I'm looking forward to wearing this new ensemble to work one day this week. It's one of those feel good outfits, perfect easy wear trousers and the sleek body helps to give a streamlined fit that avoids that constant tucking in. Pastel shades are always flattering to the skin too, don't you think? Until next time, have a super week!

                                                                                            Anna x

Inspired by Iris Apfel, our Style Not Age challenge for March

Hello again and welcome to this month's style challenge. I'm over the moon to be given this opportunity to channel the fabulous style icon that is Iris Apfel. If you're not familiar with her then click this link to find her Instagram page. The flamboyant 100 year old is a legend in America for her work not only as a fashion model, but as an Interior Designer to the stars as well as to nine Presidents who entrusted her to remodel the White House. At the age of 96 Iris was the oldest woman to have a Barbie created in her image and at 97 the oldest model to be signed up by the global agency IMG. On the 31st of March H&M UK will be launching a new range of clothing (see here) created in collaboration with Iris that promises to be their most ornate and eclectic yet - I for one am on the mailing list for that exciting release! So, what did my style sisters make of this challenge?

Hilda chose this month's theme, lending an Irish slant with this glorious green outfit and an abundance of bangles and necklaces borrowed from her daughter. See more from her here. 

Gail is channeling Iris perfectly in this pink and green ensemble - I've seen a photograph of her looking just like this! Catch up with Gail's story on Is This Mutton blog.

  

Inspired by Iris, Emma chose one of the icon's favourite colour combinations of red and turquoise to great effect. Read her back story on The Style Splash blog.

Beads, beads and more beads is how Jacqui has approached this month's challenge and hasn't she truly captured Iris's style? See how Jacqui tackled this on her blog Mummabstylish.

What fun I had putting this look together! My recent trip to the mainland enabled me to visit lots of charity shops to find necklaces to compliment this outfit. Iris, as Emma had observed too, showcases red and turquoise together often and that's what I wanted to emulate also. The shops were full of necklaces and I had the pick of beads and gemstones in all shades of turquoise and aqua. The red and white gingham trousers are by Zara, but purchased from TK Maxx at the bargain basement price of £8! 

My rings too were charity shop finds from a while ago, creating that Iris Apfel more is more signature style. In fact, did I wear enough, I wonder? The rose gold watch is by Micheal Kors, a cruise purchase from long ago.

These white kitten heel boots were from New Look in the sale a few years ago, costing only £5 and have surprised me by lasting so well. The toes were getting a bit scuffed as pointed toes often do so I gave them a swipe with a white marker pen I found in the basket at work.

And right on cue, here came the photo-bomber of the day. Fiona and I had hoped to avoid the evening rush hour, but Andrew the Head Gardener had other ideas!

The rest of the outfit comprises of this fab ruffle shirt which I bought in TK Maxx a couple of years ago. My sunglasses are also quite old, from River Island.

I do hope that you've enjoyed this month's style challenge. And now I'm off to join the H&M queue for my very own piece of Iris Apfel clothing. I fear it'll be one of those sell-out events, but I'll be giving it my best shot!

Have a super week!

Anna x