September's shift

And suddenly it's September! Not only September, but according to the weather guys, we're now in autumn. Well, just hang on there! I'm so not ready to pack up my summer clothes yet. In my world, summer continues until the weather breaks and that's usually October here on the islands. Expect prolonged periods of sleeveless tops, drifting into summer frocks with outbreaks of bare legs and the occasional silky jumpsuit in this corner of the UK. Any isolated areas of raincoats or heavier wet weather gear will not be making it onto the blog this month, oh no.

I wore this shift dress to work yesterday in an attempt to style a shift without looking like I'm off to a wedding. Maybe it's ended up looking more like a clubbing outfit this time? As you can tell I'm pretty extreme in my judgements of myself - my protective instinct I'm afraid, to say the worst thing before anyone else gets the chance to. A terrible insight into my psyche at this time of the morning, but let's not open that particular can of worms today eh? I do in fact like this combo of matchy-matchy bag and shoes with my default setting of pattern clashing to give it my own stamp of approval.

I wish you all a happy Friday and hope that you have a great weekend. I'll leave you with a couple of images from my Instagram this week showing the view from my backgarden one evening as the sun set and the other from the deck at the Ruin Beach Cafe where I joined Sasha and Polly for cocktails. These islands are idyllic during the summer, hence my inablility to give up on my favourite season despite what the the forecasters say.

Dress from F&F at Tesco (old), shoes and bag by Roland Cartier (thrifted), sunglasses by Quay Australia and all jewellery thrifted.

Anna x

Business travel, street fashion and a smidgen of shopping

OK, when I say a smidgen of shopping, you know I'm stretching the truth. But that's alright when your amongst friends, isn't it? And hey, you all know me by now; I like to dress things up, play things down according to how good a story it makes...

So let's start with the travel, shall we? After a short boat ride to St Mary's I caught a small Twin Otter plane to fly the 15 minutes to Lands End airport, followed by a brief taxi ride into Penzance where my friend Nicky collected me from the railway station. She and I headed out to have lunch in a cafe overlooking St Michael's Mount. But let's just backtrack a moment. Nicky has recently moved from Cambridge to St Ives, and although we've been friends for many years I usually only see her when she visits the island. I know she drives, but haven't seen her car. "What car am I looking for?" I messaged her. "A red Mazda" she replied. I don't drive, never have, and don't know one car from the other, but at least knew I was waiting for a red 'un. Bang on 10am a little red car came whizzing into the car park. Hell, it was the hottest, cutest, little sports car I've ever seen!

The idea was for me to have a shot of Nicky with her car, but she protested so much about having a bad hair day that, of course, I just had to stand in for her.

St Michael's Mount is a big tourist attraction for those visiting Cornwall. You can walk across the causeway at low tide to visit the tiny island with its castle, garden, and cafe. Once the tide comes in you can return to Marazion by boat. Full details on the link above.

Nicky did offer to be my back-up photographer, but I thought it might be too big a commute to ask. She did a very good job though, so thanks Nicky x

We had a lovely catch up over a bite of lunch whilst enjoying the view across the bay, before I headed off for my first taste of the shops. I'm always a bit light-headed with excitement when I've been set free from island life. Don't get me wrong, I love living on the little gem of an island where I lead a pretty idyllic lifestyle (apologies if I sound smug, really not meaning to), but I also love the contrast and the buzz of the mainland as long as I know it's short-term. My first blitz of the shops can be a tad frenetic, and often results in a few dodgy items, as my style radar can be a bit rusty. I exercised an element of restraint this time, only buying a couple of well chosen bargain pieces. 

Next stop was to visit Sasha in Truro for a couple of nights. We shopped, laughed and had some lovely meals together before I headed off up North to Harrogate. I may have done a wee bit of charity shopping in Truro, but we'll cover that later. There was a slight hiccup en route, where I happened to fall asleep and missed the station that I was due to change trains, but it all worked out fine in the end. Fast forward to Harrogate railway station where I came across Lilly, a fan of Japanese fashion and culture which informs her clothes choices. I think she looks fabulous, and I adore those boots.

The next morning I went to the BCTF which is the only trade fair I attend. This wholesale fair showcases the very best of British craft and attracts gift buyers from across the whole of the UK. I hadn't been there long when I bumped into Rosie, another buyer. Rosie's style statement is bold, matching her ebullient, bubbly character. When I asked her to pose for my blog she brought out her fierce sunglasses and proffered her silver shoes as a starter. Great stuff!

The final fashionista I met on my trip was Sonia who I encountered on the train from Harrogate to Leeds. We snatched a couple of minutes on Leeds station before she had to dash off to work. She was quick to apologise, saying she wish she'd worn some better jeans. Her purple hair, immaculate make-up, retro shopping bag and funky patched jeans define Sonia's street style, without any need for apology. She's a cool cat as far as I'm concerned. 

So, back to the trade fair. One joyful discovery was shoe maker, Kate Hopkins-Searle see her website here. These Cinderella type slippers are actually ceramic shoes loving created by Kate over many hours. They're hand painted, some of them gleaming with a gold lustre finish and they are exquisite. Kate's talent is matched only by her modesty. I think they ought to be featured in an exhibition at the likes of the V&A, don't you? Or even Liberty's of London, maybe Harrods? Golly, if I could afford them I'd love to have them on display in my house.

My other favourite makers are the team from Zinc White who create jewellery, bowls and boxes out of art supplies ie. pencils, paintbrushes and used canvas. I absolutely love these pencil bowls. It's amazing what skill and imagination can create - so clever.

And so on to Harrogate itself. This Spa town is steeped in history, populated with beautiful, architecturally important buildings. Famous too for its vast parklands and gardens which are always immaculate. I love visiting there, and that's not just because it's been voted the "Happiest place to live in the UK", for the third year running. No, honestly, it's a great tourist attraction as a town, as well as having many historical sites of interest around it. And the great attraction for me, that being, the wonderful women of Harrogate who are very generous in donating some of their finery to the local charity shops in time for my arrival every spring. But I mustn't forget to mention the most popular eatery in the whole of Harrogate - Bettys - where the afternoon teas are legendary. This time I stopped by to purchase some macaroons for Sasha. The window display had caused a bit of a sell-out, but I did come away with a box of Champagne ones and also some in gooseberry. Both were greeted with equal delight by her.

By the time I'd shopped in my last port of call I had not only filled my suitcase to the point that I could hardly lift it, but also the two empty holdalls were fit to burst and I'd had to scavenge another bag for the overflow - what a lovely lot of loot I had. The trolley couldn't hold any more by the time I arrived at Truro station after my second sleepover at Sasha's.

I had to deliver the three bags on the front of the trolley down to the quay in Penzance so that they could be sent across to the islands by ship, as my luggage allowance on the plane was a mere 15kg. Apparently no extra allowances are to be made for out-of-control shopaholics like myself, ho hum. The flight back to St Mary's was a bit misty, but still good enough to take a few snaps on the way across. We departed from Lands End, flew past the Longships Lighthouse and some 15 minutes later the islands hove into view. A jet boat was waiting at the quayside from where we were soon whisked off for the brief trip to New Grimsby. The time from leaving the airport to arriving at my door was 45 minutes. Perfect. The bags, however, took a bit longer to arrive. Two days in fact, but none the worse for wear. 

My journey to get my shopping hit maybe takes a bit more effort than most, but the spoils make it all worthwhile.  

And finally here we have the big reveal. The haul comprises of -
1 pr boots, 5 prs shoes, 3 belts, 1 scarf, 8 handbags, 2 coats, 3 jackets, 10 prs coloured jeans, 3 prs trousers, 6 dresses, 1 cardigan, 3 skirts and 10 tops.

Of these only 5 items were from "real" shops (TK Maxx and H&M) and the remainder were finds in charity shops. Finds from the likes of Hobbs, Roland Cartier, Coast, Reiss, Calvin Klein and Versace. All in all a very satisfactory shop I think. Well, take a look and let me know if you agree. My next trip off island won't be until September, but I think I may have had enough of a top up to keep me going until then.

You'll notice that I'm still sourcing lovely pink items to expand my colourways along with some fabulous pops of orange too. My summer wardrobe is shaping up well, and I'm looking forward to showcasing some fab new outfits. See you all again on Wednesday x

My mainland outfit comprises of -
Coat: from Sicily. Faux leather jeans: H&M. Silver brogues: Office. Gloves: charity shop. Sunglasses: Quay Australia.