Pairing yellow with pistachio...

Hi there! This was my favourite work outfit from last week. An unusual pairing of yellow and pistachio, one that I've not tried before, but I think I like it. What about you?

The pistachio cotton velvet coat is by White Stuff and was a Vinted purchase a little while ago. I'm going off to the mainland on Tuesday this week and think I'll wear this in an effort to look 'mainland smart'. Living on a tiny (car free) island tends to impact on what constitutes smart in real life. We dress here in response to the weather and most of the winter that means wet-weather gear or cosy coats to buffer one against the gales and cold weather. And so a trip to the mainland is always a style challenge for me as I try to anticipate the weather needs and my idea of style.

I'll be hanging around on drafty train platforms a lot of the time so a full length coat seems like a good idea. I'll add a scarf too and will pack a brolly in case of showers and that ought to cover everything. Having a car seems to negate the need to think about the weather - well that's how it looks to me when I see women dodge out of their cosy motors and pop into the supermarket wearing only a sweater. 

The rest of the outfit reads like this: skirt is a charity shop find, by Laura Ashley, sweater is old, tights are by Snag Tights, boots are by ASOS (from Vinted) and yellow necklace was from Vinted too. 

My rings are old and my sunglasses are old too, from Radley London. My orange felt bird brooch was a fabulous Christmas present from my sister Sandra.

The yellow boots are genuine suede and were brand new, never worn, costing me £20. I know yellow's not for everyone, but for a colourist like me, they're a great addition to my wardrobe.

Another feature of island life is our obsession with the weather whenever travel is on the horizon. Wind, or rather too much of it and fog can both impact on travel plans and it looks like my return on Friday hangs in the balance. At this time of year there's no sea link to the islands so flying is the only option and flights are often delayed or cancelled when there's bad weather. I probably won't know until Thursday if my flight is confirmed or not so I may be spending Friday night in the Premier Inn, which normally wouldn't bother me but as Friday is my birthday I'm rather keen to get home. Wish me luck!

                                                                    Anna x

My pistachio jumpsuit

Hello and how's tricks? This week I'm featuring my new (to me) jumpsuit from & Other Stories, bought from Vinted for £30. I've checked out their website and found one similar for £125 see here. I'm particularly pleased with this purchase due to the great quality of both the fabric and the construction. The fabric is a lovely weighty drape (polyester, viscose and elastane), quite thick too and holds its shape really well. I wore it for the first time here which was for our last drinks party of the season. Afterwards I joined the team at the pub for a celebratory drink and noted later how well the jumpsuit looked after sitting down in it for an hour - hardly a crease in it and no bagging at the knees either.

Rachel and I have hosted these Wednesday night gatherings since the spring with only a short break over July and August and it was with a feeling of a good job done that we rallied for the last time before we closed for the winter. Note that we are so in tune we didn't even have to send a memo about the colour theme for our photo shoot.

Another aspect of this outfit that particularly pleased me was the wonderfully matchy-matchy suede trainers, again found on Vinted (ASOS is the brand) and worn for the first time here too. I bought these at different times and couldn't believe how well they sat together. My usual ploy would be to choose my footwear in the same colour as my accessories but I love the leg lengthening effect of keeping it all in the same colourway.

Once again I'm showcasing my fabulous velour knitted bag here with its brooch by one of our jewellers, Caroline Kelly Foreman. I thought the use of orange as my secondary colour was a great choice. I replaced the jumpsuit belt too for an orange leather one, old, and my perspex necklace from over a decade ago makes yet another appearance along with an orange resin ring and silver scribble ring by another of our jewellers, Emily Nixon.

I've been itching to show you my new winter coat and here it is at last! The pea green cotton velvet coat is by White Stuff and came from Vinted at the cost of £30. You've no idea how much I love this coat already. Let me show you it on...

Isn't it cute? And doesn't it work beautifully with this outfit too? As hobbies go, this one of mine really does give me immense joy which surely is what it's all about. This dressing up for work and play is my passion and hopefully my joy becomes yours too as you join me week by week to see me ring the changes. Thank you so much for dropping by and I look forward to catching up again soon!

                                                                        Anna x