This Old Thing, our Style Not Age challenge for April

Hello lovelies and welcome to this month's Style Not Age challenge! Gail has come up with this month's theme of This Old Thing sparking a variety of offerings. Mine is an old thing that my sister Dianne saw on a mannequin in the window of a charity shop and immediately thought of me. Someone had clearly tired of it and decided to move it on, but their loss is my gain - I love it! Let's see what everyone else has to show us with shall we?

Jacqui has shopped her closet for this month's feature coming up with her old favourite this denim jacket, paired with cream culottes and matching boots - read her back story on Mummabstylish.

Hilda seems to have gathered together a host of oldies but goodies. The trenchcoat is over 40 years old, boots are 20 and jeans are 15. A self confessed hoarder, Hilda was more than prepared for this month's theme. Read more from her on Over The Hilda blog.

Proving that Emma is as trim as ever, here she is wearing a pair of cut-off shorts that she's had since was 13. Wowee, how fab she looks too! Catch up on her story on the Style Splash.

Gail is sharing her grandma's jewellery for the challenge and noted that her cat also falls into the category of an Old Thing as she's 16! See more on Is This Mutton blog.

Another week, another photo-bomber! This time it's my dear friend Jilly who stopped to collect a painting on the way past.

Jilly thought the all-in-one delivered the wow factor and I must admit it did earn me a few compliments at work. There's no brand label, but the care label did say AX Paris SS19 denoting it's three years old.

The jumpsuit has a zip up back and an under the bust tie which cinches in at the waist making for a very flattering silhouette. I popped an old sweater from Primark underneath for warmth and  added a long wooden animal necklace, found in a London charity shop 4 years ago.

My rings are pre-loved and the rose gold watch is by Michael Kors.

My Zara boots are quite old, so much so that I've forgotten how long ago it is since I bought them, but they're still looking sleek as ever.

Probably the most notable feature of the jumpsuit is the additional front layer of fabric that floats about flapping in the breeze in an eye-catching manner. Fiona insisted that I hold these out to let you see these better. I do hope this has proved to be another inspirational post for you, maybe giving you some ideas for this week's outfits.

Keep well everyone!

Anna x

Wrapped up in fur and animal print

Hello lovelies! How's things with you?

The weather forecast for this weekend is for freezing temperatures and snow, hence this wintery outfit of the day. I'm so pleased that I've got a chance to wear this fabulous fun fur swing coat again. It's been a long term favourite of mine, getting dragged out year after year for the past two decades and yet it still looks on trend. Animal print seems to be forever in fashion (thank goodness) and today I'm mixing snakeskin and leopard print for a rich bit of pattern play.

The glamorous look is enhanced by the big coat collar, turned up against the wind in true Hollywood style! There's no way you can play down a look like this, is there?

I added these jumbo pearls (very old, from Debenhams) along with my white and black dappled Quay Australia sunglasses to ramp up the glam factor, finishing off with two rather ancient rings to tie in with the colour of the dress.

You'll have no doubt seen this dress before on the blog. It's a classic shape that hangs so nicely and is very flattering. I bought it online from the Topshop sale nearly two years ago now. I changed the matching belt for this white stretch one that I found in a charity shop. It's one of those frocks that always earns me compliments.

The shirtwaister is a dress that never seems to go out of fashion either and the sharp pleats makes the dress a surefire winner. 

The moss green sock boots are from Zara, maybe three years ago. I love the funky angle of the silver heels.

This swing coat was born to swing!

And that's about it for another week! I'll add some photos of the sewing project for those of you who might be interested. I've created a mix and match look so that I can keep ringing the changes. Yesterday my sewing machine was playing up and if I were experienced enough I'm sure I would have coped much better. Instead I was like a crazy dervish by the end of the afternoon and all because I wanted to finish it so that I could have today off. 

I maybe ought to have taken these photos before I'd lounged about on the top of these cushions for a couple of days. 

I'm sure I've missed a few permutations but you get my gist!

Anna x

Charity shop finds

Hello again!

It's great to have you join me again today. I've had this outfit sitting in my draft box for a while and thought today was the right time to bring it out. We all know the ripples from the Coronavirus are being felt across the globe and are affecting almost every business now. Yesterday I heard that the future of many charities is under pressure, with the threat of collapse due to their lack of income. Events like the London Marathon produce a large percentage of income for most charities every year and without that and so many other fundraising events it leaves their future hanging in the balance. Small animal charities are the most vulnerable with worries about how they'll feed their livestock within the weeks and months ahead. Such a worrying time. As you know, I'm a huge fan of charity shopping, in fact, it's a mainstay of my wardrobe and I do wonder if the high street shops will survive once Covid-19 has passed. 

My outfit comprises of two items from the Oxfam shop in Truro. The oxblood leather coat is from Next and although not brand new, it shows no signs of wear and is a beautiful quality of hide. I paid £40 for it and see it as a great investment piece. 

The nutmeg vintage skirt is by Mondi, made from wool and polyester, fits like a dream and best of all still had the original tags on it. It cost £19.99 and again is another real investment buy. I suppose the skirt encapsulates all the best reasons to charity shop: it's unusual, stylish and an absolute bargain.

The fabric has a lovely drape, the pleats sit nicely and of course, the bonus has to be these pockets. I do like the button feature down the front too. My bronze and black sock boots are by Zara from a couple of years ago.

These are some of my last work outfits before I was furloughed. From here on I'll be going back through my draft box to find those ensembles which I might have bypassed previously, but beggars can't be choosers now!

Lora did a great job taking these shots on this particular day as I had given her the camera with the setting on the wrong place. When we got to the jewellery shot it wouldn't focus - stupid me for leaving it on the Scenery setting!

Nothing new with these rings as I've had them both for ages. H&M leopard print cardi is old too.

Yet another new pair of Radley sunglasses, (aren't they fab) paired with this chunky tribal necklace from Topshop last year.

A week into my furlough now and I'm still trying to create a work structure on the home front. One thing I've found is that too much news and social media definitely affect my energy levels. It's draining to have the reality of our world events come at you hour after hour. I'm limiting my news updates to once in the morning and once in the evening. The same for social media. And I'm letting the days roll by with less have-to's that I thought. I'm cooking and cleaning and swimming and resting, but not in any of the tight regime I previously would  previously have done.  I'll often find myself looking out at the island view from my window where there's not a sole in sight. Most of the time Tresco is like a ghost town. I expect you're finding life so very different too. Do drop me a line, leave me a comment and let me know how you're bearing up.

In the meantime, I'll be searching for outfits to keep us both entertained.

Anna x

Spots and culottes

Hi, hello and welcome!

I've been wanting to showcase this spots and culottes outfit for weeks now. In fact, this is the third time I've had it on, ready for the blog. The first two times I spent most of the day waiting for my photographers to turn up and both times they forgot me. I suppose family can get away with that, can't they? We had a good laugh at the end of the day at least.

Even this photo shoot had it's problems with too much wind on one side of the island and then too much sunshine when Lora and I finally found a sheltered corner. Anyway, here we are with a double dose of spots; the mustard blouse is from Primark and the culottes are a hand-me-down from Sasha from a couple of years ago (purchased in Thailand when she was on her travels). She had a big clear out when she was moving house and I inherited a bundle of clothes which have trickled onto the blog ever since then. The culottes are pleated and swooshy as well as having a half elasticated waist at the back, making them comfy as well as rather lovely. My winter coat is by Covent Garden, from TK Maxx.

My sock boots from Zara are wearing well, as I'm sure this is the second winter I've worn them as well as throughout the spring and autumn too. I'm trying to ration myself as to how often I feature this Paul Costelloe bag in case you tire of it. In fact I'm using it as my winter handbag regardless of whether it goes with the outfit of the day, such is my love for this exquisite piece. I tend to leave it inadvertantly in the gallery window on display or at least on the front desk so that anyone passing during these bleak/wild days can share in my pleasure.

The gold jacket (H&M) was another gift, this time from my friend Ben who had seen it in a charity shop window and immediately thought of me. The colour is indeed very me and the fact that it's satin is another plus. The quilted sleeves and plain body are nice feature too.

I do love this spot with spot look but nearly discarded these photos because of the upwards angle. Lora was standing on some steps below me and really tried her best not to offend me with the wattle shots. We did a retake of the ensemble a few days later in a different location but without the mustard blouse but I felt it lacked that bit of punch.

The belt and rings are all pre-loved.

I'll be back again on Monday with the monthly style challenge from the Style Not Age Collective. This month we're all sporting a bit of Flower Power and we have a new member joining our group too, so please do swing by.

                                                                                    Anna x

Zara loungewear, perfect for work and play

Welcome back!

Hello again and thanks for dropping by to see me. No new outfit today and no apologies for that either. I'm more than happy to share this velour and embroidered lounge suit which has worked so hard since I bought it just a little over two years ago when I was in London. I remember picking it up in Zara and showing it to Steve who didn't quite know how to respond. Was I merely showing him this outlandish outfit or asking for his approval? For me, it was love at first sight and trying it on simply sealed the deal. I've topped it off with my green fur coat by The Vintage Boutique Collection and a diamante dog brooch (pre-loved).

At this time of year one of my most pressing jobs is to check the art in the holiday cottages on the island to make sure that all the paintings are in the best condition in time for the new season starting. I'm currently upgrading the art in some of the houses and that's what I was up to here. The painting I'm brandishing is by artist Iona Sanders. The bright contemporary piece will lift this traditional cottage interior injecting a breath of fresh air to the surroundings. I love this aspect of my job as it's such a quick fix and very rewarding to transform a room with a handful of select paintings. 

Anyway, back to the outfit of the day. Despite the ornate stitchwork this jogging suit is surprisingly hard wearing. On days when I'm hanging art it's great although I wear it mostly at the weekends; the stretch waistband and roomy trousers make it perfect for doing the housework/shopping or for just lounging around. The hooded top is loose enough to accommodate a thermal top underneath and by wearing cotton tights underneath the suit is toasty warm, extending it to become an all-year-round piece. I machine wash it on a cool wash (almost weekly) and there's no noticeable fading or shrinking or even going baggy which happens all so often with a high cotton content jogging suit. But wait - this leisure wear is far too luxe to be called a jogging suit!

Last weekend I helped out at our local Community Centre as we were having a big island clear-out to send off our bags of clothes, books and toys to the British Red Cross. I had a very hands-on role, helping to fill the container which appealed to me and made use of my packing skills. The stacking of boxes and crates was a satisfying task for Sasha and I and we were soon squeezing the last few bags and bundles into the little nooks and crannies left around the towers.

The container has been shipped to the mainland where it was collected and transported to the sorting centre in Plymouth. Our island contribution will be redistributed to the Red Cross shops across the West Country. We, as a small island community, feel we can enjoy our post Christmas dejunking, and at the same time we're helping to swell the coffers of this great British charity.

As comfort was the watchword of the day for this outfit, I chose to wear my pull on stretch boots (again by Zara). I've had these for about 18 months now and they are still holding up well. I foolishly wore them out in the rain a couple of times which has caused the adhesive that glues the sole to the upper to start to come adrift, but I'll continue to wear them until they fall apart as they are soooooo comfortable!

Many thanks to Lora who is helping me at work and also as blog photographer when the need arises. We're having fun working together on the art collection although at times last week we did resemble the Chuckle Brothers as we staggered about moving large paintings in high winds and driving rain, tripping over each other's feet as we were blasted sideways, dissolving into hysterics once we'd battled into the safety of the cottage. Any damage was confined to fingers and toes rather than the artworks thank goodness!

                                                                              Anna x