Seemed like a good idea

The other day I had a long walk around the outskirts of the island, stopping here to take in the view and decided that this ruin (The Old Blockhouse) might make a good backdrop for a photo shoot. That day it was sunny and very calm, but when I returned a day later the wind had risen to almost gale force meaning that I had to take cover as best as I could. 

There was a holiday maker walking along the path below the castle while I was setting up my tripod and camera. He probably thought I was crazy, taking off my coat and changing out of trainers into my heels to stand there getting blasted in the wind. It was totally impossible trying to get some decent close-ups as the tripod was wavering about, in danger of completely blowing over in the gusts. I tried to weigh it down with my bag and shoes, but it was all very precarious and a bit of a worry in case my camera got smashed to the ground.

Anyway, it was quite exhilarating to stand on the top, watching the white tops on the sea and the surge of the waves out beyond Men-A-Vaur rock. I wanted to capture that to show you but my battery died just after this final shot. 

I paired up this tweed jacket (charity shopped in December) with my long loved tweed skirt (ancient from TK Maxx) and these leopard print shoes (also from TK Maxx by BCBGeneration - these are rather lovely) and a roll neck which I bought on eBay a couple of years ago. The handbag is crocodile skin and was a charity shop trophy for my last big splurge in Exeter about 18 months ago. Sunglasses are by Quay Australia and my rings are old.

The reason I bought the jacket is for this wonderful gem trim. I love the colourful lining too. Can you guess the brand? It's Next. I was really surprised. You'll no doubt see this again in the Spring - I can't wait for Polly to capture it a bit better than I did!

Linking with -

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Jess of Elegantly Dressed And Stylish

Cherie of Style Nudge

Anna x

It's magic

Every woman deserves to have an item of clothing that can work a bit of magic. For me, it's this bright red flouffy underskrt. Whenever I put it on I feel transformed; playful, flirtatious, joyful - it's magic! Maybe not everyday wear for some I know, but for me, if I need to inject a bit of fun into my day, out comes the petticoat. 

I've pulled together this outfit today from that bloggers standby - shopping my closet. The rollneck sweater was a brand new piece picked up from a charity shop; it caught my eye because of the gold buttons on the cuffs as well as the slimfit shape. I'd put it away in September and then completely forgotten about it. The skirt was a hand-me-down from my daughter (or should that be a pass-me-up?), anyway, it too was brand new with the label still attached. And the tights, well what a great find they were! I came across a bag of tights under the bed (like we all have, right?) and inside were a couple of pairs of these wonderful thick tights that have a slightly fleecy lining. I'm probably well behind with this trend, but golly how warm they are! I have no recollection where or when I bought them, or they may even have come from Sasha too, but hey what a find.

This month I've noticed that a few bloggers on Instagram are taking a month off from clothes shopping and I've decided to join in with the challenge. I'm not due to go away to the mainland again until April, so I thought I'd steer clear of the online sales at Office and H&M which are generally my downfall and see if I can go cold turkey until then. April in the charity shops will herald all sorts of spring and summer goodies - that's what I need to focus on. I was very lucky with both Christmas and birthday presents so I do have quite a few new clothes to add to the blog over the next few months. It's going to be an interesting few months I think. Wish me luck!

Outift details - sweater: H&M (similar), skirt: H&M (similar), underskirt: eBay, belt: New Look, boots: Office (sold out, but these are similar), rings and necklace: gifts, sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Linking with -

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Cherie of Style Nudge

Jess of Elegantly Dressed And Stylish

Anna x

Autumn burst of colour

Yes, I've rifled my draft box again to bring you this wonderful burst of colour. Orange is one of my favourite colours, making me feel energetic and bright. As I write this, the outlook here is grey and overcast which is reason enough to bring these photos out. These are my winter shorts, made all the more wearable by the fact that I can add all sorts of crazy tights to add a bit more of a pop - these ones are a heavy denier in a mid purple which may look blue on your screen.

My regulars amongst you may have noticed that I was conspicuous by my absence on Friday, and this could be due to the fact that I paid a fleeting visit to my daughter on the mainland. The couple of days went past in a blur of shopping (Christmas and charity), hair and beauty appointments and catching up with Sasha in the evenings. I'd like to say that I'm flushed with success, but there always seems to be something I forget in these shopping sprees, and this time it was the cards and wrapping paper. So it looks like I'll be online later to remedy that. 

Here's a not very good shot of my loot. The major find has to be the 80's black dress with fabulous gold ruffle hem. I also bought an ostrich leather handbag in fuchsia to match my winter coat, to be featured in close-up soon.

Details of my outfit of the day are - shorts (old): Asos, blouse: eBay, fairisle vest: Ralph Lauren, boots: Asos, tights: old, sunglasses Quay Australia, rings: old.

Linking with -

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Cherie of Style Nudge

Jess of Elegantly Dressed And Stylish

Anna x

Frills and flowers

Apologies for the dull light in these shots today, but Polly and I decided it was worth a try to capture this outfit. I didn't realise that I was channelling Adam Ant until I looked through these later, but I still love the ensemble. The jacket was a hand me down from my friend Maggie and has been a great addition to my wardrobe since I inherited a couple of years ago. I love the mix of fabrics and textures that give a richness to the overall look.

I fancy that these skinnies and my floral boots have married behind my back as I can't seem to bring one out without the other. The texture of jacket and boots work beautifully too. And for the final flourish, well the frilly blouse is the homage to the very beautiful Adam Ant that pulls the whole ensemble together. 

Outfit details - jacket: gift, boots: ASOS, trousers: Papaya, blouse: eBay, necklace: Noel, rings:old.

I turned the camera onto Polly at the end of our session. Doesn't she look so cute in this dress and boots combo? She leaves the island tomorrow after working at the local supermarket for the past couple of weeks. Polly's hobby of running is what keeps her fit and healthy, and boy look at those shapely, toned legs - what a great advert she is for her sport! Polly will be back again next year, and in the meantime I've got a backlog of photos to use and then my trusty tripod and timer will work out fine (as it did last winter). Thank you Polly for doing such a grand job and I look forward to regrouping in the spring!

Anna x

#Ping Ping Post no 7

Hello again and welcome to #Ping Pong Post no 7. The aim of #PPP is to recreate a girls night in where I and my two blogging friends, Ann of Kremb de la Kremb and Samantha of Fake Fabulous, choose an item of clothing and then style it up in our own way. In theory this is a simple enough idea, but the practicality of it is a bit more difficult as we all live so very far apart - Ann lives in Hong Kong, Samantha in Scotland and I live in England, on an island 28 miles to the west of the Cornish mainland. Now in its 7th month, the series started like this - see here. This time Ann has offered up her striped Breton top, so let's see her interpretation first.

Ann has run with the nautical theme here by adding hooped earrings, pirate's scarf, dark eyeliner and lots of gold bullion. Her girl-goes-pirate look is softened by the silky gold skirt that echoes the gold of her socks and tennis shoes. I love her authentic touches of the harbourside backdrop with all the right props. Ann's photos always have a humorous slant, but that never takes away from her skill in finding a story and telling it well. Cute as always, Ann carries off this ultra feminine pirate look with casual ease.

Details are:

Kerchief--second hand shop

Gold Hoops--very long story....but now from Hong Kong
Necklace--Hong Kong
Thumb Ring--Mumbai
Striped Crop Shirt--H&M hand-me-down from my sister
Gold skirt and socks-- Forever 21 
Tennis--Lacoste

Follow Ann on Instagram here.

Both ladies have featured a full skirt. Samantha, however, has given the outline a more pared down look, thanks to some very clever illusionary effects. By tucking the top in and adding a big belt she really changes its shape. Her chunky boots tie in beautifully with the patent belt, and the the pop of blue she introduces by way of accessories is a clever move. Samantha says she really enjoyed this challenge and I think it shows. The cool, funky outfit she created is the work of a true fashionista.

Details are:

Dress: Asos (from a Charity shop)

Boots: Vagabond

Glasses: Tkmax

Necklace: eBay

Belt: Coast (old)

Bag: Linea

Nails: Barry M

Tights: Gypsy

Follow Samantha on Instagram here.

Yes, and here's the top again, but as a skirt. I have to admit that this wasn't my favourite #PPP. I'm not keen on boxy shaped tops and this one swamped me, so I had three options: to wear it as a turban, a skirt or a poncho. Well, as you can see I opted for the skirt version. The length did of course, bring it's own problems which is where the dress came in.

Once I'd pulled the skirt over the dress, the belt was needed to cinch everything together. Cue matching shoes, and once I'd got that far, I thought the whole look was begging for a finishing touch. By topping the outfit off with a hat Polly thought the ensemble was very St. Tropez. What do you think?

Details are -

Striped top - Ann's

Dress - J at Jasper Conran

Hat - Mila Sehon

Belt - TK Maxx

Shoes - BCBGeneration

Handbag - thrifted

Sunglasses - Quay Australia

Watch - Michael Kors

My Instagram link is here. 

Once again, I think we've all had a bit of fun creating our own particular style with the selected item of the month. Next month will bring another challenge, this time from my wardrobe. I do hope you'll come back again on the 20th October to see what's up. And just for a change, our line-up will look a bit different...

Linking with - 

Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Cherie of Style Nudge

Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish
Judith of Style Crone

Anna x

Black, totally black.

I know I recently published a post claiming to be wearing only black (see here), but I cheated by adding a splash of orange. So here we have the real thing. Black from top to toe. A lick of orange lippie is all I've added to lift this monochrome outfit. I usually find an all black look very boring, or draining at least, but today I decided to give it a whirl again.

As you'll see I'm still smiling, so it surely wasn't too painful after all. I will interject, though, that despite being a simple black outfit, the look is far from plain. My skirt is by Fahri, of Nicole Fahri and therefore never to be mistaken for run-of-the-mill. See the beautiful flower detail below and you'll get what I mean.

I bought this from eBay a couple of years ago, but when it arrived I wasn't convinced it was very me. And yet today it feels very me indeed. By pairing it up with this ruffled blouse I felt the two were pretty much a marriage made in heaven. The skirt is cotton lawn, so in principle is very fine and light, but the flowered appliques make the hemline have a lovely, weighty swish. The cotton poplin blouse was a gift from a friend and is such a great fit, very long and slim, with a zip up front and adorned with these uber feminine ruffles and frills. 

The gold coloured cuff is actually brass and is by Almost Perfect. The gold edged ring was from Boots recently and cost me the princely sum of £1. And the perspex ring was a gift.

Shoes are from New Look. I love the laser cut holes and the angled front gives a great easy roll when you walk. And my old faithful sunglasses are by Quay Australia.

Good ol' Polly has brought on a fit of the giggles again. 

OK, you've caught me out here. Yes, this smidgen of pink crept into the mix as I was looking for a necklace. It's a new purchase of mine from the Emily Nixon range of silver jewellery which is a mainstay of her range. The silver hearts come with a velvet ribbon - I've got a grey and a pink ribbon to swap around. I love the rough organic nature of the silver and had the hard decision between the large size, which this is, or a smaller, but equally cute one. 

So there you have it, my all in black finally achieved. I think for me black in the depths of winter is a real challenge as I'm so very pale skinned, but sporting a bit of a tan the colour is not so draining. I'm really pleased with this outfit and can see I'll be wearing it again over the forthcoming months. Maybe with a pair of colourful sandals next time and my bright orange necklace? We'll wait and see. Your feedback is welcome as ever and I'd be delighted to have your ideas for my monthly feature "As suggested by..." so do share your thoughts on that one too. Until next time, 'bye!

Linking with

Jess of Elegantly Dressed And Stylish

Cherie of Style Nudge 

Anna x