Embracing autumn

There's no getting away from it; autumn is here and the good news is that I'm all caught up now. My summer clothes are all packed up. Summer sandals have been swapped for boots of all kinds. And those extra layers of jackets and coats are hung up in the wardrobe and are ready for the months ahead.

This red and yellow combination is a bold welcome to the cold months and shorter days to come. I'm always surprised when I unpack my other season clothes as I often have unworn pieces waiting to have their first showcase. 

And so it is with these yellow and leopard toed boots. I bought them from Vinted and packed them away before I had the chance to wear them.

Pattern clashing is one of my favourite plays; it's great fun to mix unexpected patterns, especially when they harmonise as well as these do. Tartan, fairisle and leopard print don't normally hold court together and yet here I think they sit together perfectly.

Apart from the boots nothing here is new and probably has been seen by you previously. The red fringed suede jacket was a purchase from a vintage shop in Penzance some time ago. I don't wear it often enough and need to try harder to give it an airing more frequently.

As dark nights beckon and log fires welcome us home I'm ready to cosy up with winter woollies and fur coats on the fashion front. I've also descended into sewing bee mode once again now that the madness of summer deadlines are over. Next week I'll be wearing my latest sewing success - a highly adorned little jacket  - to a family dinner to celebrate Steve's birthday. I'm excited to both wear it and then showcase it to you. 

                                                                             Anna x

Sadly, summer is over

Much as it pains me to say, summer is indeed over. But before I descend into autumn/winter dressing I thought I'd leave you with one of my much-loved outfits; the peapod trouser suit which I wore just a couple of weeks ago.

For the past four years this trouser suit has been cropping up not only on the blog but regularly in my workplace, Gallery Tresco, much to the joy and admiration of many of our customers. If you missed the introduction of this dazzling co-ord then see the first post about it here.

This latest iteration sees me adding my summer holiday hat with pleasing results. The colours work very well together and the addition of a hat adds style and sharpness that's appealing too. Do you agree?

My Oliver Bonas sunglasses work nicely with the outfit, as do my very old beads which suddenly came into their own here. 

My other accessories are: dragonfly brooch (a present from my daughter), vintage recycled jewellery repurposed into this rather fabulous bracelet, my old bejewelled leather belt is still going strong and the finishing touch are my Emily Nixon sapphire and diamond rings. 

There's nothing understated about this look. My shiny silver boots finish everything in true show-off style. I make no apologies here. This look is one of my most complimented at work, so clearly I'm not alone in my appreciation of all things bling. The peapod trouser suit is statement dressing at its best and I'm very proud of it. 

Dressing up gives me the opportunity to take on another personality, one who has supreme self-confidence. But surely that's the point of clothing after all? Clothes are our armour, our vision of ourselves that we offer up to the world. I choose to offer up my best self every day, for who knows when our last day may be? If I'm remembered for being that woman on Tresco who wore her best every single day, then that's fine by me.

                                                                            Anna x

Anniversary time again!

Oh my goodness, I don't know where the time has gone, but it's our wedding anniversary again - or rather, on Saturday 3rd October we celebrated 45 years of marriage! I've gathered together some images of the big day four and a half decades ago as well as some of the night when we went to celebrate at the Ruin Beach Cafe on Tresco.

We were married at the Registry Office on St Mary's and travelled back to Tresco by boat on what was quite a stormy day.

Steve Pritchard met us off the boat taking us by horse and cart to the Island Hotel where my husband's gig crew greeted us with crossed gig paddles held aloft in the traditional arch for us to walk under for good luck.

So young and fresh faced at only 23 years old, but it was a pretty normal age to tie the knot at that time. Oh how things have changed nowadays!

The actual day went past in a blur, but I remember feel so relieved that the day had come and that we were at last married. Steve was Tresco's most eligible bachelor and I really couldn't believe that I'd hooked him. I was quite unpopular with some of the local girls that I had swept in and scooped him up. Hahahah!

I still pinch myself that I love him as much now, if not more, than I did on that wonderful day. I'm incredibly lucky and do count my blessings every day. It's so important to give thanks for all of the the good things that have made my life such a happy journey.

As you can see, it was a glorious evening here on Saturday. I enlisted Jamie to capture the moment as I was keen to have a photo of us together as it's such a rare event.

My outfit comprises of mostly old pieces: the gold boots are very old now, jeans likewise as is the white vest top. The star of the show however has to be this magnificent silk and beaded vintage jacket. I found it recently on Vinted and paid the crazy price of only £30. Some beads were missing which was easily rectified and I replaced the rusty hooks and eyes but beyond that the piece is in immaculate condition.

The craftmanship is amazing as you can see. Yet more of my luck for all to see!

The bag was a charity shop find recently. I added some black cord to convert it to a shoulder bag. It was only £5! A crazy price for a great find.

I'd spent the afternoon sewing gold beads onto the two hearts on my jeans as they were beginning to come apart. I didn't do a very good job so that's inspired me to look into taking a course in beadwork in the future as I do love both beadwork and embroidery.

Many thanks for joining us today. I hope our happy story strikes a chord with you too. Here's to all of us whose relationship has stood the test of time and are still proud to say we're in love.

                                                                                Anna x

From summer to autumn, our SNA challenge for September

Hello and welcome to our monthly Style challenge! This time I've chosen to feature our take on transitional dressing from summer to autumn. The fact of the matter is that I'm never very keen to pack my summer clothes away but try my best to face the end of summer with a smile.

Jacqui's balloon pants and sleeveless top are easily converted to autumn dressing by simply adding a jacket. Swapping sandals for boots would work too, but do check out what she has in mind on her blog Mummabstylish. 

Emma's casual weekend look takes her easily from one season to the other. Animal print jeans are always on trend no matter what season and the cardi is a must-have at this time of year. See more about her outfit on the Style Splash.

Hilda turns her summer outfit into autumn style by adding this fabulous jacket. Read more on her take on transitional dressing on Over The Hilda blog.

 

Florals with long sleeves seem like a good take on transitional dressing to my mind which is what I wore this weekend. The boilersuit is a recent Vinted purchase - the brand is Lucy & Yak. It was great to bring out my orange River Island boots once again. This is my second pair of these that I've bought, again from Vinted. What's not to love with orange boots?

I took the simple style option by accessorising with my very old perspex necklace, orange stretch belt with orange and pink perspex rings.

My Radley sunglasses are also old but still going strong.

It was only later that I noticed these fabulous cloud formations behind me. Is this what they call a Mackerel sky?

Anyway, that pretty much rounds up our transitional dressing for this time of year. How do you tackle this seasonal shift? Or maybe you have a style that smoothly moves across from summer to autumn without a hiccup. Do leave me a comment to share your thoughts.

                                                                                    Anna x

Holding on to summer

Mid September and I'm grabbing the chance to air another summery outfit. We're at that seasonal change aren't we; the sun is gradually shifting in the sky with sunrise and sunset creating shorter daylight hours. I'm always sad to see the end of summer and am guitly of squeezing every last summery outfit out of my wardrobe before the big changeover.

This easy to wear ensemble was my work outfit from yesterday. The white ruched top was a purchase from Primark earlier this year. It's a wash and wear top that requires the minimal of maintenance - the collar is the only part that I iron. My River Island trousers have been featured on the blog previously, but are so very summery that they deserve one more go before being packed away.

My summer sandals were from Vinted, maybe even last year but I don't think I've showcased them on the blog before. They'e uber comfy as the soles are padded making them all-day wearable - perfect for work. 

There's nothing new with my accessories. My Emily Nixon rings are everyday wear, the blue sunglasses from Oliver Bonas have risen in popularity overtaking my old faves from Quay Australia - they have become a signature look for me, and I love that. The pearl and heart necklace was a present from my sister a couple of years ago and very useful it is too!

Many thanks to my dear friend Fiona for acting as photographer of the day. Our post-work sessions are always designed to take into account weather, light and who's the most tired therefore how far we wish to roam to find the right location. This post-work session was taken just a stone's throw from the Gallery. We did more chatting than photography enjoying a catch up on each other's news; a win-win for both of us. 

                                                                            Anna x

A new linen co-ord from Lintico

Hi there, and how are you? I can't believe that we're in September already when I don't quite feel ready to let go of my summer wardrobe. Luckily the weather is still warm here on the Isles of Scilly and today I'm sharing a rather elegant two-piece gifted to me by Lintico which is perfect for the late summer temperatures. I'm linking across to the brand straight away so that you may see both the outfit and details about the company. See here. 

Lintico is a new-to-me brand so I took my time to research them and their ethos as well as the products; I love their endorsement of slow fashion and that they opt for long term associations with respected suppliers with skilled makers. It's refreshing to know that this isn't about pushing the latest trend, instead the intention is to create pieces that you want to come back to time after time. 

When the linen set arrived I was really happy to see that the fabric was a good medium weight and not that flimsy, semi-sheer linen you often come across. This linen has a lovely drape to it, a floppiness that speaks weight which has a smooth, solid finish to the fabric. The stitching is top quality (as a home sewer I like to think I can spot good quality stitching) and the design is classic with a contemporary twist as seen in the Viola top - I've linked to it here. 

The clothes are for everyday wear, in breathable fabric in shapes that echo a woman's figure - I've spent my first whole day at work wearing my two-piece and it still looks smooth, sleek and stylish, not sad and crumpled as cheaper linen often does. Not surprisingly, the outfit earned me compliments for its understated elegance.

I styled the look with my summer hat which was a recent purchase from a charity shop in Truro. You might have seen it in my earlier blog about our summer holiday. The pretty necklace is by Charlie Dodge, a jeweller who we represent at Gallery Tresco, my earrings are preloved and my go-to sunglasses are old but still rather lovely, from Oliver Bonas. My beaded belt was from Amazon quite a few years ago. My cream platform sandals are by Zara. And of course I'm wearing my gold and sapphire rings by Emily Nixon as usual.

The pleated pockets of the Veridiana trousers are a clever design feature which creates fullness in just the right place, and of course, when can pockets not be a winning feature? The partially elasticated waist works perfectly to allow a smooth line across the stomach in just the right place and yet offers comfort too. I added a pearl belt to style these my way as there's no need to let everyone know I'm keen on a stretchy waistband! Linking to the trousers here. 

I particularly like the length of the top when paired with the trousers - it showcases the fullness of the trousers and is flattering too. With its layered hem and asymmetric hemline, the top is cool and fashionable. The top would work well over jeans for a more casual look or even with shorts - it really does feel very versatile. And as for the trousers, they would look great with a tee shirt and a fitted sweater - I'm keen to showcase each styling again before I pack my summer clothes away, so let's keep our fingers crossed that we'll be blessed with an Indian summer.

If you're in the market for some top quality linen then do use my code which will give you 15% off with your first order. Use my personal code LINTICOAPS to access this.

                                                                        Anna x