Still shining!

The huge grin is because every sunny day from here on is a bonus. I apologise to those of you outside of the UK - our default setting is to mention the weather at every possible juncture and is the starting point of any conversation that may be faltering in an awkward social situation. Sun for me means another chance to air yet another summery outfit and this one today was a great bargain.

I paid £9.99 for this vibrant and zingy fine cotton lawn dress which was brand new with the label stating $125. Oh, I do love a bargain! My sandals are from F&F, the belt, broad orange bangle and rings are all pre-loved, necklace too old now to recall and my sunglasses are by Quay Australia.

The cone shaped bracelet is a new addition to my accessories cache - the maker is Jackie Brazil. It's great to find something to wear with my old faithful orange perspex necklace.

I adore the brand name being printed on the fabric.

I'm currently away in Cornwall, so must apologise if the islands are awash with rain in my absence. Today I'll be sitting in the dentist's chair for two very long hours as I start a course of treatment to keep hold of as many teeth as possible as I enter into my 60th year (or is that really my 61st?) - no matter. I'm having work done and it won't be my favourite way to spend time on the mainland. In addition I'm going to be giving a helping hand to Sasha who is returning to the island to live for a while. Another chapter of our lives is about to begin which is always exciting. 

My next post will be at the weekend where I'll be sharing another bit of news... until then, have a great week!

Anna x

Amazing Lace with the 5 Over 50's

Welcome to another edition of our 5 Over 50 monthly style challenge. Jacqui has chosen the topic of Amazing Lace this month. Sadly the group line-up has changed with Ashley stepping down due to other commitments, but the upside is that this has allowed us to usher Hilda into our happy crew. So, without further ado, let's take a peek at my offering...

This skirt was a brand new find in a charity shop during one of my shopping sprees earlier this year. The swing ticket stated £25 but was marked down to £3.99 - ker-ching! I've married it up with this floral lacy top which is so old I can't recall where or when I bought it.

Here's Jacqui of Mummabstylish blog and wow, doesn't she rock this lace dress? Clearly all dressed up with somewhere rather special to go I'd say. You really can't go wrong with black lace can you? The deep v neck and simple necklace emphasise Jacqui's fabulous figure and let's not forget to mention those hot stilettos.

Our host Gail from Is This Mutton is looking wonderfully theatrical in her black lace skirt. Her graveside backdrop looks like an episode from a period drama. I love it, all of it - the setting, lighting and of course the outfit, right down to that saucy bow! I can't wait to read about Gail's inspiration for this stunning ensemble.

Hilda is stepping out in style in her LK Bennett dress with lace sleeve detail. Did I hear that a certain young royal may have copied you with this Hilda? The addition of strappy courts and dark glasses elevates this to celebrity status! See Hilda's blog, Over the Hilda.

Laurie from Vanity and Me always delivers elegance and style, and this month's offering is no different. Chic evening wear is how she's presented her Amazing Lace top, in fact I'd suggest this may be a lace body by the sleek fit. A white Tux and grey tux trousers complete this fabulous ensemble.

This was the perfect opportunity for me to bring out all of my rose gold accessories.

Outfit details - skirt: Zuppe, top: no brand, sandals: Miss KG, heart pendant: Vanilla, rings: pre-loved, watch: Micheal Kors, bangle: Kate Spade New York.

But this isn't quite everything from me. I also styled the skirt with another lace top which only clouded the issue. It's too similar to be featured later on the blog, so here you go - 2 for 1 today! I'm really undecided as to which is the better of these two - which do you prefer?

Outfit details - skirt: Zuppe, top: F&F, shoes: London Rebel, clutch: Primark, perspex ring: gift, bangle: Almost Perfect, brown ring: TK Maxx, sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Do take a moment to visit my blogging friends to see their posts with the stories behind the clothes. Anyway, I think you'll agree that it has been Amazing Lace from all of us. See you soon!

Anna x

It's still summer on the Isles of Scilly!

Yes, I know it's the 1st of September and that many bloggers will already be sporting the latest autumn trends, but I'm not through with summer yet - the sun is still shining down on these blessed isles and I've got a few more outfits I want to share with you before I acquiesce. 

My island life means that I don't often end up near shops at sales times, but I did have a quick trip to the mainland in July and this is one head-to-toe outfit that I snatched up. Sasha (my daughter) is a big fan of New Look, meaning we finally made our way there after I'd scoured my favourites charity shops. The trousers were £5 and the sweet lace top was £7 which is pretty much on par with charity shop prices in this neck of the woods. My gold shopper was a charity shop find earlier in the year and the gold sandals were from TK Maxx, the brand is London Rebel. My gold accessories are all preloved apart from the chain necklace that Sasha gave me last Christmas.

So here's a funny thought that drifted through the tumbleweed of my brain as I stood waiting for Sasha to come out of the changing rooms. You know how these high street stores have a section for youngsters, the 11-15's? Well, I surely can't be the only mum hanging out with her daughter, cash at the ready to give her a treat. Maybe the retailers are missing a trick? Maybe they ought to design a mother's section? We're there, browsing, in the mood for shopping too - why not offer up our own fashion? Crazy idea? Tell me what you think.

I've got a busy few days ahead and will be telling all when I get back next week, but until then I'll be posting again on Monday with the 5 Over 50 group. Amazing Lace is the topic and I'm still dithering as to which lace ensemble I'll be showing. Until then, have a lovely weekend!

Anna x

Technical hitches and what you learn along the way

Sometimes life gets complicated and this week my computer started to play up. It kept telling me my password was wrong, locked me out until eventually I couldn't get into the darned thing. Apart from the utter frustration, I was worried - did I have a nasty virus residing in my dear old laptop? If you can't get in though, how can you find out? Not only that, but I had the panic of wanting to reply to comments on my blog, visit other bloggers and also put together a post for today. Eeeeek! After a sleepless night last night, the cavalry arrived today in the shape of the business's IT department. A warped keyboard was found to be the issue and here I am, back online. 

But it got me thinking about how much we are now dependant on our computers to run our personal lives: our banking, paying bills, renewing providers of all sorts of services, ordering prescriptions, making appointments, keeping in contact with family and friends and that doesn't even touch on all the things we have to do within the workplace. I have a friend who is going back to writing all her vital contacts and info into a new posh Filofax as security for events like mine. Now that we're all being prompted to becoming paperless it does beg the question as to how to keep track if your computer crashes when you don't have the info on file. My back-up programme is flashing away, transferring and updating as I type away, but imagine if the breakdown was not just my own computer but something further reaching - what happens then?

My point today is not about scaremongering, it's about the relief I felt when the wonderfully talented Tony turned up at my door in his lunchtime to hand me back my fully functioning laptop. All was well, life was back on track and even though I was way behind on lots of computer based chores, the joy outweighed the workload. Sometimes we need things to go wrong to remind us how lucky we are. 

And so in this vein, I've decided to post this (previously rejected) outfit. My high standards had led me to think that my dress and shoes, being too similar to the beach and seaweed in colour, couldn't possibly make the grade. But what the heck, I'm delighted to post something, nay anything for your amusement/entertainment. The dress is pure silk and preloved, coming in at £8.95 last month. Nougat is the brand and is one that seems to fit my shape well. The suede sandals were in the summer sale at Sainsbury's for only £5 and the pretty necklace was another preloved bargain at £3. The rings too are preloved, matching perfectly with my Michael Kors watch and Kate Spade rose gold knot bangle.

Today's lesson for me was to remember the simple act of gratitude. Oh, and maybe the joy of a summer breeze!

Anna x

The last summer exhibition

Friday heralded the final summer show at the Gallery and what a lovely collection it is (see here). And just to make the evening more special one of the artists, Theo Crutchley-Mack, managed to surprise us by turning up unannounced just when we'd resigned ourselves to hosting the party on our own. 

The party may be over, but the fat lady hasn't quite sung yet, as the show continues until the 19th October so plenty time for Maggie, Melanie and Theo to sell, sell, sell!

The eagle-eyed amongst you will recognise this most recognisable of outfits. My planned ensemble was something entirely different, but just didn't feel right on the night. With time running out (why, oh why, don't I have a dry run of these beforehand?) I threw open my wardrobe and my eyes fell on the riot of colour and texture that is this vintage skirt and decided to go with what made me feel fabulous. And I did, all night long. Outfit details - skirt: (vintage) Susan Small, blouse: (vintage) Shubette, shoes and handbag: Primark, rings and necklace: all preloved, sunglasses: Sainsbury's, belt: eBay.

The girls and I went out for a drink after the show was over to celebrate a job very well done. Thanks to Heather, Polly, Max and Ruth for making each evening run smoothly - without your help ladies the evening wouldn't be the success it is!

As the sun set on a perfect evening, our six shows in 60 days came to an end. The paintings came, were hung, many sold, and hopefully many more will sell before the year is over. We enjoyed the company of artists and clients bonding over a glass of wine, discussing the merits of the show of the moment. The exhibitions may be over, but summer remains and we will all revel in the last of these golden days before autumn creeps in.

Anna x

Black trouser challenge 13

Well, well, well, I really can't believe I've been going so long with my self-imposed Black Trouser challenge. I kinda thought six weeks would be good and yet here I am still with some ideas in the pipeline. My new pink belt has inspired some different summery outfits, but I worry that autumn may descend before I can show you them. Yes, boots and jackets are waiting in the wings however!

Today's shoot took place in two halves due to a sudden shower that caught Polly and I on the hop. We had to change our location too thanks to the blustery wind so all in all it felt a bit shambolic. Does that show?

  

Rain splatters on silk handbag and jacket were not really what I had planned...

And this is where charity shopping really has its rewards. My oriental jacket was a thrift shop find earlier this summer and cost me £4.50, so imagine my delight when this weeks You magazine featured it as the latest trend. I'm loving pre-loved fashion! And I'm not alone in this. Waste experts "Wrap" have recently published a report stating that fast fashion is on the wane with consumers preferring to buy secondhand from charity shops and auction websites resulting in us throwing away 50,000 fewer tons of clothes annually than we used to - that's the equivalent to 300 jumbo jets full of clothes! Half of the population are now buying secondhand clothes. In addition to this, make do and mend is rising in popularity with workshops, repair cafes, repair surgeries and online sewing tutorials enabling us to take on projects that previously may have caused us to through away clothes. Getting help and gaining new skills is prolonging the life of our clothes by up to another 18 months all of which helps with this most green issue. Hurrah for this groundswell of change and well done to all of us who are part of this new shopping revolution!

Outfit details - trousers: River Island, jacket: Siruili, sandals (ancient): River Island, rings: pre-loved, handbag: gift, sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Linking with -

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish

Anna x