My fave summer frock does autumn!

Hello lovelies! How are you? Today, I'm revisiting my favourite summer frock by adding the style trick that I discovered in my previous blog post. The simple addition of a jacket and boots are seemingly all that's need for this seasonal transition. What do you think?

Earlier on this week I posted a look that relied less on bright colours and more on pattern and with today's outfit I'm once again playing with patterns and a muted palette. Peach and apricot shades can be very flattering for those with paler skin like mine and I must admit I love how this has all come together, and I just adore how it makes me feel too. The maxi dress makes me feel uber feminine, in fact the whole ensemble made me feel so good that in this pretty backdrop it has created one of my favourite photo shoots of all time.

A sun-drenched woodland track might not be my usual habitat, but it was certainly conducive to creating a great backdrop for the swoosh series of day.

So, the outfit details are like this - dress from Zara (still available here), boots from Office, leather jacket by DSquared and sunglasses are by Quay Australia. I do hope that the look might inspire you to try this easy bit of transitional dressing.

I remember buying these brocade boots from Office a couple of seasons ago. In fact I bought these and another dark green pair and felt quite extravagant at the time. I also was pretty confident that even if these went out of fashion, they would always be on trend with me. Thank goodness for that gut instinct eh?

The gold wire rings were charity shopped.

Steve and I were lucky to have a sunny afternoon on Sunday making this a sweet interlude in what is normally a busy at home day, full of to-do lists and chores. I'd enjoyed a lively swim on Appletree Bay at high tide earlier in the morning when I was bounced about in the swell amid a fresh onshore breeze. And isn't it amazing how a spot of sunshine can make all the difference to how we perceive things? This photo shoot would have been much less pretty had we been in the middle of a cloudy day. And my swim in the turquoise waves might have felt much more threatening under overcast skies too. Hurrah for some autumn sunshine!

                                                                                    Anna x

Autumn styling tricks

Hello lovely peeps, how's things with you? You may recall me bemoaning the end of summer in a recent post and the fact that autumn represents a struggle for me style-wise. Well today I've taken the simple approach by following the fashion advice of Red magazine. The feature captured my attention mainly as I could see that I already had similar items languishing in my wardrobe.

There's nothing better than finding all of the necessary pieces in ones closet to make up a brand new outfit. My pale peach utility wear jumpsuit is so comfortable and now it seems I can extend the life of it for another couple of months. I bought mine in Topshop in the summer sale.

I'm a big fan of belts of all widths meaning that I already had this very similar one. I've had it for yonks and have no idea where I bought it. It's a lovely piece made of soft, thick leather which is why I've held onto it. On trend or not, I keep hold of quality items, not just because of the inevitability of the fashion coming around again, but because they're an absolute asset.

The snakeskin biker jacket was gifted to me by JD Williams earlier this year. See it online here. It's a lovely soft fabric, an artificial suede that wears well and hangs nicely. The rose gold necklace is pre-loved, the rose gold edged sunglasses are by Quay Australia.

My snakeskin print ankle boots were from New Look. They have a new version for this season here. This shape of Chelsea boot seems to fit my foot shape perfectly and are all-day comfortable for me - just enough heel, but not too high.

Another quality leather item is my natural leather Radley bag. If you hurry you can catch the Radley half price sale online here. Mine was an snip from a charity shop which won't surprise you. It pays to have an eagle eye, even if you're not that into second hand shopping. The flower enamel ring was another charity shop find and the ethnic ring was from a market in Cape Town (happy days!).

So, what have I learnt from Red's fashion styling tricks? It seems that by simply adding a jacket and pair of boots to summer clothes, well hey presto, that amounts to autumn dressing! I'm going to be applying this to lots of my summer clothes, that's the ones that haven't already been packed away at least. Coming up later this week, I'll be showing you how one of my favourite summer dresses looks when it gets this autumn treatment.

Did you like today's feature? If so, please let me know.

Anna x

38 years ago today

Thank you for joining me today on our 38th wedding anniversary. Apologies for this thoroughly sentimental walk down memory lane, as we travel to the Registry Office on St Mary's for the ceremony, then by taxi, boat and finally horse and cart to our Wedding Reception at the Island Hotel on Tresco. Steve and I, both 23 years old, felt ready to embark on this lifelong journey together and it still makes me smile to see how terribly young we look. 

This handsome young man stole my heart.

Sitting inside the cabin of the Commodore with family surrounding me, the day took on a dreamlike quality. Basking in sunshine we were protected from the wild October weather. I was bathed in the rosy glow of the bride, oblivious of the storm that raged all around us. Our friends and family were sporting full wet-gear and some were even tucked under a tarpaulin in an attempt to keep their finery dry on the inter-island crossing. 

Our boatman, the legendary David Stedeford, steered us safely through the boiling sea between the islands. All other boating had been cancelled that day due to the raging storm.

As the boat pitched and rolled in the heavy sea, my poor Maid of Honour, Marjory was holding on for grim death, puking over the side as seasickness overwhelmed her. Nobody knew, as she was tucked under the tarpaulin, head being thrashed by the waves as they slopped over the side of the boat. Poor Marjory!

Old Grimbsy quay, sanctuary from the gale.

It was a great privilege to be taken by horse and cart to our Wedding Reception at the Island Hotel. We were the last couple to enjoy this romantic mode of transport before the horse and cart were retired.

Behind us Steve's fellow crew members of the Czar held the gig paddles aloft - the honour of an archway of oars is an old island tradition.

And so, 38 years down the line, my memories of the day are some of the happiest of my life. I somehow had been lucky enough to land the most eligible bachelor on the island and he had promised to love and cherish me forever. And he has. But more than that, he has taught me some of his best qualities: humility, loyalty and diplomacy. He has anchored me when the storms of life have battered me, showing me a personal strength that I didn't know existed within me. He has encouraged and supported my outrageous adventures, believing in me even when I might lose sight of my goal. He's my protector, my mentor, my best friend. Susan Holmes sums up perfectly my feelings on my darling husband.

Anna x

Autumn florals, our Style Not Age challenge

Welcome to September's style challenge! Autumn florals is what I came up with for my theme, which feels like the halfway house to admitting that summer is over. I've unpacked some of my autumn clothes today, but I'm not convinced that I'm ready for the decline into what I find the most difficult months of the year. Drab and dull is what comes to mind when I think autumn and winter, but I mustn't confuse the weather with the clothes must I? Anyway, let's see how my co-conspirators have done this time shall we?

Jacqui gives her florals a light touch by adding white to the mix. This is a clever bit of transitional dressing if ever I saw it! Read more on her blog Mummabstylish here.

Another pair of light coloured boots lifts Hilda's dark floral frock and adds a funky element that I really love. See her back story on Over the Hilda here.

Editor of Style Splash Emma is sporting a #secondhandseptember frock for the challenge. I would have snapped this pretty offering up too if I'd seen it! And how cute is that little bag?

So let's get down to details shall we? My floral frock is by Zara, an earlier purchase from this summer. The mustard suedette jacket is by Boohoo which I picked up in TK Maxx this year too. You may remember seeing these chestnut suede boots before. I've had them for a couple of years now - they're from Office and are still comfy as ever despite the height of those heels.

The maxi dress has one side split giving the odd flash of thigh. I think I'll be happier to wear tights with this during the colder months. The tiny and beautifully soft leather bag by Gigi is preloved and was a bargain at £3.99. I was rather pleased to match the orange flowers with the orange trim of the bag.

I've got a few maxi dresses that I'm planning on wearing with boots over the next month or so to see if I can extend their life beyond that summer fling. I think a bit of layering may be needed to carry it the look off, but it may be worth a try. My cream and peach floral frock from Zara (see here) is one that I'm loath to pack away just yet, so watch out for that bit of styling soon.

Rings are both preloved, as is the leather belt by Evie and my necklace is by Daisy Dunlop. Did you notice the punched floral pattern on both ring and belt? I can't help these tiny link-ups.

Sunglasses are by my fave brand Quay Australia.

So that's another month's challenge in the bag. Thanks for joining us again. Are we inspiring you? Does autumn inspire you? If so, please do share with me what fires you up most for this new season as I do struggle with this. Perhaps you've had your colours done and autumn is you? I think I may be autumn, but that doesn't seem to make it any easier for me. 

Have a great week and let's catch up again soon!

Anna x