I want to share a secret with you

Hello again! How has your week been? Here we are, suddenly in May and I can't account for where April went. I've been so busy of late, both at work and home, dashing back and forth to the mainland three times in four weeks for various health checks and honestly it's been hectic. I'm off to the mainland again tomorrow for my Glaucoma check-up which has been delayed since 2020 and then hopefully things will settle down.

Anyway, I do want to share a secret with you today, and it's a website called Secret Label - please click on the link to see more. This family-run online clothing outlet has made it its business to save clothes from going into landfill sites by taking on the excess from designer brands such as Karen Millen, Coast and Reiss as well as high street brands Zara, M&S, Phase Eight, Warehouse, White Stuff and Monsoon to name a few. All clothes are brand new with the only concession Secret Label makes is to remove the labels meaning they can then offer huge discounts on all of these brands. 

I've been a customer of Secret Label for some time now, buying clothes for both my husband and son for Christmas as well as finding bargains for myself last autumn. More recently the brand invited me to become an ambassador for them. Their ethos is one that I can honestly support as diverting fashion from landfill surely has to be a commendable way to run a business. To recycle clothes in any shape or form is a good thing, one that I have advocated on the blog for years, and this intervention is another way to keep clothes in the loop and best of all, at a discounted price. And never has there been more pressure on the retailer to keep prices down as the consumer is on the brink of one of the most difficult economic times in recent history. As energy prices continue to soar and food prices rise we'll all be looking for ways to save money when buying clothes. 

My frock today is from Joules via Secret Label. I do pop into the Joules branch in Truro but the prices are what hold me back rather than the clothes themselves. I'm thrilled to be gifted this to showcase to you as part of this promotion. The dress is 100% viscose and has a lovely, weighty drape to the fabric that lends itself to the odd twirl or two. The shirt front opening, buttoned sleeves and fabulous fit and flare skirt are all finished to the high standard you'd expect from Joules. It's an utterly feminine shape.

The navy and pink colourway is classic and so pretty too. I chose to accessorise in pink and purple - the stretch belt in purple is an oldie but goodie as are my pink sock boots from H&M.

My mini pink Candy bag by Furla is the perfect ploy for this fun look today. My pink ring was a present from a friend and the white one was a charity shop find from years ago.

Pink fishnet tights are my way of adding my own unique style to the look - essential for me if I'm basing my outfit on high street fashion. God forbid that I might look too ordinary!

My necklace is from Zara and sunglasses are my old favourites from Quay Australia. 

Ooops, I almost forgot to mention that if you use my code ANNA15 you can get 15% discount on your online order with Secret Label. That's pretty much the icing on the cake when you see what bargains can be found on their site!

Thanks for joining me again today. Later this month I'll be celebrating my 7 years of blogging and I already have a rather fabulous outfit to share with you for that. Now that's sorted I simply have to alight on the perfect photo shoot location on this tiny but diverse island. Not too terrible a chore, eh?

Wishing you a great week!

Anna x

Silver style inspo for Christmas

Hello again!

Yikes, can you believe it's only a week until Christmas?! I'm battling rising panic at how much I still have to achieve between now and then, but also experiencing that flutter of childish excitement at the very thought of Christmas day. I love the moment when the turkey is in the oven and we all get together to open our presents. I've never gotten over the joy of seeing how others react when they open their gifts. Christmas is all about giving isn't it?

So here we have today's Christmas style inspiration for you and it's all about silver and textures. I love the metallic shine of the pleated skirt paired with the heavily beaded top. Too much bling for some? Maybe. I love the extravagant nature of beads and sequins and all things sparkly. Adding fur and feathers brings even more luxury to this luxe look. 

The outfit details are like this: jacket by New Look (a hand me down from my daughter), skirt is from Tu at Sainsbury's (old), beaded vest top from Topshop (second hand), fur scarf (gift from Polly), fishnet tights (pre-loved), pink boots by H&M (old), handbag (very old indeed!).

Both diamante rings are charity shopped.

 The bright pink fishnet tights and toning boots add that much needed pop of colour into what would have been a very monochrome palette. I'm really pleased with how this look came together and do hope it might inspire someone out there.

Before I go, here's a tip for all you mums out there who struggle to find gifts for their grown up sons/daughters. I give a few of these to my son every Christmas for him to redeem over the following year. Last week I painted his new windows and his bathroom when Jamie traded in a couple of his vouchers. I think it's a great idea and means I'm not wasting money on unwanted gifts and he is getting help with a chore he can't find the time to do. A win/win situation I'd say!

And finally, if you're out at the supermarket or local shops this weekend, please keep your eyes peeled for the Christmas edition of Yours magazine. Yes, that's yours truly smiling out at you in the fashion feature, What to wear on Christmas Day. Grab me a copy and post it on please!

                                                                                              Anna x