Ready to party...

Hello lovelies, and how are you? Today's blog features a dry run for an upcoming party. Steve and I have been invited to join a gathering for a surprise party on the mainland on Friday and this is one of my possible outfits. I'm not sure how dressed up this party will be and can't decide if I'm wanting to be too 'out there' amongst lots of people, some of whom may not know me or my penchant for dressing up. 

Is it just me who feels more confident on home ground? Or even simply with friends? On Tresco I'm known for my over the top dressing and often have people drop in to the Gallery just to see what my outfit of the day is. It's an easy talking point and a great lead-in to more in depth conversations. In some ways, this suit could be an ice breaker at the party, but it also might backfire if I'm seen as an old bird (heck, I am 64 after all) doing the proverbial mutton dressed as lamb thing.

Anyway, to the outfit - this is my (almost famous) pea-pod suit, a gem of a find from H&M in the spring of this year. In case you missed the reveal of this you can read the post here. Over the months I've had readers of my blog and Instagram followers turn up at the Gallery requesting that I wear my suit sometime during their stay - how lovely that is! And thank goodness, it has never failed to please and even astonish. I've never had so many compliments in response to an outfit, even from men! In fact, it seems that the dapper nature of the trouser suit is what's so eye-catching for the menfolk.

I've glammed up the suit by adding a sequinned vest and bejewelled belt along with silver high heeled boots. But maybe I'm guilty of trying too hard? In my head, the word party does mean pushing the boat out and this is my boat well and truly out!

I leave Tresco on Thursday and will be packing my bag in the morning. I would have liked to showcase some other party options but I've been busy this weekend doing my big six monthly clothes changeover and still haven't quite finished. The good news is that this ensemble is close at hand. The bad news is that my confidence levels are dropping as time goes by. One less jazzy outfit I'm considering is this one - see here - a Joe Browns dress. And another is this one - see here - another trouser suit, but much less bling. 

So, here's where you come into play... Please send me your thoughts - drop me a line in the comments box below as to which of these three outfits you would suggest I wear, or anything else you've seen on the blog. This far, I only know that the venue is within a pub, although not the actual pub itself. I know I'd be happy to wear my pea pod suit here on Tresco in our local pub, but beyond that I'm not sure at all. And on a purely practical point, I am more than a little worried that something dire may happen to my precious pea pod suit, like someone spills a glass of red wine on me or I sit on some chewing gum in the taxi. Have I just persuaded myself not to venture off island with my beloved Iris Apfel ensemble or am I missing the opportunity to showcase this spectacular outfit beyond the shores of home? 

                                                                                  Anna x

Yay, it's my birthday!

And this is what 62 looks like!

Thanks so much for joining me today. Yes, it's my birthday today and I'm 62. January can be a rubbish time to have a birthday, but the older I get, the more I understand that every birthday is a blessing. I've nothing special planned for today apart from having the day off work and lounging around, but I did go out partying last week to celebrate my birthday with some girlfriends (hubby was too exhausted after a very long day at work). Partying for me just means dancing and that's exactly what I did. There's no photos of that I'm afraid, but here's the outfit that this 62 year old bird wore.

The shirt is pre-loved (£3.25), the brand is ASOS and the metallic trousers were £30 from my favourite retro shop in Truro, Enjoy Clothing.  I think the brand is Urban Gypsy, but I snipped the label out and it got mixed up with some others. I love to have a rummage around Enjoy Clothing as it has all sorts of retro pieces and the best dressing up clothes you can hope to find in Cornwall. The prices are reasonable, the staff are very friendly and remember me from previous visits even though I don't get there very often. They've expanded into the premises next door which offers not only more lovely clothes, but also blankets and rugs, ornaments, bric a brac and furniture too. All so very tempting!

I was maybe the oldest lady on the dance floor, but at least I was the most sparkly too!

My silver leather ankle boots are by Buffalo, purchased from TK Maxx some time ago. Two hours of dancing was my limit on heels this high, but golly what fun I had!

This was me taking a little breather while the band rehydrated during the break.

Thanks to Fiona for taking these birthday shots on the night - these were the only kind of shots for me as I'm tea-total, but being stone cold sober didn't stop me having fun! 

Thank you for joining me today. I'll be back on Monday with the Style Not Age Collective when we'll be showcasing our Jewel Brights as chosen by me. I do hope you'll drop by again to check out if we managed to shine bright for that.

                                                                                Anna x

JD Williams does Christmas!

Hello and welcome to my slightly premature Christmas card shot!

(From left to right are Kath, Annie, Katie, Jenny and Savi.)

I'm totally thrilled to be involved in the JD Williams Christmas campaign with my JDW friends. These ladies have become a great new addition in my life. They also became my very first WhatsApp group which wasn't without its teething problems I can tell you! Our new found friendship has grown from our mutual delight at being chosen for this project. The initial "Who'd have thought?" and "Can you believe it?" messages have now been replaced more recently with "Well done!", "Have you seen...?" and "Don't we all look fab?". It's lovely to have this supports system with a common bond and understanding.

This Christmas Day look has me still toying with the idea of a second pair of these Meghan trousers which I bought in the cobalt version last month (see here). They do them in red, green and black but I can't decide between the red and the green. My new M&S tartan boots would work with either colour I'm sure, which is what's making the choice so darned difficult. What do you think? See the boots in question here. 

My party look is the Glitter Bardot top, Joanna Hope Jacquard Metallic Prom skirt and Rose gold sandals. These are a wide fit which was heaven. Filming took hours with lots of standing around in the interim and I wore these without flinching or needing to take them off. Definitely worth considering for dancing at the Christmas bash! If you can't wait to see the commercial live on TV you can catch it at the end of the blog. My party outfit details are also featured on the JDW blog. It's all rather surreal writing this, as is the fact that another rash of JDW magazine ads are out in the Christmas issues. See both the December Good Housekeeping and Prima for coverage of the campaign along with little ol' me. (Me in magazines and on TV is something I'd never have contemplated on my 60th birthday and now look at things!)

This larking about shot is one of my favourites, which will be no surprise to my regular readers. I love to have a bit of fun, especially in front of the camera, so this looks much more naturally me. Katie and I are both up for a bit of messing about, although she's the consummate professional and can deliver the perfect shot in the blink of an eye (she does a lot of work on TV commercials which is hardly surprising given her beautiful English Rose looks, so keep your eye out for her). Working with these women was fabulous and all the more so thanks to the wonderful team that turned us into the glamorous versions of ourselves. 

This is my make-up story board. With these iconic beauties to aspire to I was ever hopeful for the transformation ahead.

And this is my hair story board, again nothing to complain about here!

Hair, nails and make-up were all lovingly attended to which is a great treat. Each hair stylist or make-up technician is a perfectionist and that's so lovely to be on the receiving end of as they are such experts. Being done to, handing over that responsibility allows for a lovely stress free time, where you can just relax and enjoy the pampering. But also, all the team were ready for a chat if that's what you wanted. As this is our second time around we've gotten to know everyone and it's just like meeting old friends when they ask about family/travel details/bothersome skin issues - nothing is off limits!

So (fingers crossed) here's the new Christmas advert. If this doesn't work then just click onto the link here which will take you to the website where you'll definitely be able to see it. 

I'll revisit the JD Williams filming experience later this month with more of the behind the scenes footage and hopefully by then you'll all have seen the TV advert too. Have a super week everyone - I'll be back soon!

I'll be linking with -

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Anna x

Metallics, maybe?

Here's another trial run for the annual Christmas party. I bought the rather fabulous silver boots in TK Maxx some time ago and have been waiting for the right moment to wear them. 

I've worn the skirt before (see here) and think I might be a bit formulaic in how I style it, but I reckon the dazzle of the metallic fabric plus pleating deem it necessary to have a simple top.

It's all about the boots for me today.

The polo neck is black and gold lurex and may be the ideal sweater to have around at this time of year as it goes with so many outfits. I fancy it could be turning up like a rash all over Christmas.

Outfit details - sweater: H&M, skirt: Sainsbury's, boots: Buffalo, sunglasses: Quay Australia, clutch and rings: pre-loved.

So, could this be my party outfit this year? I'm pleased to say that the boots are the only new thing here. I've done some Black Friday shopping and will show you that in a moment, but I'm hoping to recycle some clothes throughout the festive period too. I have lots of sequined pieces which never go out of fashion and will be trying those on this weekend to see what I can conjure up. Our party is on the 17th and I predict I'll be in a quandary right up to the last minute. The minus points about this option are - will I be too hot in a roll neck meaning I just won't want to dance? And will the new boots pinch so much that I can't dance? (Having said that, being tea-total sometimes means I just don't dance as I'm not relaxed enough anyway.)

Anyway, I've kept you waiting for long enough (Sheila) so here goes with my Zara shopping from Black Friday -

A midi floral dress has been on my wish list for ages and this ticks all the boxes.

I see this as a perfect day dress for those lunchtime drinks do's, and will work with both these silver boots or my red sock boots.

Another useful dress in green velvet with orange and purple flowers.

One pair of sock boots comes from Primark and the other from Zara...can you tell which?

The next run of shots are charity shop finds and really don't look very good on the mannequin which is probably why I've not shown them previously. The usual bed spread display doesn't work at this time of year as it's too dark. Trust me, these all look better on me.

Crazy, fluffy and turquoise, yep it's fab.

A grey denim shirt with stretch and black chiffon maxi skirt.

Vintage St Michael dress and red belt. 

Country Casuals dress with beading - useful for a show next year?

The blouse is another vintage find and the skirt is green faux suede with stretch.

Last of all is this tweed trench from Topshop which cost me all of £5.

That's just about it then folks. I'll be back on Sunday with another party offering as I search for the elusive perfect outfit. I never manage to choose a work outfit until the morning, so I can't imagine that I'll be able to do any different about this party piece either. In the meantime, do feel free to chip in with your suggestions. Was there something from last Christmas that I could be wearing again perhaps?

Are you still searching for your Christmas frock? Or are you looking for something more casual for Christmas at home? Good luck with all your shopping, and see you soon.

Anna x

5th August show night

I'm surely not the only one to be slightly alarmed at the speed we're whizzing along currently. Here I sit, typing away frantically on the 9th about the event on the 5th while I have my mind on the 11th! So let's stop, breathe and just be in the moment.

I've been waiting for months to show you these fabulous new shoes. I bought them in the River Island sale in April when I was in Harrogate and have been keeping them for the right outfit. Fuchsia and red make for a stunning combination don't you think?

My frock is a recent charity shop purchase. The brand is Monsoon and I was delighted to find a dry cleaning label attached meaning I didn't have to undertake that myself. It's a lovely coral colour that works perfectly with the shoes.

 The breeze made for an interesting photo shoot with the majority of the photos being discarded thanks to my lack of fringe - oh how I hate to see my white forehead!

And here are the girls, also battling the effects of the wind. Max, Polly and Heather were on top of things for the evening, making everything run smoothly as usual. Many thanks to them.

The artists featured in this week's show (see here) are Teresa Pemberton, Tom Rickman and Jenny Ulyatt, shown above with her husband. They spent a couple of days on the island winding down after her opening night. Jenny works in watercolours, but with a very fresh, contemporary feel. See the link above to view her work.

Apologies for being brief, but I must head on out for my morning swim now. The sun is shining and there's still a brisk wind blowing, but the sea beckons no matter the weather.

Outfit details - shoes: River Island, dress: Monsoon, necklace: Debenhams, rings: charity shopped, sunglasses: Quay Australia. 

Anna x