Another burst of colour

Hurrah, it's Friday! How are you? I'm ready for some down time that's for sure. The season here is drawing to a close and golly I'm looking forward to having a break. It's been a weird summer for all of us hasn't it? 

Last weekend Fiona and I took ourselves off to the other side of the island and had fun taking these shots around Old Grimsby at Raven's Porth beach. 

I'm continuing my theme of colour therapy today, this time using Emerald green to lift and energise my mood. I've created a suit using this cute little green jacket with round collars and 3/4 length sleeves paired with these rather outrageous leather joggers. The jacket is second hand and the trousers were from TK Maxx.

My favourite Quay Australia sunglasses always add a dash of glamour to an outfit.

Black and green make a great contrast, giving a sharp look to the outfit of the day. I added this bejewelled bag to inject a bit of sparkle to the otherwise flat colours. The bag is in the shape of a turtle - you can see the gold feet and head. I found this in a boutique when I was in St Andrews a couple of years ago while visiting my sister. The round shape is big and spacious and is perfect for stashing a spare pair of shoes in as well as all of the obvious!

I'm wearing my much loved Vivienne Westwood orb pendant along with these charity shopped rings. The black ribbed polo neck with gilt buttons is a long standing mainstay of my winter wardrobe. It was great charity shop find many years ago and just seems to wash and wear without showing signs of age. (Oh how I wish I could say the same about me, hahaha!)

 

It's a joy to have brought these patent leather cuban heeled boots back into play again! These were from Topshop, last year I think.  I came across them in the sale - they were the last pair on the shelf and luckily in my size! I'll try to limit the times I wear them on the blog, but honestly in real life I wear them lots. They're all day comfortable as well as looking sooooo cool!

The backdrop and I are vying for attention here. Behind me is the view out towards St Martin's and the Eastern Isles, one of my favourite summer escapes. 

Those of you who know Tresco will recognise this as the gateway into the newest rental property on the island. Fiona and I played fast and loose around there, making the most of the pretty surroundings. The Lighthouse is in a wonderful setting, right on the shoreline and the interior of the large beach house is finished to the highest of standards. See here for more images and details about this amazing addition to the island's cottages. 

We enjoyed the vacant possession of the property for a couple of hours, reveling in the house and its incredible views. Oh how the other half lives! You'll see this backdrop crop up again over the next couple of months as I showcase some other outfits. What great fun we had!

                                                                         Anna x

Where did autumn go?

Hi there! How's tricks? Life here on the island is finally slowing down to an easier pace and looking around me this week I've been wondering what on earth happened to autumn? We seemed to fast forward from balmy September into the depths of winter within the space of a couple of weeks. I've now packed away the last of my summer fripperies and am back in the land of woolly socks and winter coats again.

I was delighted to rediscover this oxblood Next leather coat during the seasonal clothes changeover. I bought it in the Truro Oxfam shop last year for £30 and think it's a blooming bargain at that price. The colour is an unusual one for me, but it has become a firm favourite already. Leather is wonderfully wind proof and therefore perfect for island life where we're subjected to wild winds for almost half of the year. Worn here at the weekend it's great for a casual look, but is also handy for a smart finish to my work wear too.

I like the simple straight lines of the jacket - no belt or flap pockets to create bulk - and love the fact that it doesn't have a back vent. Oh goodness, how drafty they can be, flapping open when the wind attacks you from behind!

Dressing down for the weekend is my time to be quirky and creative away from work. I've teamed the pre-loved fairisle vest (known as a tank top in my youth) with skinny jeans embellished with embroidered flowers, beads and pearls for this trend clashing look. The tan heavy brogues by John White have leather soles which sound out with every step - a great way to announce this style statement. Under the vest I'm wearing a skinny ribbed sweater to keep out the cold - this was from Primark.

The jeans were from TK Maxx a couple of years ago when ornate embroidered jeans were in fashion. Trends may come and go, but if I like something I'll wear it regardless. They have a bit of stretch which adds to the comfort value of them, another winning feature.

The floral leather belt is rather ancient which again adds appeal and character to the piece. The wool vest is by Ralph Lauren, a wonderful charity shop find. The scottie dog bracelet and matching necklace were a lovely set which I bought in Harrogate about 5 years ago. I have them wrapped up in one of my jewellery boxes where they lie forgotten for months on end, waiting to be found once again with renewed delight. Such joy for me in these simple pleasures!

The flower ring was charity shopped and the domed ring was from a street market in Cape Town. Sunglasses are by Quay Australia.

The classic leather brogues are from that era when I seemed to purchase them in almost every colour - cream, mint green, blue, black, brown, silver, gunmetal, pink, burgundy, two tone blue and bronze, two tone yellow and brown, flats and heels - and in leather, suede and patent leather too. These ones came from my beloved TK Maxx. Talking of which I'm on the final push now of my 12 month shopping ban. It's 8 months since I went shopping for clothes or shoes, although I did one online purchase in March. My autumn/winter clothes collection is a fraction of what I have for spring/summer, but that's probably because I really don't like this time of year. Perhaps if I made more of an effort to find interesting and colourful clothes for the darker months I might enjoy this season much more? Still, that won't be happening any time soon.

Thanks for swinging by today and if you're a new reader then why not introduce yourself in the comments box? It's always lovely to have your feedback. Fingers crossed we shall all have some nice weather this weekend so that we can get out for some fresh air and exercise. I'll be out and about taking photos for the blog, weather permitting, as well as catching up on some long overdue housework!

Have a super weekend!

Anna x

September Style Not Age challenge - All dressed up with nowhere to go.

Hello and welcome again to our Style Not Age challenge where this month Jacqui chose the theme "All Dressed up with Nowhere to go!". Our interpretations of this are all delightfully different so I'll linger no longer and share what the posse chose.

Jacqui's outfit has graced a wedding and an anniversary which is no surprise at all. The dress is classy and stylish and yes, is begging for another outing I would say. See more on her blog Mummabstylish.

Gail's spin on this was more along the lines of "All dressed up with no office to go to" which is as sharp as her outfit. I love the mix of office smart and sassy after-work outing that speaks volumes about her idea of good work/play balance. Catch her back story on Is This Mutton blog.

Emma from the Style Splash has also opted for a lace dress for this challenge. I love the vibrancy of yellow which works so well with the russet accessories. 

Hilda is stepping out in a dress from LK Bennett with a brand new Zara jacket from two years ago that still is waiting for its debut - we all know how that goes don't we? See more from her on her blog Over The Hilda.

As you can see, I took this month's suggestion very literally, marooned as I was on Ganilly sandbar on the low tide last Sunday. There's surely no place that says "Nowhere to go" more than here. 

My mermaid coat seemed an obvious choice for this castaway shoot. I do love how this shimmering jacket catches the sunlight and said to Steve that I could easily waft about in it every day of the week. It's the most glamorous piece in my wardrobe with fabulous powers of transformation - oh how gorgeous it makes me feel!

The pastel shades remind me of the inside of an oyster shell. I felt in my element to be dancing and gadding about across the deserted sandbank, swooshing this way and that. Our only companions were the various seabirds who cared not a jot for my antics.

It's taken me a year to fulfill this desire to showcase my shimmering coat here on this sandbar.  In fact, it's my third photo shoot on this desert island beach this summer - see the others here. If you have another moment to spare you can read the post about St Martin's from last summer when I espied the heart shaped white sandbank appearing out of the receding tide. I'm such a romantic soul and loved the notion of showcasing this spot in a totally tropical photo shoot.

We were very lucky to find the right moment to take these shots, Steve and I. This was one of he biggest tides of the year and to have it fall on a Sunday in the middle of the day was perfect. We had spent a couple of hours on Nornour island, just a little way away from here waiting for the tide to go out and reveal the sandbar at its largest point. During that time we had a picnic as we watched several little boats and kayaks appear and disappear from the shoreline. Bang on low water Steve saw our opportunity to take sole ownership and off we went. 

We had picnicked on this little spit of sand on Nornour island, one of the Eastern Isles. The helicopters and planes fly across these en route to the Isles of Scilly. If you every spot our boat moored up as you fly into the islands, I'll be that crazy little dot on the sand waving to you.

To some, this may look like a little cool bag, but it did in fact contain my ensemble for the shoot. The pleated dress and sequinned coat both rolled up to fit inside without creasing - and they were kept dry too!

This beaded dress was from Monsoon and was a happy find in a charity shop a few years ago. I've worn it for gallery exhibition parties and love the fact that it doesn't seem to crease, no matter how badly I pack it. Talking of which, today (Sunday) is phase one of my clothes change over. Stripping the summer clothes out of my wardrobe will be the first step and then I just hope to bring out enough outfits to last the first week at work. Next weekend, I'll delve a bit deeper. It's always tinged with sadness to pack away my summer clothes. Summer is my favourite time of year.

I was particularly pleased to come across this rose coloured necklace which echoes the shape of the scales of my mermaid coat. Necklace and rings are all pre-loved. The rose gold bangles are: one from the Barbican shop and the other is by Kate Spade New York, bought in Singapore airport en route to New Zealand about 5 years ago. 

My blue tinted Quay Australia sunglasses seemed to be the perfect pair for this maritime shoot. 

Sunlight and reflections abound on this sparkling location. I'd like to say this was an staged shot by my creative director, but Steve confessed it was an absolute fluke.

As we left the stunning sandbar nature took over once again as seabirds and seals reclaimed their homes. We, and all of the other adventurers, had enjoyed escaping to this oasis of calm for a short while before the tide turned and moved us on.

My thanks go to Jacqui for creating this opportunity for one final beach day before the weather forces us to bring our boat up for the winter. It was a great style challenge - one that really captured my imagination. 

Update 

Apologies to my long term readers and also to the Style Collective - it seems that old age has set in with me. I've showcased this coat 18 months ago during one of our previous monthly challenges. I completely forgot - oops! 

                                                                                Anna x

Two summer jackets (in autumn)

Hello there! At the time of writing it's blowing a gale outside with torrential rain battering against the windows which makes this seem a rather odd feature to be posting, but I've been promising this for days, so here we go. So far I've managed to get photos of two summer jackets and still have two more waiting in the wings, however they may have to wait until next year.

I was particularly pleased with the pairing of jacket and dress in this outfit. I love the stripes of colour echoed in each even though the patterns are different. The colours too work really well together. It's a real match made in heaven.

It's the first time I've worn the jacket (the brand is Divas) and it's a neat fit with discreet zip up pockets and zip front. The dress is by Per Una and is a perfect summer weight in linen with fitted waistband and inverted pleat creating a generous skirt and those lovely pockets making it a sure fire winner. The v neck kept me cool and the pretty pleating added a bit of style in what could have otherwise been an overly simple frock.

The dress, jacket and rings are all pre-loved pieces which just goes to show how second hand isn't just the green option, but can be a colourful and stylish one too. The necklace is by Drift jewellery one of the brands we stock in the Gallery. I collect Tresco sea glass from our beaches and send it to Fiona, the maker, who turns it into one-off pieces for us to sell. 

The Primark petal sandals have jewelled centres. I've had these for a couple of summers now and goodness, they're so comfy!

The second summer jacket is showcased just a day later in what was a real dose of pea-souper fog. It disrupted flights, delaying departures and arrivals with some guests not moving to or from the island at all. Fiona and I decided to go ahead, aiming for that atmospheric shot ...

The pre-loved jacket is by River Island. It's unlined, but has pockets and again this is its first outing. I seem to collect jackets as that handy item to finish off an outfit. I'm quite formal on the quiet, despite my efforts at rebellion sometimes. When I'm being smart, a jacket is the finishing touch and yet is easy to discard when it gets too hot.

The Topshop orange satin trimmed top is also pre-loved and very well worn by me. The off-white trousers were from F&F at Tesco many moons ago. They are great wash and wear trousers requiring the minimum of ironing to look sleek and smart. 

Comfort and style are combined in these glorious embroidered trainers by Replay, bought in the Harrogate branch of TK Maxx last spring. They certainly do draw lots of compliments every time I wear them. 

The shopping my closet theme continues with my jewellery too. Both rings and the tiny seed pearl necklace were all gathered along the way over the years. Vintage and second hand are always more interesting to me. 

And so here we are bang into autumn with fog, rain and gales. My newly found jackets look like the only place they're heading is into a suitcase along with the rest of my summer clothes. The big clothes change-over may be coming sooner rather than later...

In the meantime, I've got one more summery outfit coming up on Monday for our monthly style challenge with the posse from the Style Not Age collective. Our theme for September is "All dressed up with nowhere to go". It'll be no surprise to you if I say that I took this one rather literally! Do swing by on Monday to see what that might look like.

                                                                                                Anna x