December round up

Hello lovelies and Happy New year to you! I thought I'd do a quick round up of my December outfits as I know I missed posting for a week when I was laid up with the lurgy. These are all work outfits apart from the final one which was destined for our New Year's Eve party, but more of that later.

This sparkly number comprises of an old sequinned top (a Christmas present from a couple of years ago) and these silver jeans that are also old. The pink and aqua blouse was passed on to me from my daughter some time ago, so nothing new there then.

The grey floral boots were bought in Penzance earlier on this year in Rackys, a small independent shoe shop. I've found a link to something similar in stock with them currently here. These are super comfy, with memory foam insole making them all day wearable which earns them top points in my book.

Black and gold was the theme of this workday ensemble, and none of it is new. All of the items are charity shop finds from previous years or earlier this year. The lurex polo neck is very ancient, but is wearing well. The heavy gold lurex cardigan was a find when my friend Ben took me thrift shopping in London before Covid struck.

The black velvet jeans are a recent purchase and the Elvis belt was an eBay buy earlier on this year. None of the jewellery is new either. 

These gold pumps are second hand too (£20), a rather fabulous find in Truro in December and just look at the back view of them -

Aren't they totally fab!

An all in black day is unusual for me, therefore worth documenting despite it not really having the wow factor to my mind. The sweater has a bronze lurex thread running through it and the black lurex joggers are incredibly slouchy and easy to wear. The two items came to £8 in total in my Truro charity shop haul in December.

I finished the look off with my old favourite patent boots from Topshop. It's a simple uncluttered outfit but still with a festive feel. Jewellery is all old or pre-loved.

And this my dear friends is what I pulled together for New Year's Eve. Again, nothing new here, all shopped from my closet. If you're a regular to my blog then my mermaid coat will be familiar to you. I've paired it with a champagne colour sheath dress (pre-loved, brand Monsoon) for which I paid the grand sum of £5!

I've had these satin kitten heel sling backs for over 15 years, but they still look perfect for this outfit, don't you think?

I dressed up and took myself off to the gallery to get these photos on NYE, but not for the party. Steve and I were still struggling with this terrible cough, as were my children too, so we all stayed home that evening. 

The frosted silver necklace was purchase from M&S many moons ago, but still is a favourite of mine.

Maybe next New Year I'll get the chance to sashay around in this shimmering pastel ensemble to another party, but in the meantime I did have fun swishing about to Fleetwood Mac on my own private dance floor.

                                                                                   Anna x

Sparkle and Shine, our Style Not Age challenge for December

Merry Christmas and welcome back my dear reader! I've been awol for a week, laid up with a chest infection at this most inconvenient time of year. Today's photos were taken earlier on this month before I went out to the island Christmas party where I was doing my best to Sparkle and Shine in the name of this month's challenge, which just so happened to be my choice of subject.

 

Hilda combined a mixture of shopping her closet with borrowing from her sister to create this sparkly look for maximum effect! Find all the details on her blog Over The Hilda.

Another black sparkly top comes from Jacqui, worn with equally dazzling shoes by Lotus along with these eye-popping yellow jeans from Zara. Check out the full details on her blog Mummabstylish.

Emma from Style Splash is a big fan of secondhand clothes and this mega sparkly kimono was a super find on eBay. Follow the link to catch up on her backstory of this glitzy outfit.

Shopping her closet too was Gail, showcasing her fabulous winter wonderland colours in this white sparkly duster over her silver sequinned skirt. Read more from Gail on her blog Is This Mutton. 

My sparkly ensemble is a mix of shopping my closet and second hand finds. The bolero sequin jacket was an exciting find in the British Red Cross shop in Truro earlier on this month. The brand is Zara and was new with tags, selling at £20 rather than the retail price of £49.99. I love the 80's shoulder pads giving this a sharp silhouette. 

If you're a regular reader then you may recognise this fabulous floral tulle skirt that I bring out every Christmas. It's by Ted Baker and always earns me lots of compliments. 

I added a new belt, again from Zara, to pull the skirt and top together. The sheer top with devore pattern was a bargain piece many years ago from TK Maxx, but this is the first time I've worn it. I've been waiting to find the right underwear and finally came across a lace body in TK Maxx that turned this from saucy to stylish.

The fabulous shoes were another charity shop find from years ago - £20 very well spent I'd say! And don't they go perfectly with my skirt?

More charity shop finds: the rings and clutch are very old, but still rather fab!

My thanks go to Fiona for her photography skills and her ability to always make me laugh. She was my partner in crime that evening as we danced our socks off!

                                                                                                 Anna x

Stripes and Spots, our Style Not Age Challenge for November

Hello again and thanks for coming along today to see our Style Not Age Challenge for November. This month Emma chose Stripes and Spots as our theme which certainly caught me on the back foot - at the time of writing I only have one outfit to hand, so this is what my offering looks like!

Starting with Emma, she has shopped her closet for this M&S striped jacket and spotty top from Coast, along with trousers from River Island. Her cute little spotty bag is old, from Mango. See more on her blog Style Splash.

Jacqui from Mummabstylish is sporting a very patriotic outfit of blue/white striped top with white jeans and a sweet little red spotty scarf. It's a great casual look for the weekend!

Another stripey top comes from Hilda worn with a spotty scarf too - great minds think alike eh? She's added her new Primark faux leather trousers and M&S boots to complete this chic look. Read more on her blog Over The Hilda.

Completing the threesome with another striped sweater is Gail from Is This Mutton. The top is a recent purchase from M&S as are the diamante leggings. Both spotty belt and boots are old.

I'd stepped outside work for a change of scenery with today's outfit, but the blustery weather and seaweed strewn road wasn't the best backdrop after all.

There's nothing new with this outfit at all, not jewellery nor clothes nor boots, but it's the first time these have been pulled together to make an ensemble. The velvet trousers came from my daughter last year but this is the first time I've showcased them. I think they'll be perfect for the festive season, don't you?

The spotty top was a TK Maxx find from last year or maybe even a couple of years ago. The rose cut out necklace is very old indeed and was a purchase from the Gallery. Both my blue rings are charity shop purchases.

My brocade boots (ASOS) may be old, but do work perfectly with the jewel bright colours of the velvet crops, eh?

My outdoors wear comprises of blue leather gloves (charity shopped) and my pink and red checked coat (very old).

Quay Australia sunglasses finish off the look. I'd say that month after month these challenges do make me review my wardrobe in a way that I wouldn't otherwise which results in many a surprise. I'd bypassed these trousers often because I thought I didn't have anything to go with them, et viola, I do! And this led me on to seeing that my black top in a similar combination of stretch body and voile sleeves would look equally good, in fact it might be a good option for our Christmas day drinks at the pub.

Thanks for popping along today and do please nip across to see the back stories from my blogging friends. I'll see you next week with my first December outfit.

                                                                          Anna x

Mellow yellow

Hello lovelies! Are you okay? I'm doing great. I've taken a week's holiday to wind down after what's been a hectic end of season. This was Friday's work outfit, a mix of old and new pieces that I was trying out. 

Mellow yellow is a step down from my normal sock-it-to-ya colour scheme, but I really love it. The faux leather paper bag trousers are by Zara, but were bought from TK Maxx in the spring and my, don't they work beautifully with my ecru Asos boots from last year?

The yellow woollen jacket is by S'NOB and is very old. I like the gold lurex thread that runs through it, adding a bit of glam to an otherwise conservative piece. 

My gold flower ring was a gift from a girlfriend and the other floral ring was a charity shop find. My poppy brooch comes out every year. Sunglasses are by Quay Australia.

This lace blouse was a recent charity shop find in Penzance. It was brand new, still with the labels attached from the brand "I Saw It First". In fact there were two side by side, this and a pure white voile one which I snatched up too. One was £7 and the other was £10 - what a result!

What's not to love about a cream lace blouse with frilly cuffs? I particularly enjoyed the pairing of leather and lace, especially in this neutral palette. So unlike me, I know, but isn't it grand to stumble across a new love?

The main of the blouse is fully lace so I opted to add a natural body underneath which was not only a modesty choice but a useful extra layer of insulation too. 

It's always a bonus to find a new outfit at the end of the season as I know I'll still have it to hand ready for when we re-open in March. This definitely will transfer to spring without any tweaking at all. How fab is that? And yes, I did waft about feeling rather fabulous all day long in this muted ensemble.

Thanks so much for dropping by. Have a super week!

                                                                                       Anna x

Hurrah for that Friday feeling!

Yes, after a week back at work, here I am at the end of the day, flushed with that Friday feeling. Much as I love my job, it's been tough to know that there was a second Triscape retreat taking place just on the other side of the island - without me! I've been green with envy at the very thought of it all. But hey ho, life goes on and I've had a busy week catching up on sales and making plans for the weekend ahead. 

 

I'm sporting my new work glasses here, not too expensive as they were from Specsavers, but they are great for my computer work when my eyes are getting tired. I wear reading glasses for my bedtime read, but apart from that it's only computer work that has me reaching for my glasses for a clearer vision.

And once work is over, it's time for a bit of fun! I love to have a bop around the back of the gallery when we're closed and I'm winding down. The weather wasn't good for outdoor blog photos so I settled down to capturing some shots indoors for a change...

My outfit of the day shows nothing new, simply a joyful collection of animal prints along with my cream Asos boots. The frilled blouse was a charity shop find from many years ago and is still going strong. I had planned to wear a fab fur coat over the top of this, but we had mix of wet and windy weather that scuppered my plans. I'll show you next time!

The cream leather belt was a second hand find, but actually brand new from Country Casuals. Rings are old too, but perfect tonally for today's look.

And it's that time of the year again, when I bring out my Paul Costelloe leopard skin handbag. It's sleek, stylish and great fun!

And talking of fun, the rest of the shoot was all about hamming it up for the camera - and why on earth not?

Hurrah for that Friday feeling and hurrah for having the freedom to dress as I please, even at work! 

Wishing you a fab week ahead x

Anna x