Summer show 3

It's not by chance that we always have our group shot taken after the exhibition party rather than before, as by then the sheer relief and perhaps a glass of wine or two help us all look beautifully relaxed. The third summer show features artists Iona Sanders and Richard Guy (shown here) along with Neil Pinkett in a glorious collection of work (find the third July show images here). Each of the July exhibitions has been a diverse showcase of the artists' work and this final one is no exception. Red spots were dotted about, sales were made and we all had a splendid evening. Painting stories were exchanged between artists as to where's the best spot to see the finest Agapanthus blooms at the moment with my own particular highlight being when Iona's lovely father regaled me with tales of his time at sea as Coxswain aboard the ships that serviced the Trinity Lighthouses around the UK some 25 years ago. It was fascinating stuff.

And so on to the frock. This week's outfit is a mix of old and new; the new by way of this maxi dress by Zara which is on the website currently if you love it - see here.  I must admit I'm still utterly enchanted by these longer length summer frocks, not just for the romantic nature of them, but for the cool waftiness (made up word) which has come into its own during these wild summer temperatures we're having again. Loose fitting and lightweight fabric is a winning combination for this super maxi. I'll be dressing it down soon with simple sandals or those natty white trainers of mine for a cool and practical summery look.

This week's dress may not have the same big swoosh factor as last time but it makes up for this in its sleek contemporary styling. I know that white and black is an understated colour choice for me too, but sometimes I like to throw in the odd wild card with something unexpected. 

Pretty summer sandals would have been an obvious with this dress, but I chose these silver stiletto heel boots (by Buffalo) to give a bit more of an edge to the outfit. Polly tells me that this is Zara's dress of the moment as it's turning up all over Instagram. And if that's the case then styling this is more of a challenge to find that individual touch. I carried on the silver theme with all of my jewellery. The disc necklace was from M&S a few years ago, but still gets lots of admiration. The sunglasses are by Quay Australia and just happen to go perfectly with this black and white get up, don't you think?

The pre-loved accessories go a long way in helping this dress looking different. The Vogue clutch, bangles and rings are all charity shop finds, each one a delight at the time. These inexpensive trophies help me to stamp my personality onto an outfit. There's no better thrill than finding an unusual piece in a tiny charity shop, knowing it will one day add that certain twist to an ensemble. What simple pleasures I have!

My next post coming up will be on Monday when the ladies from the Style Not Age Collective and I will be delivering our latest offering. This month's theme is "Steal her style" which has certainly had me chopping and changing my mind over the past few weeks. I'm still in the throes of getting the look together, but fingers crossed, I'll be ready in time. I do hope you'll pop back to see how it goes. In the meantime, keep hydrated, keep slapping on the factor 50 and enjoy the sunshine!

                                                                                           Anna x

The summer trench

Hi, hello and how are you?  I did wonder if summer and trench ought be in the same phrase.  Surely summer is all about not wearing a coat? Unfortunately as the UK weather is so fickle, a summer trench maybe isn't such a bad idea. Steve and I had arranged to meet up at the end of the day to do this photo shoot and it had been a glorious afternoon right up until 5 minutes before we left when we had a heavy shower. Enter stage right, this bright orange trench which hasn't yet been aired on the blog, in fact this is the very first time I've worn it. The brand is Harvey & Jones and I bought it in TK Maxx last summer.

The wind was fierce so I took cover behind the Old Blockhouse ramparts whilst watching a huge dark cloud mass scudding across the sky. A bright blue patch of sky appeared and I rushed to undo the trench to reveal the outfit of the day.

You may remember this jumpsuit from last year - it's from H&M in collaboration with GP & J Baker. I styled it badly that time, yes that has to be said. I wore it with my green sock boots and honestly it didn't do the jumpsuit any favours at all. 

Try as I might to defend it, I knew I ought to have worn these (H&M) sandals, but the chilly autumn air prompted me to change my mind. If you don't believe me see it here. However, the boots may have been wrong, but the haircut was sharp. I may have to revisit that style again ...

My photographer took a great shot of the rain falling onto the Eastern Isles behind me don't you think? Well done Steve, I'll keep you on!

I decided to add an orange vest top underneath the jumpsuit to counter the slightly wide neckline. It felt more comfortable too - not quite so drafty!

Anyway, the jumpsuit is back on my go-to list as it's exactly like a dress, in that you don't have any matching to think about. Separates are fine when you have time to try things out and find the right pieces to go together. But dresses and jumpsuits win hands down when you're in a rush. And to be perfectly honest, my mornings always seem to be a bit of a mad rush. Up at 6am I try to fit in a bit of blogging, a bit of housework, a cycle to the beach for a swim, shower, grab an outfit and dash out the door to work. I'd love to be organised and sort out an outfit the night before, but don't get me started on how my evenings look!

I chose to accessorise the outfit with a wonderful medley of colours. The necklace, purchased from a market in Cape Town, is a great for picking up the pink, orange and green. The flower trimmed sunglasses were from Sainsbury's, the bracelet and orange ring are pre-loved and the pink ring was a gift from a friend. The pink stretch belt is a regular on the blog, but that's because it seems to work with so many looks. I found it on eBay a couple of years ago and it was certainly worth the £5 I paid for it.

My summer handbag of the moment just happens to go with this outfit like a dream. I felt particularly pleased with how well these went together. I've had this Monsoon bag for ages and have reinstated it as my summer handbag this year. I love the pattern and the tassel is sweet too.

I'm a big fan of the colour orange and do wonder why it's taken me so long to wear this lovely trench coat. It could be the fact that when it rains on Scilly, it really rains! You know, that proper downpour affair when you actually need a full set of wet gear - and welly boots! Oh so very different to life on the mainland when you simply hop out of the car and put up a brolly as you nip across the road to the shops. Hey ho, island life suits me fine!

                                                                                       Anna x

Wearing nature's colours

Hello again and how's your weekend going? The Isles of Scilly were looking pretty idyllic on Friday evening as Steve and I went looking for a different setting for the latest photo shoot.  When I was thinking about a backdrop for this bronze and aqua outfit I thought about how the tones reflect the colours of the seashore. Behind me is Rushy Porth showing the shades I was thinking of. 

This is a lovely spot with a perfectly placed bench to sit and enjoy the view. A coastal walk around the island is my favourite way to spend my lunchtime during the winter months, affording me lungfuls of ozone rich air as well as a healthy dose of exercise too. The lure of the big outdoors is what brings so many visitors to our shores throughout the season as it's all so accessible and right on our doorstep.

Steve and I followed the path around the coast to where the next bench overlooks St Martin's and the Eastern Isles. Out of the wind, we stopped and took a few more shots. I had my hair cut on Thursday - see the clip on Instagram of my jetboat trip on the low tide, such a lovely day. Anyway, I'd been trying to grow my hair, but had no idea into what style and then I posted my mega feature and on seeing all of those photos with a sharp cut, I decided I maybe ought to backtrack to something like that again. This is the first tentative step to finding my way back into the best cut for my shape of face.

So let's talk about the outfit shall we. I've shopped my closet as they say, meaning you may have seen some or all of this before. The jacket is quite old, from H&M and is a hand-me-down from my daughter. I had coveted this for some time and was thrilled when she finally grew tired of it. The satin material has a lovely sheen and the colours are very flattering in these muted hues. The skirt was from Tu a couple of years ago when I picked it up in the sale. Back in those days Sasha was still living in Truro and we used to pretend we were on a food buying mission when we both really knew it was a cover for the fact that Sainsbury's clothes were always worth a look, particularly when the sales were on.

I've had these sandals for a couple of summers now. The brand is Refresh and I bought them in TK Maxx. Notice how the skirt has an almost two tone effect of silver and bronze.

The simple round neck long sleeved top was a charity shop find. I have these in so many neutral shades, all of them from charity shops costing only a couple of pounds. The same kind of thing from M&S can be found here for £12.50. 

I chose frosted silver for jewellery to tone in with the shimmering sea colours. The disc necklace was from M&S many moons ago, the bracelet and rings are all pre-loved. Sunglasses are by Guess.

So, that's my first post for June. I love this time of year with the promise of summer still ahead of us. Boat trips and picnics, exhibitions and visiting artists, warmer sea with longer swims; it's all still to come and brings joy to my heart. It's such a privilege to have this life here on the island. To have family and friends, work and play all within a couple of miles is a stroke of luck. Grateful as ever, that's me.

And with that, I'll wish you a super weekend and hope to see you again soon!

Anna x

Here and there

Hello again! I'm both here and there today, in that my photo shoot was taken here on the island, but I'm actually up there (in Harrogate) where I'm wearing the same outfit.

The vintage tunic was £3 from a charity shop in Truro. The sales assistant told me it had only been on the rail for an hour which somehow makes me feel even more lucky to find it. Where's the logic in that? Goodness only knows! Surely I'd be more lucky if it'd had been there for a month and was still around when I arrived?

The Ted Baker handbag came from the same shop; it was £23 and worth every penny in my eyes. It shows a little bit of wear and tear, but I can forgive it everything because of the fabulous colour. I'll be wearing my red/black/lilac woollen coat (last seen here) over this ensemble while I'm in Harrogate and know this bag will be the bizz.

I've had the orange satin disco pants for quite a while and yet have only worn them a couple of times. Not easy to leaf into everyday wear, I suppose, but I'm thinking that now I can play the eccentricity card whenever something falls into the "questionable item" category. Crossing into my 60's surely promotes me from crazy lady into eccentric lady - hurrah!

All of today's jewellery is pre-loved, so hurrah for that too!

I don't know if it was just the power of this outfit or that I'd had a particularly lovely swim this day, but I was feeling so well, and so very me. Do you know what I mean? How some days what you wear really reflects your inner self - in this case, my inner joy. I bubbled and grinned from start to finish, so much so that I have earmarked this ensemble for a photoshoot that I have to submit for a magazine later this year. More details of that in due course...

The big platform helps to offset the height of these heels making them all-day-long boots for a change. Bought from Office a couple of years ago, they're not wearing too badly considering that they're real suede. I love the ginger colourway too!

My velvet trench (pre-loved from Hobbs) has had another makeover with some new retro vibe buttons. 

I'm writing this a week in advance, so I do hope that nothing has come along to change or scupper my plans. Hopefully I've arrived safely in Harrogate and have enjoyed my first day at the British Craft Trade Fair. It's a three day long trade fair where I usually find some new artists and makers to supply me with new products for the gallery in the year ahead. 

I'll be home again on Friday, but have another blog post lined up for you on Wednesday, so do please come back to see what that may feature. Until then, have a lovely week!

Anna x

Something simple

I thought it was maybe time to step away from all the glitz and sparkle of Christmas and post  a more simple outfit. This was taken just two days after I had my tooth out, calling for a good dollop of blusher and a slash of bright red lippy to brighten up my rather peely-wally (aka peaky) complexion.

All the jewellery is pre-loved, including the necklace and bracelet that I picked up last week.

The grey sweater and culottes are both from Primark, again recent purchases. The grey long sleeved tee is a thermal layer from M&S and the boots are from H&M.

 Oh how I love these boots!

Every time I wear these red sockboots I feel the cost has been justified. But, more importantly, I just love how glamorous they make me feel and the fit is so comfortable too. Today's outfit is all about comfort in fact, as the culottes have a fully elasticated waist which will be very handy round about Christmas time when waistlines have the habit of expanding no matter how good ones intentions are. I've chosen a shift dress to wear on Christmas day for the very same reason. 

I hope to sneak another post in before Christmas Day, but in case I don't I'd like to wish you a very Happy Christmas and also say thank you for joining me as we near the end of another year. Whether you're a regular reader or a now and again visitor I'm so pleased to have you around. But one last thing - I was asked about my party outfit and what I finally alighted on for the event. Well, I wore this skirt and top (see here) but I added these boots instead (see here). The whole outfit made me feel very comfortable, so much so, that yes, I did dance after all! 

Anna x