The Zara "It" dress does autumn

Hello and how are you? I hope you're having a great week. Today I'm continuing with my quest to restyle a summer outfit, recreating an autumn look from one of my favourite summer frocks. Not only my favourite, but this polka dot dress became the "It" dress of 2019 as it appeared like a rash across the whole of Britain, even as far south as the Isles of Scilly! If you Google Zara spotty dress you'll be able to read what all the papers had to say about this new classic piece. In the meantime, it's still for sale here or you'll maybe prefer the reverse colours in the new style here. 

The first time I showcased this fabulous frock I was bigging it up for an exhibition night, adding lots of silver to the monochrome look - see here. Today I've added a splash of red in both boots and belt, along with the red in this vintage leather handbag. 

I stumbled across the handbag when I was holidaying in Cork many years ago. It was a wonderful charity shop find that nearly had me fending off a rival shopper as she loitered behind me, hoping I'd change my mind and put it back on the shelf. My sister stepped in to clarify the matter, that yes, I would be buying it. Hahaha, forever my big sister, even though we're all grown up now! The belt and rings are also charity shop finds.

The silver disc necklace is quite old now, but was from M&S. Sunglasses are by Quay Australia. 

The silver and black studded Michael Kors jacket is becoming a signature piece of mine. It has the ability to add a bit of edge to any outfit, giving it a style boost as it were. I like that the studs echo the polka dots here. 

These H&M sock boots have coped very well considering the amount of times I've worn them. I think I may have had them re-heeled last year, and I do wipe off any marks and mud to keep them as pristine as possible. Sock boots seem to suit my curvy calves and show off my slim ankles, hence me investing in about half a dozen pairs so far.

Today's outfit crosses all the fashion sources from high street to charity shop and vintage which encapsulates all of my shopping vices. I love to dabble with all kinds of clothes and accessories to create my own style. Next week I've got a wee trip to the mainland lined up and hope to find time between appointments to fit in some charity shopping in my favourite venue of Truro. It seems that a whole swathe of my autumn/winter clothes have gone walkabout or rather I just can't find them in the morass of boxes and suitcases that are scattered throughout the house. I know it sounds like a made up excuse for a bit of retail therapy, but it's the truth, honestly! 

                                                                                          Anna x

Oh my dimpled arse!

'Scuse the crude title today guys, but sometimes you just have to tell it how it is. This newly-coined phrase was borne from a naive backwards glance in the mirror. Honestly, it had me in stitches as the sight and resulting comment took me by surprise. It wasn't uttered in horror, more disbelief that my 61 years have finally caught up with me. I immediately saw the humour in this and couldn't stop laughing. When did my bum turn into a lumpy, dimpled arse that resembles a badly stuffed bolster? As I surveyed the damage in the mirror I was touched by the sight of this battle-torn feature and felt as if I was meeting an old friend whose predicament sparked a deep understanding for what it's gone through. Oh my dimpled arse, how tenderly I love you!

When Fiona and I met up later to take some photos, I couldn't help but share this comedy moment with her. The rest of the shoot was riddled with laughter as the memory tickled my funny button. She too loved the universal recognition that this phrase conjures up. At 16 this may not be funny, but at 61 it most definitely is!

Let's chat about the outfit now, shall we? You may recognise this buttery yellow trouser suit from an earlier post this summer. It's from JD Williams, though not gifted I hasten to add. I've kept it out for one last hurrah before it gets packed away for the winter. I wanted to see if I could adapt it to autumn wear as I've been doing of late. 

I added black patent boots (Topshop) to dispel any reference to summer sandals which I think toughens the look up straight away. The next step was to throw in some animal print with this H&M leopard print cardigan. The clutch works as an extra punch of print too - this was a charity shop find, as were the two rings. Finally, I've opted for a black pair of mirror sunglasses by Quay Australia. 

I forgot to mention this tribal print necklace from Topshop. I often strike it lucky when I visit the Truro branch as they do a good line in chunky statement necklaces which are very much my thing.

As I waltz off into the weekend, please know that I won't be offended if you feel the need to greet me with this new catchphrase. Oh-my-giddy-aunt seemed to catch on. I wonder if this will too?

                                                                                           Anna x

My fave summer frock does autumn!

Hello lovelies! How are you? Today, I'm revisiting my favourite summer frock by adding the style trick that I discovered in my previous blog post. The simple addition of a jacket and boots are seemingly all that's need for this seasonal transition. What do you think?

Earlier on this week I posted a look that relied less on bright colours and more on pattern and with today's outfit I'm once again playing with patterns and a muted palette. Peach and apricot shades can be very flattering for those with paler skin like mine and I must admit I love how this has all come together, and I just adore how it makes me feel too. The maxi dress makes me feel uber feminine, in fact the whole ensemble made me feel so good that in this pretty backdrop it has created one of my favourite photo shoots of all time.

A sun-drenched woodland track might not be my usual habitat, but it was certainly conducive to creating a great backdrop for the swoosh series of day.

So, the outfit details are like this - dress from Zara (still available here), boots from Office, leather jacket by DSquared and sunglasses are by Quay Australia. I do hope that the look might inspire you to try this easy bit of transitional dressing.

I remember buying these brocade boots from Office a couple of seasons ago. In fact I bought these and another dark green pair and felt quite extravagant at the time. I also was pretty confident that even if these went out of fashion, they would always be on trend with me. Thank goodness for that gut instinct eh?

The gold wire rings were charity shopped.

Steve and I were lucky to have a sunny afternoon on Sunday making this a sweet interlude in what is normally a busy at home day, full of to-do lists and chores. I'd enjoyed a lively swim on Appletree Bay at high tide earlier in the morning when I was bounced about in the swell amid a fresh onshore breeze. And isn't it amazing how a spot of sunshine can make all the difference to how we perceive things? This photo shoot would have been much less pretty had we been in the middle of a cloudy day. And my swim in the turquoise waves might have felt much more threatening under overcast skies too. Hurrah for some autumn sunshine!

                                                                                    Anna x

Autumn florals, our Style Not Age challenge

Welcome to September's style challenge! Autumn florals is what I came up with for my theme, which feels like the halfway house to admitting that summer is over. I've unpacked some of my autumn clothes today, but I'm not convinced that I'm ready for the decline into what I find the most difficult months of the year. Drab and dull is what comes to mind when I think autumn and winter, but I mustn't confuse the weather with the clothes must I? Anyway, let's see how my co-conspirators have done this time shall we?

Jacqui gives her florals a light touch by adding white to the mix. This is a clever bit of transitional dressing if ever I saw it! Read more on her blog Mummabstylish here.

Another pair of light coloured boots lifts Hilda's dark floral frock and adds a funky element that I really love. See her back story on Over the Hilda here.

Editor of Style Splash Emma is sporting a #secondhandseptember frock for the challenge. I would have snapped this pretty offering up too if I'd seen it! And how cute is that little bag?

So let's get down to details shall we? My floral frock is by Zara, an earlier purchase from this summer. The mustard suedette jacket is by Boohoo which I picked up in TK Maxx this year too. You may remember seeing these chestnut suede boots before. I've had them for a couple of years now - they're from Office and are still comfy as ever despite the height of those heels.

The maxi dress has one side split giving the odd flash of thigh. I think I'll be happier to wear tights with this during the colder months. The tiny and beautifully soft leather bag by Gigi is preloved and was a bargain at £3.99. I was rather pleased to match the orange flowers with the orange trim of the bag.

I've got a few maxi dresses that I'm planning on wearing with boots over the next month or so to see if I can extend their life beyond that summer fling. I think a bit of layering may be needed to carry it the look off, but it may be worth a try. My cream and peach floral frock from Zara (see here) is one that I'm loath to pack away just yet, so watch out for that bit of styling soon.

Rings are both preloved, as is the leather belt by Evie and my necklace is by Daisy Dunlop. Did you notice the punched floral pattern on both ring and belt? I can't help these tiny link-ups.

Sunglasses are by my fave brand Quay Australia.

So that's another month's challenge in the bag. Thanks for joining us again. Are we inspiring you? Does autumn inspire you? If so, please do share with me what fires you up most for this new season as I do struggle with this. Perhaps you've had your colours done and autumn is you? I think I may be autumn, but that doesn't seem to make it any easier for me. 

Have a great week and let's catch up again soon!

Anna x

The North End

Hello dear friends! How are you? Here I am, having a bit of a gadabout at the North End of Tresco, the wilder side of the island. After my recent big sea swim, I decided to revisit this corner of my journey to view it from the land. Fiona and I had the day off work and walked there replaying the events of the day from each of our perspectives. It was pretty memorable for both of us and good for us to share our stories.

As you can see, it was a wild and windy day, making my trousers flap gloriously in the breeze. 

We're standing at the ramparts of King Charles Castle which affords a spectacular view around the headland as well as the vista south towards St Mary's and St Agnes.

I'm entering this outfit in the campaign that's being run by Oxfam this month - Second Hand September. The charity is trying to encourage us all to fulfil our clothes shopping needs this month by choosing second hand via our charity shops. We can all make a difference with this simple change in habits so why not give it a go? My top, vest and trousers are all charity shop finds, as is the pretty bangle.

My rock climbing escapades were made all the safer by some rather sensible footwear from Topshop. I picked these up in the summer sale for £20. I love the trend for functional trainers that's now part of our everyday dressing.

What kind of crazy person would choose to swim in this channel?

Thanks for joining me today. I'll be back at the weekend to showcase my outfit for the final exhibition of the year, although as per usual, that particular ensemble has yet to reveal itself!

                                                                                            Anna x