The north wind doth blow!

The past week on the Isles of Scilly has been a wild and windy time. Polly and I did manage to brave the winds one day to capture this spring-like outfit, but even then she battled with the force of the wind as it tugged against the camera. I took the much more practised route of leaning into the wind making one less likely to be blown over.

This is that much recognised stance aka the windswept look, another favourite of the locals.

So let's talk clothes, shall we? The pre-loved jacket is by Next, the jersey retro top is also second hand (no label), the paperbag canary yellow jeans are from Primark and are this season as I bought them less than two weeks ago. The trainers are by LA Gear and were from TK Maxx last year.

The gold chain necklace was a recent purchase from Primark too. I have a similar one already, but it's been such a workhorse that I worry it will one day fall to bits so this is my back-up piece. The perspex rings were a gift from my lovely friend Wendy - are you reading this? I hope you are.

White tops in the bay are never a good sign. The boats and planes have suffered disruption throughout the week, meaning delays to the post and food supplies - at one point milk ran out on both St Mary's and Bryher. The local dairy on St Agnes were working flat out trying to meet the demand. Most homes on the island have back up stores in either a shed or outhouse for times like this. An extra freezer is another norm for us all in our sheds so that we have sufficient food to tide us over lean time like this. I'm sure most remote communities exist like this too.

At the time this post goes live I hope to be back in Truro for the weekend, this time not for a jolly, but to attend a hospital check up - nothing serious. I say hope, as the weather may well have scuppered my plans. I've put this post together and have left it to be posted automatically so fingers crossed!

Thanks for all of the lovely kind wishes to Polly. All is well with the world when you see this backdrop and my crazy antics prompted by the fab photographer cum gallery assistant. Here's to another great season together!

Hope you have a fab weekend. Let's catch up again soon!

    Anna x

Save and splurge

Today's outfit sums up my shopping ethos of save and splurge. The majority of the time I like to shop to save, preferably from charity shops where I'll often find a gem vintage piece or even just a high street brand from a few seasons ago. I'm not averse to shopping from the high street, but I do like the varied selection that pre-loved shopping offers. 

I bought these alphabet trousers in a charity shop in Truro when I was there recently. The brand is River Island and they cost me £2.50. I'll hazard a guess that they would have cost about £30 in store. A quick wash and they're as good as new.

The jumper was again second hand, the brand is Topshop and this time costing me £3 as opposed to, say £25. Over these two items alone I've saved nearly £50 to set against the cost of the (non-charity shopped) shoes.  

The brand of the shoes is Church's - check out their website here with the other fabulous city smart shoes on offer currently. I found these ones at the Edinburgh branch of TK Maxx when I was there in January. But that's not the price I actually paid for them ...

This was the ultimate in savvy shopping. I saved a massive £363 on these, and gained a pair of high class shoes at the same time. So maybe not so much of a splurge after all!

And yes, the blue soles on these Oxfords was a big plus point when I was considering buying them. Well, the considering took a very brief time in fact, only as long as it took to try them on. I love something a little bit quirky, a bit off-centre and these pretty much tick all of the boxes for me. Plus, I knew how versatile they would be - black and white are a wardrobe staple - as they've proved to be today.

My only piece of jewellery is this charity shopped ring which cost me 99p and again is just a bit unusual, a little bit funky to go with this retro inspired ensemble.

Polly and I were forced indoors yesterday for our photo shoot due to the storm that was blowing across the Isles of Scilly at a ferocious speed. I don't think there were any flights into the islands all day and the freight ship has been affected by the weather for days too. But such are the joys of island life. If I hadn't been at work I would have loved to be wave watching at the North end of the island. I bet it would have made for exciting viewing!

                                                                                           Anna x

Sunday mash up

Hello and welcome to my Sunday mash up, a riot of colour and pattern play. You may recall me saying I've had a little splurge on the Zara sale site recently? Well, these leopard print trousers were one of the pieces I succumbed to for the princely sum of £5.99 - yes, that's right, £5.99! Most the items I bought were that price, which is the best reason ever to keep your eye of for the Zara sale next time. The other leopard print jeans I've already showcased here were also £5.99 which seems totally bonkers, but a win for me. 

Today's mash up may seem a bit too adventurous for some of you, but I just wanted to show how easy it is to mix up lots of patterns together provided they have colours in common. The shirt (pre-loved from Boohoo £2.50) was the most perfect partner for these trousers as they're both sporting the red and black leopard print. The design in itself is a great mash up of leopard print, zebra stripe and chain pattern and can be the star of the show with a simple pair of black trousers - that would look really effective too.

I'm always looking for an opportunity to bring out my tartan boots from M&S. As an idea this may not have been an obvious one, but when you look at the colours together you can see that the clash of patterns is negated by the happy partnership of colours. The outfit is basically red and black and falls into my mindset of Why Not?

I'd like to say that this shoot was taken in my own back garden and that I laze about like this often, but the truth is that my photographer and I had sneaked into one of the holiday cottage gardens to test drive this rather lovely lounger. I can report that yes, it was very comfy and please do go ahead and buy them of all of the cottages. This was in the garden of Smugglers which nestles under the trees, only a stone's throw from the Old Blockhouse.

Are you having a chill-out this Sunday? Or maybe you're making the most of the spring weather and doing some gardening? I'm heading off to work now, continuing with the preparations for the Gallery to open on Friday. The whole island wakes up from its winter slumber on the 15th of March so there is quite a flurry of activity this weekend as the last few maintenance jobs are done. There are lots of new faces appearing on the island too meaning that the staff recruitment has been successful in luring newcomers for the many seasonal roles. There's an undercurrent of simmering excitement (for some that may be panic) as the pace picks up ready for the big day. 

Tomorrow is a big day in the Gallery as I welcome Polly back into her position of Gallery Assistant. She and I will be hanging art, cleaning glass and bronzes and generally pulling the displays together over the next few days. The finishing touches of jewellery cabinets being set up is one of Polly's favourite tasks giving her a chance to show her creative flair. Oh, it will be lovely to have her back on board again!

                                                                                        Anna x

Ready for spring!

I don't know about you, but I'm more than ready for spring. The weather today was totally rubbish for my photo shoot meaning that I had to have another indoor session in the kitchen instead. At least a bit of Zoe Ball on radio 2 gave me plenty to bop about to. I'm sure we mums do our best dancing in the kitchen, don't we?

I came back from my little mainland jaunt yesterday and have had a lovely time away. The weekend was a mix of business (meeting up with my framer) and pleasure (meeting an artist friend for lunch) as well as a tad of retail therapy. Add to that a chance to see the extravaganza aka Bohemian Rhapsody and it was a pretty perfect mini-break. These fabulous orange trousers were a last minute find in Primark (£13) as I was beetling through on my way to the homewares department. I ended up buying five pairs of trousers in all plus two blouses. I'll photograph them soon to show you. I also did a small shop at TK Maxx and found a few bargains in my favourite charity shops.

The paper bag trouser trend is very evident in the shops at the moment which is great for me as I love this style. High waisted trousers suit my shape and help to elongate the leg too. Shoot me for giving in to fast fashion once in a while, but I know that these won't be turfed out of my wardrobe at the end of the season. I might buy into a trend, but if it's something that suits me then I'll be wearing it long after the mood has changed. And orange, for goodness sake - you know you'll see these again and again as I reach for my very own dose of sunshine!

I love the clean lines of the trouser with not a pocket in sight to spoil the sleek look. I wouldn't have been upset to find a pocket or two, but can see how they benefit from this simple cut.

This outfit has super-charged my smile.

My only jewellery is a couple of pre-loved rings in zingy citrus shades.

My tee shirt is by RED or DEAD and was part of a fun raising event at a charity shop last year. I'm pleased to raise awareness through fashion and help to add money to the coffers too.

Last night was the first episode of the second series of The Great British Bake Off for Stand Up 2 Cancer and I, like the majority of the UK viewing population, was glued to my telly for the duration. I won't spoil it for you, but suffice to say that Russell Brand brought his own brand of humour to the show stopper challenge of 3 D biscuits! Follow the link above to catch up on the fun.

Bubblegum pink and bright orange seemed like the best way to welcome spring into my working week, but that was before I'd seen the grey old weather waiting outside. Too late! I was sold on this for my post today and it did give me a great lift as I danced and posed my way around the kitchen. The trench coat was a crazy charity shop bargain (£4) from last year despite being from Topshop. Jamie bought me the sockboots for my Christmas from H&M and golly aren't they just dreamy together?

At the end of the day I had to visit one of the holiday properties (Barn Flat) to check on some artworks. The weather had been that typical mix of spring weather of sunshine and showers, improving towards late afternoon. I was happy to have the excuse to get out and stretch my legs as well as take in this fabulous view. 

Thanks for dropping by, and please do leave me a comment if you've enjoyed today's post!

                                                                                   Anna x

Spring greens with the Style Not Age Collective

Hello and welcome to another challenge from the Style Not Age Collective! Jacqui has opted for the theme of Spring Greens this time which does seem to have had the desired effect by fast forwarding us into some lovely springtime weather. Hurrah for that and let's see how Jacqui has tackled the challenge herself ...

It does indeed look like spring has taken hold where she lives too. Her dress is from Next and just in case you hadn't noticed, Jacqui's new eating regime means that she's fading away before our very eyes, helping her to drop a size. What a great excuse to have a new wardrobe Jacqui! Do pop over to see her post on Mummabstylish.

Hilda is showcasing this fab green coat from Zara with faux leather jeans in her springtime setting. She's waxing lyrical about the delights of spring on her blog Over The Hilda so do swing by to find her inspiration.

Another green coat this time from Laura Ashley for Emma of Style Splash. Her yellow courts and that cute daffodil brooch are both perfect tie-in's for the spring theme too.

I must admit that I had to rummage around in my wardrobe to find some green of any sort. I soon discovered that even though I like the colour, I don't actually  own many green pieces - note to self to remedy that at the soonest possible opportunity! This skirt is one I bought from eBay a few years ago. I haven't worn it much due to the fact that the lining around the bottom edge seemed to be too tight and to pucker the line of the skirt. I expect that's why it ended up on eBay. After a couple of attempts at repairing it I finally resorted to separating the lining and skirt completely and et viola, it worked!

It was easy to pull the rest of the look together once I'd fixed the skirt. The spring theme was echoed perfectly in both the M&S blouse and my floral Primark boots. I picked out the blue from the boots to choose tights and all that was left was to find a jacket. This yellow tweed Chanel type jacket was a charity shop find. If there are any of you readers who've been with me from the start, you'll have seen this jacket and skirt paired up four years ago in this post here. I'm pleased to see that I still have a love for this combination some years on. 

The rings are both pre-loved and seen regularly on the blog - I do like these large gobstopper kind of rings for adding a bit of extra colour to an outfit.

These sock boots are sooooo comfortable, a dream to wear all day long. 

The backdrop for this shoot was chosen by Sasha - perfect spring greens don't you think?

My old faithful sunglasses are by Quay Australia, as usual. 

So that just about winds it all up for another month. Did you enjoy the challenge? Does it inspire you to search out your own version of Spring Greens? I do hope so. Please take a moment to visit the other ladies on their blogs to read their back stories.  I'll be back later on this week with ...? Goodness knows what! I'm sure I'll find something to share with you. Thanks for joining us again this month and I hope you'll be back soon.

                                                                                          Anna x

Mermaid coat

Yes, the wanderer has returned! Hello and how lovely to have your company again. The past three weeks have gone by in a flash, but conversely I feel like I've been away for ages. My huge trip has generated lots of imagery so I'm not going to rush into things, but want to sift through the photos and put together some easily digestible features for you over the next little while. 

Let's go back a bit, shall we, to that crazy flurry aka Christmas when my darling husband bought me this - from here on known as my mermaid coat due to the massive sequins/scales. Isn't it bloody lovely! Yes, I'll admit, he did have a bit of guidance as to what I'd like, but surely that's better than having an unwanted gift? The coat is from Topshop and for those of you who may be drooling at the sight of this completely over-the-top jacket, well it's good news - here it is in the sale.

I can see that the coat will be an absolute asset to my wardrobe - I imagine that I can wear this on exhibition nights as well as the obvious beach shot on a desert island somewhere too. What fun I'll have with this! The subtle iridescent colours are so flattering and lend themselves to all sorts of pastel pairings. Today's outfit features a pale pink cotton roll neck sweater and bleached denim flares with a rose gold belt - all preloved. The silver high heeled leather boots are by Buffalo London, giving just the right edge to the look.

I've used both rose gold and silver as my accessory colours here to great effect, even if I do say so myself. You can see how lots of pastel shades are present in the coat - lemon, gold, pale aqua, pink, peach, pale green - all of them opening up future styling possibilities. I know it's not everyday wear, but goodness, since when did that stop me? As you know, I've just come back from the mainland where I scooped up an orange sequined padded bomber jacket at the last minute and as I couldn't fit it into my already stuffed suitcase, well I just put it on, zipped it up, and travelled home in it from Truro. On the early morning train, waiting at the station for my lift, and at the airport, where I breezed in as if it was absolutely normal to be wearing orange sequins at nine in the morning. Dahling - I've just returned from a fashion shoot in Cape Town, luvvies!!!!!

I've mixed all kinds of textures and colours for my jewellery too - a plastic peach toned ring with another of silver and enamel, both charity shopped, plus the rose gold watch gifted to me by Nordgreen, a gold rose belt (preloved) and the glittery silver clutch which has no brand but was a ten pound buy from a small boutique somewhere. The rose gold sunglasses are by my favourite brand Quay Australia.

In my absence my dear friend and designer Bo, has been busy at work giving the blog a face lift and doesn't it look gorgeous? A new year, a new start and all that jazz, eh? 

If you've been following my recent adventures on Instagram, you'll have seen that the client asked me to have a new, sharp haircut. The image they sent me, showed a picture perfect young model with button nose, cheek bones like coat hangers and skin like porcelain. I do wonder if they had considered how this would translate across to my generous nose, wrinkled skin and thin lips? No matter. What I wonder is, which you prefer - this hairstyle or the micro fringed number?

It's great to be back on the island and to think about 2019 and what it holds. My recent trip to Cape Town showed me how life can be full of surprises, (albeit some of them rather last minute), but if you are willing to say Yes to the universe then anything is possible. We're all different and we all want different things in life, so whatever you want I would say - wish for it every morning, send that wish out to the universe couched in gratitude and then get on with everything that comes your way with joy in your heart and a spring in your step!

Please join me again on Monday when the Style Not Age collective will be featuring our January Jumpers - very topical indeed. Until then, have a lovely weekend!

Anna x