Style or mish-mash?

Welcome to my midweek mash-up!

We none of us live in a bubble and sometimes I'm very happy to dip into the latest magazine to see what's trending or what those in the fashion know are predicting. Other times, like today, I have no fashion compass, no style road I'm trying to follow or icon I'm trying to emulate. Today is all about colour and very much harps back to my fashion motto of "Let's bin the beige and have fun with colour".  

The fun comes by way of the vibrant mixture of checks, leopard print and another pair of vintage boots - not so very different from what I wore in my last feature actually!  I didn't plan this or even notice the connection until I started putting this post together and noticed the similarities.

The season of winter coats is well upon us now; this beauty of mine is a vintage piece from Sicily. You'll have seen it over the past couple of winters no doubt, but not paired with these stretch trousers (Zara). You know how I love a bit of pattern play!

The leather cowboy boots are vintage too, bought from a charity shop in Penzance last year.

The fluffy jumper is a bit old, so much so, that I've forgotten where I purchased it. No matter, the power of the fluff is all that counts. I've layered a thin thermal top (M&S) underneath which truly signals that we're in winter now. 

Today's necklace and rings are pre-loved and my sunglasses are by Zara.

With only 20 days to go until Christmas I'm starting to look out my Christmas jumpers along with all of the sequins and sparkles I've got stashed away ready for the festive season. My recent shopping expedition to London has supplemented the cache which is very exciting. Is it too soon to be adding a glitter cardi to the outfit of the day I wonder? I'm off to check out some of my favourite bloggers to see if they've succumbed to the lure of the glitter yet ...

I'll be linking up with -

Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Jacqui of Mummabstylish

                                                                                           Anna x

The Best of the Rest

Welcome to our round-up of the last show of the year, The Best of the Rest, which showcases five of our established and new artists. Above on the left is Morag Hensleigh and right, Patricia Wilson who enjoyed their first ever exhibition with Gallery Tresco. To say the evening was a success is an understatement, as we were inundated with lovely guests staying on the island, all keen to see this diverse mixed collection. At one point we had clients queueing up outside the door as our helpers broke open box after box of glasses to pass wine around to those waiting in the evening sunshine. See the full spread of work here. Both Morag and Patricia sold two paintings each which was a wonderful start to their evening. International artist Hugo Grenville also kicked off his sales with one as did Sara Bor. Our end of the evening photo reflects the post-opening relaxed atmosphere as we raised a glass to a very successful party.

All set up and ready for the fray!

I make no apologies for this repeat outfit, well almost repeat, apart from swapping trousers for a skirt - see the first version here. I simply love this mermaid coat and couldn't let the opportunity pass me by to swoosh about to the shushing sound of this wonderful jacket once again. Steve bought me this from Topshop for my Christmas present. The beaded vest top was also from Topshop, but was a second hand find some time ago (£2.50). The metallic skirt adds to the completely over-the-top sparkliness of the ensemble. It was from Tu at Sainsburys ages ago and cost me all of £5. "I see you've gone for the understated look" quipped hubby as I dashed past him, sweeping by like some minor celeb.

Rose gold mirror sunglasses are by my fave brand, Quay Australia. Rings are pre-loved.

My pale gold satin kitten heels are from Wallis, and may be vintage by now.

One final swoosh!

I was definitely giddy with excitement as we drew a line under the show schedule for another year. The relief of finishing on such a high was a bonus for all involved. My back up team of girls have done me proud again, as did Jack the chef who supplied us with delicious canapes throughout the year. A final thank you goes to Fiona who stepped up as my blog photographer in the final stretch. Thanks to you all!

                                                                                             Anna x

Summer show 6

Hi, hello and welcome to the reprise of our final summer show at Gallery Tresco. The schedule of 6 exhibitions in 60 days is a huge undertaking, but a challenge I love none the less. Featured above is the attending artist Maggie O'Brien, who over the years has built herself a big following with our clients. Her painting above my right shoulder has been sold, but the star of the show had to be her large homage to the swallow, a lament at the decline of our bird population in general which is one of Maggie's passions. See the entire show here. 

Maggie and I are both putting our best foot forward in our frocks of the evening. Maggie is wearing her new dress by Whistles, not brown but snakeskin print she corrected. And me, I'm wearing a Monsoon gown (pre-loved) which of course, isn't beige, but vanilla. Whew, thank goodness we've got that all straight!

I bought the beautiful satin and chiffon dress from the Cancer Research shop in Truro when I was over there last month for my medical appointment. I'd walked past there in the evening when all the shops were closed and this was hanging against the door. I promised myself that I'd return the next morning and if it were less than £30 I'd buy it. It cost £18 and is worth every penny. The dry cleaning label was still stapled inside which itself had saved me about the same amount of money. Hurrah! You do know how I love a bargain.

It may not be the biggest swoosh factor of the summer, but this gorgeous gown certainly wins in the glamour stakes, don't you think?

I added my favourite oversized Debenhams pearls to the column dress for a bit of impact and two pre-loved rings in neutral tones. The sunglasses of the day are by Guess. 

The satin kitten heel shoes by Wallis must be vintage by now as I've had them for over 20 years. They've hardly been worn. The first outing they had was on a New Year's Eve party which nearly spoilt them for good. We walked home in the rain and it was only the next morning that I discovered that they were soiled with muddy splashes. Some gentle mopping and drying redeemed them and I wrapped them up in tissue in their box, put them into the top of the wardrobe and promptly forgot them. It was only earlier on this year that I rediscovered them. Their best feature has to be the pale green lozenge gemstone surrounded by smaller gems - another touch of glamour!

And here, as promised, is the dream team from that evening. From l to r, Duffy, yours truly, Polly and Hannah. The girls worked wonders on the Opening Night party, zipping back and forth with bottle after bottle, keeping the clients topped up with refreshments and canapes. Thank you ladies for the endless support this summer - I couldn't have done it without you!

As we say goodnight in the glow of the evening sun, I also had to say goodbye to Polly. My wonderful assistant of the past 5 years has moved to an office job on the island. Her admin skills will be put to very good use in Human Resources and she is looking forward to new challenges within this very different role. Her departure was sudden and without much notice; a complete surprise to me if the truth be known, but I don't begrudge her the new start and have wished her well on the next phase of her journey. In the meantime, I've been given part-time help to tide me over the last few months of the season (not quite enough to cover her full time support, but hey, such is life). I shall miss Polly's bright, enthusiastic input, her capacity for hard work, her ability to wrap a painting which defies all efforts by the courier service to trash it, and let's not forget her talents as my blog photographer. Thank you for everything and good luck Polly!

Anna x

Midweek monchrome

Hi! How's your week going? Mine is busy as ever, with a few interesting challenges, but hey what do think about my midweek offering? Monochrome isn't usually my thing, but sometimes I like to step out in something unexpected.

There's something so terribly chic about black and white, don't you think? Classy, understated, elegant, that's what monochrome brings to mind for me. The accessories have to be in harmony with that style too. It's good to have a strong theme to follow.

The shoes were the starting point for today's outfit. Purchased in TK Maxx, these Nine West flatties are stylish as well as comfortable. The black band is made of elastic which means they are stretchy but not grippingly tight. I wore them for the first time here and they were all day comfortable. Hurrah!

The white trousers were a bargain (£5) from Tesco last year in the spring sale and don't get out much. I have a real problem with white trousers as I find them so difficult to wear in anything but scorching weather. They just look wrong on a dull, grey day. But hey, that's just my opinion. Perhaps it's because I spent my formative years in Scotland where women rarely wore white trousers - but maybe that was because the sun rarely shone! The only white jeans I remember seeing were adorned with tartan edging in homage to the Bay City Rollers. Groans from some of you, and quizzical looks from others.

The black and white top, no label, cost me £7 from the Cancer Research shop in Truro last month. Top and trews coming in at £12. The look belies the price eh? Not too shabby I'd say.

Pre-loved rings and a silver Tree of Life pendant finish the look off, plus of course my favourite Quay Australia sunglasses. 

That's all for now folks. Sorry to be brief, but tomorrow I hang the final summer show and bed beckons for me now. Do join me again soon to see how the grand finale looks. (The outfit must be somewhere in my wardrobe, but I've yet to find it!)

                                                                                           Anna x

Another summer trouser suit

Hello, and how's your Sunday going? We've had a big gale blowing across the Isles of Scilly over the past few days, but at last the wind is dropping. Polly and I have relocated to give you a different aspect of the island today, showing Bryher in the background, which just so happens to be staging its annual Summer Fete this afternoon. I'll be at work by then, but I'll clip the doors open so that I can enjoy the live music. Fingers crossed for the good weather to hold!

Earlier on this season I declared that this is the year of the trouser suit and here's another one from my collection. Today's outfit isn't new, but is new to me. It's from M&S, but goodness knows how many seasons ago.  I bought it in a charity shop when I was in St Andrews in January with the sole purpose of wearing it on my flight to Cape Town. It's a size bigger than I usually wear which was ideal as I seem to suffer a bloated tummy when I fly. I avoid eating completely and don't drink carbonated drinks, but I still get a painfully tender stomach. Looking back at the photos from the airport in Cape Town, I'd say all of me looks pretty bloated!

Not so much a trouser suit as culottes and matching pyjama top if you wish. The low slung waist and pleated trousers make for a lovely comfy fit. I've added a vest top in similar colour underneath. The label on that says White Stuff which I think I bought many, many moons ago. The button fastening on the top is very clever and well worth a mention. Good ol' M&S have designed the buttons closure to overcome that dreaded gaping over the bust area by adding buttons on the underside of the shirt which don't show through either - how very neat!

All today's jewellery is second hand too. The necklace I picked up in a charity shop when Sasha and I were out shopping together last summer. When we got outside she gently told me that this necklace along with two others were hers, donated only the previous day. I love that we've all gained from this experience: she by getting rid of unwanted pieces and me for finding things that were useful also by putting money into the pockets of our chosen charity. Hurrah! Oh, let's not forget my sunglasses today as they're by Guess, for a change!

These platforms were a River Island purchase, but goodness, that must be at least 10 years ago if not more. I kept them in a box under the bed for yonks and couldn't bear to get rid of them even though I didn't want to wear them. It's funny how you can fall back in love with something after a break isn't it?

I decided to make a concerted effort to avoid any newly-bought-from-the-high-street items in today's offering. My trips to the mainland often result in my being seduced by the latest trends which drags me away from my ideals of buying recycled clothes. I do my best, is all I can say. I bet you're the same.

And finally .... I'm touting a new magazine this week. The Simple Things feels like it's got its finger on the pulse of life currently. The tempo is chilled and all about savouring the moment, whether it's during a camping trip and eating al fresco or how to incorporate mindfulness into our daily life, the mag was a joyful discovery for me.

Some of you may recall me (ages ago) mentioning that I was going to featured in a magazine, and here I am. A big thank you to those involved for getting me into print to showcase my island life. I'm putting a copy of this away so that I can remind myself of my 15 minutes of fame when I'm old and decrepit!

On Tuesday the gallery will be hosting our second-to-last summer show - how did that happen so quickly? Please join me later on this week to see how that one went, along with the outfit of the day. 

In the meantime, have a super week!

Anna x