Sizzling sock boots

Hello and how is your Sunday going my dear readers?

Well, it's taken me a couple of weeks, but I'm happy to say that I've finally gotten my head around this new season. All thoughts of white linen trousers making a last minute appearance have evaporated along with the scorching summer sun, but these sizzling sock boots are spreading a little bit of joy instead.

You may remember these from last winter when I chased them from H&M where they were all sold out by the time their brochure was published, until I managed to locate them on eBay. I paid double the price, but haven't regretted it as they've not been packed away since I bought them. Dresses, trousers and culottes all have been pepped up by these red hot lovelies over the past 12 months. As the temperature drops I'll be adding tights in all sorts of colours with eye catching effect - I think I have a pink psychedelic pair just waiting for their moment!

For those of you who haven't succumbed to the pleasure of the sock boot yet, I'd urge you to try a pair. They tick the style and comfort box in one fell swoop, never give you that worry that they might slip off, but sit snuggly around the ankle without gripping or rubbing. At the last count I have four pairs, but recently saw a black neoprene pair that I'm about to trawl the Internet for later. Fashion trends may come and go, but personal style is what I aim for and that probably comes with age and the ability to know what suits me.

Enough about the boots! Let's move on to the delightful shirt dress which I think may be my go-to autumn frock. I love the romance of a long dress, but have struggled to find one that doesn't swamp me. This type of dress has been around for a while now and many of them have a wider, looser fit that makes me look like a shapeless short-ass. Like many women, I long for that tall willowy frame we see in magazines and on shopping sites. By choosing a fitted button up dress it creates an illusion of height (I'm a tad under 5ft 5in). I came across this ditsy floral delight in the H&M summer sale way back in July. It was reduced to £15 and was the only one on the rack, just the right size too.

A red belt helps to highlight the sprigs of red flowers on the dress to which I added some Perspex rings for a retro vibe. All accessories are either preloved or gifts (thanks Wendy).

I fancy that our daily seaside backdrop will become increasingly blustery from here on. Anna's Windswept Style may be a more accurate title for the blog over the winter months. As the weeks progress another change to my regular spot will be the lack of boats as they are all brought in before the seasonal storms hit us. The harbour boat and a couple of jet boats are all that populate our Westerly exposed bay during the winter months. I have some friends coming to visit at the end of this month and can only hope that we haven't descended into full on gales by that time. Very soon I suppose I'll have to be thinking about the big wardrobe changeover. 

And finally... I spent a evening of pure escapism at the cinema in Truro the other night (en route from another filming session, but that's for another time) watching the long awaited sequel to Mama Mia. It certainly lived up to the hype and fulfilled my expectations, delivering all of the familiar faces and soundtracks that made the first movie the resounding success it was. I sat alone, far enough removed from the rest of the audience to be able to join in with the songs I so love. Seemingly, there's a sing-along version about to be released into the cinemas this week, so why not take some girlfriends along for a life affirming night out.

Wishing you a super week ahead!

Anna x

Home again!

Hello and happy Sunday to you! Thank you for joining me as I return from my stint on the mainland. The purpose of my trip was to visit the British Craft Trade Fair in Harrogate where I do the main gift buying for the gallery. It was as fruitful an event as ever which is always a relief after the two days of travelling it takes to get there. I spend a whole day on the train travelling from Cornwall to Yorkshire during which time I have waves of excitement at the prospect of finding some fab new gifts and then I also worry that the Fair may yield nothing to suit my audience. My journey of nine hours is punctuated by thoughts on the two extremes.

This was the outfit I wore on day two of the Fair. If you missed the first outfit then click here to find that one. By the second day I'd made a few new acquaintances as well as meeting up with some regular suppliers and most of them declared this as their outfit of the day - very kind of you all! The kimono was a charity shop find (no surprises there) and was only £3, which frankly is quite ridiculous for an authentic Chinese piece of this quality. 

You'll no doubt recognise the obligatory sock boots (H&M) along with the embroidered velour track pants (Zara). Today I've added my beloved leather handbag from many years ago - it was one of my first vintage finds in a charity shop in Ireland when I was there on holiday with my sisters. My sisters joined me this time in Harrogate too, so that I had company in the evenings to go out for dinner.

I've adapted the outfit to the mild temperature by adding a silk shirt underneath (preloved, Next brand). When I was in Harrogate the weather was quite cold, very cold in fact, so much so that I wore a polo neck sweater with this, plus a long sleeved thermal top underneath. We also had torrential rain one day, followed by fog and a bitterly cold breeze, so we really did get value for our money weather-wise!

The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed my new sunglasses from my favoured brand Quay. I bought three new pairs of Quay Australia sunglasses from TK Maxx in Harrogate. On the face of it, this may seem extravagant, but when you take into account that these were all reduced in the sale meaning I got three for the price of one, then that's perfectly sensible or at least reasonable, isn't it? The gold chain was a gift, and the rings are preloved.

It's always nice to have a trip away, to have a change of scenery and Harrogate certainly does have lots of lovely scenery as well as things to enjoy. The tearooms at Bettys are a highlight of anyone's stay, whether it's for the tradition of afternoon tea or to buy some sweet treats to take home. My bags were bursting with goodies for the family on my return.

My next post will feature my third outfit of the Fair plus the further joys of Harrogate by way of its charity shopping. You'll not be surprised to hear that I couldn't fit all of my lovely loot into my suitcase and therefore had to send two boxes home by post. Hopefully within the next couple of days these will arrive and I can take some snaps for the blog. I have some vintage delights to share with you as well as some more bargains from TK Maxx. 

I hope you have a super weekend and look forward to catching up with you again soon!

Linking with -

Jacqui of Mummabstylish 

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Anna x

Ted Baker skirt

Here's another outfit from my birthday weekend. If you missed all the fun then you can catch up on the celebrations here. Just before Christmas I bought this rather splendid Ted Baker skirt that I scooped up in TK Maxx when it was discounted by 75%. Too good a bargain to miss I say! The moment I saw it I instantly knew that I wanted to wear it over my birthday weekend, and this is how I did.

The skirt is the only new piece of the outfit. The red sock boots from H&M have been worth the money already and are still favourites of mine. The shirt was from Sainsbury's last year and is becoming a classic piece for me. 

I added the bright cerise belt to bring out the pink of the blooms. It was an eBay purchase for under a fiver which is another great bargain. I just love that pop of colour!

I had coerced Steve into being my photographer this day and I really ought to have taken a shot of him. Here was I in my flimsy shirt and flouncy skirt braving the elements on this windswept balcony and Steve was bundled up in his winter coat, heavy boots and flat cap - talk about contrasts!

The little row of cottages behind me are called Blockhouse Cottages and this is where Steve grew up and lived until we married. We had a little boat moored in the bay below the house and would spend our weekends buzzing around the tiny uninhabited islands, fishing, shrimping on the low tides and having picnics on deserted beaches. And now that our children are all grown up we're back revisiting those times during the summer months and still counting our blessings for this idyllic lifestyle.

This lovely crystal pendant was a charity shop find, the triangle ring was from Sainsbury's and the oval one was from East many moons ago. 

Looking at this now, I can see that this would make a great outfit for one of my gallery exhibitions. I understand that the fashion for sock boots will fade, but as you probably know I'm not a slave to fashion and will wear this particular trend well past its sell by date. I think that surely has to be one of the perks of being a mature style blogger; I can fall in love with a trend and just add to to my own list of classics without feeling pressured to move onto the next must-have piece.

I can't believe that it's already two weeks since this wonderful party weekend. That wistful look on my face was me trying to capture the moment and hold it dear. Thank goodness I have lots of photos to remind me of those special times with all of the people who helped to make it so. Next month Steve and I have one final joint treat to mark our 60th birthdays. We're off to London to see Paloma Faith in concert at the O2. This will be our first ever concert which is quite funny at our age. None the less, it's an exciting thought and hopefully will be all that we could imagine. We'll be off-island for a week, so rest assured I'll bring back lots of imagery from the trip for you to see.

Enjoy your weekend!

Anna x