I've got that Friday feeling!

Hurrah, it's Friday!

Thank Crunchie it's Friday! Wow, what another busy week I've had. It's all downhill now to the weekend! Anyway, here's today's offering from my closet and yet another new-to-me piece to share with you. This lovely yellow blouse (another boat neck) was a charity shop find last year and yet this is the first time I've worn it. The brand is Tu at Sainsbury's and it cost me all of £3. Increasingly I'm finding how much I like yellow and how it really does give me a mental lift. I'm drawn to the yellow and orange hangers in my wardrobe, especially if it's a dull day and I'm fighting the blahs. Dull days do have that effect on me.

The fabric is a lightweight cheesecloth weave with these pretty sleeves and boat neck making it light and easy to wear. It's been very hot at work lately, and I'm finding that loose tops help me from overheating. (Wearing a mask all day is certainly raising my temperature too, that's for sure!)

The jungle print skirt was another second hand piece, this time the brand is River Island. It's a synthetic fabric, silky and light too. I love the big roomy pockets for that slouchy, casual feel - perfect for that Friday feeling!

I don't often wear earrings and that's because I don't have pierced ears. As a teenager I had my ears pierced, twice in fact, but both times they went septic despite the Dettol dousing as suggested, so I finally allowed them to close up. Every once in a while I come across some good old fashioned clip-ons. These beaded ones were bought from a friend who sells vintage jewellery. 

I've had these comfy yellow sling backs for years now. The toes are beginning to show wear and tear, but I'll be keeping them for as long as they hold together. I bought them in the Topshop sale many moons ago - too many to recall in fact. They are fake leather and buttery soft with it.

My sunglasses are old, from Tu at Sainsbury's. The striped perspex ring was a gift from my friend Wendy and the other was a charity shop piece. I just want to say that despite not shopping now since the start of March (in fact the last time I went shopping was actually February, but I had an online purchase in March), anyway, I've really surprised myself how I've not missed shopping at all. In fact, I've been amazed at the number of new-to-me items that are loitering in my cupboards and closet that have never yet seen the light of day. I'm trying hard to showcase these pieces before my seasonal change-over. Summer jackets seem to be abundant and I'll be featuring the first of these on Monday.

And that's just about it from me. Have you any plans for the weekend? Steve and I will be keeping an eye on the weather, ever hopeful that we'll get away for an outing on our boat. The house is however, showing terrible signs of neglect and also signs of the fact that my sea swimming regime is back on track. If only I could clone myself, the other version could be the stay-at-home housewife who kept everything spic and span while I worked during the week and had fun at the weekend! Who knows - in some future realm that may well be the norm...

                                                                                  Anna x

White Stuff aqua top

Hello again!

Golly what a busy week I've had! So sorry to neglect the blog, but I've had to prioritise my time with work coming first. We've had a rush on sales this past week and next week will be equally busy as I have to pack these all up and despatch them to the mainland. The last big shipment I sent off got caught up in the Bank Holiday weekend which complicated matters terribly, so hopefully this next consignment will be a bit more straightforward.

Anyway, here I am on the beach wearing the second of those White Stuff linen tops I recently showed you. See the first feature about them here. The aqua one is perfect to go with my paisley harem pants which are kept solely for beach romps, purely because they're very see through. Steve and I cycled to the beach yesterday to take these shots as I was worried that this might be the last summery weekend we have before autumn properly sets in. When I appeared in the doorway with these trousers on he raised his eyebrows in question at the prospect of me cycling in them without them getting caught in the chain. But I had a trick up my sleeve...

Et viola! From long shorts to harem pants in one easy step. 

The side buttons and ladder stitch insert are little touches that add to this very simple boat neck top. Both the white and aqua versions are proving to be very useful, if somewhat tame as my dear blogging friend pointed out. I suppose I must have a reputation for being flamboyant most of the time! Hahahah. Considering I buy the majority of my clothes from vintage and charity shops it's inevitable I'll end up with some pretty mainstream items, but the brand of White Stuff was too good a bargain to miss. Linen for the summer is a no-brainer isn't it?

The whole outfit today is all about sea colours. I had intended to have this photographed on the sandbar where I recently showcased my mermaid dress - see here. The only trouble was that it's probably a 15 minute boat ride plus hopping in and out of the dingy which I thought would result in a very creased top indeed. 

The only jewellery of the day is this turquoise anklet, an airport purchase from a few years ago - it was from Accessorize. 

My orange leather sandals are very comfy, functional and are still going strong after several years of beaching. The brand is Autenti by Penta and they came from TK Maxx.

This was the view from the banks above Pentle Bay yesterday. Steve and I had been off for a picnic in our boat on Saturday, spending the afternoon on Nornour Island. I posted a feature about this beauty of a desert island in 2018 if you'd like to see more. Sunday was a family day for us as it was my son Jamie's 29th birthday. He and Sasha came round for dinner and I did that mum thing of getting out his baby album (as if he's never seen it before!) - we just can't help ourselves, can we?

Ah, the joy of a sleeping baby eh?

Anna x

Welcome to this month's Style Not Age challenge.

This time for our monthly challenge Gail came up with the brilliant idea of "What I'd wear on the Frow".  To the uninitiated, like me, that's the Front Row of a fashion show. Paris Fashion Week is due to commence on the 28th of September and despite the pandemic, the show must go on! My take on this was that my particular fashion show was socially distanced and therefore the runway is an outdoors affair. You can tell by my expression that the next model is impressive.

As you can see, Gail truly entered into the spirit of things, inspiring us with this timely theme.  See more and get the low down on her outfit over on Is This Mutton blog now.

Jacqui chose a fabulous backdrop for her relaxed but stylish ensemble. Check out her blog Mummabstylish for her spin on this challenge.

Style Splash Emma opted for a funky pair of culottes to build her Frow outfit around. A spinkling of animal print raised the bar just that little bit higher too!

Hilda played it super cool with this fabulous Spanx trouser suit, topping it off with a stylish fedora - can't you just imagine her turning up at a fashion show in this? See more on her blog Over The Hilda.

If indeed I were going to attend a fashion show, then the coat would be equally important as the outfit. This pink trench, (Topshop, pre-loved), with its black and white gingham lining couldn't be a better match for today's ensemble. The turned up sleeves show the fabric nicely and also allow the lace cuff of the blouse to be exposed too.

The lace blouse was from Zara last summer and has become a real wardrobe staple for me. I seem to wear it at least once a week currently as it's so versatile with a vest top underneath or like today worn as part of a dungaree combination. I wanted to show the pretty pattern in this shot.

My outfit may not be of the caliber of the immaculate Anna Wintour and perhaps if I really did attend a fashion show I would chose to wear a less quirky and more classic type of ensemble. Who knows?

The mini Candy Bag is by Furla and is my bag of the moment. The black and white shoes are by Nine West, sourced at TK Maxx.

And of course if I'm showcasing a black and white outfit then it's gotta be my black and white Quay Australia sunglasses. 

Many thanks to Gail for throwing the gauntlet down with this great challenge. It was good to have a bit of role-play this time too! I do hope you enjoyed it and will find time to pop across to read the backstories of the others in the Style Collective.

                                                                                          Anna x

White Stuff linen tops

After last week's joyful find of that gold 80's two piece, I decided to delve a bit deeper into my closet and did indeed find more gems. I'd bought these two White Stuff linen tops on the same shopping spree last year and had put them away until the summer. The aqua and white boat neck tops were both £6.95 each from the Cancer Research charity shop in Truro and were a great bargain. They still have that crispness of new linen which makes me wonder if they've been worn at all. The aqua version goes well with some wide beach trousers (another blog post in the offing).

The loose linen top and wide low slung trousers proved to be a winning combination on the heavy, muggy day at work. A boat neck top is a new style for me and one that I wasn't sure would suit me. I'm a big fan of a necklace and yet it seemed difficult to find one that worked with this neckline. The photos show that this doesn't look like anything is lacking at all which was another new learning curve. The next challenge was to find the perfect neutral colour bra - I'm not a fan of a white bra under a white top. I have three neutrals currently - one with a pinkish hue, one a slightly toffee colour and one that is genuinely flesh coloured which did become invisible under the pristine white top. 

The cotton hipster trousers are by River Island (thrifted) and look great with a wide belt and fitted top (maybe a look for next time). 

These sandals aren't new, but rediscovered in the recent wardrobe rummage - the brand is Sixtyseven and were from TK Maxx.

The rings were both gifts from friends. The mulitcolour one is perspex and the other is Venetian glass.

My white and black sunglasses are long time favourites from Quay Austalia.

So, Bank Holiday weekend is upon us and what does that mean for you? Like many people I'll be working on Monday, but am home over the weekend catching up on chores and fitting in a couple of swims on the high tide. On Monday I'll be back with the latest Style Not Age challenge and I'd love it if you could drop by to see what we're up to.

Until then, have a super weekend!

Anna x