Ping Pong Post 3

Hello and welcome to the third edition of Ping Pong Post. For any new readers, you can catch up on how this feature came about here. Today's outfit is spawned by this wonderful jumpsuit from Samantha of Fake Fabulous. Even though I own a couple of jumpsuits, it's still a great challenge to style up one that I hadn't chosen myself. The fabric is silky, hangs really well, and the cut is quite slim so is very elongating for my short frame. All in all, it was a super piece to style up. 

First of all let's have a look at what Ann made of the purple all-in-one. Ann is the creator and editor of Kremb de la Kremb which showcases not not only her fashion stories, but also her travel tales and imaginative diy projects such as her handbag featured here. Ann lives in Hong Kong, and therefore benefits from a very colourful and highly decorated environment, meaning her photo shoots are always unique. In our first Ping Pong Post Ann managed to find a backdrop which featured all the colours of our jacket that day which wasn't any easy task - check it out here. She has done another great job in finding this beautiful sky blue background to perfectly offset the purple jumpsuit and also to compliment her gorgeous tan.

I love Ann's styling of this. Sleek, elegant and understated. Well played, Ann. The idea of tying up the hems is brilliant and really gives the jumpsuit a very different outline. 

Ann's outfit details are -

Silver necklace and bracelet--Target

Jumpsuit--Sam's

Clutch--DIY by me!

Satin pumps--Goodwill (US charity shop)

Follow Ann on Instagram

Next up is Samantha wearing her jumpsuit in March before she sent it off its travels. In our PPP2 Samantha showcased a very unique looking fishbone necklace which was most definitely the star of the show - see it here. Today's necklace is another made-to-match piece that sets off the rest of the outfit to perfection. Great choice Samantha. And those metallic green pumps are worth more than just a mention too!

Samantha's fashion blog Fake Fabulous is a great source of inspiration to many. She posts three times a week about the latest trends as well as giving fashion advice on all sorts of dilemmas such as her recent piece on How to avoid looking frumpy as a wedding guest. Her style is cute, quirky and constantly evolving. She has a huge following who love her honest, inquisitive and challenging take on the boundaries imposed on female fashion. Can a woman wear...? is a theme which crops up frequently on her blog as she sets out the argument and then steers the reader through the pitfalls of the item in question, inevitably meaning that the answer is ...yes she can!

Samantha's outfit details are

Jumpsuit: I can’t remember!!

Jacket: French Connection.

Vest top: Charity shop

Necklace: Oliver bonas

Shoes: Marta Johnson

Bag: Linea

Sash: Salvaged from another dress

Follow Samantha on Instagram 

So here we are with my spin on this ferocious jumpsuit. I had to don my highest heels to wear it, but the shoes ended up being the linchpin of the entire ensemble. By introducing stripes to the mix I found a lovely collection of pieces which married up beautifully. See what you think.

My regular readers will know that I love to do a bit of pattern mixing and this clash of spots and stipes means I'm in my element. Although I love to mix things up, I never want to look thrown together. My outfits are always well considered, balanced in both colour and shape so that the whole thing is effective. Even though I might wear some pretty way outlandish things from time to time - this red petticoat comes to mind - even the outlandish has to look polished. Dressing up is my daily pleasure, it's what makes me, me. 

My outfit details are -

Jumpsuit: Samantha's

Waistcoat: charity shop

Tee shirt: Primark

Shoes: M&S

Handbag: "Borrowed" from my daughter

Pendant: from New Zealand

Turquoise bangle: old

Gold bangle: charity shop

Rings: charity shop

Sunglasses: Quay Australia

Today I'm linking up with 

Sheela of Sheela Writes

So there we have it. Ping Pong Post 3 accomplished with each of our own personalities shining through. We're enjoying this new feature and I hope that you are too. On the 20th June we'll all be sporting something from Ann. That particular something is currently mid-air between Hong Kong and the UK and I think may well be a dress. Hopefully summer will arrive about the same time it does so that Samantha and I can do a bit less layering up next time. Until then please do drop by on Sunday for my next post. Thank you for taking the time to visit, and I would love it if you could add a comment to my blog if I've inspired you or sparked an interest. Or perhaps you might to prefer to follow me on Instagram

Anna x

Ping-Pong Piece No 1

Hello and welcome to our monthly offering previously know as Ping-Pong Post and now rebranded as Ping-Pong Piece. After 12 months of posting our clothes around the world to be styled by myself and my two blogging friends Ann and Samantha, we decided to make life a bit easier. Now we're merely ping-ponging ideas back and forth, with each of us taking it in turns to suggest an item for us to wear in our own particular way. Easier too for us to invite a guest to take part. Ann has started the ball rolling with fishnet tights and has invited Mary to join in the fun...

Ann has chosen a large fishnet to add a bit of funk to her shredded jeans to brilliant effect. The mix of leather, denim, fishnet and those Stella McCartney patent beauties deliver all that's needed for today's hottest rock chick. See Ann's blog Kremb de la Kremb here and follow her on instagram here.

Details -

Sunnies and Tee--Forever 21

Earrings--H&M

Leather Moto--a swap

Jeans--Zara

Fox Bag--Hong Kong Salvation Army

Shoes--Stella McCartney

Tights--Hong Kong Ladies' Market

Ann's guest is Mary of blog Miss Mary Powers see here. Mary has taken black and tan as her palette giving a stylish edge to her street cool. Her accessories of black felt hat and suede booties are a real touch of class. Follow Mary on instagram here.

Details -

Jacket - BlankNYC

Dress - Shop Missa

Shoes- Sam Edelman

Hat - Rag and Bone

Samantha's love of colour and pattern is ever evident here. I love her pattern clashing as well as the khaki fishnets and toning brogues. See her blog Fake Fabulous here and follow her on instagram here.

Details -

Earrings: H&M

Top: old…can’t remember where from (I cut the label out as it was scratchy)

Skirt: Boden

Tights: 50p in a charity shop… M&S ones from about 100 years ago!

Shoes: Clarks

Bag: Vintage

When Annie came up with the suggestion of fishnet tights I was rather pleased as I'd been saving these blue ones for the right outfit since I bought them before Christmas. Finding the right outfit was to be the challenge however. Amidst the flurry of reopening the gallery on Friday and doing my sewing homework for Saturday, I was pretty pushed to find time to do much trying on. I took the easy option and was led by the blue trim on these gorgeous courts. This green and blue vintage dress was a no brainer that only needed a cardi to finish the look. The final hurdle for Polly and I was the gale that was blowing down from the north across the front of the gallery where I pose. Crazy hair day? Yes!

Details -

Dress: Peekaboo (vintage)

Cardi: Phase Eight

Tights: Topshop

Shoes: Roberto Gil 

Necklace and rings: charity shop

Ping Pong Piece is no more a competition than Ping Pong Post was - it's all about showcasing an item and hopefully doing so differently enough to give you lots of inspiration. I think we've pretty much filled the remit then don't you? I'd love to hear that you think of our new variation on the theme.

Linking with -

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Anna x

Ping Pong Post No 5

Hello and welcome to the 5th instalment of Ping Pong Post where my two blogging friends Samantha of Fake Fabulous and Ann of Kremb de la Kremb send our clothes around the world in a style challenge to each other. See how this idea came about here. This month it's my item again with this sheer tunic which I fancy may have been our trickiest subject to date. So let's get started with Samantha and see how she got on.

Samantha took a youthful spin on this grey overshirt by way of adding a sleeveless denim jacket and vest top to give a lovely casual look. Shoe hoarder Samantha has added these funky buckled sandals to keep things interesting along with some quirky pieces of jewellery. This outfit could take her from an afternoon shopping with friends onto early evening drinks in the late summer sun, although I think she may well report the absence of summer in her neck of the woods in bonnie Scotland. Note how Samantha is gradually growing out her pixie haircut into a less structured style - I like it Sam!

Details of her oufit are

Shoes: All Saints

Jeans: Topshop

Nails: BarryM

Vest: JohnnieB

Necklace, rings, earrings and bangle: Various gifts & charity shop finds.

Waistcoat: New Look

Glasses: Tkmaxx

Bag: Topshop

Follow Samantha on Instagram here.

For those of you who follow this series you'll not be surprised in the least at the creativity of Ann in how she's styled this. Seems like this tunic was her idea of hell combining grey (her least favourite colour) with a mandarin collar! Poor Ann. However, she turned this into something truly individual by using the top as a cover up and hey, why not? In her eyes, this is the kind of thing you'd wear on a junk trip out on the river in Hong Kong where she lives for most of the year. Looks like a simple solution to what was clearly a very tricky problem. Check out Ann's other creative makes as featured on her blog here. This lady loves to be inventive.

Ann's details are currently whizzing around out in the ether so I'd say the tote bag, and jeans turned into shorts, may have further info to come, along with her sunnies and jewellery.

Follow Ann on Instagram here. 

I have to laugh at how utterly conventional I look in this tunic compared to my blogging friends. But I suppose that's the whole point of the series isn't it? I bought this top in a charity shop with the intention of throwing a curved ball at us all in #PPP and I think I succeeded. My scenario was to wear this for a summer's evening drinks party. I even had my lovely silver clutch propped up against my tripod for the duration of the shoot as a finishing touch - fat lot of good that did! So there you have it, another Ping Pong Post in the bag. Next month we'll be styling up a little something of Samantha's and I must admit I had a bit of fun with that one. Wishing you all a great week and see you soon!

Here's my details

Tunic: Wallis/charity shop

Trousers: Wallis

Shoes: Bebbou

Vest: H&M

Belt: charity shop

Necklace: Dorothy Perkins

Rings: charity shop

Sunglasses: Quay Australia

You can follow me on Instagram here.

Anna x

Ping-Pong Post no12

Hello and welcome to the 12th edition of Ping-Pong post, the monthly collaboration between myself, Samantha of Fake Fabulous and Ann of Kremb de la Kremb. To see the background of this style challenge read here. This month Samantha proffered her black drapey top which almost flummoxed me completely. Despite being simple in shape, it was still one of my least favourite of colours to work with. Let's start with Samantha who certainly didn't seem to struggle -

The black top has a scoop neck and cross over front, but very cleverly Samantha has chosen to wear it back to front revealing a stunning strappy feature below. Wet look leggings, and patent boots lift this plain cotton top into the realms of fabulousness. She has finished this off with a statement bag and necklace leaving no room to doubt that she is indeed a true style icon. Follow Samantha on Instagram here.

Details -

TOP: Yong Kim

NECKLACE: Oliver Bonas

LEGGINGS: Pamela Mann

BOOTS: Vagabond

BAG: River Island

Ann has given the top a more casual spin with her snakeskin jeans, biker boots and striped shirt, but hasn't forgotten a dash of glamour by way of her diy ostrich handbag (see the link below). A roll neck and gloves give a nod to the cooler weather Ann is experiencing in Hong Kong this week when she took these shots. Black doesn't look very difficult to wear when you've got the right hair colouring does it? Fab styling Ann! Follow Ann on Instagram here.

Details -
Outfit Details

Earrings--my guy Ben in Jardines Bazaar, a great ladies market in Hong Kong

Turtleneck--heat technology, Uniqlo

Striped Shirt--Zara

Black Top--Sam's

Gloves--market in Shanghai

Ostrich Bag--Kremb de la Kremb DIY

Snake Jeans--Bershka

Moto Boots--boutique on Houhai Lake, Beijing

Those who know me will recognise my default setting here - when in doubt, dress it up! Glitter tights and glitter boots, seemed like a great way of detracting from the pallor-inducing colour of the top. Adding some softer, more neutral tones against the skin also helped. One feature I did like was the pockets and by adding a belt the tunic took on a bit more shape. A splash of silver jewellery and studded clutch were the finishing touches. Samantha - I gave this my best shot, but heck it's been my least favourite of our challenges so far!

Details -

Top: Samantha's

Dress: H&M

Belt: Dorothy Perkins

Tights: H&M

Boots: Topshop

Necklace: M&S

Rings: old

Handbag: charity shopped

The news on Ping-Pong Post is that having completed a whole year of this style challenge we're going to evolve the series a little next month, so do come along to see exactly how on the 20th of March.

Linking with -

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Jess of Elegantly Dressed And Stylish

Anna x

Ping-Pong Post no1

If you're a regular reader you may well have seen the birth of this idea way back in a December post. That's when a couple of my fellow bloggers were hugely excited by a certain offering of mine in the shape of an orange tartan jacket by Benetton as seen here. Well, over the past few months, in between Christmas, some bouts of illness and my annual holiday, we've all been working away on this idea. Today brings you the first Ping Pong Post (small fanfare please). I have a scenario in my mind where Samantha of Fake Fabulous and Ann of Kremb de la Kremb are magically transported through space and time to my home for a girlie evening where we share some wine, enjoy a few giggles and have a root around in my closet to do a bit of trying on. The fact of the matter is that it's my jacket that has done the travelling; ping-ponged from the Isles of Scilly to Hong Kong and on to Scotland before it ping-ponged home to me. So here we are sharing how we've styled up this plaid beauty in our own particular way... 

This Benetton jacket was a dream find a couple of years ago. Here's Ann with her take on it...

Ann is mixing things up big-time against this groovy backdrop. There's a bit of a cowboy look going on with these leather gaucho's, boots and hat making me want to shout "yee-ha!" but then the punch of that leopard print bag and sexy cat's eye sunnies just throws the whole thing into another styling realm. Ann lives in Hong Kong and has travelled widely, as well as having lived in many countries throughout her working life. She juggles career and family commitments with her thriving blog Kremb de la Kremb which is a fabulous mix of fashion trends, beauty tips, recipes and her creative diy projects as seen here. She has recently upped her fashion credentials with a diploma from the London College of Style. What attracted me to Ann's blog was the warmth and honesty of her writing which I find endearing. Her bubbling enthusiasm makes her a very popular blogger as does the way she puts her clothes together. 

Here are Ann's outfit details:

tartan coat--Anna's! 

black hat and sunnies--Forever 21

black turtleneck--Uniqlo

black (p)leather culottes--Zara

cowboy boots--Old West via Zappos

leopard crossover--Jaspal, a Thai (online too) boutique kind of like Zara

earrings--random HK market stall

And here's Samantha of Fake Fabulous with her spin on the same jacket. The pop of citrus yellow of her sweater is that dash of the unusual which is Samantha's signature style. Her other strength is her extensive shoe collection! When I think of Samantha, I think friendly, fresh and funky. She always adds a twist to her dressing - this zany handbag being a case in point. Samantha has already been an inspiration to lots of women with her informative "how-to" posts as seen here. Not one to be told she can't wear something, Samantha champions women to break the rules and confines of the fashion world. She and I both started our blogs about the same time (some nine months ago) and we found common ground in our passion for bold colour play as well as pattern mixing. Our other bond is my homeland, Scotland, where Samantha now lives while I've crossed the border to England where she hails from. Our love of tartan, kilts and all good things Scottish cements our friendship. 

And here's her details -

Coat: Anna’s!!

Jeans: M&S

Shoes: XTI

Jumper: Boden (teens)

Shirt: Boden (Adults this time)

Bag: M&S

We, none of us, remembered to show the back view of the jacket which is just a interesting as the front, so I've pulled this photo up from my initial post - see it here. It's been terrific fun to bring this feature together with more than a little help from my friends (sing along if you remember this Beatles favourite). We have some great plans for the next batch of Ping-Pong Posts, as well as some slight variations on the theme. Do keep an eye out for details of the next PPP which will be coming up in April/May.

My outfit details -

Jacket: Benetton. Jeans: Dorothy Perkins. Boots: Office. Blouse: charity shop. Cardigan: H&M. Necklace: old. Rings: charity shop.

I'll be linking with these lovely hosts this week

Sheela of Sheela writes 

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style 
Jess of Elegantly Dressed And Stylish