Biker jacket and kitten heels?

These leather kitten heels were a great charity shop bargain at £4. I think they're cute yet very demure which is why I've married them up with my fabulous blue biker jacket. I love the contrast between the two opposing styles of dress. Tough rock chick meets demure lady about town. This is very me. Well, today this is very me. My style isn't about trying to shock or make some big statement. I just like mixing it up and doing my own thing. I love to see what the current trends are, what's in fashion, but it doesn't rule my buying habits. I think that's the main reason why I love vintage and charity shops; the original, one-off is much more interesting to me than following trends.

The colour of the jacket is the main reason I bought it. It called to me from the rack when I was recently in TK Maxx and yes, it was a bit of an attention seeker amongst all the black biker jackets. But how could I resist the siren call of electric blue? Try me on it begged, and who was I to argue? The minute I slipped it's silken sleeves on, the deed was done. The zip slid up gracefully almost to show me how a biker jacket could be elegant and refined. The look today is testament to how versatile I think this kind of jacket can be. I've paired it up with spotty slacks which are very sleek and business like. And I chose the flowered shirt to introduce the rose tones which gave me the perfect lead-in to my coral handbag satchel. To finish off, I chose the bright blue ring for obvious reasons, but also the diamante ring to echo the dressed up element of the outfit.

While I was recently on holiday in Exmouth I wore the jacket with jeans and flats. Biker jacket and jeans - very predictable you'd say. Well, it's here for you to see and compare. The fact is, I love, love this jacket and whichever way I style it up, I think it's going to be a story that will run and run. My passion for clothes is fuelled by fun. I want to continue this love affair for as long as I can and I hope you'll stay and enjoy the ride.

If you have a fashion favourite that's versatile then I'd love to hear about it. Crazy or conventional, I don't mind, I'm happy to share in your pleasure.

Jacket: TK Maxx. Trousers: H&M. Shirt: Marks and Spencer. Shoes: charity shop. Satchel: charity shop. Blue ring and diamante ring: charity shop. Sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Memories of summer

Today's post is for all the family and friends who know or have visited these special islands and who might enjoy seeing some photos of familiar views. I feel it's time to admit that summer is over, and would like to punctuate my blog with the reminder of this afternoon in September when the Indian summer prompted Steve and I to down tools on a weekday. We were heading off for a long-awaited picnic on one of the uninhabited islands, and had just climbed on board our boat when I saw this tiny beauty drifting past. The little jellyfish was about the size of a mini-cupcake and just as cute!

It's high tide, flat calm and the sun is shining - just perfect for a bit of messing about in boats.

We're cruising past Cromwell's Castle and I can see the white breakers ahead. Time to put the camera away and hold on as we go around the top.

The bumpy ride over, we drift gently into the shores of Tean island.

Coming into the shallows, we're about to pitch up onto our own desert island for the afternoon. Not so bad after a 10 minute boat ride.

Clean, clear waters await.

We're not the only ones who think it's a perfect day to be out on the water.

Our trusty little cruiser is anchored up while we enjoy the peace and quiet, and a picnic lunch on the beach.

Even a fashionista deserves to have a day off sometime.

Time to motor home again.

Some Herons perched on Hedge Rock.

The sea is just like a millpond. Looks very tempting...

This looks like a romantic way to travel.

The Scillonian, brimming with visitors, is heading back to the mainland...

...and we're heading off home too. It was a great day to be out on the water, and we enjoyed our little moment of isolated splendour too. The simple pleasures island life.

The oversized shirt

This is a really lovely shirt, and all the more lovely for costing only £2.90 in last month's shopping spree. In the charity shop there were three of these all together which looked like a bit of a wardrobe clear out if ever I've seen one. This colourway is what clinched the deal as the other two were a bit pale and washed out looking. My school uniform was maroon and gold and I think this is the first time I've chosen to wear this combo since then - and that was more than a year or two ago as you can imagine. 

I don't often wear oversized shirts as I feel a bit swamped in them, and that's because I teeter on the brink of the petite/average height range at 5 foot 5 inches. Neither do I have those long beanpole legs which give the illusion of height. I'm blessed with footballers legs which is why you won't see many miniskirts or summer shorts being showcased on my blog. Being realistic about your shape is good, I think, as it helps you define your body type so that you can choose the best clothes to suit that type. If I were driven to give the illusion of the perfect figure I'd be in dresses or palazzo pants with high heels all the time, adding a belt to draw the eye to my narrowest part and I might even look tall(er) too.

But my blog is about the real me, wearing all sorts of clothes and shoes regardless of whether they're right for my shape and height. One of my major love affairs is with my brogues. Once in a while my passion comes into fashion (did you like that?) and this week I saw a magazine feature saying we all need some mannish brogues for our A/W15 look - hurrah, I'm ready! Today, just for a change however, and because I don't want to be too predictable, I've donned my gold leather loafers to finish off the ensemble. I know not everyone would be wearing gold shoes as day wear, but hey, I'm not everyone! I continued the glitzy theme with this sparkly gem necklace, and the gold trimmed floral ring in an art deco style was another good tie-in. The huge silver disc ring was a great find in a charity shop for the crazy sum of £3 and has already been useful in previous posts. And to finish off, I added the beautiful brown leather handbag which is a good contrast to all the sparkle. 

The jury's out as to whether this is a very me outfit. I really wanted to showcase this shirt and think I may have to style it up differently next time. I'm going to think a while longer to see what comes up. Watch this space...

Shirt: charity shop. Trousers: H&M. Loafers: eBay. Necklace and rings: charity shop. Handbag: charity shop. Sunglasses: Quay Australia. 

Vintage blouse

 

Pink, as you will know, is so not one of my colours, but I'm really entering into the spirit of things to get over this. First there were the powder pink brogues (as seen here), and now this wham-bam, eye-popping fuchsia blouse with frills, bells and whistles.

At the beginning of the day I felt a bit conspicuous, wondering if my skin looked too washed out in this bright pink top, but by the end of business I was quite at home, owning the look, as they say. I think my reticence in wearing pink harps back to my childhood when I had bright ginger hair and was told (by whom, I can't remember) that redheads shouldn't wear pink or red as it clashes with our hair colour. I clearly took this to heart and have avoided these for years until now. The birth of my alter ego, the fashionista who's been lying in wait ready to strut her stuff, has been quite liberating, allowing me to try out all sorts of things including the pink stuff. I also recently bought a red skirt for this winter and am looking forward to some cold weather to give it a whirl too. 

The beautiful blouse came from a vintage, charity shop in Exeter. Imagine my delight at vintage clothes and charity shop prices all rolled into one heavenly retail opportunity! My daughter Sasha and I headed in different directions seeking out our own treats. After 20 minutes of scouring the racks I took myself off to the changing room and the fun began. Such a lot looked promising until I tried it on, but that's all part of the game. Eventually this blouse and a few other prized goodies rose to the top of the pile and I was done. All will be revealed in due course. The day was off to a good start, and the end result has already been featured in my previous post Shopping, haircut and a fabulous fashionista (as seen here.)  After today I've already had a few other ideas about styling up this pretty blouse with other separates in my wardrobe which I really can't wait to try out. It's like I've opened the floodgates to a whole new realm of creativity thanks to this inclusion of an off-limits area of the colour wheel. I feel like I've got a whole lot of catching up to do. What fun!

Blouse: vintage, charity shop. Skirt: H&M. Shoes: TK Maxx. Ring: gift. Bangle: gift. Pearls: charity shop. Sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Back to nature

This outfit really brings a smile to my face. The top and trousers look as if they were made to match and yet were lucky finds in the Exmouth charity shops. Perhaps they had come from the same source, who knows? But as far as I'm concerned it would be an outrage to split them up. Where would Ant be without Dec or Morcambe without Wise? Well these are just as much fun to me. It almost looks like these beautiful butterflies are being drawn south to the nectar of the floral trousers. The whole thing is whimsical, romantic and a dream to wear. And how wonderful to be still on the beach in the morning sunshine at the end of September. These islands are still basking in the late Indian summer sun and we are all pretty happy bunnies to be blessed with this bonus bit of weather in the UK.

Continuing with the whimsical theme I felt had to add my Jessica necklace which ties in so well with its delicate print Liberty skirt. And it was a no-brainer to add the yellow watch and these rings to this ensemble to keep everything keyed in to the same colourway. The finishing touch are these bright blue kitten heels which give a bit of class to the outfit. It would have been so easy to go to my default setting and find a pair of brogues to complement this palette, but sometimes you've got to push out of your comfort zone. The result was worth it. Don't you think?

Trousers: Topshop (charity shop). Top: New Look (charity shop). Necklace: Charlie Dodge. Shoes: charity shop. Watch: charity shop. Yellow ring: Martin James. Blue ring: charity shop. Rose gold bangle: Kate Spade New York. Sunglasses: Quay Australia.