Six do a style link up

Today I've been asked to join five other fashionistas who all have their very own strong sense of style. It's such a lovely opportunity to be asked to take part in this link up. Please take a moment to check out their blogs.

The theme of the link up is four colours or more which lends itself to quite different interpretations - some have taken a very colourful spin whereas I've gone along the lines of playing with neutrals with prints. My ensemble is a mix of vintage and old faithfuls such as these tartan tights which made their debut in my very first post in May of 2015 as seen here. The dress is a vintage piece from Marks and Spencer when their branding was St Michael which I bought from eBay some time ago. The quality is superb, it's fully lined and the stitching and finish is perfect. I've added my net underskirt to give it a bit of body and show off the fullness of the skirt. As the dress is such a simple, classic style I've added this cream jacket which relies on lots of pleating and a great cut to give it a bit of pzazz. The conservative nature of the dress was what gave birth to the notion of tartan tights with the leopard print shoes and belt. I finished off the look with my gorgeous orange and gold necklace by Magpie Vintage. The piece is made up of recycled vintage jewellery which is remodelled into a contemporary shape. 

It's amazing how the time has flown past since starting my blog, and how my closet has offered up such such a collection of outfits, some of which have been quite a surprise to me sometimes. The fun of sharing with friends and family was initially all I had hoped for, but over these months my world has expanded to encompass fashion bloggers from all across the globe. These fashionistas also have a driving passion for dressing up and are quite happy to trade ideas and discuss the minutiae of what makes a perfect outfit - it's been a wonderful discovery for me.

Jacket: Tabitha
Dress: St Michael at Marks and Spencer
Shoes: BCBGeneration
Belt: Zara
Tights: old
Necklace: Magpie Vintage

Liyana from Affordorable  is looking cute in this pastel blue two-piece. I love the way she has styled sports shoes and a maxi skirt for a fresh and youthful look, but most of all I think her bag is perfect to pull the whole look together - a masterful stroke, Liyana.

Outfit details

Adidas polka dot track jacket

Ciaopanic two-piece dress

Adidas polka dot Stan Smith

Mousse sling bag

Ann from Kremb de la Kremb is currently in the true winter wonderland of Idaho giving her own spin to the leopard print and tartan combo. With lippy that matches her gloves Ann is looking very polished and that's without a mention of that bag!

Outfit Details

Leopard Faux Fur--ASOS

Earrings--Macy's

Red Lippy--Maybelline Lip Studio Color Blur

Sweater--Zara

Pants--Forever 21

Red Fur Cuffed Gloves--market in China

White Shirt--Tailored from China

Tote--Louis Vuitton Speedy 35

Sheela from Sheelagoh has mixed things up with spots, checks and these fabulous suede boots. This combo is wild and adventurous for most, but when you read her take on this you'll see how far out of her comfort zone she had come today. Great stuff Sheela!

Outfit details

B&W Polka Dot Sweater - Thrifted

Mustard Top - Poshmark

Orange & Red Plaid Blanket Scarf - Zara

Black Capris - Herban Devi on Etsy

Burgundy Suede Boots - Shoedazzle 

Lipstick - Veronica from Anastasia Beverly Hills

Some girls just manage to weave colours and patterns together making them look perfectly natural and Nicole from Lipstick&Brunch is one of them. I love the theme of blues and lilac here, but most of all I adore these shoes!

Outfit details
Dress: CeCe
Cape Coat: ASOS
Clutch: The Cottage Shop in Houston
Earrings: Burdlife
Shoes: Custom Made by Coronation Vintage local stylist Dawn Bell
Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Samantha from Fake Fabulous is a big fan of colour at the best of times so this isn't a difficult challenge for her today. Her sense of fun is infectious - check out her signature pom poms on that handbag, and what about these silver loafers for a finishing touch?

Outfit details

Skirt: Forever21
Jumper: Boden
Polo neck: La Redoute
Shoes: JohnnieB
Tights: Lidl (honestly!!)
Necklace: Ebay
Bag: Topshop
Scarf: Newlook


I hope you've enjoyed the link up from across the globe today and that you'll take a moment to learn a bit more about my partners in crime - we've had fun too!

Happy Christmas to friends and fellow bloggers x

This is the sign that Christmas is on the way in our house. For years I've been making homemade fudge to give to friends and family at Christmas and there's nothing more satisfying that putting the last ribbon and label in place. I love finding different boxes, or sometimes recycling and decorating my own (the tree paper was from last year and the box is a recycled Jo Malone one). I love the whole ritual - it's all about the joy of giving.

Anyway this is a very brief post today, primarily to say a huge thank you to all who have followed me over the months since I started my blog in May. It's been great fun to write and gad about in all my fancy wares, and even more fun when you give me your feedback, so do keep it coming. I'll be absent for a week now, but will be back on the 30th with a big link up so do come back for the big reveal...

Apologies to all the true fashionistas for showing this very ordinary Christmas jumper, but I wanted to finish with a festive outfit. The sweater is actually my husband's which he refuses to wear (those who know him will get that), but I wore it recently when we did a charity event on the island recently "Text Santa" I think it was called in aid of several charities.

I thought I could at least co-ordinate my boots with the jumper.

 So that's pretty much it folks. I'll be spending some time at home with the family over the next week and popping into work from time to time too. I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year, and hope that you will be able to spend the festive season with your loved ones too xxx

Party time

We had our annual island party last night - this is what I wore.

The skirt and shoes were bought at different times, but compliment each other so well. Check out those gold heels.

I wasn't happy with the first belt so ordered this one at the last minute and it arrived just in time!

This fabulous maxi skirt was a find in Enjoy Clothing in Truro. The shop is a veritable cornucopia of vintage clothes, party wear and fancy dress outfits. I spent a couple of hours in there gathering together a bundle of unusual items to add to my closet. The annual island bash had provided me with the perfect excuse to push the boat out in this over the top frilly, glitzy ensemble. We had a great evening with a huge turn out, and I fancy that there may be a few fuzzy heads this morning after all the drinking, dancing and singing. It was so good to catch up with others on the island who we don't see on a day to day basis, as well as letting our hair down with co-workers. Steve and I were home by midnight, but I suspect the party relocated and rumbled on until the wee small hours...

The skirt was an absolute bargain at £15 and I know I will be able to wear it on exhibition nights next summer. And the satin flowered shoes were also a bargain at £6 from Primark of all places. The style and these gold heels say designer rather than this budget retailer don't you think? I've worn this pink blouse a couple of months ago as seen here and must admit it's now my go-to piece when I want to inject a bit of glamour into my day. The belt I felt was a make or break item when I first did a try on here in readiness for the party. The silver link belt is stretchy and performs the function of pulling skirt and top together, but wasn't exactly what I wanted. So I did a bit of online browsing and finally came across this navy one with an ornate buckle. The pre-Christmas postal system worked with rather than against me and hey presto the belt turned up, and was all that I had hoped it would be, hurrah!

Skirt: Susan Small, Enjoy Clothing. Blouse: Shubette Separates, charity shop. Shoes: Primark. Belt: eBay. Necklace: Debenhams.

This week I'll be linking with

Patti at Not Dead Yet Style 

Catherine at Not Dressed as Lamb 

Jess at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish 

Ann at Kremb de la Kremb
Alice at Happiness at Mid-LIfe
Cherie at Style Nudge 

Let's have fun with colour!

My motto is "Let's bin the beige and have fun with colour" and it's never been more true than with today's outfit. The marriage of orange and cerise are the perfect antidote to our recent weather.

I'm wearing another duvet jacket today - this one came from China, via my friend Rachel. I love the colour (obviously), the shape and the buttons which have a sharp, oriental style.

I found these funky psychedelic tights in a shop in Truro called Enjoy. It's full of all sorts of retro gear and is also my go-to shop for fancy dress clothes.

What a relief to be outside again after that trial I had with my indoor shoot a few days ago. It was quite funny though, and I did like giving you a bit of a chuckle at my efforts. The big outdoors is what works for me, so I'll be trying to fill my draft box whenever I get a decent spell like this. I've paired my favourite orange with cerise today to get this candy colour delight, throwing in these eye-popping 60's tights just in case I was in danger of taking myself too seriously. I do like my clothes to verge on the faintly ridiculous sometimes. I'm a bit of a clown and I like to make my friends and family laugh even if it's at my own expense. I think being a fashionista can still be fun.

The run up to Christmas is all about glitter and crazy cartoon jumpers but I'm holding off from that for a few days more. It's not that I don't want to wear them, just not quite yet. In fact, the search for the perfect party outfit is still on with only days to go until the island bash on Saturday. I'm still trying decide on whether to wear a maxi or a knee length dress or the midi I showed you on Sunday here. I have a dark green, heavily beaded shift dress that I wore to my 40th birthday party (makes it vintage now I think!) that I might wear with some new satin shoes in a floral pattern of orange and purples which would look great. Then I have a multi coloured maxi skirt with gold thread running through it which I could top off with a simple cashmere cardi. And finally there's the peach strappy chiffon number that's intricately beaded with a matching shawl...I had intended to capture these on screen the other day, but hey you know how that story goes already.

Anyway, here's a quick round up of today's offering. The jumper is by Compliments, a brand I've not come across before that came to me via a charity shop. The orange skirt with pink trim on the pockets is from Boden and was good money well spent as I've had it for years and it still looks good as new. My long sleeved top is one of many from M&S in their Heatgen thermal range - I have so many of these as they are a perfect winter base layer; not bulky in the least, slim fitting and available in so many colourways and patterns too. And my beautiful silver brogues are from Office. 

Linking today with
Elegantly Dressed and Stylish