#Ping Pong Post 4

Welcome to the fourth instalment of Ping Pong Post. For any new readers you can chart the progress of this feature back to the start here. This months challenge has been thrown down by Ann of Kremb de la Kremb fame and I have to say it has been the most difficult one for me so far. And yet when the dress arrived I fell in love with it. The white flowered voile looks so utterly romantic, don't you think?

I was pretty confident that I could style this up in a flash. The fact was, it took me three attempts to find a look worth photographing. But hey, let's gloss over that for a moment and move on to the vision that is Samantha of Fake Fabulous. 

Samantha picked up on that romantic feel too and wears the dress very demurely. I think she could be giving a bit of a modern spin on Downton Abbey. I had hoped that she would invite me over for afternoon tea and a glass of bubbly too, but no luck. The gorgeous hat really sets the whole look off making it feel very authentic for that period. Samantha has kept the palette to white and neutral which adds to the understated look. Very classy Samantha! And yet a cheeky little flash of thigh ensures a youthful vibe too. 

Follow Samantha on Instagram here.

Samantha's details are -

Dress: Ann's...from forever21

Slip: M&S
Hat: old
Shoes: Clarks
Nails: BarryM
Toes: Mavala
Necklaces: Various gifts and vintage pieces
Belt: Topshop
Glasses: Vogue

Ann opts for the other end of the dressing up spectrum with a beach babe look. We can always rely on Ann to raise the temperature a notch or two with her sexy take on these challenges, and hey who can blame her? If you've got it, flaunt it! Ann's theme of black and white works so well with her dark hair and sunkissed skin. I think I would love to have some of those shell anklets for my next beach day too. Perhaps you can pop some in the post Ann?

Follow Ann on Instagram here.

Ann's details

White Maxi Dress--Forever 21
Leopard Bikini--ASOS
Jean Shorts--Paige Denim
Puka Shell Anklets--Puka Beach, Boracay
Turkish Towel--Bowl and Pitcher
Sun Hat--Forever 21
Sunglasses--Target
Beach Bag--Bali

As you can see my take on the dress is a bit of a half-way house between the other two. Yes, it lends itself to a beach setting, but I had the same idea as Samantha with the short dress too. Initially I had tried this with a white linen maxi dress underneath, but it looked like I was heading for my boudoir! My next effort was with white linen trousers and an orange vest top, but somehow that seems to detract from the sheer effect of the overshirt. Finally I decided to try this floaty little beach dress in pastel hues of pink, tangerine and lemon. A matching necklace plus an armful of golden bangles all finished off with my neutral sandals completed the look. Once again, I can honestly say this has been great fun to see how these other two fashion bloggers created their own outifts from this challenge, and I look forward to next month when we'll be back on Scilly soil with my next offering.

Details for me are

Overshirt: Ann's -  Forever 21

Dress: Florence and Fred

Sandals: Bertie

Necklace: Magpie and Butterfly

Sunglasses: Quay Australia

Bangles: charity shop

Gold/nude ring: Boots

Cream floral ring: charity shop.

Linking with

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Cherie of Style Nudge 

Anna x

Jumpsuit joy

I've lost count of the number of times I've worn this jumpsuit to work and have tried to get some shots of it for the blog. Every time Polly and I got lined up for a shoot, something intervened. I bought this last year and it has been a great mainstay in my working wardrobe ever since. I love the easy fit more than anything for those days when I'm hanging art and I don't want to be bothered with keeping a blouse tucked in or finding the right length of top to wear with a very tailored pair of trousers. No, there's none of that with this lovely all-in-one. 

Most women probably have a go-to dress that offers the same simple solution when they want an easy to wear outfit. The jumpsuit affords me freedom to move, freedom to accessorise and freedom to introduce another complimentary colour to give it a face lift. Lime green looks fab against the navy and grey, as does a zingy lemon and of course white is a classic partner too. Cerise would look stunning, but I've not tried that one yet, nor turquoise which is a favourite summer colour of mine. The list of permutations is endless. Whether we'll manage to contrive another photo shoot showcasing any of these within the next 12 months remains to be seen, but at least you know we'll be aiming for that at some point!

The jumpsuit and belt hail from H&M, orange vest from M&S (via charity shop), the sandals were from New Zealand and the brand is Ko Fashion, by Boston Babe. The bangle was a charity shop find, yellow stoned ring is by Martin James, the other ring is from Diana Porter see here and my necklace was a gift. Once again my sunglasses are from Quay Australia. 

And finally...Tomorrow is the 20th of the month meaning that it's Ping Pong Post day. I've never had to post on two consecutive day before, and I do hope that works out as a treat for you. Here's a sneak preview of the item we will all be styling up. I think I can honestly say it's been the most challenging item for me so far. Annie sent this all the way from Hong Kong to Samantha and I here in the UK, so I hope we can both do it justice after all the miles it's travelled. See you all tomorrow then!

Anna x

Anna meets Suzanne

Last month I started a new item on the blog inspired by fashionistas I've encountered. For my first interview I featured Alison, a woman whose sense of style has fuelled her drive to make her own clothes. See the the feature here if you missed it. This month I'd like to introduce Suzanne. Suzanne approached me at the gallery as she is friends with a very talented artist whose work she thought might be of interest to me. As we spoke I discovered that Suzanne too, was of great interest. The words cool cat and effortless style come to mind. I want to know more.

Here's how our chat went when I quizzed this lovely lady.

Anna: How would you describe your style?

Suzanne:  I have developed my own style over the years and wear clothes that I am comfortable in. There is currently a nod to biker chic and previously Japanese avant - garde.

Anna: Has your style changed over the years?

Suzanne:  I would say that my style has not stopped evolving as I move through life. The factors that impact our style are never static.

  

Anna: Do you have a style icon?

Suzanne:  I wear a lot of Rick Owens these days with pieces from from Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garçon. Some of which I have had many years. 

Anna: What's your favourite place to shop? 

Suzanne: I love to go to Dover Street Market in London, I regularly use the Internet and when Pollyanna was open in Barnsley I would go there.

Anna: The day job?

Suzanne:  I am a director of a hairdressing salon in South Manchester. I am responsible for all things operational, customer service and front of house. My background is hotels, airlines and travel.

Anna: What's your beauty secret? And are you really 63?

Suzanne: I have regular facials, try to have a healthy diet, exercise and be happy no matter what life throws at me. I am lucky to have inherited good genes and yes, I am 63! 

Anna: Your passion in life? 

Suzanne: I have a passion for food, both cooking and eating! A passion for travel, both business and pleasure - for the opportunities and life changing experiences it has given me, but most of all for the wonderful people I have met along the way.

Anna: If money were no object I'd...

Suzanne: If money were no object and I was being completely selfish I would love a gap year or two to travel with no fixed itinerary or time schedule.

Anna: What are your dreams/aspirations?

Suzanne:  I don't really have dreams and aspirations. Ten years ago there was a big list, some of which remain unfulfilled, but no regrets. I try to live in the now, not look forward, and enjoy one day at a time!

Suzanne wears: T shirt, shorts and pumps all by Rick Owens.

Thanks to Suzanne for giving us an insight into her lifestyle.

Anna x

Keeping it casual

As my daughter is home I took an afternoon off yesterday and we went out for a walk in the sunshine. We visited the Abbey Garden (for full details see here) where Sasha did the honours and took some snaps for the blog. I'm keeping it casual wearing jeans for a change which I thought might make a good feature as I'm always in work clothes that veer more towards the smart than casual.

We spent a couple of hours wandering through the acres of garden, admiring all of the beautiful flowers in bloom accompanied by the constant buzzing of honey bees. This beautiful patch of paradise is only a 20 minute walk from home, yet I am guilty of hardly every making time to visit it (last time was I was here was in January). As we strolled along the paths Sasha and I talked about how this is a real photographers dream, and I agreed that I really need to make more of an effort to pop up for a blog shoot regularly. There are so many wonderful little colourful corners here, I'm sure I could come once a week for an entire year without even repeating the location. Let's see if I can get here once a month just to start eh? My challenge is to juggle working full time with my hobbies of sea swimming, yoga and book club and that's before I even take into account all of the domestic chores that beckon every day besides my passion of fashion blogging. As I say, let's see if I can manage to get here once a month then!

Today's outfit comprises of a cardigan by Tu and jeans by New Look. Shoes are Vans, belt has no brand, but was from TK Maxx. Necklace is old, rings are from a charity shop, sunglasses are by Quay Australia and my beautiful watch is by Michael Kors.  

Linking with

Jess of Elegantly Dressed And Stylish

Cherie of Style Nudge 

Anna x

Hand-me-down

It seems that life has come full circle for me. For most of my childhood I wore hand-me-downs from my two elder sisters. It was pretty much the norm back in the 1960's, when money was tight and credit cards didn't exist. Borrowing money was taboo in those days, and life was lived in a much more simple way. If you couldn't afford it, then you didn't have it. My parents both worked full time, but with four children to feed and clothe, my clothes had always done the rounds by the time they reached me. Today I'm wearing a dress which comes from my eldest sister and now that I'm all grown up it's not a bind to have a hand-me-down from her; it is in fact a real pleasure.

Sandra has always been a woman who is confident in what she wears. Never one to follow trends, or worry about making a fashion statement, she knows what suits her and wears her clothes with panache. She scoured charity shops when she was a hard-up student, and to this day still does, usually finding beautiful designer pieces to mix with odd, quirky handmade finds. She moved house a few months ago and managed to do that wonderful clutter clearing thing I talked about recently here. This was much to my benefit as I received a clothes parcel containing all sorts of choice items, including this unusual dress. It reminds me of a skirt that Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb wore when she was on holiday in Santorini see here (not the same, I know, but it brings this one to mind). I've no idea of where it is, or even if the imagery is of a real place or imaginary, but I think it's so pretty. I had such fun pulling my accessories together as these colours are favourites in my personal palette and therefore I had lots to chose from.

I had lots of compliments about this dress and the outfit in general which was lovely. The dress has no label so no details for you there. Sandals are by Refresh from TK Maxx. Lace top was from a charity shop, again with no label. Barrel bag is by NW3 (no longer available), turquoise ring and bangle are old, yellow ring is by Martin James, and rose gold watch is by Michael Kors. Necklace was a gift. Sunglasses are by Quay Australia and the belt was from a charity shop. 

Today is another work day for me and probably many others, but I'd like to say I hope everyone has a wonderful time joining in with the celebrations for the 90th birthday of our Queen. Yesterday on the island we hosted a tea party in the afternoon and last night a crowd gathered to see a huge bonfire lit on the school green as part of our island's celebrations. Everyone raised a glass to toast her Majesty and the peach coloured bubbles infused all with a wonderful rosy glow. In world full of troubles and worries, it's so good to have a positive focus and there can't be any better than this. Good luck to you if you're hosting your own street party today. I wonder if the bunting will be flying in your street? Have a great weekend and I look forward to catching up again on Wednesday.

Linking with 

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb 

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style  

Anna x

A fiesta of colours

After my all in black look from the other day (see here) I thought I'd revert to my default setting of glorious, technicolour. Another wonderful day of sunshine prompted me to bring out this bright mix of colours by way of these floral wide legged trousers and orange vest, topped by this pink lace top. Cheery colours = cheery mood. 

I like this crazy shot where the wind is behind me and my legs look totally like one of those bendy toys!

I found these beautiful silk trousers in a charity shop about three years ago and this is probably their third outing. The pink top was also a charity shop find bought only recently from April's shopping spree (see here) and was an absolute bargain for 99p. The orange vest top underneath (charity shop again) was a bit of a masterstroke I thought, tying the whole look together beautifully. The black sandals from New Look were featured just the other day, and although I have other wedges that I could have worn, these are remarkably comfortable as well as going so well with the black of the trousers. The orange necklace is old, the pink perspex ring and pink bangle were both gifts, and the pink and silver ring was from a charity shop, as was the sweet handbag. Sunglasses are from Quay Australia and my gorgeous watch is by Michael Kors.

So here we are on the cusp of the weekend, with that little bubble of excitement building as we look forward to some down time over the next couple of days. For some of you that may mean family time which it does for me too as my daughter is coming home for 10 days holiday. Others may be heading off for some retail therapy (I'm only slightly envious) or maybe you're heading off for the beach now that summer is showing some level of predictability. Whatever you're up to this weekend, I ask you to take a moment to stop and focus on where you are, who you're with and what you're doing. In a world where we are so busy, it's important to focus on the special moments, to value them and lock them away in your memory bank. What I don't mean is take a series of selfies where you become so absorbed in that moment that the real moment is lost. When you find yourself enjoying a particular sight or emotion, switch on your inner recorder to capture that moment internally so that you may draw on it at any time, anywhere for the rest of your life. Be in the moment, as often as you can, be present in your own life, not a spectator in someone else's. This being present is otherwise known as mindfulness, a buzzword currently. It deserves more than just a passing reference, but that will have to wait for another day. Enjoy your weekend and I hope you'll swing by again on Sunday.

Linking with 

Lucy of Fashion Should Be Fun 

Anna x