Frills and flowers

Apologies for the dull light in these shots today, but Polly and I decided it was worth a try to capture this outfit. I didn't realise that I was channelling Adam Ant until I looked through these later, but I still love the ensemble. The jacket was a hand me down from my friend Maggie and has been a great addition to my wardrobe since I inherited a couple of years ago. I love the mix of fabrics and textures that give a richness to the overall look.

I fancy that these skinnies and my floral boots have married behind my back as I can't seem to bring one out without the other. The texture of jacket and boots work beautifully too. And for the final flourish, well the frilly blouse is the homage to the very beautiful Adam Ant that pulls the whole ensemble together. 

Outfit details - jacket: gift, boots: ASOS, trousers: Papaya, blouse: eBay, necklace: Noel, rings:old.

I turned the camera onto Polly at the end of our session. Doesn't she look so cute in this dress and boots combo? She leaves the island tomorrow after working at the local supermarket for the past couple of weeks. Polly's hobby of running is what keeps her fit and healthy, and boy look at those shapely, toned legs - what a great advert she is for her sport! Polly will be back again next year, and in the meantime I've got a backlog of photos to use and then my trusty tripod and timer will work out fine (as it did last winter). Thank you Polly for doing such a grand job and I look forward to regrouping in the spring!

Anna x

Satin bomber jacket

I bought this jacket way back in September on one of my big shopping splurges see here, but seem to have forgotten to get organised enough to show it. This shoot is from the reign of Polly, so the shots will still be of the highest of standards you've come to expect of her, and me (creepy laughter heard dimly in the background).

Since I made my purchase, the satin bomber has become ten-a-penny, but I forgive the masses for falling for such an adorable piece of transitional dress, and trust that no-one has come across one as delightful as my bronze, embroidered example (again - rah-ha-ha-ha-ha!)

The dress was a present from Sasha for Mother's day, last seen here, and is fabulous with the jacket don't you agree? The embroidery echos the print of the dress really well, the gold boots carry on the metallic theme. That's about it for this mid-week offering. Hope you're all recovering from the Halloween ghouls and ghosties, and that you've finally managed to scour off the last of the black eyeliner. My eerie laughter will soon die down too.

Details - dress: H&M, boots: River Island, jacket: TK Maxx, rings: old.

Anna x

Anna meets...Ian

This month I'd like to introduce artist Ian Brown who lives and works in Cornwall. Ian doesn't show in my gallery but is married to an artist friend of mine which is how we met. Last month Ian invited me to spend a day in his studio in the role of artist's muse. Well, the show-off in me couldn't resist. Ian paints the human form and is particularly interested in the visibility of women of a certain age. He has various projects running currently, one being swimsuits which I sat for, black and white dresses being another. It was an interesting experience to be involved in the creative process for a change: I've visited artists in their studios many times, but always to view work or to choose pieces for exhibitions. Let's continue with the Q & A section shall we?

How long have you been an artist?

I would say that I have been an artist since my early teens although I did not attend art school until my mid 20’s and I am now 63 so you do the math .

Francisco Goya 1746 - 1828, Portrait of the Duchess of Alba, New York Hispanic Society.   

Francisco Goya 1746 - 1828, The Duchess of Alba in White, Liria Palace, Madrid

What's the story behind the black and white dresses?

The dresses came out of the knowledge that an artist I admire Euan Uglow used to dress his models including wigs to suit his painting so I immediately warmed to the idea of dressing my sitters. I had been looking at Goya and chose the paintings he did of the duchess of Alba as the basis for a series of portraits of women I know of my generation . I then set about finding dresses that had what I felt was some Spanish influence but were also not something my sitters would be likely to have in  their wardrobe . I wanted to convey a sort of body glamour usually the domain of the young .

Have you exhibited any of these paintings yet or do you have plans to?

Ian Brown 1953 -, Valda, artist's studio, Cornwall.

I have not exhibited them yet. One was shortlisted for the National Open Art Competition and a second is shortlisted to be hung at the RWA autumn exhibition in Bristol .

What brought you to live in Cornwall?

My wife the artist Janet Lynch persuaded me away from London although I have continued to exhibit in London through Beardsmore Gallery who represented me until earlier this year until they retired .

I know you're a fellow Scot. Tell me where is your favourite place in Scotland and why?

One of my favourite places is Portencross on the Clyde . It figured initially as an exotic place where a friend of my grandfather kept a boat, and later in my adult life in the years just before art school, a friend and mentor (Alasdair Taylor) lived in a cottage there without electricity although it was the nearest inhabited building to Hunterston nuclear power station.

If you weren't an artist what would you like to be?

Probably a professional sportsman of some kind , I have played golf for Cornwall.

Finally, if you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go?

At the moment Florence and or Madrid to see paintings of course.

This final shot was taken at the end of the session. I had spotted a painting in the corner of the studio, a women of about my age, wearing these Barbie leggings. Ian and I chatted about how it came about, and lo and behold, the afternoon descended into a bit of dressing up for me. As a girl who spends every day pulling pieces of clothing together to create a-less-than-ordinary outfit, this didn't seem at all unusual. I love the randomness of all of these elements which somehow came together as they did to give me a photograph like no other. Ian has captured the joy of being within this 58 year old body - I'll cherish this forever.

To view more work from Ian follow the link to Newlyn Society of Artists here.

Anna x

More glittery shoes

I'm on a bit of a run at the moment, and it's all about the glitter. But these trainers are proving to be a bit of a problem. I keep bringing them out, putting a few items together, gadding off to work, then half way through the day I decide that this isn't quite it. Take a look, let me know.

I think these sparkly trainers are so cute, but they're proving to be a big style challenge for me. I can't quite visualise what I'm trying to achieve which I suppose is the problem. I've another outfit with these to show you soon, but in the meantime if they inspire you, if you can see what I need to be wearing with them, then please do drop me a line. If my legs were those long, slender ones, then I'd maybe wear a skirt, but hey, that's not the case. 

Diane of Fashion On The 4th Floor see here showcased a fab pair of baby pink trainers earlier on this year, which sent me hurtling off to the shops to find something similar, and since then I suppose I've been hoping to emulate her sleek style (with not much success). She wore them again here, and once more this inspired me to pare down my naturally flamboyant look to acheive something similar. I've not pulled this off yet, and maybe Diane's height is what makes this willowy, sleek look impossible for me to mimic. Imitation, as they say, is the sincerest form of flattery, and I do hope Diane can smile down on me from the lofty heights as I seek to live up to her immaculate outifts.

Details - Blouse: charity shop, trousers: TK Maxx, trainers: TK Maxx, rings: charity shop, sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Anna x

Leather, tulle and glitter

Understated, moi? Well, certainly not today that's for sure. Some days I feel like it's time for a bit of frothy fun and this was one of them. Polly did me proud with loads of heckling as well as prompts for lots of twirling. This red petticoat has that effect on me, so let's get going!

Apologies if you think you've seen this before, but today has a couple of little changes - the shoes for a start. These are my twinkly, glittery oxfords/brogues which just happen to go superbly well with my biker jacket and this adorable skater dress. Without the petticoat it's way too short, but with it, well I'd say it's pretty perfect!

Hang on! I wasn't quite ready there. 

I love the masculine shape of these shoes offset against the feminine of the blue sparkly glitter. 

And here's the second little tweak - this glitter belt. It's been in my eBay cupboard for at least a year now, so you can imagine my delight at rediscovering it when I was searching for the right belt to wear with this outfit. Well, not just the right belt, but the perfect match for my shoes - can you believe it?

I have a pair of yellow/mustard thick cable tights that I toyed with adding to this combo, but decided that the yellow may have been too distracting to the eye - after all, it's all working so well as it is don't you think? I could have justified the addition as they would have picked up that same hue in the dress, but think there's enough going on already. Knowing when to stop is the thing.

The clocks change here in the UK this weekend which will give us lighter mornings. This helps me with my sunrise swimming and still allows me to get into work on time. However, winter always seems to be more of a struggle, more about juggling chores and time spent on lots of projects. I've got a huge list of things I want to achieve this winter, in particular a fab sewing project which I'll share with you when I get going on it. In the meantime, I may have to move my posts around, or even post less frequently. To keep up with every post why not sign up to follow me by email? Get every single update direct into your mailbox so you don't miss a feature. And for those of you who enjoy the scenic shots I add from time to time, I have lots more of these on my instagram feed so why not follow me there too? Click here.

Outfit details - jacket: TOXIK3 (TK Maxx), dress: Topshop (charity shopped), petticoat: eBay, belt: eBay, shoes: Xti Tentations (TK Maxx), rings: charity shopped.

Anna x