We love...leopard print

Hello again, and here's another joint feature from Sasha and I. This week we styled up our leopard print coats (which actually was the easy part) and then ventured out into the brisk North wind to get some shots. Not only were we trying to get out of the wind, but we got caught in a sleety shower too. 

I've had this fur coat for over 20 years now and up until a couple of months ago it had been lost in the loft. When Sasha moved home in September Steve and I had a massive sort out and found it bundled up inside a few black sacks. As moth proofing, this had worked, but it smelt a bit musty. Dry clean only said the label. One of the downsides of living here is that we don't have a dry cleaners on the islands, meaning you either post things away or wait until your next trip to the mainland. As a stopgap, I draped the coat across one of the garden chairs on our decking while I was pottering about in the garden sorting through our evicted boxes of detritus. 

Fast forward to two days later when I came home one lunchtime to discover a note from hubby saying "Fir coat on the deck" (yes, spelt like that, such a joker). I had completely forgotten about it and in the meantime it had rained, been sunny, rained again and then another sunny day - all with my fab faux fur exposed to the elements. The moral of the story is Don't believe all it says on the label. My coat is refreshed, smells of the big outdoors and is soft as ever. I gave it a brush down and it's good as new.

This seems to be my go-to necklace of the moment, making me think I need to find a similar alternative. Conversely, I don't seem to have featured these citrine rings from Gemporia for ages.

The winter white trousers are new and also a real step into uncharted waters for me. If you're a keen follower, you'll have noticed that white trousers aren't something I do often, if at all. Anyway, I came across these in Tesco's in September and asked Sasha's advice about them. I love the wide cut and the crop length, plus the material is really lovely, very drapey and not too see through. She said yes, give 'em a go. This is their first outing and I'm aware that the challenge of leopard print plus white trousers could indeed be misconstrued as trailer park trash. By adding the black cashmere sweater and these toning brocade boots, I'm hoping to have turning this into classy winter styling. 

Outfit details - Coat: Dorothy Perkins, trousers: F&F at Tesco, sweater: M&S, boots: River Island, necklace: Du Barre, rings: Gemporia, sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Sasha's pink satin boots and gold chenille jumper give her leopard coat a modern twist that I love. It's great to see the coat styled in this playful way.

Likewise, the baker's boy hat is young and fun and suits her features so well.

By dropping down behind the sea wall you can barely notice the howling wind!

Fuchsia and satin - what could be better?

Outfit details - coat: New Look, trousers: Pretty Little Thing, jumper, boots and hat: Primark, jewellery: LVNDR.

Sasha has come across a new website where she bought this gold dipped shell pendant and also these rings. Check our LVNDR jewellery site here.

I'm on a steep learning curve being on the other side of the camera. I know I have a lot to learn, but am always keen to expand my skills so this is really good for me to have Sasha tutor me. Her background in marketing and advertising means she has a good eye for what works and what could be improved. Background, lighting and settings are such basics and yet I've been guilty of letting Polly deal with them rather than become involved. I've always thought of my camera as a point and shoot, but seemingly it's got quite a lot of useful features that I've not been aware of, therefore never accessed.

December seems to be the month when fur coats really come into their own. Not just for the glamour factor, but for warmth too. I'm bringing all of my furs out of storage so that I can get the best use of them over the next couple of months. The 5Over50's challenge for January is fur so that gives me another chance to feature something snuggly. Our group challenge for December is Christmas jumpers and has been moved to the18th, so do drop by to see how we've done with this most seasonal of items. 

In the meantime, I'm off to take some shots of the new additions to my wardrobe as well as shaking out the glitter for another trial. Velvet too is something I'm hoping to get together so maybe sequins and velvet could make an appearance together. I'm off to play with fabulous fabrics and sumptuous sequins to see what I can come up with. Have fun with your week and keep warm!

Linking with -

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Samantha of Fake Fabulous

Anna x

A trial run

Yes, it's that time of year when I start doing the big try on, getting ready for the party season. I've got a couple of parties on the horizon as well as drink do's to prepare for so I like to be ready. 

I'm still besotted with these red sock boots, so please accept my apologies if you've tired of them already. Be warned - they will be making a few more appearances! 

When I wore them for the first time (see here) I didn't need tights, but the cold weather and length of this dress mean that's not an option. I'm not sure if black is the right thing here though...Maybe plain black would have been better?

The book handbag was a prize find in Primark in London. It was a fraction of the cost of the real McCoy ones I've seen in other shops.

This must be the first red dress I've had since I was a child. It's from H&M and was partnered with the boots in an advert. I don't normally fall for the spoon fed version of fashion, but I thought it was so simple yet effective.

I thought this charity shop owl necklace was the perfect ploy for the Harry Potter book bag, and only £5 too!

Maybe this could be an option for Christmas day? I'm not sure it's dressy enough for an evening party, but again, that's just me. This is where I ask you for your opinion. I'll be popping up again over the next couple of weeks to run some Christmas outfits past you, so please feel free to give me your thoughts. You can email me if you're too shy to post a comment.

Outfit details - coat: vintage, dress: H&M, boots: H&M, necklace and rings: charity shopped, handbag: Primark, sunglasses: Quay Australia, tights: H&M.

I've just taken delivery of a box of shopping from my Black Friday splurge. I'll let you know how that goes once I've had a try on. In addition, I'm aware that I've yet to show you my shopping from London, so I maybe need to have a post where I do a round up of all that's new in my wardrobe as we hurtle towards Christmas. I'm acutely aware of how short lived this hugely hyped holiday is so I'm fighting shy of buying any more in the way of glitter and sparkle as I own quite a lot of glitzy items already. I'm currently searching for the perfect pair of black shoes that will last beyond the party season and will let you know how that plays out too. 

How are you getting on with your Christmas shopping? Did you wait until Black Friday to hit the shops? And what about your big food shop? Do you do that online or do you brave the supermarket in that last minute rush? Are you one of those very organised types who picks up something every week for months in advance? Do tell - I'm keen to hear how life plays out beyond our little island especially at this time of year. Whatever you're up to, do try to enjoy what you're doing without getting too stressed. See you soon!

Anna x

Take three colours

One of the best things about making friends within the blogging world has to be our common bond through fashion. Jacqui of Mummabstylish and I got on like a house on fire when we met up in London (see here), chatting about all our ideas and concerns on our joint blogging horizon. She told me about her rule of three; the magic number of colours that she uses to create her outfits. The idea had never occurred to me and we laughed about that too.

So here's my ode to Jacqui in yellow, green and burgundy. I suppose in this pure form, it also meets the criteria for colour blocking as I've eschewed my normal pattern play too. 

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb has recently posted a feature on fashion bloggers who excel at minimalist styling which got me thinking: why does minimalist dressing look so classy on these women and yet I know would look so bland on me? Apart from the obvious - they're young, slim and pretty of course! Anyway, do click the link to see the ultimate in chic understatement.

With this in mind, today I thought I take a baby step towards minimalist style by dropping down to three colours, albeit quite bold ones. I say baby steps as it's still over the top in other ways; namely the tiers on the tunic as well as the velvet trim and tiny beads. 

I will be honest with you, the idea of an entire collection of clothes that comprises of black, white and neutrals leaves me totally cold, but in the interests of a style challenge I think I may have a go. But not yet, my lovely readers! With Christmas only a month away, I have more bold colours and patterns, a sprinkling of glitter and of course, a liberal dose of sequins all lined up for your delectation.

The tunic is actually an early Christmas present from a friend. She lives in Portugal and had ordered it online to be posted direct to me. She prompted me to open it in case I didn't like it, meaning I could just send it on to her. Sorry Bo, as you can see it's rather fabulous and I'm keeping it!

And that brings me onto another style matter. I would never, never have chosen this shape of top. Tunics are just not my thing. My reasons are usually to do with the boxy shape, the lack of definition, and the focus on the bust making me look bigger than I like. However, I was so bowled over by the colour that I was happy to step out of my comfort zone and try it on. It's a lovely floaty material and it feels really feminine. I'm a convert! 

Outfit details - coat: The Vintage Boutique Collection from TK Maxx, top: Zara, trousers: Tesco, boots: pre-loved, sunglasses: Quay Australia, rings: Sainsbury's, necklace: gift, handbag: purchased in Rome, no brand.

This week I'll be linking up with -

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Samantha of Fake Fabulous

Ashley and Laurie 

This shot captures me as I've just hung my coat up in the hedge and was waiting to see if the wind would whisk it off. 

Here's a couple of snaps taken from my office window over the past week. This view is balm to the soul. Have a great week and see you again soon!

Anna x

The best laid plans...

Yes, life rarely goes to plan and so it is for me that my promised feature of yesterday has flopped. Events have conspired meaning that Sasha and I haven't manged to do our joint shoot. But worry ye not, I'm here to show you brocade boots plus new trousers, my third item recently purchased from Zara.

As a teenager, flares were one of the first fashions I followed. I had a pair of bright blue satin bell bottoms that I wore with multi-coloured platform shoes and a mini seersucker smock top in rainbow stripes; my love of colour was just as evident then.

Outfit details are like this - jacket: a gift (thanks again Maggie), trousers: Zara, blouse: eBay, boots: ASOS, necklace: gift, rings: old, sunglasses: Quay Australia.

I really like how the high waist gives a lovely snug fit.

I was so pleased to come across these cropped flares in Zara last month. I've had this imaginary pair of trousers on my mind for some time, but hadn't managed to find them in real life. The shape is exactly as I'd envisioned, but I thought they might be a soft denim rather than corduroy, and certainly not in this lovely ginger colour. I wore them in London, but my camera was playing up so the shots aren't as crisp as they could be.

This variation details are - jacket: Michael Kors, roll neck: eBay, boots: Zara, ring:old, sunglasses: Quay Australia.

How's your week going? Are you on top of your Christmas plans and shopping lists? I'm about to take a look online to see if I can get some inspiration for toys for my great nieces and nephews. After that I'll get our turkey booked which will get me a bit closer to being prepared for the big day. Good luck with your shopping. Thanks for dropping by, and see you soon!

Anna x

Weekend wear

One of my highlights of the winter period is that I have the entire weekend off. During the height of the summer I often only manage to take one day off a week, so a whole weekend seems like absolute luxury.

And there is nothing more luxurious for the weekend than this little number. Are we talking Athleisure wear here? Many moons ago this would simply have been called a jogging suit, but we none of us went jogging in them. Loungewear then, maybe?

Regardless of the name, this is my idea of comfort when I'm chilling at home.

I found this in Zara on Oxford Street in my recent trip away. The truth of the matter is that I could have spent a small fortune there. Steve excused himself from the arena which was a very wise move. I was like a wild cat stalking its prey just before darkness fell; the clock was ticking, and I knew I had to be selective. I took five things into the changing rooms and bought three. Very restrained, by my standards, but this was real shopping at real prices - no thrifting bargains to be found here.

The trainers are a purchase from earlier this year. A lovely find in TK Maxx for a snip. I think I maybe prefer my black trainers (see here) with these trousers though.

It's difficult to say what I love best about this outfit. Firstly the velvet is soft and cosy, the colours are vibrant, the embroidery intricate and enriching to the overall feel, and the loose fit is essential for comfort, but I suppose the winning design feature has to be the wonderfully deep pockets in the trousers that deliver the real slouch factor. It's still in stock here, but be quick, I fancy it will sell out soon! 

My next post will be another joint feature with my daughter. Sasha and I will be styling up our brocade boots, a trend that's still going strong this winter. That will be on the 20th, so do join us to see the results. The 5 Over 50 challenge for December has been chosen by Laurie of Vanity and Me Style and will be Christmas jumpers. We've moved the date of this to the 18th of December to allow us to capture a few festive shots. I'll be rooting about this weekend to see where my offerings are and looking at what I can wear to put a new spin on them. Our annual Christmas party is on Saturday the 16th (golly, only a month away) so I will be taking a look at what I have in the sequins and glitter department, again in the hope of finding something to inspire me. How's your Christmas events calendar looking? Or more importantly are you a "Bah humbug!" type or are you brimming with Christmas spirit already? Do let me know your thoughts on the festive season.

Linking with -

Ashley and Laurie's weekly link up

Anna x