Anna's Island Style

Harrogate - the final instalment

As promised, here's the third outfit that I wore at the trade fair last week. The dress is quite old (by Nine West), polo is from Primark, tights and belt are old, shoes are by Office, my handbag is by Ted Baker, rings are preloved and my watch is by Michael Kors. I thought this van was the ultimate in accessorising!

House by Hazel is run by Hazel Holland who is the wife of Tom Holland one of my gallery artists. I do like to make an effort to co-ordinate my outfit with Hazel's fabrics at least once over the show period. It's lovely to catch up with them every day during the fair as we have lots to chat about and generally have a bit of fun too. Tom and Hazel are based in Penryn in Cornwall which means I can pop into Tom's gallery on my way to the dentist to see how the paintings for his next show are progressing. This will be featured next month on the blog.

After my three days at the Trade Fair it was time to cash in the gift voucher from my sisters.

Sandra and Dianne had travelled down from Scotland to join me in Yorkshire so that we could have a brief catch up. Their promise was made good with these crisp Scottish bank notes along with a suitably sparkly purse. We had a busy day visiting my regular charity shops as well as discovering five new ones I'd been unaware of. I had a ball; them maybe not so much!

They even supplied me with an extra shopping bag for the occasion!

Do not adjust your sets - this is terribly out of focus! I know that neither of my sisters would wish to be featured on the blog, but I thought this one would be better than my efforts at soft focus. We had great fun together and even though we're all in our 60's now I will always be the baby of the family, meaning that I still benefit from their wisdom.

And this is the haul! I'm afraid I couldn't find time to take individual shots of these, but have itemised them as - 6 jackets, 2 handbags, 7 pairs of shoes, 1 matching skirt and top, 2 dresses, 2 skirts, 1 pr culottes, 3 blouses, 4 prs jeans, 1 cashmere sweater, 2 shirts, 1 rash vest, 1 cummerbund, 1 hat and lots of lovely jewellery. The majority was charity shopped, but some things were from TK Maxx in both Truro and Harrogate. I featured some of the shoes on instagram - here's the three stars of the show.

I can hear the outcry of "Where will you put all of this?", but worry ye not! This weekend I have three days off work and will be applying myself to the big changeover. During this process I'll be (ruthlessly) culling what hasn't been worn and these will be laundered, ready to be sold on eBay. One of these days, I plan to feature some of these pieces here and link through to my eBay page - you may wish to buy the odd piece or two ...

Anyway folks, it's been lovely to chat. I hope you've enjoyed seeing the last instalment of my mainland adventure. The last word has to be to Sandra and Dianne - a big thank you for my fabulous day out spending all that lovely lolly!

Anna x

Hello and happy Sunday to you! Thank you for joining me as I return from my stint on the mainland. The purpose of my trip was to visit the British Craft Trade Fair in Harrogate where I do the main gift buying for the gallery. It was as fruitful an event as ever which is always a relief after the two days of travelling it takes to get there. I spend a whole day on the train travelling from Cornwall to Yorkshire during which time I have waves of excitement at the prospect of finding some fab new gifts and then I also worry that the Fair may yield nothing to suit my audience. My journey of nine hours is punctuated by thoughts on the two extremes.

This was the outfit I wore on day two of the Fair. If you missed the first outfit then click here to find that one. By the second day I'd made a few new acquaintances as well as meeting up with some regular suppliers and most of them declared this as their outfit of the day - very kind of you all! The kimono was a charity shop find (no surprises there) and was only £3, which frankly is quite ridiculous for an authentic Chinese piece of this quality.

You'll no doubt recognise the obligatory sock boots (H&M) along with the embroidered velour track pants (Zara). Today I've added my beloved leather handbag from many years ago - it was one of my first vintage finds in a charity shop in Ireland when I was there on holiday with my sisters. My sisters joined me this time in Harrogate too, so that I had company in the evenings to go out for dinner.

I've adapted the outfit to the mild temperature by adding a silk shirt underneath (preloved, Next brand). When I was in Harrogate the weather was quite cold, very cold in fact, so much so that I wore a polo neck sweater with this, plus a long sleeved thermal top underneath. We also had torrential rain one day, followed by fog and a bitterly cold breeze, so we really did get value for our money weather-wise!

The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed my new sunglasses from my favoured brand Quay. I bought three new pairs of Quay Australia sunglasses from TK Maxx in Harrogate. On the face of it, this may seem extravagant, but when you take into account that these were all reduced in the sale meaning I got three for the price of one, then that's perfectly sensible or at least reasonable, isn't it? The gold chain was a gift, and the rings are preloved.

It's always nice to have a trip away, to have a change of scenery and Harrogate certainly does have lots of lovely scenery as well as things to enjoy. The tearooms at Bettys are a highlight of anyone's stay, whether it's for the tradition of afternoon tea or to buy some sweet treats to take home. My bags were bursting with goodies for the family on my return.

My next post will feature my third outfit of the Fair plus the further joys of Harrogate by way of its charity shopping. You'll not be surprised to hear that I couldn't fit all of my lovely loot into my suitcase and therefore had to send two boxes home by post. Hopefully within the next couple of days these will arrive and I can take some snaps for the blog. I have some vintage delights to share with you as well as some more bargains from TK Maxx.

I hope you have a super weekend and look forward to catching up with you again soon!

Linking with -

Jacqui of Mummabstylish

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Anna x

A day off means a day out

A couple of weeks ago Sasha and I spent the afternoon at the Tresco Abbey Garden which is only about half a mile from home. The weather couldn't have been better making the surroundings look as if it were a summer's day rather than just a week after the snow.

I seem to have chosen my outfit to outshine the flora, but really it was more a matter of something comfortable for a day off work. The jeans are a recent purchase from TK Maxx - they were in the wash when I did my Show and tell post (for the beady eyed amongst you). The jacket was a gift from my blogging friend Sheila of Ephemera and this is the first time I've worn it on the blog. Thank you my dear for this pop of colour and pattern that is so very me!

I bought these shoes last summer and yet this is the first time they've been out of the house. I knew that the navy would be great with jeans and maybe I was just needing to find the right pair to showcase them.

I've been trying to find a great pair of embroidered jeans with beading for ages and was really pleased to find these at the bargain price of £15.99. Sparkles too are an added bonus.

Just as there will be someone out there asking what kind of flowers these are, I know that there will also be someone very keen to tell me the name too. Please can you share the name before someone asks me? Cheers!

Every time Sasha and I do this day out we always say we must do it more often. Maybe this year we will now that she's home for a while. There are lots of lovely little corners that act as sun traps within the garden and we felt very chilled by the time we sauntered home.

I'm gonna make a stab at these ones and say they're Camellias - right?

The gardening gene seems to have passed me by, but I still enjoy seeing this lush and varied garden teaming with flowers and sculptures. The plants and trees have been collected from all over the world and thrive in the mild climate we have here thanks to the gulf stream which washes past the islands. Cruise ships stop here throughout the summer months, bringing visitors who come especially to see these world famous gardens. When you consider that the island itself is only one mile by two, it really is teaming with things to do. Will I be seeing you soon?

Anna x

Here and there

Hello again! I'm both here and there today, in that my photo shoot was taken here on the island, but I'm actually up there (in Harrogate) where I'm wearing the same outfit.

The vintage tunic was £3 from a charity shop in Truro. The sales assistant told me it had only been on the rail for an hour which somehow makes me feel even more lucky to find it. Where's the logic in that? Goodness only knows! Surely I'd be more lucky if it'd had been there for a month and was still around when I arrived?

The Ted Baker handbag came from the same shop; it was £23 and worth every penny in my eyes. It shows a little bit of wear and tear, but I can forgive it everything because of the fabulous colour. I'll be wearing my red/black/lilac woollen coat (last seen here) over this ensemble while I'm in Harrogate and know this bag will be the bizz.

I've had the orange satin disco pants for quite a while and yet have only worn them a couple of times. Not easy to leaf into everyday wear, I suppose, but I'm thinking that now I can play the eccentricity card whenever something falls into the "questionable item" category. Crossing into my 60's surely promotes me from crazy lady into eccentric lady - hurrah!

All of today's jewellery is pre-loved, so hurrah for that too!

I don't know if it was just the power of this outfit or that I'd had a particularly lovely swim this day, but I was feeling so well, and so very me. Do you know what I mean? How some days what you wear really reflects your inner self - in this case, my inner joy. I bubbled and grinned from start to finish, so much so that I have earmarked this ensemble for a photoshoot that I have to submit for a magazine later this year. More details of that in due course...

The big platform helps to offset the height of these heels making them all-day-long boots for a change. Bought from Office a couple of years ago, they're not wearing too badly considering that they're real suede. I love the ginger colourway too!

My velvet trench (pre-loved from Hobbs) has had another makeover with some new retro vibe buttons.

I'm writing this a week in advance, so I do hope that nothing has come along to change or scupper my plans. Hopefully I've arrived safely in Harrogate and have enjoyed my first day at the British Craft Trade Fair. It's a three day long trade fair where I usually find some new artists and makers to supply me with new products for the gallery in the year ahead.

I'll be home again on Friday, but have another blog post lined up for you on Wednesday, so do please come back to see what that may feature. Until then, have a lovely week!

Anna x

It's show time!

Easter weekend is generally when we kick off the season with our first exhibition of the year, and this year is no different. On Good Friday Polly and I worked late, stripping the gallery and rehanging with brand new works commissioned for the show. You can see the entire collection online.

Another thing that doesn't change from one year to the next, is the last minute flurry as I try to find the perfect outfit for the occasion. The sunshine belies the very cold temperature thanks to a chilly north wind which just added to my stress.

"Give us a twirl" demanded Polly, but the camera couldn't quite keep up with my moves. I wanted to include it anyway as it shows the mood and movement despite the lack of my camera's technical abilities.

The dress has been showcased on a previous opening night, but not with these boots. The kitten heel sock boots are from Primark and I seem to recall that they were only about £15. I added an extra petticoat to counter the static that had built up during my wardrobe malfunction.

And what one was that, you may ask? With only five minutes to spare, I decided that my frock did indeed need an iron despite it's crinkled effect and so I attempted to iron the skirt part whilst I was still wearing it! Please don't try this at home!!!! The result was that I could barely remove the wrinkles and also it just created a whole load of static. A lightweight net underskirt did at least douse things down.

For those of who haven't succumbed to the charms of the sock boot already, may I just tell you that the combination of kitten heel and soft fabric plus gentle grip around the ankle all go to make for an incredibly comfortable boot. At the last count I seem to have four pairs, but I don't think that's the end of it by any means.

For once I'm not sporting any charity shop jewellery - the pendant is by Vivienne Westwood, the citrine solitaire is c/o Gemporia and the other citrine ring was a purchase in an airport terminal somewhere.

The evening was a runaway success, so much so that we had no time to capture the support team as they and I were working right up to the last minute. My thank-you shot of the group may be missing but my thanks still go to Polly, Hannah and Connor for making everything run smoothly. While the youngsters went off to party I stayed late and packed up paintings ready for despatch first thing in the morning. And that I'd say, was pretty much as it should be.

On Friday I leave the island to travel north to Harrogate for my annual buying trip. Please do drop in again on Sunday though, as I plan to post my outfit of the day that I'll be wearing. In the meantime, have a great week and I'll catch up with you again on Sunday!

Anna x

Eyelet trousers with silver boots

Happy Easter to you all! The aroma of chocolate is heavy in the air as I write, but I'll try to keep my focus on the matter in hand, that being these silver boots which I've rediscovered after months of neglect.

I styled these up in the run up to Christmas (see here) and then tucked them neatly away in the back of my shoe cupboard and promptly forgot them. That's the problem with new things, you can easily forget them when they're not an established item. Anyway, I came across another blogger wearing something similar the other day which reminded me of mine too.

Like most of my styling, I start off with one idea and it seems to evolve into something quite different. I had imagined these with some cropped, faded denim jeans, but much to my surprise I found these don't exist in Anna's Island Style closet - what a nasty shock for me! (Note to self: source these next time I'm dosing up on retail therapy.)

So after a couple of false starts, I came across these eyelet trousers which I'd bought in the Zara sale just after Christmas. Maybe I forgot to mention them? My selective memory is just another way of coping with my clothesaholic condition. Forgive me.

This shirt from Sainsbury's is fast becoming a classic for me and is the ideal partner to echo the eyelet detailing of the cropped trousers. I added the gobstopper gemstone belt to give a streamlined look which also fooled Polly into thinking that this was actually a jumpsuit.

The belt was an eBay purchase a long time ago, but has only recently come into play since I chopped off a couple of inches of elastic from the back of it, making it fit at last. The jacket was a hand-me-down from Sasha (from H&M). You may recall the silver and gold frilly ring that Steve gave me for my birthday this year and the other silver and gold etched ring is by Diana Porter, but so very ancient that I don't think she makes them any more. Mine says "In heaven on earth", but wait - I've just searched her website and found one similar here.

This is a better shot to see the detail of both rings. Follow this link to see more like the frilly Emily Nixon one here.

It may be mass produced, but the jacket is still really well made, right down to the pattern matching which shows beautifully on the back seam.

After a busy morning of beetling about in the gallery, it dawned on me why these boots have been relegated to the depths of the wardrobe - yep those heels are a killer! I can see they need to be kept for desk days when I'm seated for the duration or maybe just for outings to the local pub which is only 100 yards from home. I still love them for the glamour they represent, even though (or maybe is it because?) their vibe is reminiscent of the erotic Barbarella!