And so it begins...

Happy Wednesday to you my lovely readers!

When I say and so it begins, I mean the transitional period which leads me to say goodbye to my favourite season and oh hello, to autumn. Stepping out today in silver boots is a good way to get started. There has to be some joy in every outfit and these metallic beauties are most definitely it. 

Yes, the heels are precariously high and the angle is steep, but heck they are outrageously wild and so much fun. In Sunday's post I talked about sometimes using a conservative outfit to fire me up to wear something so diametrically opposed the next day and this is it. I love the 60's feel to this ensemble which reminds me of Twiggy or Mary Quant - all I need is some white eyeshadow and pale pink lipstick! 

The Peter Pan collar and white cuffs of the tunic are what attracted me to this heart adorned top when I saw it in a charity shop last month. The brand is Boohoo and it cost me £3.50; I've already worn it twice bringing the cost per wear down to very reasonable £1.75. I wear a little vest top under this chiffony fabric along with these eyelet crop trousers which were from Zara last year. 

I do love this outfit and have to acknowledge that this has to be one of the upsides of autumn; the ankle boot does come into its own at this time of year. My sock boots stand at the ready and yes, it won't be long until you see my signature pair of red ones back in harness too.

The look needed minimal styling today with simply two (preloved) rings along with my favourite/ever-so-useful sunglasses by Quay. 

Much as it saddens me to see the change in daylight as the brightness of the sun fades into a softer glow, I know I will adapt and come to terms with the inevitable autumn gloom. What I can say however, is that these next few months usually bring the most stunning sunsets to these islands. Huge cloud formations allow the sun to dip behind them and diffuse the beams of sunlight spectacularly. Of course, I'll feature some of those for you both here and on my Instagram feed in due course. And that pretty much wraps it up for another day. I do hope that you're enjoying some fine September weather and maybe even picking up some new items for the forthcoming/current season too.

Enjoy your week!

Anna x

Summer in September?

Hello and how are you this fine weekend?

So the question is, can it still be summer in September? Well, when the sky is as blue as this, then I say yes! I was keen to share this outfit with you before I cave to the pressure of autumn fashion. The white linen skirt with embroidered silver and gold dots (by M&S, preloved) has languished in my closet for the past few summers but is rarely given an outing. The yellow top is rather ancient (picked today for those raised dots which tie in beautifully with the skirt), maybe also M&S, but definitely preloved. Today's look came about because of the introduction of the rather swish little jacket which I finally purchased last month after seeing it on three separate occasions over the summer. 

The leaf print jacket is by Heyton at TK Maxx. Each time I saw it, I asked myself if I needed it. Note I say needed, not wanted. I'm trying to reign in my hoarding tendencies, not because I really want to, but simply because I don't have room for much more in my summer wardrobe. My hangers are jammed side by side with barely an inch of movement between them all and my tops, sweaters and trousers are piled high in towers that demand the gentlest of handling lest they will topple over. Clothes are my passion, my addiction and blogging somehow helps to justify this. Please don't judge me.

I crumbled and decided to buy the jacket on the third occasion as it had been reduced to £15 which really did seem to be a bargain for this navy lined, perfectly fitting cute little number. The shape fits my frame well and I particularly like the shorter length sleeve. I seem to recall reading somewhere that the wrist can be a great focal point, particularly for older women - that seemed to be a bit ageist, but still stuck in my mind.

Some of you may think this to be a fairly sober ensemble for me, but sometimes I do like to wear a conservative piece to which I add my own twist - the gold sandals here for example. It's good to underplay things one day as more often than not I find it feeds my imagination for the following day. The blog post coming up next time is the perfect example of this. Today's jewellery goes like this: necklace - gift from Sasha, frilly ring by Emily Nixon, broad gold ring  is preloved, rose gold watch is by Michael Kors, and let's not forget my so-perfect-I-seem-to-wear-them-every-day-sunglasses by Quay.

So you can see the metallic dots on the skirt much better here which were what informed my choice of sandals. Kitten heels or courts might have been more chic, but adding a bit of quirkiness was what I was aiming for. 

And finally, further to my news about my modelling job with JD Williams I'd like to share this link with you to the website. Over the summer months I've dodged back and forth to the mainland for casting sessions, wardrobe fitting and finally filming and throughout it all I've tempered the whole thing with the idea that my contribution would end up on the cutting room floor (such is my lack of self belief). A friend stopped by the gallery yesterday to tell me I was featured on the website as "one of the stars" of the "I AM" campaign. Pinch me, I think I'm dreaming!

Anna x

September smiles

The wonderful golden orb in the sky is all that it takes to set my positive mood for the day (well that, along with the chilly morning sea swim that gets my endorphins rushin' around like crazy). What an easily pleased gal I am! I'm still acting and dressing as if summer is a constant in our lives, and you may even think that it's my willpower alone that keeps the sun shining.

It's still warm enough not to need a jacket yet, but I fear that may not last for much longer. (Crazy gal, but realistic too eh? You're enchanted, I can tell.) I'm always keen to bring out the last round of finery for one final hurrah, and that's what this pastel hued outfit is all about today.

The nude pleated skirt was from Tesco's last year and I've paired it with this cutaway top which was a find at our local fete earlier this summer. The chunky soled sandals are from Topshop. I love them not only because they're super comfy, but because they add a bit of funky style to the look.

What's not to love about these babies?

All the jewellery is preloved, much loved by me too!

A little swish this way...

… and a little swish that way, then

a wee gust of wind gives a quick flash of flesh!

Polly laughs that it's too late now to grab hold of that wayward flap. Hey ho! I hope that brings a smile to your face too. 

Do drop me a line or add a comment if you have a favourite piece from this summer that you'd like to see again before I pack the lace and linen away for another year. I've got a couple of things in mind and the weather may not even accommodate those, so please do hurry!

Until next time, have a great week!

Anna x

Carpe diem

Yesterday was most definitely a seize the day kinda day, when all plans for housework, paying of bills and worst of all, some in depth troubleshooting of poorly laptop had to be set aside in favour of a bit of messing about in boats. After a quick gathering together of the basics for a picnic, Steve and I took off in the boat and headed out to find a beach to ourselves. 

The sunshine and that end of summer feeling had brought the locals out, all wanting to enjoy the islands before autumn truly takes hold.

We moored up in the bay at Tean and crossed the narrow neck of land onto a sweep of beach which faced out into the Atlantic affording us the most idyllic view.

Round Island Lighthouse looking very majestic.

We drank in the view which was populated by the occasional boat sailing by.

Never one to miss a photo opportunity, I just happened to have the perfect late summer outfit ready for the moment. (Technical issues however abound currently with both camera and laptop, so apologies for the slightly fuzzy photos!)

Full marks to Steve for his creative eye with the setting for these shots. Low tide isn't always the prettiest to photograph, but the boy done good, don't you think?

Windswept hair and no lipstick has a real back to basics look for me in these shots. My beach dress was a sale purchase last summer from Sainsbury's, sunnies are my ol' faithfuls by Quay, necklace is by Charlie Dodge and bangle is preloved.

And finally, the news is that my modelling debut is on the news stands! The October issue of Woman and Home features adverts for the new "I AM" campaign for JD Williams. I'm thrilled to have made the cut and still can't quite believe it. The full story along with more shots are, of course, going to follow, but I just couldn't keep quiet for any longer.

Thanks go to my son Jamie for lending me his laptop otherwise there might have been a long blogging break while mine is being looked at by the IT doctor. I'm missing some of the technical help that my own laptop offers, so do bear with me if things are not looking quite the same as they usually do.

Wishing you a fab week!

Anna x