Boden Richmond trousers

Hi, hello, and how's your week going? I'm off-island currently but have scheduled this post for you to enjoy in my absence. Did you see my Mother's Day feature? If so, you'll have picked up on my love affair with pink at the moment. This was a workday outfit from recently when the sun was a constant for a few lovely days. 

The Boden trousers were in the sale, in fact some still are, but not this bubblegum pink version I'm afraid. Did I cause a run on them? Hahaha, maybe not! The trousers are akin to chinos in the smooth cotton fabric which has a slight sheen. The regular length is long enough for high heels, but also not too long for flats and did you notice the neat slit at the hemline? The cut is a slim, sleek fit with deep front pockets and fake back pockets. The back pockets did have a bit of extra bulk to them which I snipped out to create a smooth outline. Cue rear shot - (sorry)

Anyway, as I write this my mind keeps wandering to the next project this evening which is to pack my bags ready for leaving to go North to Harrogate tomorrow. Travelling by train does restrict how much luggage I can take, but also I have every intention of scouring the Harrogate charity shops so I need to try to create that elusive capsule wardrobe thus leaving space for all of my finds. I'm away for a week, travelling for four of those days and at the trade fair for the other three. How many/few outfits can I get by with? Wish me luck with that!

But let's talk about this spring outfit first shall we? This top does have a connection to Harrogate though, as I found it in the Asda store there a couple of years ago and it's still good as new. I love the ruffled and fluted sleeves as well as the checks. I almost added the pink trench with the checkered lining, but it was too warm to warrant a jacket. I'll maybe have to try that another time eh?

Check out this bit of sleeve action! My necklace is old, but was from M&S and the sunglasses are from Quay Australia.

The silver leather boots by Buffalo were a TK Maxx find from well over a year ago. The very high heels do restrict my gadding about nature though - I usually only wear them when I know I've got a day in the office planned. By lunchtime I had to dash to the Post Office and ended up changing into some flats. But not any old flats - these ones

They seem to be the perfect compromise of comfort and style, don't you think?

I'll leave it to you to decide which is the star piece of this outfit today. I love to have your feedback and enjoying reading your comments, so do please stop for a moment longer and get in touch. I'll be home again by the weekend with tales to tell and shopping bargains to share with you too I expect. Hope you'll come back to join me for all the latest news!

                                                                                         Anna x

Frida Kahlo tee shirt

You may have seen this Frida Kahlo tee shirt last week when I wore it to our family lunch for Mother's day - see here. Well, here it is having another outing in what my husband refers to as my Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club look. I hadn't styled it that way. Like all of my outfits it just kind of evolved.

The day was a bit grey, dull and threatening to rain. I'd had my swim which was chilly as ever, but always worth the effort as it lifted my mood. Grey days are not my best, so as I cycled home from the beach I started thinking how I could avoid my default setting of wearing dark clothes as I often do on these dark days. This red kimono came to mind - nothing could be more the extreme opposite of greys and blacks. 

The kimono was a scoop from a charity shop in Truro last year costing me all of £3! I still can't believe my luck with this. It's a smooth satin finish, decorated with ornate embroidery. It's a year since I last wore it (see here). It seemed like the obvious thing to do to add the pretty floral Frida tee shirt (from Primark) to continue the theme.

I bought these rather fabulous trousers in the Oxfam shop in Truro last month. The shop has extended their premises since I was last there and it's much better lit with more room between the racks. I fancy that they may have a new manager as the lay out is more organised, the clothes are curated in better groups and the accessories are displayed better too. I spent a fair bit of time browsing, but only fell in love with one piece. I paid £20 for these heavyweight trousers and feel that they're worth every penny. Fully lined and covered with embroidery, I would have been mad not to grab these. They have no labels, nothing to say a brand and do look like a sample piece. The red leather belt is pre-loved, by Tommy Hilfiger and the perspex ring was another charity shop find.

The black patent boots were from the recent Topshop sale, reduced to half price at £35. My black patent oxfords are beginning to show signs of wear and tear to the point that they're cracking so these will be perfect replacements. The heel isn't too high, the width across the mid-foot is good and I'm find these comfortable enough to wear all day - result!

I've scheduled this post to go live this weekend while I'm away at the annual buying fair in Harrogate. I'm considering taking this as one of my outfits to wear. I love to see all of the stall holders dressed up for the event, and this does cascade on to the visitors too. This year I ought to try to take a clutch of photos for you to see some of the creatives and what they put together to wear - I certainly won't look out of place amongst the other peacocks!

                                                                                            Anna x

A burst of spring weather

Last week we were blessed with a spell of spring-like weather, prompting me to pack away my winter sweaters and bring out some summer dresses. (The story is somewhat different now at the time of writing, as I listen to the hail bounce off the roof of our lean-to.) Anyway, Polly and I certainly did make hay while the sun shines meaning my blog will be populated for the next little while by some sunny shots of me in the idyllic March sunshine.

My pretty dress is new from TK Maxx, the brand is Mango and I bought it for £15. I think it's going to be very useful. I cinched in the waist with a second hand leather and elastic belt. 

When I bought it I had no idea of how well it would go with these ASOS boots. Don't they look fab together? Oh how I love a bit of matchy-matchy!

Brocade boots were on trend a couple of years ago and I bought two pairs from ASOS at that time, knowing full well that I'd still want to wear them long after the trend had passed. So here they are, making a perfect entrance hand in hand with the floral frock in similar shades of orange, lilac and green. The mesh dotty tights in lilac are very old - it was a lovely surprise to find them in the bottom of the drawer looking like the ideal thing for this ensemble.

The set of plastic necklace and matching bracelet is a recent charity shop find, purchased during the same shopping spree in the hope that it would work with this outfit. At only £3 for the pair it was a good find. The ring is pre-loved too. The sunglasses are by Guess and were from TK Maxx.

There's nothing better than a floaty dress to make a girl feel all feminine...

... and in need of a twirl ...

... or two!

This is my giddy face after a few spins too many.

Here's a little snippet of island life. This landing craft arrived on the beach moments after Polly and I finished our photo shoot. It had been hired to take away all of the old vehicles and metal detritus that had accumulated over the years. The massive spring clean filled the boat to the gunnel's. After a few days of loading her up, it left on Friday in the fog.

So that's all from the lovely Isles of Scilly for the moment. I'll be back in a few days and hope you'll join me then.

Have a super week!

Anna x

Happy Mother's Day!

Hello and Happy Mother's Day to all of you lovely mums out there. Are you having a great day? Jamie and Sasha treated the family to lunch at the Ruin beach Cafe today, and how fortunate we were with the lovely spring weather. We sat outside in the sun and congratulated ourselves on our luck. I suppose I ought to have done that whole raft of images to show you what we ate, but we were far too hungry to shilly-shally about with that nonsense! Suffice to say, it was delicious and very filling - so filling in fact that one of us had to take the remains of theirs home in a doggie-bag.

The cafe sits on the beach at Old Grimsby affording a beautiful view across the bay to the Old Blockhouse and on towards the Eastern Isles in the distance. I love coming to this side of the island - it's my favourite spot, reminding me of when I used to work at the Island Hotel which was located in these grounds. I could never have imagined that 41 years on I would be standing here with my very own family, happily ensconced on this beautiful island.

The vista from our table shows the spit of sand called Blockhouse Point which always looks so inviting - it's the stuff of daydreams for me. In fact, that's exactly what I used to do when I was meant to be dusting in room 2, I would actually be hypnotised by this view, thinking how wonderful it would be to live here. 

After lunch Sasha and I took a detour home via this field of oxalis flowers, far too pretty to be classed as a weed surely? Anyway, they made the perfect backdrop for our photo shoot.

My kitten heels kept sinking into the soft soil.

I built the whole outfit around this fabulous tee shirt (new, from Primark) which will be my go-to top for the summer. I already wish that I bought a couple of these as I worry that the colour will fade. Hand washing may well preserve the dye so that's what I'll do. 

You'll probably remember the pink (pre-loved) Topshop trench from here. After my recent abstinence from bright colours I have reverted to my default setting of colour, colour and more colour for my Mother's Day celebrations. I feel so much more me when I'm swamped in brights. This is the third outing for the coat bringing down the cost per wear to under £1.50 already. 

The trousers are new from Boden (still some left in the sale here), the result of a severe longing I've had for a pink suit. The matching jacket was sold out, but this trench pretty much fits the bill. I'll confess now that I am in the midst of a trouser suit moment - so you have been warned! The blog will be awash with suits very soon in all sorts of colours and patterns, some second hand, some new, all of them filling me with excitement and utter joy at the prospect of a suited summer ahead.

The white kitten heel boots were from New Look, in the sale for £7.

Just rings to finish the look. Pink one was a gift from my friend Maggie, silver and gold one by Emily Nixon.

My pink handbag was new from a charity shop last year/year before? Oh dear, time is whizzing by so fast!

My Quay Australia sunglasses add the final flourish to this springtime outfit. 

I know my homage to neutrals may have been short-lived, but I will make another stab at these sombre shades again, I promise. The addition of the JD Williams snakeskin jacket has already given me some new ideas along those lines, so do please bear with me if that's more your thing. In the meantime, I hope that you're enjoying a bit of a lazy day and that someone is out in the kitchen getting the evening meal together while you put your feet up. Hope your Mother's Day has been as lovely as mine. I have a new magazine waiting for me amidst a pile of cushions on the sofa. Steve, what's for tea?

                                                                                           Anna x