Hurrah for Dress Up Friday!

Hi there!

Yes, it's that time of the week again! Is it a sign of my age that it always seems to be Friday? The days continue to rush past me with the sudden realisation that it's Friday once again. I recall my mother-in-law saying something very similar decades ago and I always used to be puzzled by the comment, and here I am now, finding the same thing. Anyway, it's Friday and I'm all dolled up for another sashaying session. 

The sunshine dodged in and out from behind the clouds making for interesting tonal variations with each shot of this bubblegum pink dress. I love the deep frill which creates a super swish and flirtiness to this Polo Ralph Lauren dress which was a TK Maxx purchase ages ago. The round neck and sleeveless figure-skimming fit would be classed as a shift dress were it not for the audacious frill. Oh yes, the frill makes it!

If you remember this brooch pile jacket then congratulations to you for being a long-term reader - it was 2016 when I last featured it here. I toyed with the idea of wearing my grey fringed cowboy jacket with this dress, but I think it fell into that dreaded category of Mutton dressed as lamb! The 30 year old that resides in me constantly clamours for a fun and flirty look, but thankfully I still have a cringe radar that sounds when I'm too close to the edge of ridiculous. The Gap denim jacket was a charity shop buy and remains adorned with brooches which I still add and subtract depending on recent finds. The sunglasses are from Sainsburys, again many moons ago and the rings are both pre-loved.

Flashing too much thigh for a bird of my age, but heck, so what!

The two tone suede heels are more pink and red than the burnt orange this shows. Needless to say, these aren't work shoes, but are too pretty not to pair up with this fabulous frock. I bought them from River Island some years ago, but they don't get out much (surprise, surprise!) apart from the odd airing on an exhibition night. 

If you want to check out the other participants of Dress Up Friday then check out the link here. I fancy that by this time next week I'll be back at work, but plan to keep on posting this Friday feature, so please swing by to see what I've been up to. In the meantime, I'm searching for another work outfit to showcase on Monday, so maybe see you then?

Thanks for dropping by and have a lovely weekend!

Anna x

Be bold with pattern play!

Hello again!

Hi there! Did you miss me? Sorry! Life seemed to run away with me last week. I missed posting on Friday as you may have noticed. Life rarely goes to plan, as they say, but here I am again now. I'm urging you to be bold in your styling today - these complimenting prints have inspired me, helping me find some new combinations for work next week. Are you back in the workplace again? Or maybe you'll be working from home for a while longer? 

I really have no idea what I'm going to feel like when I'm back behind the counter serving customers once the island has re-opened. However, I've already decided that feeling anxious and fearful in advance will do me no good at all, and so I'm going to cross that bridge when I get to it - or better still, to use one of Polly's delightful mixed metaphors, "I'll burn that bridge when I get to it!"

Today's outfit is a mix of pre-loved and high street fashion. Sasha bought me this ornately patterned jacket (by Vial Clothes) as a Christmas present a couple of years ago, but this is the first time it's made it onto the blog. The satin floral trousers by Carolina Belle, Montreal, were from TK Maxx in 2018 and were aired on the blog last time here. 

The lace top is really quite old and being a charity shop find, may be very old indeed! No matter, I love its stretch lace making it an easy-to-wear fit and the cream colour is very versatile too. The ring is also a charity shop purchase.

The silver satin pumps by Kelsi add a playful touch to this relaxed look. These too are from a charity shop, but were brand new and only £8!

I fancy that the retro round framed sunglasses (by River Island) add an air of Annie Hall to this look. Do you agree? Anyway, this is outfit number one, all lined up and ready for the day job. As this is my last week at home, I'll be rushing around like the proverbial blue ar*ed fly, trying to finish all of my spring cleaning. I plan to spend some time pulling clothes together to create new ensembles for the forthcoming weeks too. For those of you heading out for your first bit of retail therapy in 12 weeks, I say "Have fun and keep safe". I've seen huge queues on TV outside Primark in major cities this morning with shoppers keeping their distance and wearing face coverings. It looks like our national hobby has returned!

I'll be back with Dress Up Friday this week - hope you'll drop by then!

Anna x

Beach days

Hello again!

How was your weekend? I've been gardening, baking, cleaning and generally being a domestic goddess all weekend. I must admit I do love being at home. I was chatting with a friend today and we both agreed that if this is what retirement looks like, then it's no bad thing. Despite being at home for 10 weeks already I've never felt bored nor can I say that I've caught up on all of my chores to the point that I can spend an entire day reading. I'm still working away on the to-do list and haven't even considered all of the hobbies I'd like to do, such as sewing projects and getting my art supplies out from the loft again. Two of my hobbies that I have been able to keep up however, are my sea swimming and beach walks.

This casual weekend wear is perfect for a walk to the beach, although the neon bright top did elicit a few comments, most of which were about needing sunglasses to look at me! I have no defence, apart from the fact that I love this pop of colour especially when worn with these tangerine crops. The top was from TK Maxx and the trousers were from New Look - back in the days when one could go shopping. Rumour has it that shopping will commence next week though...

If the talk of retail shopping makes some of you feel giddy with excitement, then I can say in all honesty that I'm not too fussed. My time at home has prompted me to look into the depths of my wardrobe to discover a more than ample supply of clothes and shoes. I did, at one point, wonder if I ought to count the number of pairs of shoes I possess and then balked at the shame it might induce. For the moment, I'm happy to say that I have enough, although the litmus test will be when I get back to work and have to find those daily outfits that tick all the right boxes ie. look good, fit well and make me feel great.

My elasticated pumps are Go Walk by Sketchers and were a happy find in the Edinburgh branch of TK Maxx when I was on my way to South Africa. They were a perfect lightweight pair of knockabout shoes for sight-seeing.

Both rings were bought at airport concessions.

My blogging friend Sheila refers to this kind of look as bookends which always makes me smile. I've been a big fan of this over the years and yet never considered it as such, although it will remain that forever now. 

In a world full of turmoil and strife I sometimes feel bad to be chugging along in my own happy little bubble. I'm fortunate to be living in a safe and peaceful environment. I wish that could be the same for all of us. 

Rest in peace George Floyd.

                                                                                      Anna x

It's fabulous Dress Up Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Dress Up Friday!

Yes, it's that time again. The joy of dressing up has been a saviour for me this week as I've been a bit washed out. My behind the scenes hobby of late is the reclamation of a piece of land within our garden that hasn't been touched for over 50 years. Totally overgrown with brambles and bracken, I thought it might be a good idea to try to clear a patch for us to grow some veg. I'm an absolute novice at gardening and OMG, I didn't realise what this would mean! Steve broke the ground for me, but I've been in charge of digging and getting rid of the network of roots and weeds some 12 inches deep. The past month has been particularly exhausting, but we've got some plants in now and the tiny allotment is shaping up. Anyway, I think I kinda overdid it recently and have been paying the price this week. 

My Friday frock was a TK Maxx buy from a couple of summer's ago. The brand is Never Fully Dressed, is 100% polyester and yet moves like silk. I've only worn it once to a Gallery exhibition and this time I swapped the self tie belt for this charity shop black stretch belt. The plastic D rings are to make it adjustable.

The statement necklace is from Topshop, £10 in the sale (not this year).

I'm pleased to showcase these yellow and black snakeskin print sandals here - don't they match the dress so well? From New Look, again a sale item for £6.

Perhaps I need to do a bit of weeding before we do another photo shoot here next time?

This will be another everyday work frock when I get back to the Gallery in due course (although the shoes may be a bit high). I'll probably opt for some wedge sandals for height and comfort. Many thanks to The Brand Ambassadors Agency for creating the Dress Up Friday campaign.

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

Anna x