Friday means dressing up!

Hurrah, it's Friday!

Hi there! How are you? I'm ready for the weekend, aren't you? I worked right through last weekend, getting the Gallery cleaned and prepped for re-opening on Monday and it's great to be back. I've loved seeing all of the familiar faces of our regular visitors, and it's also good to have that sense of control that working gives too. I'm offering viewings by appointment only and in between times am trying to catch up on the admin as well as unpacking the new artworks being delivered. It looks like this summer will be hectic as ever. The great thing about that is that the days simply fly by - in fact I can't believe it's Friday already! 

Steve and I took these photos a couple of weeks ago and already I can see how my hair has become much more unruly since then. I'm at the stage of having to wash it much more often so that it looks presentable. Have you been to the hairdresser yet?

I'm taking part in the Dress Up Friday feature again this week, but decided to opt for this much loved and pre-loved trouser suit for a change. I adore the deep midnight blue colour and it's also got massive deep trouser pockets and oh goodness, I do love a deep pocket! It's a man's suit, hence those pockets and the reason I have to roll up the sleeves - but hey, that salmon pink lining looks okay revealed doesn't it?

You'll remember seeing these shoes last Friday (see here) when I wore them with my colourful vintage frock. From Primark these babies cost me £5 - I just can't help bringing up the price of these bargain beauties!

My other feminine addition is this heavily beaded top (from Next). Like lots of my clothes it's a charity shop find and actually came in under a fiver! It even still had the dry cleaning label on it. One or two of the longer beads were loose, but it only took a few stitches to repair and now it's good as new. Sunnies are by Quay Australia.

Today's blue rings are recycled too.

Are you back at work again now or are you still working from home? I must admit that I did love to have the focus of Dress Up Friday when I was at home. Searching through my wardrobe, trying on clothes and finally taking the photos was all a great reminder that there was more to life than just housework! I'm a glass half full kinda girl however and did love my time at home, becoming more domestic with every week that passed. Already my house is looking a bit neglected and forlorn. I plan to have a big blitz on Sunday, although if the weather forecast is correct, we may have high pressure about to bring a sunny spell our way. Gardening may well take priority in that case.

Thanks for joining me again today. Do leave me a comment if you like the outfit or even drop me an email if you want to chat - it's great to have your feedback.

In the meantime have a super weekend!

Anna x

Weekend casual wear

Hi there!

So how was your weekend? Did you rejoin the workforce on Saturday? After a week of preparation the Gallery re-opens for business today, giving my life structure and that much needed definition between work and play. This outfit surely falls into the play category, although I suppose I could add some wedge sandals and maybe swap the jeans for tailored trousers to give it a smarter look. The tiered smock top with a gift from a friend and was a joyful find when I did my wardrobe changeover in the spring. The pre-loved jeans are by Next.

The outfit screams playful and fun.

I've just discovered the joy of the hairband as the perfect ploy for unruly hair. I borrowed this one from Sasha to see if I liked it. I do, and have since bought a few to keep me going. I'm letting my hair grow for the moment, but am sure I'll get to the stage when I want to have a proper hairstyle again. Have you high-tailed it to the hairdresser yet? Gosh, I bet they'll be busy now! My retro style Quay Australia sunglasses were from Topshop last year. Funky eh? Click on the Quay link above for a buy one, get one free offer on currently!

The chunky ring was from TK Maxx (old) and the gemstone one is a charity shop piece.

The colourful beaded sandals were from New Look (old).

I love the delicate beadwork on this crepe smock, particularly on the shoulder area - it makes for an interesting feature.  You'll notice that the lichen on the rocks is echoes the same shade as the top. I only had to step across the road from home to find this perfect backdrop! 

I'll leave you with a couple of shots from home. The moonlight one was taken from my bathroom window a couple of weeks ago. 

The black swans are our new local celebrities, moving from island to island to be featured on everyone's social media platforms. Seemingly we had a dolphin swimming between the islands last week too! And talking of local celebrities, my husband and son were featured on TV last week. Steve and Jamie work together maintaining the landscape on the island of Tresco which was one of the areas included on the Devon and Cornwall programme. Click on the link to see these lovely handsome chappies at work.

Have a great week and keep safe!

Anna x

Vintage frock for a fun Dress Up Friday

Welcome to another dose of Dress Up Friday!

It's great to have you back again for Dress Up Friday. I love the excuse to get dolled up for this Friday feature and hope that you enjoy the results too. Today I'm wearing a vintage chiffon frock from Borghese by Toplet which was one of my first vintage buys when I started buying pre-loved fashion. The fitted bodice and drop waist style are form flattering and the generous skirt was showcased to its best in the breezy day.

The frock epitomises old fashioned glamour and romance.

Sunglasses are from Sainsbury's (old), rings are pre-loved and gold chain is from Primark (old).

These floral fabric shoes with gold high heels represent my most exciting Primark find over all the years I've been shopping there. I found them in the sale corner at the end of one summer and they were marked down to £5. They're the least Primark looking pair of shoes ever!

This is the perfect posing frock!

As of next week, Friday's will be a normal work day for me. The gallery re-opens for business on Monday with me holding the fort on my own for the first time ever. We'll be trading by appointment only with on-island clients being my priority. This weekend I'll be brushing up on my risk assessments, putting everything in place to make sure we all have a safe retail experience. If July 4th signals a return to your new working schedule I wish you good luck and keep safe!

                                                                                   Anna x

Check me out! June with the Style not Age collective.

Welcome to our June challenge!

Hello! Can you believe that it's the end of June already? This month it was my turn to choose the theme and I came up with Check me out! I was keen to bring this summer trouser suit out again and threw down the gauntlet to the style crew to see what they came up with.  So let's catch up on my friends to see what they made of the checkered challenge.

Emma from Style Splash has created her own black and white trousersuit by pairing a jacket from M&S and trousers from Zara and doesn't it look fab? I adore the spotty handbag too - what a great style feature!

Another take on the checkered trouser suit from Gail of Is This Mutton? This is pink perfection don't you think? And wowee, I do love those metallic boots!

Jacqui has added a lightweight checked shirt over her summer dress to great effect. Blue and white are a lovely fresh mix. See more of this on her blog Mummabstylish.

This funky young look is brilliant on Hilda. I love the checked trousers paired with these cool trainers. See the full story on Over The Hilda. 

April last year was when I first showcased this Primark trouser suit (see here). I've opted for a total black and white palette this time. The black tee shirt was a sale item from Topshop last spring. Monochrome isn't normally my thing, but sometimes I like to go for a classic look.

The silver rings are pre-loved.

My shoes are by Nine West - a fabulous find in TK Maxx last year.

The mirror sunglasses with white and black frames are by Quay Australia. They're probably my most featured sunnies of all time, but I shan't apologise for that as I love them! The retro necklace was yet another charity shop scoop (£2.50).

And that rounds up this month's challenge. I do hope that we might have given you some new style ideas to inspire you. I'm off to raid my closet to see if I can recreate one or two of these looks...

Thanks again for joining us and I'll be back on Friday with my latest dressing up ensemble.

See you next time!

Anna x