Silver style inspo for Christmas

Hello again!

Yikes, can you believe it's only a week until Christmas?! I'm battling rising panic at how much I still have to achieve between now and then, but also experiencing that flutter of childish excitement at the very thought of Christmas day. I love the moment when the turkey is in the oven and we all get together to open our presents. I've never gotten over the joy of seeing how others react when they open their gifts. Christmas is all about giving isn't it?

So here we have today's Christmas style inspiration for you and it's all about silver and textures. I love the metallic shine of the pleated skirt paired with the heavily beaded top. Too much bling for some? Maybe. I love the extravagant nature of beads and sequins and all things sparkly. Adding fur and feathers brings even more luxury to this luxe look. 

The outfit details are like this: jacket by New Look (a hand me down from my daughter), skirt is from Tu at Sainsbury's (old), beaded vest top from Topshop (second hand), fur scarf (gift from Polly), fishnet tights (pre-loved), pink boots by H&M (old), handbag (very old indeed!).

Both diamante rings are charity shopped.

 The bright pink fishnet tights and toning boots add that much needed pop of colour into what would have been a very monochrome palette. I'm really pleased with how this look came together and do hope it might inspire someone out there.

Before I go, here's a tip for all you mums out there who struggle to find gifts for their grown up sons/daughters. I give a few of these to my son every Christmas for him to redeem over the following year. Last week I painted his new windows and his bathroom when Jamie traded in a couple of his vouchers. I think it's a great idea and means I'm not wasting money on unwanted gifts and he is getting help with a chore he can't find the time to do. A win/win situation I'd say!

And finally, if you're out at the supermarket or local shops this weekend, please keep your eyes peeled for the Christmas edition of Yours magazine. Yes, that's yours truly smiling out at you in the fashion feature, What to wear on Christmas Day. Grab me a copy and post it on please!

                                                                                              Anna x

Brocade and burnished gold for Christmas

Yay, it's only 11 sleeps 'til Christmas!

How are you today my lovelies? Are things coming along nicely? I start back to work again today and know that it'll be like the fast forward button being pressed in my run up to Christmas. You may have caught my Instagram post about me making my Get Ahead Gravy a la Jamie Oliver recently see it here. Well, apart from that I've really not done much more prep for the big day. The mail has become sluggish all of a sudden and I'm slightly stressed that everything will arrive on time. The courier services to the islands add up to a week extra on top of normal delivery times so all in all, we do feel at the end of the line here.

But, hey let's focus on something that I can control ... Here's another dose of style inspiration for you, straight from my closet. There's nothing new here, but I fancy I may not have showcased all of these separates previously, namely the gold jeans and the pale gold shirt. Burnished gold is a wonderfully festive take on Christmas don't you think? 

It's only a matter of weeks now for me to conclude my 12 month shopping ban and what a sound lesson that has proved to be for me. Of course it's been made a whole lot easier by not leaving the island for the past 9 months, but I had made this decision before Covid-19 appeared. I've learnt that I don't need new clothes every couple of weeks, nor do I need that rush of excitement as I carry a basket full of new clothes to the checkout. I've fought the hunter gatherer gene even if it's only short term. I can't wait to see what I shall do when I get to the end of this ...

Anyway, the inspiration for this particular Christmas outfit was the fabulous brocade jacket by Clements Ribiero, which is actually part of a two-piece (see it here). This is only the second time I've worn it in two years, so shame on me for neglecting such a glorious piece of design. The 3/4 length sleeves are flattering as is the collarless round neck and slit pockets without flaps - all work together to allow the brocade star billing. The green and gold stitching gleam together and are so flattering for my colouring. This was a dry run of the ensemble before the Gallery re-opens next week when I'll definitely be wearing it.

It'll be no surprise to hear that these rings are both pre-loved. 

The amber mirrored sunglasses are by my favourite brand, Quay Australia.

The glitter jeans (second hand) are by South and the patent boots are by Topshop.

My thanks go to Fiona for today's photos. We were surprised and delighted to find that one of our favourite backdrops had been upgraded to this buttery yellow colour. The metal door fronts the fire engine shed and so far we've managed to avoid getting caught up in any emergency.

See you again on Friday with my next festive dose of fashion!

Anna x

More Christmas style inspiration

Hurrah - it's only 14 sleeps 'til Christmas!

So, here we have as promised my Christmas styling of the Scottish icon that is the kilt. I bought mine in a charity shop for only £5 and have been mulling over how to style it up for ages. Can you make a kilt funky was my question and hopefully I've answered that with an emphatic Yes!

The addition of the big, bouffant petticoat goes a long way to reinventing the staid image of the kilt, as does the mighty powers of pattern play by way of paisley and leopard print. The red lurex tights pick up the red within the woollen plaid and also connect tonally with the metallic jacket. All in all, it's a wild rendition and I know, not one for the faint hearted!

Piece by piece the outfit reads like this: metallic biker jacket by Missguided, bought from TK Maxx some years ago: paisley print shirt by Lands' End, second hand: kilt by The Tartan Shoppe, second hand: black petticoat from eBay: red lurex tights are charity shopped: leopard print pony skin courts by BCBGeneration from TK Maxx.

Nothing new jewellery-wise - the rose gold necklace was a boutique purchase when I was in St Andrews a couple of years ago: the big jewelled ring is pre-loved and the other ring was a find in a street market in Cape Town.

I'll be back again on Monday with another dose of sparkle and style for your Christmas inspiration. In the meantime, have fun with your preparations and last minute shopping. My shopping has been totally online this year and thank goodness, the mail is still coming through at this end of the country.

                                                                                             Anna x

Christmas fashion inspiration

Hello lovelies! Here I am strutting my stuff on the island catwalk aka The Flying Boat Club slipway. Fiona and I grasped our opportunity of fine weather on Sunday to show you my latest offering of Christmas dressing. 

I promised you fur and lurex and here they are together with these fabulous paisley print flares with gold thread running throughout. The bell bottoms are from H&M and are quite old, but are perfect for festive outings. These hipster trousers have just the right amount of stretch to allow an extra mince pie or two.

Velvet and fur are fabulous Christmas fabrics, beautifully combined in this second hand Karen Millen coat which I bought a year ago when I was in London. If you missed that post you can see it here. The two fabrics combine to say luxury at its best. 

The lurex polo neck sweater is old (from H&M too). It comes out every year at this time and is a real workhorse of a piece. You'll probably have noticed that polo necks are essential winter wear for me. I love the simple figure hugging lines of this kind of sweater which also provides warmth and a physical barrier against the cold. The sparkle yarn of this one lifts it out of the ordinary and works with so many separates, so you'll no doubt see it featured again this month.

I've piled pattern onto pattern with these amazing black and gold brocade platform boots from River Island (old). To say that the colour palette is rather restrained today, the overall effect still delivers the wow factor. The richness of the fabrics counter what could be read as a brown outfit and God forbid I'd be seen in boring old brown, especially as this claims to be a post about Christmas fashion inspiration!

My mirror Quay sunglasses were a gift from a friend a couple of years ago. 

Both golden rings are pre-loved.

Coming up next time will be the second hand kilt that I bought in a charity shop for £5. I'm styling that up for Christmas to add a flavour of festive fun to what might be perceived as rather staid traditional national dress. It really is just a case of our imagination being the only limitation of our style. I do hope you'll join me on Friday for that one.

In the meantime, take care!

Anna x