New Year's Eve party outfit for 2020

Happy New Year!

Here, as promised, is my party outfit for that longed for, but non-existent New Year's Eve party. To be perfectly honest, it's not so much longed for due to our current circumstances, but also because what's the point of a Hogmanay party if you can't kiss and hug everyone? As a Scot, in exile, we tend to make more of Hogmanay than Christmas with 24 hour parties and the welcoming of that tall, dark (coal-bearing) stranger into our homes as a sign of good luck just after the strike of midnight. In England we seem to celebrate both Christmas and New Year equally which means double the excuse for over indulgences in both food and drink!

The star of the show has to be this wonderful vintage sequinned piece which I bought from Enjoy Clothing in Truro some two years ago. The 80's top by He-Ro Industries sports a zip up back and those massive shoulder pads in keeping with that era. I do love big shoulder pads - they help to draw the eye away from all lumps and bumps that may lie below.

This is the first time I've worn this top, not that I actually went anywhere in it yesterday apart from around the corner to have Fiona take these photos. I do hope that sometime this year social occasions will re-emerge once life settles into our new normal. I would have worn this to an opening night party at the Gallery, and indeed plan to in the future.

 

The rest of the outfit comprises of velvet trousers from F&F Clothing and boots from Topshop.

The glitter boots tend to only make an appearance over the festive season which means that they are still looking pretty smart on this their third year of wear.

The rings are both pre-loved, matching the outfit perfectly however.

The gold mirror sunglasses are from Quay Australia.

As we enter into 2021 I'd like to say thanks for your messages, comments and emails throughout the past year. It's a constant wonder to me that I have accrued interest and followers both here and on Instagram and for that I'm very grateful. I'd like to think that this island life of mine is a happy diversion during these difficult times; a wee place of escapism where you can sit down and catch up with life in this beautiful corner of the world. I send my love out to each and every one of you and wish you safe and happy New Year!

                                                                                            Anna x

Out and About, our December Style Not Age challenge

Suddenly it's the last Monday of the month and we're back with our Style Not Age challenge - this month Hilda chose "Out and About" as the prompt for our outfits. I, for one, am happy to have a reason to cover up after consuming too many Christmas calories!

Hilda looks very snug in her cosy coat and boots (both from Primark) paired with these trendy camo leggings from F&F. Catch her full story on Over The Hilda blog. 

Emma from Style Splash looks stylish as ever in her mini skirt and fur jacket, topped off with that adorable hat. 

This tangerine jacket adds zing to Jacqui's ensemble of loungewear and heels for a look that takes her anywhere. See her back story on Mummabstylish. 

Gail's spin on this month's challenge is very cool - her velvet coat and faux leather Spanx leggings are an interesting mix of textures along with a dash of red to enliven the look. See more on Is this Mutton blog.

Some months I find the outfit to be the challenge, but this month it was the weather that proved to be the battle. None of my usual photographers were available either and so I was up against it time-wise when I set out with tripod in hand to find a spot out of the wind between the showers yesterday afternoon. I donned my much loved vintage woollen coat and set out in search of a sheltered corner.

I thought this backdrop would have been acceptable, but this gust of wind just about knocked my top-heavy tripod over. I managed to grab the camera as it headed downwards and decided to cut my losses and move on.

A big black cloud was looming towards me here...

...but before it hit I popped my buttons open to reveal my new Christmas sweater. This fuchsia cashmere sweater ticked all the must haves by way of colour, warmth and snuggle appeal - all from M&S (see here). Some of you may recall me saying that I'd given a very specific wishlist to my nearest and dearest this year, mainly because I'm still on my 12 month clothes shopping ban. This pink cashmere jumper was on my hubby's list. I paired it with some stretch jeans (ideal for that post-Christmas tum) by Curve Appeal, purchased from TK Maxx last year.

This rather fabulous bag is by Claudine Searle who creates bags from recycled coats and leather pieces. My son bought me this and the pink leather gloves. How very satisfying this new chose-your-own-presents idea proved to be. We all agreed to this new plan and it resulted in everyone getting useful as opposed to unwanted gifts. Hurrah!

The beaded wooden necklace was a Christmas present from a girlfriend who knew nothing of my Christmas colour scheme, but clearly knows me very well anyway. My rings are both very old. Sunglasses are by Quay Australia.

My Chelsea boots are by Office, but again are not new.

I'll be back at work again today like so many others, but it's been great to have some downtime with the family. All the frantic preparations and stresses seemed to melt away when we finally sat down together for our Christmas Eve meal. This year, more than ever, we counted our blessings for our life here on this tiny, remote island. That very feature of remoteness seems to have kept us safe this year, resulting in the Isles of Scilly being the only place in England to remain in Tier 1. However, the lure of Scilly is so great that a family from Tier 4 were apprehended by local police as they arrived by plane into the islands just before Christmas. Within the hour they were on their way back to the UK mainland from whence they came. You'll excuse me if I call them selfish. It's this cavalier, "It's not me", behaviour which could result in an outbreak of the virus within our tiny community, a community where we have no provisions for caring for the very sick in large numbers. Our tiny cottage hospital has no ICU or respirators and we have limited NHS staff within the islands. We consider ourselves more vulnerable than most. 

On a lighter note, I shall endeavour to showcase my "What I would have worn on New Year's Eve" party outfit in my next post on Friday. I've yet to decide on what level of sequins and sparkles that'll be, never mind the kind of weather I might have to contend with for some outdoor photography!

                                                                     Anna x

This Christmas I'll be wearing...

Happy Christmas lovelies and thanks for swinging by at this busy time of year! Without you, my dear readers, it would be a very pointless hobby indeed to run a blog with no viewers, so my sincere thanks go to you for turning up - I'm sending a virtual hug to each and every one of you. For those of you who take the time to comment, I'm indebted to you for the ongoing dialogue that ensues, giving me an insight into your fashion likes and dislikes as well as snippets of your own lives. It's a joy.

A couple of months ago I was asked to take part in a fashion feature about Christmas Day outfits, the resulting effort being here. I was delighted to be approached (forgive my vanity) and am thrilled that the feature is now live in the Christmas edition of Yours magazine. 

Regular reader Phyllis responded to my call out for a copy of the magazine and here it is, just in time for Christmas! We've not had newspapers or magazines in our island shop since March, so can you imagine my frustration to be told I've got a wee claim to fame and yet not be able to buy a copy? 

My spin on a festive outfit is based around these rather fabulous embroidered trousers which I paid £20 for in the Truro branch of Oxfam. Red may be a huge cliche for Christmas day, but sometimes you just have to play it how it feels and this felt right. We normally go out for a glass of fizz at our local pub at lunchtime on Christmas day, but we've decided to give that a miss this year. The ritual of standing in a lovely friendly huddle around the bar as people mill around hugging and kissing as they pass on their Christmas wishes is sadly a step too far now. 

I'm particularly pleased with this look especially as it's mostly created from second hand and vintage pieces. The only thing I bought brand new were the M&S tartan boots which are now two years old. The red duster is a vintage Chinese jacket scattered with sprigs of embroidery, costing the grand sum of £3. The pleated men's shirt was another pre-loved bargain at £4.50. The Tommy Hilfiger belt was another charity shop trophy find showing no signs of wear to the leather at all. 

The cocktail rings are both pre-loved, worn with my much loved Vivienne Westwood pendant and Quay Australia sunglasses.

Do florals and tartan go together? Why of course they do!

I'm counting my blessings more than ever this Christmas that I have my children living nearby. Our Christmas day meal will be the same as ever for the four of us; we all acknowledged our fortune as we shared our Christmas Eve dinner together this evening. How lucky are we to all live within half a mile of each other? Not only that of course, but to be in Tier 1 is what's relevant. 

I must sneak off now to wrap up the last few presents. Do take care of yourselves and I hope to catch up with you again soon.

Here's wishing you all a very Happy Christmas!

Anna x

Chartreuse and silver Christmas styling

Well hellooooooo! How's tricks? I can honestly say that I'm in full-blown headless chicken mode now. All my plans for Sunday and how many batches of fudge I'd manage to make dissolved into a state of choas with far too much time being taken up with tree installation and the hunt-the-box-of-decorations that ensued. Yes, I did manage to make one batch of fudge, but honestly if I'd been more organised that really ought to have been at least three if not four. And now that leaves me very behind meaning I'll have to get up super early to make one every morning before I go to work. I also seem to have failed to buy enough boxes for packing of fudge and truffles, meaning I'll have to gift wrap old boxes. Ho hum, the best laid plans of mice and men!

I recently promised you a festive month of Christmas dressing, including the obligatory Christmas jumper and here it is! My Elfie Selfie was from H&M a long time ago but is still in good shape as well as being great fun. 

Christmas wouldn't be the same without the odd cheesy jumper would it? Please tell me that you have a couple of these darned things too!

Silver and chartreuse is a new combination for me, but it's rather snazzy don't you think? Sasha bought me this fun fur coat for my birthday in January which was a wonderful surprise. I'd never have looked for this colour of jacket and yet it's a great zesty shade that really perks up my mood. It injects fun to any outfit and works so well with my new-to-me boots.

I'm not sure how well it shows up, but there's silver lurex thread running through the brocade which ties in perfectly with the silver and chartreuse of my ensemble. Oh, what joy that is for me to get these little touches working together!

These brand new ankle boots were a find from my friend Ben who lives in London. He saw them in the window of his local charity shop and suggested I buy them (pre-shopping ban). They only cost me £12 despite being brand new, with labels intact. The funny thing about them is that I managed to lose one of them during my autumn closet changeover - they were the half pair I mentioned when I tallied up how many pairs I owned. Don't ask, I think I've forgotten. 

The toning rings are also both charity shop trophies from long ago. My sunglasses are by Topshop from last year. I love the funky retro vibe of them.

Outfit details look like this: coat and jumper by H&M, jeans by Zara, boots by M&S. Yellow and white beaded earrings are vintage.

My thanks go to Fiona, photographer of the day, purely by default of being in the right place at the right/wrong time. We do have fun on these little stints together. Don't we Fi?

I'll post my Christmas Day outfit on Thursday as I'm sure you'll all be far too busy to be visiting blogs on the big day. Hope to see you all then!

                                                                                             Anna x