Cool dressing for another heatwave

Another week and another heatwave outfit - who'd have thought it? Friday's work outfit was all about keeping cool in the stifling heat. It was another scorching day on the Isles of Scilly and at work we had no way of escaping the intense temperature despite having the doors and sky lights open - there wasn't a breath of wind.

I chose this new airy smock dress (from TK Maxx) to keep me cool and it was pretty successful. The fabric is light and the cut very generous to allow lots of movement and air circulation - not that this was on my mind when I bought it as I simply loved the mix of paisley and floral patterns together. This was another purchase from the spring when I was on the mainland and I had scooped up some new clothes for the months ahead. 

I'd spent most of the day longing for a sea swim at the end of work. The thought of the refreshingly cool water was what kept me going as the mercury rose. At one point while I was serving a customer I bent down to get a paper bag and felt two beads of sweat trickle from bra line down over my tummy - how little exertion was needed to work up a sweat! 

The end of the day couldn't come quick enough for Fiona and I so we had a lazy walk to the south end of the island to find a spot for the photo shoot. It was a bonus to find an empty beach in the height of the summer - this is known as Bathing House Beach. Afterwards we crossed the road behind here and dropped down onto Appletree Bay for a delicious cooling swim.

The outfit was all about comfort so I opted for my sparkly flower sandals to finish off the look. These were from Amazon and are a wonderful mix of comfort and style - the insoles are nicely padded making them all-day wearable. 

My sunglasses are from Radley London and the chunky necklace (Topshop) earned me lots of compliments as it picked up most of the colours of my dress. 

Nothing new jewellery-wise at all. The rings are both old, but work fine with this look.

The islands are busy as ever at the moment which is exactly as it ought to be. We're having a bumper time in the Gallery for our artists too. Sales are strong and I'm just about to fill our art container ready for shipping to the mainland this week. We no long host exhibitions, instead we showcase one painting per artist and from there offer private viewing for the clients to see more from their chosen artists. The gallery has a wonderful mixture of paintings, a real eclectic gathering of styles offering something for everyone. We've hit upon a winning combination for artists and clients alike. I love this new format and as a business model it's a huge success. Hurrah!

Wishing you a great week ahead!

Anna x

Friday's Finery

Hello again! So, here's Friday's outfit - a fabulous jumpsuit from The Finery. It was on the mannequin in the window of the British Heart Foundation shop in Penzance when I was there in the spring. The colours are so eye-catching that it stopped me in my tracks. I was heading to catch my flight home and was carrying my holdall, whilst wearing a jacket that unfortunately had a stain on the front. I mention all of this because it's perhaps why I was spoken to the way I was...

I made my way to the back of the shop and found an assistant steaming clothes in the back room. I asked her what size the jumpsuit in the window was and she said it was a 12. Great, I responded, Can I buy it? At which, she looked me up and down, clocked what she thought was a bag lady and snapped, "It's £20!". "Great" I repeated and she stomped off to retrieve it. Never judge a book by it's cover, eh? To my utter delight, the jumpsuit turned out to be brand new with the labels still attached. I don't buy from The Finery myself, but checked out the website and can see another jumpsuit in the sale in baby blue...

My lace top is old, from New Look a couple of summer's ago, but works well under this neckline. The jumpsuit came with a long sash in the same block colour as the hemline, but I changed that up for a stretch belt in purple. 

None of my accessories are new. Why does that make me feel so virtuous? Probably because last week's outfit was almost totally new I suppose. Anyway, apart from the £20 jumpsuit the rest comes from my closet and jewellery collection. Even the sunglasses are old, by Radley London.

My silver and white sandals (Topshop) are very old indeed and were even passed on from my daughter a few years ago.

Fiona did me proud again with our after work photo session. Some of you may recognise that I didn't venture far from my workplace to get these in the bag. 

                                                                         Anna x

Smock it to me baby!

Hello lovelies! How are you doing? Are you wilting in the summer heat or have things cooled down with you? The weather here is fine, not too hot and pretty much a mixed bag where no two days are the same. My outfit of the day is new - jeans, smock and sandals are all new. The smock has the look of an artist's smock which was probably why it appealed to me. I found it in Number 36, the little boutique on Causeway Head in Penzance which I've been frequenting of late. 

The linen smock is by Goose Island and is perfect for cool summer dressing. The wide boat neck, generous one size cut and cute single pocket all go to make a stylish wear. I added a white tee underneath and white stetch fit jeans that I found on Amazon to complete the summer look. 

I bought the blue Lazy Dogz sandals online recently - they go really well with the smock. I've got a couple of pairs of these now and love them! They're cool and comfortable footwear, perfect for summer days when you're on your feet all day long. 

Both of the blue rings are old, charity shop buys from years ago and yet work well with the colour of today's ensemble.

You'll probably recognise my old favourite Quay Australia sunglasses worn here with my gold chain necklace from Zara. I had my hair cut last week and am really pleased with it. 

A final twirl to finish off!

Anna x

Summer Sizzlers, our Style Not Age challenge for July

Hello and welcome again to our monthly style challenge! It's my turn this time to choose the theme and what could be more appropriate than Summer Sizzlers? Our recent heatwave had many of us cooling off in sea or heading for shade at home. My offering is an oldie but goodie, a lace jumpsuit from TK Maxx many moons ago. So let's take a look at my style sisters to see how they tackled this one...

Jacqui's jaw-dropper outfit looks like she's stepped straight off a film set! Hat from Dune, swimsuit from Debenhams and lace trousers (old) certainly live up to the remit. See more on her blog here. 

Gail from Is This Mutton has paired up lime green and fizzy pink for her Summer Sizzler look. Cute, fresh and very summery Gail snapped this on her Greek holiday which was indeed a sizzler with temperatures pushing 40 degrees! Catch her back story here.

Emma from the Style Splash is another to send us one of her holiday snaps, this time from Funchal. Orange is her Summer Sizzler colour and oh, how stylish she looks! Find all the details on her blog as above. 

Hilda has opted for orange too, wearing a shirt and jeans bought locally along with orange shoes by Clark's. She's making a fab style statement as she takes herself off for her 40th Wedding anniversary - huge congratulations to you!

I've shopped my closet for this whole outfit which always feels good. The orange strappy sandals were from H&M, gilt belt was from Primark and sunglasses are from Zara - all old.

Rings are both old as well as being pre-loved. 

My orange, turquoise and gold disk necklace was a purchase from Charlie Dodge jewellery. 

My photo-shoot was located at my second home, my husband's shed in the centre of Tresco, well off the beaten track. This is where he is working on our boat in the evenings and weekends and where I seem to be spending most of my free time too. His tiny office served as a changing room and his wing mirror worked fine for hair and make-up. His truck was a great contrast for my glam jumpsuit don't you think?

Thanks for swinging by to join our Style challenge - I do hope you've enjoyed it!

                                                                             Anna x