PINK TO MAKE THE BOYS WINK

The colour pink has long been one of Anne C's favourite colours and she can often be seen wearing various outfits in different shades of pink, in complete contrast to Anne H's mono palette.  But we think our respective tastes are rubbing off on each other, as Anne H has gone for a beautiful new coat in ....pink!

It is from Jigsaw and is their double faced coat  which comes in three colours -  this beautiful soft 'sugar pink',  a very dark grey called 'gravel' and a vivid 'fuscia' pink.  Its relaxed fit and single button fastening make it an easy piece to dress up or wear with jeans and Anne feels it will be a great addition to her Spring wardrobe, she just hopes she doesn't get it dirty too quickly! She particularly loves the giant patch pockets and the really soft 80% wool/20% polyester fabric.   She has accessorised with a lovely dusky pink modal scarf, also from Jigsaw, which is currently available in the sale for £40. Her jeans are from John Lewis and were a sale purchase from the DL1961 range, which makes a change from her normal choice of 7 for All Mankind.  They are the Coco straight leg which normally retail at £180 but was reduced to below £60.  Sadly, no longer available to purchase in the sale but they are still available to purchase in a different wash of denim.  She loves the comfy fit and it is the length to wear with both boots and flats.  Her boots are also from John Lewis and are the Miss KG Spider boot which she also purchased in the sale and are also still available to buy.

Anne C's new coat is a lightweight boiled wool coat and was a gift from a friend, and is from Masai - which is a brand she likes and has several pieces - although you do have to choose carefully as some of their designs are a bit frumpy.  It is a versatile style which is great for slipping when you're popping out in the car and don't want anything too bulky.  There are no buttons or zips so probably no use when the weather is inclement, although the bamboo safety pin would probably hold it together on a windy day! The coat was bought in the sales just before Christmas, and cost £60, but is no longer available.

She has teamed the coat with wine coloured jeggings and some fun heeled boots in the same colour - complete with cute pom-poms - both a bargain from Primark.  Anne has often said how she is an impulse buyer and will buy from just about any shop - enjoying mixing her bargain buys with more classic quality brands.

She has completed her look with a classic grey sweater from Phase Eight and  Barbican handbag from Fiorelli (which is a also previous season though only bought in January from TK Maxx.

CHRISTMAS TREATS

We hope it's not too late to talk about some of our Christmas gifts, since we have both had such a busy time in recent weeks, we have struggled to schedule time to do our photo shoots!  Plus the weather in Yorkshire has been pretty miserable, though fortunately not as bad as in some parts of the UK and the USA.

Anne C is delighted with her Dune tote bag in a lovely shade of deep peach which was a gift from her daughter.  She is wearing it with plain black since it creates a fabulous pop of colour against the dark background.

Her black duster coat is from Canadian brand Joseph Ribkoff - of which she has a few pieces - and her black studded leggings are unknown, while her boots are from Faith a couple of years ago.  Her orange sweater ( just peaking out) was from H&M.

She can't even remember where the scarf came from, but she has similar ones in about half a dozen colours - she has a bit of a thing for scarves and probably has more than a hundred!

Anne H waas thrilled with this gift from her daughter, a fabulous soft cashmere jumper from The White Company.  She loves a simple elegant swing top that can be put on over a pair of jeans and particularly favours cashmere as it is so much warmer and cosier than wool.  You just have to get used to hand washing to ensure it keeps its shape and texture.  The White Company does cashmere so well and at an accessible price point, although never something you would class as a bargain price as that is just not what cashmere is about. This jumper is no longer available, but they do have a very similar one in a lovely porcelain tone that is still available to buy at £169.

The scarf, also a gift from her daughter, is from Jigsaw called their oversized typo modal scarf and is one that is back by popular demand.  In a lovely dusky pink tone with black and grey it will go with loads of outfits and is lightweight, so easy to wear as an accessory to dress a piece up rather than to just be practical and keep you warm. This item is still available and is in the sale at £40.

Her jeans are from John Lewis and are the Coco straight leg from the DL1961 range. These were something she gifted to herself having bought in the sale (we love doing that!).  They are no longer available in the sale but can be purchased in a different denim wash at the full price of £180... a bit steep for jeans but they are really comfy and easy to wear and will form a mainstay in her wardrobe.

GEMS FROM THE BACK OF THE CLOSET

We have been promising ourselves a good rummage through our wardrobes to see what is lurking in the far corners.  Mostly to clear some things out and pass onto charity, but once you start this weighty task it is amazing what you find and then start wondering what it looks like on now having not worn it for years  It proved to be quite an interesting task and here are some of the more favoured items that are now back on hangers and ready to be worn again.

Anne C's deep red chiffon blouse is probably ten years old, so she can't remember where she bought it - but she last wore it to a reception at the British Amabassador's residence in Brussels in 2008 with a delegation of British business women (in another life!)  - see picture below and check out the glossy hairstyle too!

For the latest picture she has teamed with her usual black crepe trousers - she hasn't kept any old ones - and accessorised with red earrings and matching necklace which were a gift last Christmas from her daughter, bought in H&M. The retro boots are pull on glittery stretch fabric and were a recent purchase from Primark, although her original 60s/70s pull on boots were black vinyl.

Anne H's first outfit is a real oldie.   The cardigan is an LK Bennett design that was purchased probably 15 years ago.  Not something that she has been trying on for a while as it really didn't fit, but since losing weight on Weight Watchers she thought it was worth a try. Not a bad fit either and would definitely work with a camisole underneath and unbuttoned.  It is a silk mix material with a lovely satin trim so is a really nice piece to dress up an outfit with.

The skirt is from a brand called OSKA and is actually a little big for her now, but the tulip shape is really flattering and teamed with some old boots pull on from M & S this makes a smart outfit which would be office ready - not that she needs to be office ready any more!  OSKA do some lovely structural design pieces that suit all shapes and sizes so always worth a look see.

Anne has fallen back in love with this two-piece camisole and bolero combination in a bronze silk fabric.  It was originally a three-piece suit bought from a boutique in Harrogate, but the skirt no longer fitted, so she got rid of it, which is a big mistake as she has since lost weight and it would have been perfect.  She even wore this to her husband's Christmas party, so it's definitely back in the wardrobe again.

Her fabulous bronze and black statement necklace is from Bizermani which she bought in Santorini last year, and is a good match to the tops. The faithful black trousers make another appearance with the sparkly boots.

This fabulous black trouser suit is from the designer Amanda Wakeley and was purchased in a sale 20 years ago.  With power shoulders now coming back into fashion it has proved a good one to hold onto.  Even the wide leg trousers don't look too old fashioned now.  It is beautifully made as you would expect from a designer of this calibre and has a fabulous gold silk lining in the jacket which adds that extra element of glamour.

She has teamed with a striking black necklace from Uterque - only 2- 3 years old, so not a back of the closet item.  But the pewter toned silk top has been lurking about for at least 5 years.  It is from The White Company and is the flattering length that Anne favours. However as it is a satin finish the light catches it and she feels it can make her look a bit too busty.  Nice problem to have, I know.  The gold bangle she is wearing is from the fair trade designers Raven & Lily and was a Christmas present just last year.

Anne C's final outfit may not make the wardrobe edit, even though it is a suit which she loves and has worn over and over as it is so versatile - but it is now two sizes too big, and it's a wonder the trousers didn't fall down during our shoot. The jacket too now hangs off her shoulders, so unless she can find a talented seamstress who can take it in without losing its shape, then it may well end up on eBay or the charity shop.

This is a three-piece crepe suite by Chesca, with a camisole, trousers and beautiful jacket edged with satin detail in taupe. It has served Anne well through many a charity event, corporate dinner and nights at the theatre.

She has a few items from Chesca which are always generously cut and are in sizes from UK 14-32. However, because she is short, the sleeves and trouser legs are often too long - it would be great if they did a "petite" range in slightly bigger sizes which didn't just inflate every measurement.

Staying with the Amanda Wakeley wool crepe trousers,  Anne has added a black velvet tunic top from Madeleine Hamilton with a statement pendant necklace.  Velvet is such a glorious material for colour (even black) as it gives such depth of colour and a luxurious texture. A really elegant look and one she will definitely be showcasing again.

Incidentally, since the Sound Leisure juke box created a conversation on Instagram this week  - it was a gift from Anne C to her husband for his 40th birthday - exactly 27 years ago this week! It plays real old 45 singles and contain's mostly her selection from the 50s, 60s and 70s - she was a great record collector! The juke box is a copy of a Wurlitzer and still takes old 10p and £1 coins for 3 or 5 selections!

OUR 2017 FESTIVE OUTFITS

We are harking back to the festive period for a quick look this week at what we wore over Christmas and New Year.

We actually spent Christmas Day together with our respective families and Anne H's blogger daughter Lizzy came home to Yorkshire, having moved to London earlier in the year, so it was great for our girls to also spend time together too.

Anne H is wearing a bargain from one of her favourite catalogue/online retailers Madeleine. In pure silk and a fabulous, flattering length which will also work perfectly as a cover up in the summer months.  This top was on a discount code so she got at a really good price of around £110 but it is currently at £159.95, however she recommends registering with them as they often have flash sales and discount codes and the quality of their clothing is very good.

We seemed to spend this Christmas going shopping for Christmas presents and then getting something for ourselves too - a real "one for you and one for me" mentality which is really not good, but this top was a bargain from Phase Eight.   It is one of those tunic tops that they do oh so well and is a really easy item to dress up or down  The design is called Meg it has a curved longer drop hem at the back and is made of a viscose/wool/nylon mix, currently at £45 in the sale and also available in bright red.  She has added Pandora necklaces and bracelets for a bit of Christmas glam.

And here we both are as we spent Christmas Day together with our families. Anne H's top is from Jigsaw and was a gift from her daughter for Christmas.  It is their Crocus drape stitch blouse and comes in a variety of colours at £90.  It has some beautiful cuff detailing and is such a simple yet elegant piece.
She has teamed with black trousers that she has had for a while from MaxMara and some suede boots from Kurt Geiger.


Anne C's outfit is a very festive red sweater trimmed with super soft swansdown around the neck and was bought from an independent boutique in Knutsford, where she recently attended a "Red hair Red dress" event in aid of the charity "Gift of a Wedding" as one of her good friends is a trustee.  They provide everything needed for couples who want to get married, if one or both of them is terminally ill.

Anne has teamed her Christmas sweater with heavy plain black crepe trousers which are from Florence and Fred at Tesco, but are exceptionally good quality for a supermarket brand.  Normally they are thin fabric which do not hang well, but having looked for new ones recently, these are still so much better quality than she has found even in more expensive shops.

Anne has accessorised with ballet flats from Schuh, bought a while ago.  Her watch, from Reclaimed Vintage was a bargain buy at £30 from Asos, while the red earrings (which has a matching necklace) was a Christmas gift from daughter Louise bought in H&M (and which she also has in black).

And here we are playing with another Christmas present - a selfie stick!  Something we have been needing for a while.  We needed a bit of tuition from the girls but think there will be no stopping us now.

For the last day of Christmas entertaining Anne H wore another Phase Eight sale purchase in this long line burgundy knitted polo shirt inspired tunic called Geovana which is still available at £55.   She has teamed with a feather design necklace from Pandora and wide legged flared jeans from MiH with boots from Uterque that she has had for a couple of years.   The gold bangle was another Christmas gift from her daughter which she purchased while in New York from the fair trade designers Raven & Lily -  She did very well, didn't she?

And finally - Anne C's new year outfit was a bit off the wall for her! Her red lace top has a dipped hemline and came from Emphasize - a "travelling shop" which exhibits at shows up and down the country, although the lovely owner does have an actual shop in Romford.

She has teamed it with easy to wear black leggings and has accessorised with a red cocktail ring, and dramatic pompom earrings which were another Christmas gift from her daughter.

Happy New Year!