Not Square With Gingham - our Style Not Age challenge


Hello and welcome! Thanks for joining me today as I gather together my Style Not Age friends who between us are presenting "Not Square With Gingham". It was Hilda's choice this month, and one that had me scratching my head a bit as I wondered what to wear. I really only have three gingham pieces, one of which I've already featured on our monthly style challenge (here). With no shopping trip in sight and a clampdown on spending this month due to far too many expenses with out little motor boat, I had to give up on my idea of eBay solving my problem. Anyway, as you can see I've gone all bright and colourful (oh what a surprise!) wearing this floral gingham top that came from a charity shop last year, but more on this later.


Hilda wears gingham check fitted trousers by Puno Roma and a classic Zara shirt. Why oh why, does that half tuck look stylish on her and yet half undone on me? Hilda's feature can be seen in full on her blog Over The HIlda.


Emma from Style Splash wears a summery pink and white gingham skirt and tee shirt both from Zara. (Have these ladies both been cashing in on the Zara sale site I wonder?) Her sleek and stylish summer shoes are from River Island. Do pop over to see more from Emma on her blog too.


Jacqui has given us a double dose of gingham with these crops and matching brolly, but she's also added some pattern play by way of this sleeveless duster in summer florals - fab! Last minute photos brought about this weather-led shoot which turned out both cute and playful for her. See Jacqui's post on Mummabstylish.


My photos were weather-led too as I panicked at my last minute attempt to find somewhere out of the high winds and between showers to capture my gingham offering. Steve kindly did the honours in his lunchtime. If he had zoomed into the sea in the distance you'd have seen the white horses driving over the tops of the waves. Heavy showers for the past few days has brought inches of welcome rain to the UK which is long overdue as you can see by the parched grassland of Jimmy Cox's field. (Jimmy Cox is long dead, so we weren't in danger of being chased off!)


I pushed the boat out by adding these pop art courts by Chockers to my jolly vintage skirt by Jaeger. They cost £8.50 in St Michael's Hospice charity shop in Harrogate in the spring.


My gingham top is by F&F at Tesco's but was sourced in a charity shop last year. I like the feature of the split sleeve which was a great compromise for me when off-the-shoulder tops ruled the roost, but weren't my thing. The addition of flowers and greenery to the gingham appealed to my need to break with convention. 


Today's jewellery is all preloved apart from my favourite gold chain necklace which was a gift from Sasha. This pretty pink cuff is a recent and welcome addition to my stash.


My other go-to accessory has to be this pink stretch belt which I found on eBay a couple of years ago. At £5 the cost per wear must have dropped down into the pennies by now as I seem to wear this belt at least once a week - it's turned into a signature piece of mine - not the most stylish, classy or expensive, but certainly useful!


The final flourish to my outfit was my black net petticoat, adding fun and fullness to the skirt. The simple act of adding a net underskirt instantly adds a sense of occasion to any ensemble - a favourite trick of mine.


Thank goodness that there was no-one about to see this windswept scenario as they were out for a woodlands walk - what would they have thought?

Thanks for joining me today on this last post of July. I can't quite believe that August is upon us! The summer is rushing past me with so many things left behind in the rush and tear of life; no link-ups as I'm too time challenged; far too infrequent exchanges with blogging friends; not enough miles clocked up ready for my big sea swim challenge - oh dear, I must try harder. On the plus side, I'm drawing on my mindfulness training from earlier this year (see here) and remembering to take a moment which has been a life saver. The "musts" and "shoulds" and "have tos" are being dropped in favour of power naps, picnics and revelling in the outdoors life. Counting my blessings is a great way of grounding myself and stopping the runaway train of thoughts that can sometimes drive me to exhaustion. Summer on these beautiful islands is in itself a huge blessing and one not to be overlooked. On that note, I shall leave you, my lovely readers and wish you well. Downtime is just what the doctor ordered methinks!


Until next time, take care!
Anna x

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26 comments

  1. Loved the Gingham trend this year! Your all looking fabulous as per! Great challenge and you have stolen the show here Anna xx

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    1. These "ordinary" trends are the ones I'm always slow on the uptake with, but add a little twist and suddenly I'm on board. Thanks for your vote, although I'm sure you remember that it's not really a competition!

      Anna x

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  2. Fabulously colourful and creative as always Anna!

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    1. Thanks Gail. I just do what makes me feel comfortable and colourful seems to be it!

      Cheers,
      Anna x

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  3. Wonderful outfit as always Anna - love the challenge, although I really wanted to find a wrap around dress! I'll probably find one now, oh well that'll be another blog post then! Happy Monday. Jacqui Mummabstylish

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    1. Wrap around dress in gingham sounds fab, but not something I've seen either. It was a great challenge, but there again, they always are!

      Have a fab week!
      Anna x

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  4. Such a gorgeous, colourful outfit Anna! I need to get a net underskirt, yours looks fab peeking out under that stunning vintage Jaeger skirt!

    Emma xxx
    www.style-splash.com

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    1. Thanks so much Emma. I must admit a net underskirt is a great addition to any woman's wardrobe. I love mine!

      Anna x

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  5. That bright vintage skirt is da bomb and your Ebay purchase of the bright belt was a good one.

    Love that you added the crinoline underneath. It adds so much to a circle skirt.

    Suzanne
    http://www.suzannecarillo.com

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    1. Cheers Suzanne. I swear by accessories to add personality to an outfit, be it a bright belt or a fab petticoat like this. But hey, I'm preaching to the converted here, I know!

      Anna x

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  6. Anna, this is a brilliant combination! So bold, bright, and beautiful. It makes me smile! And what a great way to style gingham! Well done.

    Shelbee
    www.shelbeeontheedge.com

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    1. So good of you to drop by Shelbee and what a great time to join us with this monthly challenge. I must admit that this outfit came together organically without much help from me - the colours just led the way!

      Cheers,
      Anna x

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  7. Fabulous outfit, Anna, and so very "you". I love the splits on the sleeves as an alternative to the "cold shoulder" (so very overdone now!), and the combination of gingham and floral is brilliant! Glad you got some rain to break up the hot weather! Wishing you a wonderful week. :)

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    1. So pleased you approve Sheila. I'm not big on that cold shoulder look - ever since a boy pulled my top down when I was a (bra-less) teen, hahaha!

      Have a great week too!
      Anna x

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  8. Your bright outfit certainly is for the faint-hearted, and that's a seriously clever pattern mixing you have going on there! I am in awe! xxx

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    1. Oh I do love a bit of pattern play and this was a joy to bring together. Not for everyone, this look, but it's where I'm at my happiest.

      Cheers,
      Anna x

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  9. That's a great take on gingham! Love the serie!

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    1. Cheers Nancy. As you can see we all had great fun with this challenge.

      Have a lovely week!
      Anna x

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  10. Oh I LOVE this! The whole combination is just brilliant. I am SO glad you said that about off the shoulder looks not being your thing. I was/am the same but still feel like I am the only one! BUT, I ADORE the split sleeve look too! Gingham is great!!x

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    1. Hi Kezzie, great to hear from you. I did feel quite out of step when that off the shoulder look reigned but honestly, it's not something that I like or that even suits me - you're not alone sweetie!

      Anna x

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  11. Anna, as Laurie said I think you stole the show. I absolutely love how you styled your gingham top. Your artistic side is certainly evident and as I said before..take me to your charity shops and help me...

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    1. Oh Hilda, how very kind of you. And golly, wouldn't that be grand for us to get together and go charity shopping? I'd love that!

      Anna x

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  12. You always give me such inspiration with your outfits, and especially print mixing Anna!!
    XOXO
    Jodie
    www.jtouchofstyle.com

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    1. Jodie, you ladies are full of inspring ideas too, so thanks for that! I must swing by and see the latest.

      Take care,
      Anna x

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  13. That full skirt looks like a Picasso print replica. The way you styled it with the floral gingham is a moment of print mixing genius. Boy Anna you really exceeded in this challenge!!

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    1. Thanks Jude! This challenge ended up being more fun than I expected, but that's often the way. I think the key is to not overthink it and just throw a few items onto the bed and see what comes up. Well it worked fine this time at least!

      Cheers,
      Anna x

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