Less colour, more detail


Further to my post on Monday where I placed myself well out of my comfort zone by wearing top to toe beige, I decided to run with the theme of less colour but more detail today. My default setting as you know is to turn the volume up colour-wise at every given opportunity, but the positive response to the March Madness feature gave me cause to consider the value of more neutral tones.


Less colour doesn't necessarily mean less fun though!


What is fun, is the fact that even though I'm in my 60's I am still learning about clothes. If Hilda hadn't come up with that particular challenge I would never have pulled those random separates together to make my homage to beige. 


The starting point for today's ensemble is this snakeskin jacket which has been gifted to me by JD Williams. The fabric is a suede effect making for a very soft finish, comfortable to wear and more lightweight than if it were real suede. I'm a big fan of biker jackets, so when the offer came to through to choose something from their current range, I was happy to see this one. I don't have a patterned biker jacket in my ever expanding collection so this seemed to be the ideal opportunity. Made to the usual specifications the jacket has zipped pockets and zips on the sleeves plus the slanted zip across the body. The fit is good - I'm a size 10 and this was as expected. My favourite points have to be the pattern (snakeskin is always on trend in my books) plus the cool look of a biker jacket crosses all age groups. 


I decided to pair the biker jacket up with black work trousers to give a less rock chick look, but as usual I couldn't settle for plain old black trousers could I?


These eyelet trim trousers were from Zara last year. They tick the right boxes for me when I need a well fitting ankle length black trouser that keeps me out of the boring zone. The sock boots were from Zara too. I suppose if you don't feel this adventurous you could indeed wear plain black trousers with simple boots or even a pair of sandals with this look - see some ideas for sandals on the JD Williams website here


In my quest to wear less colour I've gone big on accessories, bringing out a new handbag which I bought in a tiny boutique in St Andrews in January. The turtle shape plus all of these sparkling gemstones had that quirky appeal for me and was also in the sale coming in under £40 which suited me too. I've been saving the bag for a special outfit and this seems to be the perfect one. Tonally the jacket and bag work so well together and the black ties in with the trousers too. I really like this mixture of black trousers saying work and biker jacket saying rock chick - it's all about being an individual, isn't it? This may not be a conventional work outfit for some, but it would be great for a lunch out or after work drinks with the girls, don't you think?


The final touches for today's look are this statement necklace from Topshop along with these gold coloured rings, both of them pre-loved. 

Before you go, let me confess that I had to give this gorgeous snakeskin jacket the true Anna's Island Style treatment and dressed it up with a mega splash of colour here -


Leave me have your votes please for which look you prefer. Either way, I'm a winner!

Wishing you a fab week ahead!

Anna x

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20 comments

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks so much Lise. I love the jacket and am always drawn to bold colours, but am trying my best to do something different.

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  2. Isn't it just lovely to surprise ourselves with outfits we never would have thought of. That's what I like so much about collaborations with other bloggers, to step out of our comfort zones.

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    1. You're so right Nancy. I look at the beige outfit now and can see that I like it more each time I see it - that's something that would never have happened under my own steam.

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  3. Well I for one love both your outfits, just like I love all the others you wear. You just have that 'knack' of putting pieces together that work! I used your mixing to produce my latest outfit on the blog - slowly getting there Anna. x Jacqui Mummabstylish

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    1. Cheers Jacqui. I don't know if I've got a knack exactly, but I do enjoy playing about with my clothes to find new and interesting combinations. I must dodge over to see your latest ensemble x

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  4. You wear the jacket well! Who'd have thought to see you in beige!! Haha!!! The jewelled bag is very striking!x

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    1. I know, who'd have thought I'd put myself up for this one eh? My take on beige is miles away from the "bin the beige" I was referring too - that's the best defence I can give!

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  5. We never know until we try! I love that you're experimenting with neutrals, Anna! This is a stellar outfit (those grommety trouser! Eee!), but I confess, the look with the orange is so much more what I think of as you. But we change, constantly, so rock on!

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    1. Of the two, I must say that the orange feels much more me, but I do realise that to inspire others we sometimes have to step out of our comfort zone - I had a joyful email from a friend who was very excited at my new neutrals escapade, which is great.

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  6. I think this may be the second or third time you've worn these sock boots on the blog and I find them just thrilling!! :-):-) There's something about the bit of sheen and the pattern that is so artful!
    The jacket from JD Williams is great! It also reminded me that I own a similar one in turquoise!! In fact, even the fabric sounds quite similar. I'm embarrassed that I'd forgotten about it in the inner sanctum of my closet.:-)
    This look is far from boring beige dear Anna!

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    1. I too love these boots Judy. They feel fab to wear and once on help me feel a mix of elegant and edgy. Thank goodness that I'm not the only one who has these long forgotten pieces hidden away! My daughter used to tease me about me buying yet another pair of boring brown trousers and these have all been discarded due to my associating them with beige - although I do have one brown boot cut pair in suede which avoided the big clear out due to being rock chick chic!

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  7. I love this look. It's smart and elegant and the accessories make it fun. I love the gem studded bag and the Topshop necklace is fab! Love the mesh sock boots as well. I also liked the jacket with the bright orange trousers but this outfit is my favourite.

    Have a great week.
    xxx

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    1. Cheers Veronica. Glad you've enjoyed this one. It's great to hear that this colourway has such an appeal, thanks x

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  8. woww, lovely outfit, so elegant and cool. I love particularly the accessorizing, you're brilliant!. The boots, the necklace and bag totally rock!
    Probably orange trousers are more appealing to me, but the first outfit is more fabulous!
    besos

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    1. It's great to have all of this positive feedback from you ladies. I'm always drawn to bright colours, so this was a good exercise is self restraint!

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  9. Anna what a lovely outfit..I love every item. That jacket is just gorgeous and the bag is so unusual. I am not surprised that you had to buy it. I cannot choose as I adore both looks. Both have your individual twist. xxx

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    1. Wow, what a super result this feature has garnered! It's been fab to play about with different colours as it made me focus more on the accessories to add my personal style. I've had great fun with this x

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  10. Wow!!! Those orange trousers are the trousers of dreams!!!

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  11. Wow!!! Those orange trousers are the trousers of dreams!!!

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