Check me out! June with the Style not Age collective.



Welcome to our June challenge!

Hello! Can you believe that it's the end of June already? This month it was my turn to choose the theme and I came up with Check me out! I was keen to bring this summer trouser suit out again and threw down the gauntlet to the style crew to see what they came up with.  So let's catch up on my friends to see what they made of the checkered challenge.




Emma from Style Splash has created her own black and white trousersuit by pairing a jacket from M&S and trousers from Zara and doesn't it look fab? I adore the spotty handbag too - what a great style feature!




Another take on the checkered trouser suit from Gail of Is This Mutton? This is pink perfection don't you think? And wowee, I do love those metallic boots!




Jacqui has added a lightweight checked shirt over her summer dress to great effect. Blue and white are a lovely fresh mix. See more of this on her blog Mummabstylish.




This funky young look is brilliant on Hilda. I love the checked trousers paired with these cool trainers. See the full story on Over The Hilda




April last year was when I first showcased this Primark trouser suit (see here). I've opted for a total black and white palette this time. The black tee shirt was a sale item from Topshop last spring. Monochrome isn't normally my thing, but sometimes I like to go for a classic look.






The silver rings are pre-loved.






My shoes are by Nine West - a fabulous find in TK Maxx last year.




The mirror sunglasses with white and black frames are by Quay Australia. They're probably my most featured sunnies of all time, but I shan't apologise for that as I love them! The retro necklace was yet another charity shop scoop (£2.50).




And that rounds up this month's challenge. I do hope that we might have given you some new style ideas to inspire you. I'm off to raid my closet to see if I can recreate one or two of these looks...

Thanks again for joining us and I'll be back on Friday with my latest dressing up ensemble.


See you next time!

Anna x
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It's Dress Up Friday - again!


Here I come for Dress Up Friday!

Hello again and cheers for dropping by. Another Friday means another opportunity to dress up and gad about for a photo shoot. The sun shone and the wind blew, giving me a very windswept look too. I was keen to showcase this pleat on pleat outfit, but maybe not under such gusty conditions!




Both the skirt and top were charity shop buys. The top (by Alfani) was most recent and this is the first time I've worn it. The drop waist style with elastic hem wouldn't normally be my choice, but I decided to overlook that for the trade off that is the sunray pleated sleeves. The dove grey colour works well with the mint skirt.




I must admit that I love the feminine effect of this ensemble. All of the lightweight fabric moves well giving a lovely floaty feel. Not only that, but it's fit is easy-to-wear as the skirt has an elastic waist too. I wonder if I'm the only one emerging from lockdown with a waistline that seems to have softened somewhat over the past 12 weeks?




And hair, shall we talk hair? Are you rushing off to the hairdresser next week? I've recently braved the fringe trimming challenge and am snipping small amounts every now and then. Consequently, I'm going to let my hair grow until it becomes unbearable and hopefully by that time waiting lists will have shrunk to a reasonable size. I'm coming to terms with the grey colour around the temples and will see what happens about my overall colour as the summer sun and sea swimming takes its toll. So, for the moment, I'm sitting tight.




I've had these silver sandals for yonks. They came from TK Maxx and the brand is Chinese Laundry. I bought them for a cruise many moons ago and have barely worn them since. I suppose it's because they live in a box under a box in my wardrobe and have been forgotten for yonks. At least I've rediscovered them now and will keep them in mind for the rest of the summer. Silver is a lovely neutral isn't it?






Both rings are pre-loved, but perfect none the less.






My statement necklace cost me all of £6 from the fabulous Crisis charity shop in London when I was having a weekend away in November. My sunglasses are by Radley.




As always I'll be joining the rest of the Dress Up Friday crew over on Instagram if you want to check everyone out. 

Thanks for joining me and do pop over again on Monday when the Style Not Age collective will be back with our latest challenge. 

Late edit -
I'm linking with Nancy's Fashion Style this week.


In the meantime, have a super weekend!

Anna x

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Weekend beach escape


Hello from Cradle Porth!

On Saturday morning Steve and I took ourselves off to the beach for a walk crossing the banks of deserted sand below Blockhouse beach and beyond. The wind was brisk, just right for blowing the cobwebs away.There wasn't a soul in sight as we dodged across the soft sand to stare out across the huge horizon towards the mainland. Like the rest of the UK, we're still waiting for the restrictions to be lifted so that the island can re-open and welcome our guests back for their summer break. By the end of the week we may know more, but in the meantime, we had one last long walk enjoying the silence and space. 




These past three months have been surreal. At first I considered the time off as a gift, but as we started to see the death rate rise, the enormity of the situation hit home. As the state of emergency has been dropped from what was a level 5 down to a level 3 three now, we on the islands are preparing for our first true exposure to the pandemic. We've been lucky so far not to have any cases (reported) within the Isles of Scilly and can only hope that by putting all of the right measures in place for these small island communities that we'll all be safe over the forthcoming months. Social distancing, hand-washing, masks and gloves will be our line of defense as they have been used to great effect worldwide. The warmth of greeting will be the same, just displayed over a distance.






These thoughts were on my mind as we stretched our legs, basking in the freedom that is island life. It's this sense of freedom that surely acts as a lure for our visitors. Scilly is all about wide open spaces and nothing says that more than a huge sky with the twinkling azure sea below and an expanse of virgin white sand without a footprint ahead of you.






So, let's talk outfits, shall we? You may recall me showcasing this jumpsuit not so long ago (see here). I've checked on the Tu Clothing website today and can't find it anymore which makes me pleased that I followed my instincts to buy it when I did. I bought the jumpsuit before we were plunged into lock-down and had already decided that it would herald a monumental change in my shopping habits. So much so, that I had decided that it would be my last clothes purchase for 12 months. I've kept this under my hat for a few months to try to keep the pressure off and also to give myself a chance to see how it would pan out. Then, within a couple of weeks of deciding on my shopping ban, lock-down was implemented and suddenly it all seemed very trivial in the grand scheme of things.




As normal life is just about to try to re-establish itself, I thought it might be timely to share this with you. And oh goodness, I do realise that for the sake of the economy we're all being encouraged to get out and spend, but I'm sure my annual spend really isn't going to make a huge impact. The Year of Less by Cait Flanders inspired me at the time of reading way back in February and I knew it was something that I'd hankered after for some time. Even though I shop mainly in charity shops with perhaps only 20% of my retail shopping from the high street, I still am painfully aware that I have more than enough clothes. Lock-down has given me the perfect opportunity to delve deep into my closet as well as under every bed and inside cupboards full boxes and suitcases. And yes, I really do have more than enough clothes to last me for the next 12 months. Advertising will try to tell me otherwise and crikey I see the irony of this coming from a gal whose defining moment in her 60th year was to be chosen by JD Williams to tout their wares, but I'll be sticking my fingers in my ears and avoiding TV ads for the duration. I've found a few charity shop buys still with labels on from previous mainland trips and these will be drip fed through the blog when I have a shopping urge.




I love the simplicity of a jumpsuit as it requires so little to make an outfit. I decided to keep within a natural palette adding a simple stretch belt (preloved) to give a bit of definition. I must add however, that the waist is actually elasticated and can be worn without a belt. 




The Converse boots were from TK Maxx last year and are great for kicking about at the weekends.




The tribal print necklace is the only dash of colour with an ethnic vibe. I bought this in the Topshop sale last summer for £10. The gold floral and gemstone ring was a Christmas present from a girlfriend and the other is a charity shop piece. My old faithful sunglasses are by Quay Australia.




Anyway, that's been a whole lot of chat for one day, so I've leave you with some shots that encapsulate the joy and freedom that Tresco means to me.












Thanks for joining me again today. I'll be back again with Dress Up Friday and hope that you can swing by then. Take care!




 Anna x

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Hurrah for Dress Up Friday!


Hi there!

Yes, it's that time of the week again! Is it a sign of my age that it always seems to be Friday? The days continue to rush past me with the sudden realisation that it's Friday once again. I recall my mother-in-law saying something very similar decades ago and I always used to be puzzled by the comment, and here I am now, finding the same thing. Anyway, it's Friday and I'm all dolled up for another sashaying session. 




The sunshine dodged in and out from behind the clouds making for interesting tonal variations with each shot of this bubblegum pink dress. I love the deep frill which creates a super swish and flirtiness to this Polo Ralph Lauren dress which was a TK Maxx purchase ages ago. The round neck and sleeveless figure-skimming fit would be classed as a shift dress were it not for the audacious frill. Oh yes, the frill makes it!




If you remember this brooch pile jacket then congratulations to you for being a long-term reader - it was 2016 when I last featured it here. I toyed with the idea of wearing my grey fringed cowboy jacket with this dress, but I think it fell into that dreaded category of Mutton dressed as lamb! The 30 year old that resides in me constantly clamours for a fun and flirty look, but thankfully I still have a cringe radar that sounds when I'm too close to the edge of ridiculous. The Gap denim jacket was a charity shop buy and remains adorned with brooches which I still add and subtract depending on recent finds. The sunglasses are from Sainsburys, again many moons ago and the rings are both pre-loved.




Flashing too much thigh for a bird of my age, but heck, so what!






The two tone suede heels are more pink and red than the burnt orange this shows. Needless to say, these aren't work shoes, but are too pretty not to pair up with this fabulous frock. I bought them from River Island some years ago, but they don't get out much (surprise, surprise!) apart from the odd airing on an exhibition night. 






If you want to check out the other participants of Dress Up Friday then check out the link here. I fancy that by this time next week I'll be back at work, but plan to keep on posting this Friday feature, so please swing by to see what I've been up to. In the meantime, I'm searching for another work outfit to showcase on Monday, so maybe see you then?


Thanks for dropping by and have a lovely weekend!

Anna x

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Be bold with pattern play!


Hello again!

Hi there! Did you miss me? Sorry! Life seemed to run away with me last week. I missed posting on Friday as you may have noticed. Life rarely goes to plan, as they say, but here I am again now. I'm urging you to be bold in your styling today - these complimenting prints have inspired me, helping me find some new combinations for work next week. Are you back in the workplace again? Or maybe you'll be working from home for a while longer? 




I really have no idea what I'm going to feel like when I'm back behind the counter serving customers once the island has re-opened. However, I've already decided that feeling anxious and fearful in advance will do me no good at all, and so I'm going to cross that bridge when I get to it - or better still, to use one of Polly's delightful mixed metaphors, "I'll burn that bridge when I get to it!"




Today's outfit is a mix of pre-loved and high street fashion. Sasha bought me this ornately patterned jacket (by Vial Clothes) as a Christmas present a couple of years ago, but this is the first time it's made it onto the blog. The satin floral trousers by Carolina Belle, Montreal, were from TK Maxx in 2018 and were aired on the blog last time here




The lace top is really quite old and being a charity shop find, may be very old indeed! No matter, I love its stretch lace making it an easy-to-wear fit and the cream colour is very versatile too. The ring is also a charity shop purchase.








The silver satin pumps by Kelsi add a playful touch to this relaxed look. These too are from a charity shop, but were brand new and only £8!






I fancy that the retro round framed sunglasses (by River Island) add an air of Annie Hall to this look. Do you agree? Anyway, this is outfit number one, all lined up and ready for the day job. As this is my last week at home, I'll be rushing around like the proverbial blue ar*ed fly, trying to finish all of my spring cleaning. I plan to spend some time pulling clothes together to create new ensembles for the forthcoming weeks too. For those of you heading out for your first bit of retail therapy in 12 weeks, I say "Have fun and keep safe". I've seen huge queues on TV outside Primark in major cities this morning with shoppers keeping their distance and wearing face coverings. It looks like our national hobby has returned!


I'll be back with Dress Up Friday this week - hope you'll drop by then!

Anna x

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