Eyelet trousers with silver boots

Happy Easter to you all! The aroma of chocolate is heavy in the air as I write, but I'll try to keep my focus on the matter in hand, that being these silver boots which I've rediscovered after months of neglect.

I styled these up in the run up to Christmas (see here) and then tucked them neatly away in the back of my shoe cupboard and promptly forgot them. That's the problem with new things, you can easily forget them when they're not an established item. Anyway, I came across another blogger wearing something similar the other day which reminded me of mine too.

Like most of my styling, I start off with one idea and it seems to evolve into something quite different. I had imagined these with some cropped, faded denim jeans, but much to my surprise I found these don't exist in Anna's Island Style closet - what a nasty shock for me! (Note to self: source these next time I'm dosing up on retail therapy.)

So after a couple of false starts, I came across these eyelet trousers which I'd bought in the Zara sale just after Christmas. Maybe I forgot to mention them? My selective memory is just another way of coping with my clothesaholic condition. Forgive me.

This shirt from Sainsbury's is fast becoming a classic for me and is the ideal partner to echo the eyelet detailing of the cropped trousers. I added the gobstopper gemstone belt to give a streamlined look which also fooled Polly into thinking that this was actually a jumpsuit.

The belt was an eBay purchase a long time ago, but has only recently come into play since I chopped off a couple of inches of elastic from the back of it, making it fit at last. The jacket was a hand-me-down from Sasha (from H&M). You may recall the silver and gold frilly ring that Steve gave me for my birthday this year and the other silver and gold etched ring is by Diana Porter, but so very ancient that I don't think she makes them any more. Mine says "In heaven on earth", but wait - I've just searched her website and found one similar here.

This is a better shot to see the detail of both rings. Follow this link to see more like the frilly Emily Nixon one here.

It may be mass produced, but the jacket is still really well made, right down to the pattern matching which shows beautifully on the back seam.

After a busy morning of beetling about in the gallery, it dawned on me why these boots have been relegated to the depths of the wardrobe - yep those heels are a killer! I can see they need to be kept for desk days when I'm seated for the duration or maybe just for outings to the local pub which is only 100 yards from home. I still love them for the glamour they represent, even though (or maybe is it because?) their vibe is reminiscent of the erotic Barbarella!

Wishing you a lovely Easter Sunday!

Linking with -

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Jacqui of Mummabstylish

Anna x

Jumpsuit joy

I've lost count of the number of times I've worn this jumpsuit to work and have tried to get some shots of it for the blog. Every time Polly and I got lined up for a shoot, something intervened. I bought this last year and it has been a great mainstay in my working wardrobe ever since. I love the easy fit more than anything for those days when I'm hanging art and I don't want to be bothered with keeping a blouse tucked in or finding the right length of top to wear with a very tailored pair of trousers. No, there's none of that with this lovely all-in-one. 

Most women probably have a go-to dress that offers the same simple solution when they want an easy to wear outfit. The jumpsuit affords me freedom to move, freedom to accessorise and freedom to introduce another complimentary colour to give it a face lift. Lime green looks fab against the navy and grey, as does a zingy lemon and of course white is a classic partner too. Cerise would look stunning, but I've not tried that one yet, nor turquoise which is a favourite summer colour of mine. The list of permutations is endless. Whether we'll manage to contrive another photo shoot showcasing any of these within the next 12 months remains to be seen, but at least you know we'll be aiming for that at some point!

The jumpsuit and belt hail from H&M, orange vest from M&S (via charity shop), the sandals were from New Zealand and the brand is Ko Fashion, by Boston Babe. The bangle was a charity shop find, yellow stoned ring is by Martin James, the other ring is from Diana Porter see here and my necklace was a gift. Once again my sunglasses are from Quay Australia. 

And finally...Tomorrow is the 20th of the month meaning that it's Ping Pong Post day. I've never had to post on two consecutive day before, and I do hope that works out as a treat for you. Here's a sneak preview of the item we will all be styling up. I think I can honestly say it's been the most challenging item for me so far. Annie sent this all the way from Hong Kong to Samantha and I here in the UK, so I hope we can both do it justice after all the miles it's travelled. See you all tomorrow then!

Anna x