Our Tutti Frutti Style Not Age challenge for June

Welcome to this month's Style Not Age challenge! We're all very Tutti Fruitti this time thanks to Emma and her very summery theme. I love how we've each interpreted this differently, but oh-so-coulourfully too!

I felt I just had to start with Gail who's set us off in the right vein with her tee shirt which is actually called "Tutti Frutti". The top and skirt both come from Kettlewell, but not from the same years. She has shopped her closet for the rest of her outfit. Read her style story on Is This Mutton. 

Jacqui's rendition of Tutti Frutti comes thanks to her daughter whose dress she borrowed - how blooming lovely is this? Her cute Steve Madden handbag and strappy green sandals finish off the look to perfection. Catch up with Jacqui's news on Mummabstylish.

Emma's fruity shirt and bag are from Fabienne Chapot - a brand I've not heard of before. Paired with zingy green trousers from Asos and lots of bright orange accessories she really has embraced the colourful theme. Find Emma's blog Style Splash here. 

Hilda has opted for this stunning kimono from Zara as her main featured piece, complimented by a Hugo Boss dress and Clark's shoes - none of these are new and yet are all totally fabulous! Catch up with her on Over The Hilda. 

The Tutti Frutti element of mine surely has to be this vintage Jaeger skirt. A customer of mine recently declared this a very Christian Lacroix design, which I suppose you could say is true. I've featured it on the blog before, but that doesn't detract from its charm. It was a charity shop find from a few years ago and gets an airing at least two or three times over the summer months.

The net underskirt is always a bit of fun and works really well with this look, although I must admit it does make me prone to flashing a bit of net from time to time without any warning or particular reason. Not sure if an ol' gal like me ought to do that, but what the heck!

The voile spotty sleeved top (from TK Maxx, old) adds to the flamboyance of the outfit. I have a black version which works equally well with this. 

Rings and pink Candy bag by Furla are all old too, but still pretty as ever. 

My black buckled and studded belt was a gift from a girlfriend many moons ago and is ideal for sleekly pulling a skirt and top together - great for those days when back fat and tummy bulge are in danger of becoming the focal points!

My dear old faithful (H&M) sock boots are still wearing well. Also going strong as these floral sunglasses which came from Sainsbury's years and years ago. This work outfit sparked lots of chats about women of my age making a style statement in the workplace and also earned me compliments from quite a few men too. So far, I'm still not invisible and hopefully never will be!

Thanks for joining us for this month's challenge. Do pop over to read the back stories from my friends if you have a moment!

                                                                            Anna x

I want to share a secret with you

Hello again! How has your week been? Here we are, suddenly in May and I can't account for where April went. I've been so busy of late, both at work and home, dashing back and forth to the mainland three times in four weeks for various health checks and honestly it's been hectic. I'm off to the mainland again tomorrow for my Glaucoma check-up which has been delayed since 2020 and then hopefully things will settle down.

Anyway, I do want to share a secret with you today, and it's a website called Secret Label - please click on the link to see more. This family-run online clothing outlet has made it its business to save clothes from going into landfill sites by taking on the excess from designer brands such as Karen Millen, Coast and Reiss as well as high street brands Zara, M&S, Phase Eight, Warehouse, White Stuff and Monsoon to name a few. All clothes are brand new with the only concession Secret Label makes is to remove the labels meaning they can then offer huge discounts on all of these brands. 

I've been a customer of Secret Label for some time now, buying clothes for both my husband and son for Christmas as well as finding bargains for myself last autumn. More recently the brand invited me to become an ambassador for them. Their ethos is one that I can honestly support as diverting fashion from landfill surely has to be a commendable way to run a business. To recycle clothes in any shape or form is a good thing, one that I have advocated on the blog for years, and this intervention is another way to keep clothes in the loop and best of all, at a discounted price. And never has there been more pressure on the retailer to keep prices down as the consumer is on the brink of one of the most difficult economic times in recent history. As energy prices continue to soar and food prices rise we'll all be looking for ways to save money when buying clothes. 

My frock today is from Joules via Secret Label. I do pop into the Joules branch in Truro but the prices are what hold me back rather than the clothes themselves. I'm thrilled to be gifted this to showcase to you as part of this promotion. The dress is 100% viscose and has a lovely, weighty drape to the fabric that lends itself to the odd twirl or two. The shirt front opening, buttoned sleeves and fabulous fit and flare skirt are all finished to the high standard you'd expect from Joules. It's an utterly feminine shape.

The navy and pink colourway is classic and so pretty too. I chose to accessorise in pink and purple - the stretch belt in purple is an oldie but goodie as are my pink sock boots from H&M.

My mini pink Candy bag by Furla is the perfect ploy for this fun look today. My pink ring was a present from a friend and the white one was a charity shop find from years ago.

Pink fishnet tights are my way of adding my own unique style to the look - essential for me if I'm basing my outfit on high street fashion. God forbid that I might look too ordinary!

My necklace is from Zara and sunglasses are my old favourites from Quay Australia. 

Ooops, I almost forgot to mention that if you use my code ANNA15 you can get 15% discount on your online order with Secret Label. That's pretty much the icing on the cake when you see what bargains can be found on their site!

Thanks for joining me again today. Later this month I'll be celebrating my 7 years of blogging and I already have a rather fabulous outfit to share with you for that. Now that's sorted I simply have to alight on the perfect photo shoot location on this tiny but diverse island. Not too terrible a chore, eh?

Wishing you a great week!

Anna x

All the pinks and polka dots

Hello lovelies, how are you?

Saturday's work outfit here, in all the shades of pink that I could muster up. Not exactly matchy-matchy, more a bundle of fun in this summer outfit. If I'd left the Candy bag out of the equation this would have been a sleeker style, but honestly it wouldn't be such fun. 

Some of you may recognise this as the It Dress of 2019 from Zara - see it here. I fell for its charms way back during a London trip when I visited the Oxford Street branch. Today's twist is a new one for me and one that is maybe a tad sugary sweet for some...

Last year I showcased the frock again, but that time with silver and white accessories - see here. Today's effort may well be saccharine sweet, but it does still say summer to me. The addition of my H&M sock boots add an elegance despite the bubblegum Barbie shade, echoed in the eBay elasticated belt. 

It's a joy to bring out my little pink Candy bag again. The jelly bag by Furla is one of two that I have; the other is a larger yellow version. See the rainbow bright collection here. The silver rings are both preloved, as is the wooden beaded necklace.

It's quick confession time now. I'm a day late posting the blog as my latest obsession has gripped me, causing me to spend hours yesterday hunched over my sewing machine. Yes, I'm trying to make a toile of my yellow linen dress. Despite the fact that I've bought a paper pattern, I'm hell bent on trying to make a pattern of the dress from scratch, something that, of course, isn't really advisable for someone of my limited sewing abilities. But, I'm possessed, obsessed and driven into trying. Logically, I know that the only way to make a pattern from an existing item is to take it to pieces and use them as the pattern, but no way am I relegating my gorgeous frock into pieces!

I've been watching YouTube tutorials, learning how to make gathers in fabric and unpicking the old sheet that is to be the trial run before I even venture into measuring up for the linen. I wish I could just conform, open up the shop bought pattern and get on with it, but it's not the exact shape of dress I want. I know I'm not the only one who has been smitten with the sewing bug since the Great British Sewing Bee has been on our TV screens. This sewing frenzy has gripped me and there's no getting over it until I've achieved something akin to a frock. If I'm not sewing, then I'm watching the previous series, trying to pick up tips to improve my skills. Practice, practice, practice is all I can do!

Wishing you a fabulous week everyone!

Anna x

Just another working day

Hello lovelies!

As you read this I shall be off-island having my first taste of mainland life in 15 months. This is probably the longest I've ever been holed up on the tiny island of Tresco without a break. Writing this, I do wonder how I'll feel to be out there surrounded by hoards of mask-wearing strangers, (hopefully) keeping their distance from me. Thinking about this makes me realise how very different lock-down on an island has been compared to elsewhere. Familiar faces in normal routines meant we all seemed to carry on our ordinary lives without too much fuss. How very lucky we have been.

The outfit was from Tuesday when grey skies mingled with a peek-a-boo sun - not the ideal for a pre-work photo shoot, but Fiona and I did our best. I've been keen to showcase this jacket and dress combination as it's a favourite work outfit at the moment. Jamie bought me the dress for my birthday and I love the marriage of the different prints as well as the joyful addition of the bright pink. It's a stylish work ensemble with a generous dollop of fun!

The dress was from Zara, trench from Topshop, boots from H&M, underskirt was charity shopped and the belt was an eBay purchase from a long time ago.

Simple black sunglasses by Radley London add a touch of class to this animal print outfit.

I had started the day at 5.30am, chopping and slicing veg to get a meal into the slow cooker before washing up and making breakfast. A fresh wind was blowing which put paid to my early morning swim, but I spent 20 minutes instead gathering some clothes together to pack in a bag for my trip the next day. It was a productive day at work and I also received my second vaccine in the afternoon so I felt flushed with success. 

It won't be long now until I get my haircut on St Mary's, so this may be the last shot of the overgrown lock-down look. I shan't miss the fact that I have to wash it every day now just to make it presentable.

And last of all, thank you to those of you who have sent me photos for inclusion in my 6th anniversary post. If you're still considering, then there's plenty time. The more the merrier as they say! Just send me an email and attach your snap along with a few words as to how Anna's Island Style has influenced the outfit. It's easy peasy!

                                                                                      Anna x

Floral midi dress from H&M

Hello again!

How has your week been? I've been really busy at work and honestly the week just seems to have flown by! The stormy weather has meant I've not managed to swim every day, but Fiona and I have wrapped up against the winds and done some lunchtime walking regardless. Checkout my Instagram feed here for my latest reel from the big outdoors on Tresco.

Shopping my closet continues as ever, and hopefully isn't proving tedious for you. This button through midi dress for H&M is very flattering both in colour and style. I love the long, lean fit helping me feel six foot tall. The tiny floral pattern is a riot of colour lending itself to endless permutations of accessories. Today I opted for red as the accent colour.

My old faithful sock boots are also from H&M, many moons ago. The combination of these and the long dress made me feel very elegant and grown up. 

The belt was a charity shop find - a £1 bargain no less! The front half is patent leather and the back is elasticated; a clever way to get a snug fit, eh?

The silver and red beaded necklace was a pre-loved purchase too. The swish sunglasses are by Radley London.

I'm a bit lacking in red rings, so instead opted for the lemon tones in the dress to tie in with these pre-loved pieces.

I braved the day with bare legs, but not without my first application of fake tan. Without it, my pale Scottish skin has a greyish hue! I don't actually fake tan - I use one of those daily tinted body lotions to just take the edge off the glaring whiteness of winter skin. 

Fiona took these shots after work one evening. It was the rush hour along the coastal road incurring a couple of photo bombs from locals Jude and Nick. Little Jude was out practising on his new bike and was uber cute and shy when we spoke to him. 

All photo bombers must, of course, be heckled!

I hope you have a lovely weekend. Do you have anything special lined up? For me, I think it'll be a mixture of batch cooking of meals for the freezer as well as some long overdue deep cleaning of the bathrooms. Such is the glamorous lifestyle of a fashion blogger!

                                                                     Anna x