Inspired by Iris Apfel, our Style Not Age challenge for March




Hello again and welcome to this month's style challenge. I'm over the moon to be given this opportunity to channel the fabulous style icon that is Iris Apfel. If you're not familiar with her then click this link to find her Instagram page. The flamboyant 100 year old is a legend in America for her work not only as a fashion model, but as an Interior Designer to the stars as well as to nine Presidents who entrusted her to remodel the White House. At the age of 96 Iris was the oldest woman to have a Barbie created in her image and at 97 the oldest model to be signed up by the global agency IMG. On the 31st of March H&M UK will be launching a new range of clothing (see here) created in collaboration with Iris that promises to be their most ornate and eclectic yet - I for one am on the mailing list for that exciting release! So, what did my style sisters make of this challenge?




Hilda chose this month's theme, lending an Irish slant with this glorious green outfit and an abundance of bangles and necklaces borrowed from her daughter. See more from her here




Gail is channeling Iris perfectly in this pink and green ensemble - I've seen a photograph of her looking just like this! Catch up with Gail's story on Is This Mutton blog.



  
Inspired by Iris, Emma chose one of the icon's favourite colour combinations of red and turquoise to great effect. Read her back story on The Style Splash blog.




Beads, beads and more beads is how Jacqui has approached this month's challenge and hasn't she truly captured Iris's style? See how Jacqui tackled this on her blog Mummabstylish.




What fun I had putting this look together! My recent trip to the mainland enabled me to visit lots of charity shops to find necklaces to compliment this outfit. Iris, as Emma had observed too, showcases red and turquoise together often and that's what I wanted to emulate also. The shops were full of necklaces and I had the pick of beads and gemstones in all shades of turquoise and aqua. The red and white gingham trousers are by Zara, but purchased from TK Maxx at the bargain basement price of £8! 






My rings too were charity shop finds from a while ago, creating that Iris Apfel more is more signature style. In fact, did I wear enough, I wonder? The rose gold watch is by Micheal Kors, a cruise purchase from long ago.




These white kitten heel boots were from New Look in the sale a few years ago, costing only £5 and have surprised me by lasting so well. The toes were getting a bit scuffed as pointed toes often do so I gave them a swipe with a white marker pen I found in the basket at work.




And right on cue, here came the photo-bomber of the day. Fiona and I had hoped to avoid the evening rush hour, but Andrew the Head Gardener had other ideas!




The rest of the outfit comprises of this fab ruffle shirt which I bought in TK Maxx a couple of years ago. My sunglasses are also quite old, from River Island.




I do hope that you've enjoyed this month's style challenge. And now I'm off to join the H&M queue for my very own piece of Iris Apfel clothing. I fear it'll be one of those sell-out events, but I'll be giving it my best shot!

Have a super week!

Anna x

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Primark trouser suit; a summer gem!




Hello again my lovelies!




May has arrived and for the past little while it's been glorious weather without that dreadful sharp easterly wind. On Friday I braved it in what is one of my favourite summer trouser suits - I say braved it because it's a lightweight summer fabric and wouldn't withstand a chilly breeze. However, all was good and I even managed to do my own blog photography before I started work!




I bought the checked co-ord from Primark two years ago and it's still looking sharp - see it previously here, here and here. I often get asked where it's from and my response is always met with surprise. The unstructured jacket hangs loose without any buttons making the paperbag trousers the focal point of the outfit. 




The button back sleeves and shorter length trouser work well for my build as I like to show some wrist and ankle. My only minus point would be the lack of pockets, especially trouser ones, but on the other hand it was a brilliant purchase at only £30 for the whole suit.




The Karl tee shirt was a TK Maxx purchase about three years ago. You can't go wrong with a white tee, can you? Sunglasses are from Quay Australia.




My gold coloured chain was another Primark purchase. The rose gold watch is by Michael Kors, worn with my wedding ring and a russian three gold ring. Simple jewellery for this clean cut ensemble.




This is a great outfit for running around. I had to pop out to move art from one holiday cottage to another, so I chose practical footwear by way of these white patent finish Puma trainers. The ribbon laces for once aren't my adaptation, but they do add a touch of femininity don't you think?




It's so lovely to have you swing by again today. My readership is looking healthier than ever, so thank you if you're a regular and a very big thank you if you're spreading the word about Anna's Island Style!

                                                                           Anna x

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Utility wear for summer



Hooray, it's the weekend! Do you have to work weekends? I do sometimes, but yesterday Steve and I both had the day off and found time to go for a walk together rather than rush from chore to chore as we seem to have so far this summer. Talking of which, can you believe that we're more than half way through July? Oh my goodness!


Anyway, Steve's work shed is tucked away off the beaten track and it was here that I decided we might capture my weekend outfit. Utility wear is a big trend this summer and much as I always protest that I'm not a follower of trends, well if you shop on the high street then of course the trends are waiting to pounce on you whether you're aware of them or not. And so it happened to me. My foray into the Oxford Circus branch of Topshop was hot and hectic yes, but at least it was fruitful with this and my other gingham playsuit (see here if you missed that post).




Call it utility wear or just bog standard boiler suit, but whatever, I do love this nude cotton overall, especially for downtime. The cut is loose aka very cool and airy which is perfect for the hot summer we're having down on the Isles of Scilly currently. I do like the fact that the back has a elasticated waist giving a feminine shape to what could otherwise be a shapeless piece. Steve kindly added that I was suitably dressed to be hanging out at his workplace as I looked ready to fix chainsaws - the sawdust would hardly show at all he assured me!


Some you may wonder if I'm on commission here as I'm about to add that these chunky trainers were also from Topshop, in the sale. I seem to have fallen hard for the high street brands of late - what can I say? The temptation was too much for this island escapee!




The all-in-one has become my go-to wear for when Polly and I hang our exhibitions. It's ideal for climbing up and down ladders, stretching, lifting art and generally getting the job done. The roominess means it's comfortable without making me overheat. Perfect!




I've chosen rose gold jewellery to compliment this pale apricot outfit. My watch is by Michael Kors, from a couple of years ago, the knot bangle is by Kate Spade, the other was from the Barbican shop last year (forgotten the maker), the broad rose gold ring was a charity shop find and the knobbly ring was from a street market in Cape Town. Oh, last but by no means least, the new sunglasses are Quay Australia (my favourite brand).


I'll be wearing this again tomorrow night as it's time for our next exhibition to go up. How quickly these 10 day shows seem to come around! Next thought will be, what on earth am I going to wear to the Opening Night party? Do swing by to find out on Thursday!

                                                                                           Anna x

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Summer in September?


Hello and how are you this fine weekend?


So the question is, can it still be summer in September? Well, when the sky is as blue as this, then I say yes! I was keen to share this outfit with you before I cave to the pressure of autumn fashion. The white linen skirt with embroidered silver and gold dots (by M&S, preloved) has languished in my closet for the past few summers but is rarely given an outing. The yellow top is rather ancient (picked today for those raised dots which tie in beautifully with the skirt), maybe also M&S, but definitely preloved. Today's look came about because of the introduction of the rather swish little jacket which I finally purchased last month after seeing it on three separate occasions over the summer. 



The leaf print jacket is by Heyton at TK Maxx. Each time I saw it, I asked myself if I needed it. Note I say needed, not wanted. I'm trying to reign in my hoarding tendencies, not because I really want to, but simply because I don't have room for much more in my summer wardrobe. My hangers are jammed side by side with barely an inch of movement between them all and my tops, sweaters and trousers are piled high in towers that demand the gentlest of handling lest they will topple over. Clothes are my passion, my addiction and blogging somehow helps to justify this. Please don't judge me.



I crumbled and decided to buy the jacket on the third occasion as it had been reduced to £15 which really did seem to be a bargain for this navy lined, perfectly fitting cute little number. The shape fits my frame well and I particularly like the shorter length sleeve. I seem to recall reading somewhere that the wrist can be a great focal point, particularly for older women - that seemed to be a bit ageist, but still stuck in my mind.



Some of you may think this to be a fairly sober ensemble for me, but sometimes I do like to wear a conservative piece to which I add my own twist - the gold sandals here for example. It's good to underplay things one day as more often than not I find it feeds my imagination for the following day. The blog post coming up next time is the perfect example of this. Today's jewellery goes like this: necklace - gift from Sasha, frilly ring by Emily Nixon, broad gold ring  is preloved, rose gold watch is by Michael Kors, and let's not forget my so-perfect-I-seem-to-wear-them-every-day-sunglasses by Quay.



So you can see the metallic dots on the skirt much better here which were what informed my choice of sandals. Kitten heels or courts might have been more chic, but adding a bit of quirkiness was what I was aiming for. 

And finally, further to my news about my modelling job with JD Williams I'd like to share this link with you to the website. Over the summer months I've dodged back and forth to the mainland for casting sessions, wardrobe fitting and finally filming and throughout it all I've tempered the whole thing with the idea that my contribution would end up on the cutting room floor (such is my lack of self belief). A friend stopped by the gallery yesterday to tell me I was featured on the website as "one of the stars" of the "I AM" campaign. Pinch me, I think I'm dreaming!


Anna x

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Nearly summer

I don't need much prompting to bring out my summer clothes - just the weakest rays of sunshine, and I'm gadding about in my latest finery! This cream textured biker jacket with rose gold zips and studs is my new favourite of the moment, bought from TK Maxx.





I gathered together some rose gold accessories here by way of my Michael Kors watch, the fossilised tooth pendant and this new rose gold ring found recently in a charity shop.






Almost everything here is new/new-to-me apart from the sweet little top which I procured from my daughter's stash last year. Cream, nude and rose gold make a lovely fresh palette for this summery photo shoot. The only punch of colour is the multi coloured handbag which was another charity shop find last month. The bargain of the day has to be the sandals which I found in a charity shop and were brand new, with a price tag of £2! There was a mark on the heel which was more of a scuff than anything else - just like I'd worn them for a day in fact, but certainly not enough for me to pass them by. The cleated soles means they have great grip allowing me to stride out despite their height. Usually anything this high has me teetering about, feeling a bit silly if the truth be known. The final shot shows me about to be photo-bombed - here goes!



That was Kevin, speeding past at a rate of knots. See you next time Kevin!

Outfit details - jacket: Coffee Shop New York, top: H&M, skirt: charity shopped, shoes: Miss KG, handbag and ring: charity shopped, pendant by Charlie Dodge, watch: Michael Kors, sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Linking with -
Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb
Laurie of Vanity And Me
Anna x

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Midweek metallics










Midweek, as I've said before, can be a bit blah for me style wise. One way for me to counter this is to add a dash of metallics to enliven things which is what I've done today. My rose gold brogues haven't seen the light of day for ages and this new bronze jacket hasn't been showcased since I bought it last month. If anything, I'm not convinced that this is one of my best outfits as it's coming over all a bit casual now that I review it. And between you and me, I'm feeling a tad chunky in these jeans too. But before you jump in to counter this, may I just say that it's all relative, this weight thing. I'm surely not the only one who has a 7lb comfort zone and I've reached the top of mine - I reached it just after Christmas in fact (surprise, surprise!) - and now that spring has sprung I'm going to have to cast off the layers with the final layer being my 7lb covering. Clever dressing has disguised the truth for these past months, but enough is enough! Time for a health spring clean I think.

Details - jacket: Bomboogie, waistcoat: H&M, jeans: River Island, belt: charity shopped, top:Girls Club, shoes: Viola, rings: charity shopped, watch: Michael Kors, sunglasses: River Island.


Anna x

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