The Style Not Age Collective goes back in fashion

Welcome to our monthly Style Not Age challenge. 

It's Hilda's turn to choose our theme this month and this time she's given us all the opportunity to showcase a blast from the past by way of one of our own vintage pieces. For me this means my 20 year old leopard print fur that I bought from Dorothy Perkins two decades ago. I remember turning up to Sasha's Christmas play wearing this and as I walked into the room someone joked that I was wearing Bet Lynch's coat - everyone laughed, including me. (To my 10 year old daughter this was probably one of her first public exposures to parental embarrassment.) Some 20 years down the line this coat doesn't draw a comment as it's back in fashion, although in my eyes it never went out!

But, let's shilly-shally no longer. Here's what my blogging friends wore as trend setters all those years ago...

Hilda found her beautiful velvet jacket and ornate boots when she was clearing out her attic. What a great discovery! They hark back to the 1990's and haven't lost any of their charm, have they? See more on Over The Hilda.

Jacqui of Mummabstylish is sporting her vintage trench coat which dates back to 1987, a purchase from Principles. I love the handbag which is vintage too. The black and white shot is a great touch Jacqui!

Emma of Style Splash has been raiding her attic too and has come up with this fabulous mix of old and new to create her very unique look. Do pop across to her blog for all the details. 

My gold dress has a vintage feel to it although it's not (well, not that I know). I bought it in a charity shop earlier this year. It's from M&S and somehow feels a bit 1940's - maybe thanks to the pussycat bow.

Rings are pre-loved.

There's nothing vintage about these boots though. I don't think Zara even existed 20 years ago, although I do remember having knee length sock boots when I was only about 12 years old, making that fashion over 50 years old. Wow, that makes me feel rather ancient!

I like the notion that this doorway may indeed be a back-to-the-past portal.

Ah well, it seems a magic portal it's not, just the gateway to a very windy viewpoint.

I do hope you've enjoyed our fashion stroll down memory lane, and please do hop across to my fellow bloggers to read more about their outfits. 

                                                                                                                                       Anna x

My Favourite Trend for Autumn, our Style Not Age challenge for October

Goodness doesn't time fly? Here we go again with our end of month style challenge. Jacqui has plumped for this month's theme which has given us lots of creative scope. Me, I've been influenced by a magazine spread again, this time for the ubiquitous argyle knit. The trend isn't so much a fashion as an enduring classic.

You'll excuse me for feeling ever-so-slightly-smug that my knit was a charity shop find last year and has been loitering with intent until the right moment came along. The Country Casuals cardigan cost me all of £4 which adds to the smug factor. But enough of that, let's catch up with the rest of the Collective to see what their favourite seasonal trend is.

For Jacqui's Mummabstylish, the trend is the colour rust which is a true autumn shade. I'm partial to that hue for the cooler months too. See more on her blog here.

Hilda is rocking her stunning red trouser suit accompanied by fabulous leopard print courts. Wowee, is all I can say! Catch the full details on Over The Hilda. 

Rust is another favourite for Emma of Style Splash along with a liberal dose of velvet by way of this charity-shopped jacket (£2) - way to go Em!

Sasha was my photographer of the day and told me I ought to point out that despite how polished I may look, I'm actually full of the most revolting cold at the moment. I'm layered up in concealer to cover the dark shadows under my eyes from not sleeping last night (hurrah for my Quay Australia sunglasses, eh?) and have a dry, chafed nose from endless blowing.

The Country Casuals cardi has inbuilt shoulder pads which makes me think it might be a vintage piece. It's not showing much sign of wear however. I particularly like the deep pockets as well as the motif on the back of the sweater.

The cream ruffled blouse is another vintage find of mine, one that's been a mainstay for years. The ring is pre-loved too. 

Jumbo cord, wide-legged and lovely - that's how I'd describe these fabulous trews. The brand is Zara, but not this year's. Likewise with the tartan/plaid boots - not this season's, and from M&S, they're still a super statement ankle boot that demand attention.

I'm striding off home now, heading for a Lemsip, lots of fruit, and some downtime for the rest of the day. I fancy this cold was a freebie from my recent trip to the mainland - not the kind of freebie I like though!

                                                                                          Anna x

Autumn florals, our Style Not Age challenge

Welcome to September's style challenge! Autumn florals is what I came up with for my theme, which feels like the halfway house to admitting that summer is over. I've unpacked some of my autumn clothes today, but I'm not convinced that I'm ready for the decline into what I find the most difficult months of the year. Drab and dull is what comes to mind when I think autumn and winter, but I mustn't confuse the weather with the clothes must I? Anyway, let's see how my co-conspirators have done this time shall we?

Jacqui gives her florals a light touch by adding white to the mix. This is a clever bit of transitional dressing if ever I saw it! Read more on her blog Mummabstylish here.

Another pair of light coloured boots lifts Hilda's dark floral frock and adds a funky element that I really love. See her back story on Over the Hilda here.

Editor of Style Splash Emma is sporting a #secondhandseptember frock for the challenge. I would have snapped this pretty offering up too if I'd seen it! And how cute is that little bag?

So let's get down to details shall we? My floral frock is by Zara, an earlier purchase from this summer. The mustard suedette jacket is by Boohoo which I picked up in TK Maxx this year too. You may remember seeing these chestnut suede boots before. I've had them for a couple of years now - they're from Office and are still comfy as ever despite the height of those heels.

The maxi dress has one side split giving the odd flash of thigh. I think I'll be happier to wear tights with this during the colder months. The tiny and beautifully soft leather bag by Gigi is preloved and was a bargain at £3.99. I was rather pleased to match the orange flowers with the orange trim of the bag.

I've got a few maxi dresses that I'm planning on wearing with boots over the next month or so to see if I can extend their life beyond that summer fling. I think a bit of layering may be needed to carry it the look off, but it may be worth a try. My cream and peach floral frock from Zara (see here) is one that I'm loath to pack away just yet, so watch out for that bit of styling soon.

Rings are both preloved, as is the leather belt by Evie and my necklace is by Daisy Dunlop. Did you notice the punched floral pattern on both ring and belt? I can't help these tiny link-ups.

Sunglasses are by my fave brand Quay Australia.

So that's another month's challenge in the bag. Thanks for joining us again. Are we inspiring you? Does autumn inspire you? If so, please do share with me what fires you up most for this new season as I do struggle with this. Perhaps you've had your colours done and autumn is you? I think I may be autumn, but that doesn't seem to make it any easier for me. 

Have a great week and let's catch up again soon!

Anna x

Purple Reign, our Style Not Age challenge for August

Hello lovelies! Can you believe it's four weeks since we last did this? Anyway, welcome once more to our Style Not Age challenge which was set by Emma this month. And honestly, I found this a terrible one to do! I have so few summer clothes in purple. Purple is rich and sumptuous and velvety and brocade-y and oh-so-very-wintery to me. So what was my dear friend thinking of by setting us this now of all times? Emmaaaaaa!!!!!

At least I've managed to change my face from that quizzical look to feigning pleasure at this crazy quest. I'll talk you through the outfit in a mo, but let's see what the others make of it, shall we?

First to drop into my inbox was this stunning suit from Hilda of Over the Hilda. My heart sank at see how stylish purple could look. What can I say? She nailed it! Do pop over to her blog to get the full story of this gorgeous ensemble.

Next up was Mummabstylish's Jacqui who has this casual look taped. Purple suits her dark hair and complexion to a T. Such a cool look Jacqui - well done!

It's no surprise that Emma of Style Splash chose purple as this month's theme when she had this chic outfit lined up. Another great get up here Emma, full marks!

So, here's the truth about this outfit of mine. This is my only purple summer top currently; I picked it up in a charity shop earlier on this year. It's by Per Una and has that vintage vibe being stretch lace and reminds me of tops I used to wear many moons ago. 

My favourite piece of this outfit is without a doubt the fabulous Oxford bag style trousers by H&M in collaboration with William Morris. Read more about that here. I'm rather pleased that Vogue recommended these as one of the best pieces to buy. Not only that, but I picked them up in the January sales when I was staying with my sister in St Andrews in January.  St Andrews may be more famous for its University and golf course, but I found it very accessible for shopping, being neither too big nor too small and a great mix of high street shops like H&M plus a great selection of charity shops. I ended up posting three boxes of shopping home to myself! 

The pre-loved theme continues from the lace top, to the white leather belt through to the rings. My gold coloured bangle is made from brass and the brand is Almost Perfect. The gold chain necklace was a Primark extravagance at £3.99.

New sunglasses here today, by Superdry for a change. 

The perfect neutral summer sandal by Europen from TK Maxx. Soooo blooming comfortable and all day long wearable. Hurrah!

Steve and I were on Cradle Porth for today's photo shoot. The views behind capture the Isles of Scilly at the end of the day in high summer when the tourists have retreated leaving the islands to ourselves. This year we seem to have missed those end of day picnics that we used to do. Life has been particularly busy with more boat mending to do and also the two new additions to the family -

The two new puppies are from left to right Gilly and Brigg with our old timer Jack . Pink nosed Gilly belongs to Jamie and Brigg belongs to Sasha. Everyone has their hands full with all the basic training going on at the moment. I'm steering clear (not that I don't love them, but too many cooks...) as most of my spare time is being spent in the sea - but more of that another time.

I do hope you've enjoyed this month's challenge and please pop over to the other blogs if you get a moment. My next post will feature the final summer exhibition which took place on Friday. Do join me for that later on this week!

Until then, have a great week!

Anna x

Steal her style - our July Style Not Age challenge

Hi there and welcome to this month's Style Not Age challenge. Set this month by Hilda, the theme is "Steal her style" and has brought about some interesting results. 

I chose Suzi Grant, blogger, author and broadcaster as my inspiration for this month's challenge. I've only recently discovered Suzi on Instagram and was so sorry to have missed her when she visited the Isles of Scilly in May. Maybe we'll get the chance to meet up another time. Find her website Alternative Ageing here. 

Jacqui is no stranger to this lovely copycat game as she plays it once a month with her very own Style Steal. See this month's edition here (I can't believe I missed this one Jacqui!). Her outfit was taken from that wonderful movie Pretty Woman and doesn't she wear this well? Why not pop across to view her backstory here. 

And in a very sweet moment of snap we also have Hilda sporting her own Pretty Woman outfit. Great minds think alike ladies! 

Don't these ladies look rather fabulous in their spotty dresses and hats? I only wish I'd got the memo as I too have one of these spotty frocks! Join Hilda on her blog Over The Hilda to read all about her offering.

Last in this great creative feature is Emma from Style Splash who is copying a look from Killing Eve. I have to confess to never having seen this series, but if you nip across to her blog there's a link to Villanelle for you to compare. I'll see you over there!

And so back to my copycat look of Suzi's. My paisley print top was a hand-me-down from Sasha some time ago and seemed like the perfect piece for this month's challenge. It was from H&M and is looking good considering how often I wear it. The pink chinos are from Boden earlier on this summer - see here. My Puma trainers were a TK Maxx find when I was in London. I love the fact that they have silk ribbons instead of ordinary laces. I'm partial to a stylish twist. The retro sunglasses are a real signature piece for Suzi - mine are from Topshop.

Many thanks to Polly for this cute hairband which helped to finish off my Steal her style look.

And on a finishing note, I'd like to pass on a bit of advice I was given this weekend - that being not to leave your electrical items running when you go out. We had a small fire in our kitchen this weekend when our dishwasher motor burnt out, eventually bursting into flames. Our local fire brigade tackled the fire and all we were left with was a gaping hole where the appliance used to be, plus some charred worktop and smoke damage around the area involved. Sooty residue and a lingering smell of smoke will take a bit longer to get rid of. Had my husband not popped home when he did the fire wouldn't have been discovered so quickly and things could have been quite different. Washing machines, dishwashers and tumble driers all ought to be used when someone is at home - please pass this on.

                                                                                              Anna x