Anna's Island Style: TK Maxx

That Friday feeling

Hello again! Yes, this is me, giving a big sigh of relief for that Friday feeling. Not popping corks or doing somersaults, simply sitting for a moment, taking in the view and being grateful.

The days seem to be rattling past as August gets into full swing. The Isles of Scilly are thronging with visitors and we're all working flat-out to provide the premium holiday experience that our guests deserve. But golly, I'm flagging all of a sudden. Lunchtime walks and morning swims have been dropped for the first time ever as I struggle to find enough energy for work alone. But I'm not too worried as I know this will be short-lived. In no time at all it will be September and the frenetic pace will soon be a thing of the past. Tempus fugit eh?

Today's work outfit is a new combination again. The dress was from TK Maxx when I was away in May, but this is the first time to be shown on the blog. The brand is Feather and Bone, not one that I've come across before, but the frock is a pretty floral pattern of black, brown, pink and yellow mainly and the fabric is polyester and elastane which gives it a lovely bit of stretch.

The drop waist style is flattering and comfy too. I've added a net underskirt and my plaid Converse boots to give an edgy look as I worry that maxi dresses can be a bit frumpy if you're a woman of a certain age.

The petticoat was a charity shop find and the Converse were from TK Maxx, some time ago.

I would say that the best thing about this frock is the wash and wear aspect of it. I've not had to iron it between wears or after washing, hurrah! What busy working woman wouldn't be thrilled with that? Jewellery today is a smokey quartz and silver necklace from Emily Nixon (many moons ago) along with a couple of charity shopped rings. My cool sunglasses are from Quay Australia - surprise, surprise!

I'll leave you with a playful whoosh of the frock, just to show you that I'm not completely done yet! Thanks for dropping by. I know we're all so busy at this time of year and I have very little expectations from my readers to spend time leaving comments or even to visit at all. I appreciate you swinging by and I do hope you're having a wonderful summer!

Anna x

Hello again. How was your weekend? The mercury rose here at the weekend and Tresco became thoroughly tropical for a couple of days. On Sunday I took cover for most of the afternoon as it really was too blooming hot for me. I spent a couple of hours indoors doing clothes management. If this is a new term to you then I decided to name the constant chasing of laundry around in circles as such. Not only laundry though as I've been putting away some spring outfits and bringing lighter summer clothes out. The chore is complete for this weekend at least!

This was Saturday's work outfit. I'm so pleased to showcase this yellow linen bolero jacket. I love it! The brand is Debenhams Collection (Petite) and was a pre-loved purchase from my recent mainland trip. I paid £4.50 for this pristine jacket and am thrilled to have this as part of my wardrobe now. The cut is great, the fit is perfect and I do like the notch front too.

I paired the jacket with these silky wide legged trousers from H&M which I bought way back in 2018. Have I worn them on the blog before? I honestly don't remember - (yes, shame on me Sheila!). I've had them hung up alongside a lemon and grey striped jacket for over a year now and I do know that the combination never made it to the blog last summer or the one before. I think the jacket was too long, whereas this cropped length is a much more flattering fit for this high waist Oxford Bag style of trouser.

The cream lace top was a charity shop find from ages ago and has certainly been aired on the blog many times already.

The cream hessian weave sandals are by Europen, bought from TK Maxx, but not recently.

Nothing new jewellery-wise: the gold chain necklace was from Primark, the yellow stone ring was an airport concession purchase and the silver and gold seaweed ring is by Emily Nixon.

The lemon and cream combo has a lovely fresh feel to it and not only that, but the jacket gives the outfit a sharp edge which garnered a few compliments too. Dressing in lemon and yellow shades are akin to wearing portable sunshine and always earn me a smile or two along the way. Hurrah for summer!

Wishing you a great week ahead!

Anna x

Hello lovely readers! How are you today? Well, I hope.

Today's title refers to the outfit, not me by the way. You'll have seen the dress featured previously, but the addition of a jacket just gives it a smart edge. My love of pattern play is truly evident here too, even down to the heart sprigged tights. It felt like a proper spring outfit when I wore it earlier this week.

The jacket is by Heyton, bought in TK Maxx a few years ago. It really is a beautifully tailored piece, with perfect proportions for my height; flattering cut, neat stitching and lovely sleeve length. I had a search online for the brand, but couldn't find a web page, however I did find the same jacket on eBay if anyone is interested.

My leather brogues are from Office (very old), but do work so well with this Zara snakeprint dress. I love the mint shade of the shoes although they're quite a difficult colour to tie in with a lot of my outfits. They are absolute heaven to wear, being all day long comfy with no need for that lunchtime swap over as so often happens to me. The Radley handbag was a wonderful charity shop find, a stylish neutral bag for this look.

My rings are both pre-loved, charity shopped and blooming perfect for this ensemble. Hurrah!

The dress came with its own self tie belt, so as is my wont I changed that for a different one; yet another charity shop find. It's leather and elastic woven with gilt trim to create an unusual accessory that had earned its place in my collection.

Next month is my 6 year blogging anniversary and I'm inviting any of my readers to send me an email with a photo of yourself in an outfit inspired by Anna's Island Style. Some of my blogging friends have responded to this, but I'd love to showcase readers too. So don't be shy, please step up and let me feature you on my anniversary feature!

Anna x

Hurrah for March and this glorious weather!

Hello lovelies and how are you today? We've had the most amazing spell of weather over the weekend, prompting me to go further afield for my photo shoot. This low tide sandbar is normally under water so it was lovely to capture the view of the islands from a different viewpoint.

My casual weekend look of camo jeans and Converse boots is a lovely easy-to-wear pairing, but I wanted to pep it up and what better way than to add a mighty old dose of gold lurex! I know that this may not be in everyone's comfort zone, but it was great fun to wear and gained not one raised eyebrow from those I met along the way. The cardigan is a pre-loved piece by H&M. The white and gold Karl tee shirt was a TK Maxx purchase ages ago.

I'm wearing Radley sunglasses along with two rings both airport concession purchases from years ago. The statement necklace (old) is from Topshop. I love how my camera surprised me with switching on the flash as I stepped towards it!

It was so good to take time away from home; to forget chores and sewing and the Sunday dinner waiting to be cooked. And best of all there wasn't a soul in sight. How grateful I am to live here!

I make no apologies for sporting my Converse boots again, so soon too! It's the joy of rediscovering them after they'd been hidden in the back of the cupboard for months. I've fallen in love with them all over again.

I'm so aware that time is slipping away as my return to work looms large on the horizon. The mental battle continues as I try to find that balance between projects I want to finish at home and my desire to embrace the big outdoors while I have this free time. No matter what I do, I have this nagging doubt that perhaps I ought to be doing the other...

Anna x

Hurrah for the weekend!

The sun is shining and it's almost the weekend! Yay! How has your week been? Mine seems to have flown by in the blink of an eye. By Friday I always like to review my week according to what I've achieved and this week seems to be sadly lacking in fanfare moments. Sticky little admin issues and sewing machine problems mean I've not got a lot to show for anther seven days. That's highlighted by the fact that my return to work is no longer a distant event, but will be a reality by the end of March.

Today's outfit is another shopping my closet effort and one that I'm rather pleased with. The leather maxi skirt is pre-loved (The Chine Collection) and cost me £14 when I was on my shopping trip in London in Nov 2019. It's real leather and made up of lots of panels creating this lovely flared hemline.

It's the first time I've worn the skirt mainly due to the fact that I've had a bit of style block about it. A leather maxi skirt isn't all that easy to wear without it looking a bit over the top, but by adding these casual Converse boots it becomes much more wearable.

The boots were a TK Maxx find from a few years ago. I've not worn them a lot, purely because I want to keep them looking fresh and clean - mad, eh? Anyway, here they are adding a funky edge to what could have been a bit of a white elephant.

The animal print sunglasses are by Radley London and again add a bit of edge to the overall look.

A couple of cocktail rings add to the funk factor. The sweater is old, from H&M.

And so I'll shimmy off into the weekend where sewing, cooking and swimming will all be jockeying for position. Do you have much lined up for the next few days? The prospect of lock-down ending here in England certainly is helping to sharpen my focus on those things I want to get done before I'm whisked back to work. I hope you have a fruitful weekend too!

Anna x

Another spring like day, hurrah! I may be obsessed with the weather, but I think that comes from living on on island with no cars, therefore we're always steeped in the depths of what mother natures sends our way. This week has been mostly wet and windy, so this sunny day was all I needed to get dressed for a brisk walk around the island.

This mustard wool coat was a purchase from TK Maxx a couple of years ago and has been a firm favourite ever since. It's like a cuddly teddy bear and really has that snuggle factor. Worn over jeans it's a lovely casual look. The jeans are rather ancient - snow wash denim was maybe an 80's fashion - but were an amazing bargain at the time of purchase, only £1 in sale rail in charity shop in Exeter and are still going strong.

The view behind me is pretty stunning isn't it? The vista is looking down Tresco Channel out towards Cromwell's Castle and the big blue yonder.

The handbag is another preloved purchase, this time from my shopping trip to London in 2019 - gosh that seems like so long ago now!

I was trying out my new tripod for these photos. It's a flexible tripod that takes phones or cameras. I was able to prop it up on uneven surfaces such as the granite wall and the grassy bank. I've since used it wrapped around my bicycle basket and even moulded around a rock when I was making a swimming video (see that here).

I've not worn fuchsia with mustard before and must admit I rather like it. The cashmere polo neck sweater is from M&S. It's soft and fluffy and toasty warm so what more could you want? The buttery soft leather gloves are a great match. Jamie bought them for my Christmas. The sunglasses are by Quay Australia.

The jazzy little handbag is not only cute but roomy enough to hold my tiny new tripod so that's a bonus. My white patent leather boots are by Besson and were from TK Maxx. My Christmas wishlist was an absolute winner for me this year meaning that I had lots of lovely new things that I really, really wanted.

These photos explain my late posting today. Regulars will know that I normally post on a Friday, but I've been a bit obsessed with my sewing project and couldn't stop until I got this far. I have another chair to do next...

I'll be back again on Monday with our Style Not Age challenge so please do swing by for that.

Anna x

Hi there! Yes, it's a rather shocking headline from the woman whose 12 month shopping ban isn't over yet, but hang on, this was hubby's birthday present to me last week. Of course, I did give him lots of guidance. No matter, it's beautiful, don't you think?

Best of all, this two piece by Adidas is still on sale on ASOS now - see here. I have a thing about trouser suits and am always on the look out for another to add to my collection. This salmon pink corduroy number caught my eye when I was searching for Christmas presents and I earmarked it mentally for my birthday. I was delighted to find it had been reduced in the sale when I went back to search for it.

The high waisted trousers are great fit for my figure and best of all the fabric has stretch in it too. I couldn't wait to get out in this lovely weather to showcase it. This is me on the ramparts of Blockhouse Castle, but the view down to the beach below looked pretty inviting too...

The jacket is quite boxy, slightly masculine and for me that needed a bit of softening with either frills or lace. I opted for this lace top from Zara with a vest underneath for warmth.

That's the problem when you set up your camera and tripod on your own. No-one to zoom in or out ...

Suffice to say I was still having fun!

Silver rings and leather belt are all second hand.

I like the ribbon stripes down the side of the trousers. My leather boots by Besson were from TK Maxx (a Christmas present from Steve).

It was glorious on the beach here. So much so, that I went straight home and put my swimsuit on so that I could swim here in the afternoon sunshine. This was on Monday when I think the snow was falling on mainland UK.

I swam from Cook's Porth to Cradle Porth and back again. See a wee video from the other beach on my Instagram feed here.

My latest project is some sewing (at last). I'm trying to make new covers for my sofa and armchairs, but it's a challenge to say the least. However, you know me, I do like a challenge! In due course I hope to be able to show you the fruits of my labour. In the meantime, I wish you a super weekend.

Anna x

Anna's Island Style

That Friday feeling

Debenhams bolero jacket

Smart and sassy!

Camo jeans and gold lurex cardigan

Casual styling for a leather maxi skirt

Mustard and fuchsia - a sunny combination

My new Adidas trouser suit