A touch of sparkle, our Style Not Age challenge for November

Hello and welcome once again to our monthly style challenge! Never one for understatement, I'm kicking off this month's challenge with a very liberal dose of bright orange sequins as my touch of sparkle. However, you'll see that I'm not so out of step with my fashionista friends with this month's quest as we all limber up in readiness for Christmas.

Hilda has plumped for the glitter option of sparkle in this pretty bronze blouse with black trim to match her black chiffon skirt. Catch more from her on Over The Hilda here.

Jacqui's black and silver sequinned top dazzles in the sunshine, but teamed with these velvet trousers epitomises evening elegance. Read her blog Mummabstylish for her style story.

Gail's take on this month's challenge could be called Glitter, Sparkle and Shine as that's how wonderfully she has embraced the theme! Find out more from her on Is This Mutton blog. 

Emma's interpretation is an eye-catching mix of damson sequins and emerald green chiffon frills. What fun! Do please scoot across to find out all of the details on her blog Style Splash.

As you'll all be aware, I'm on a 12 month shopping ban currently and despite the odd wanton browsing of the Zara website (see this rather stunning bit of sparkle available at the moment), I'm happy to say that this tightening of the belt has only served to show me how much my wardrobe holds. The orange sequinned jacket was from TK Maxx a couple of years ago and the brand is Anothereight. I last wore it almost a year ago (see here) and this is the 4th time I've shown it on the blog. 

And what does one wear with a bright orange sequin jacket? Why, bright orange satin pants of course! These are from the Conscious Collection at H&M, but are quite old. Thank goodness, however, that they're not so old that they don't fit. I have a friend who used to say that some of her clothes tend to shrink in the wardrobe if she doesn't wear them for a year or two ... I know exactly how that goes!

The skinny satin trousers called for statement footwear and these old beauties came to mind. By Office, the chestnut suede ankle boots are far from new, but the towering heels and platform soles still give me buzz regardless. 

Accessories read like this: the gold framed mirror sunglasses (they were just begging to team up with this burnished ensemble!) are by Quay Australia, rings are pre-loved and the rose gold heart pendant was from a boutique in Truro some time ago.

My jewel bright cashmere sweater works so well with today's orange sparkle. In case you missed it last time I was gifted this beautifully soft two ply cashmere jumper by Cashmere Specialist, a mail order company in Slovakia. Please do check out their extensive website and if you quote ANNA10 you'll get 10% off your order, but be quick as this ends on the 2nd of December! 

Many thanks to the ladies of the collective for their joyful contributions and also thanks to Sasha for being the photographer of the day. I love how she managed to capture the reflection of these exotic palm trees in my sunglasses.

Take care and see you next time!

Anna x

Cashmere luxury from The Cashmere Specialist

Hello lovelies! I'm so happy to be back firing on all cylinders again. And not only back, but enjoying the opportunity to share details of my new cashmere polo neck courtesy of The Cashmere Specialist. I've been gifted a couple of beautiful items from the Slovakian company, but the review is mine, all my own words and my honest opinion of the goods.

I chose this vibrant fine yarn sweater mainly for the colour (Lapis blue - find it here). I'm all about colour after all. A cashmere polo neck is the ultimate luxury item for the winter and this one is a lovely fit. I like the slimline shape for a sleek outline. I referred to the size chart to check my measurements and opted for the medium which is a perfect fit. I hate to wear wide sweaters as they make me look very square and do like this one for that reason. The smooth, soft yarn is comfortable against the skin without the need of a layer underneath and the tight ribbed neck is perfect for trapping the body's heat to keep toasty warm - it's also very good at disguising my turkey neck! 

The Cashmere Specialist is family run company, trading online only. Quality is their prime concern from sourcing the wool to production across their entire range, whether it's 100% cashmere or the cashmere and cotton range, cashmere and silk or Alpaca range. Luxury items don't come cheap, but the brand offers high quality, which means that these are not only soft, warm and comfortable, but durable and long lasting too. I hand wash my cashmere in a specialist liquid in warm, not hot water and always dry my sweaters flat on a towel to maintain the shape and keep them colourfast.  This jewel bright blue deserves to be kept as vibrant as ever!

Raglan shaping and deep ribbed cuffs and hem are a classic design, ensuring a great finish. The smooth two ply yarn is a real plus in my opinion. I have quite a few cashmere sweaters from other brands that use a fluffy wool  and initially this fluffiness always seems to have a great appeal - oh how cuddly soft they are, just like a teddy bear! However, inevitably over time, the fluff results in piling and bobbling resulting in a sweater that has to be relegated to at home wear. I even bought one of those cashmere mini combs, but all they do is cut off the lumps and bumps leaving you with a thinner patch underneath. 

And here's the rundown of the rest of the outfit: skirt and two-tone brogues are by Boden, but are very old indeed. Rings are pre-loved, tights are ancient and sunglasses are by Quay Australia. Many thanks to Fiona for giving up her lunchtime to take the photos. 

This zingy yellow snood (find it here) is my second gift, and what a fab burst of sunshine it is! Again, I chose a bright colour as another anitdote to the dark winter months ahead. But on a more practical note, the snood acts as a barrier against the cold and also as an effective heat trap to stop the body's warmth escaping. Easier to wear than a scarf, the smooth yarn doesn't itch and is also fine enough not to add too much bulk around the neck either. 

I'm hoping that the yellow snood perks up this offering, which on reflection may be a tad too much brown for my liking. I fancy that I may be less bold in my outfit choices since I've emerged from my poorly time at home. I'll have to scour through my wardrobe to find something a bit more inspirational for my next post. There - I've thrown down the gauntlet to myself style-wise and let's hope I can come up with something worthy. The details however are: trench by Topshop (pre-loved), jeans by Curve Appeal from TK Maxx, striped sweater from Topshop, boots from Primark, sunglasses are by Radley - none of this is new. 

What I've failed to mention this far is the fact that I have a discount code for The Cashmere Specialist - if you order anything from the website between now and the 2nd of December you can claim a 10% discount simply by quoting ANNA10 in your order. 

Do please take a moment to browse through their website - it's a veritable cornucopia of knitwear for both women and men in a wonderful array of yarns and colours. They do a great line in accessories too which may help with your Christmas wish list!

                                                                          Anna x