Black trouser challenge 6

Here we have week 6 of my black trouser challenge featuring these fabulous frilled lovelies from River Island. You don't often see me wearing red - last time was at Christmas with this red skirt- but today I've rediscovered this M&S linen top that I bought in a charity shop last summer and this is its first showing.

Red and black may well be everyday wear for most of you, but this is a giant step out of my comfort zone. Having said that, I realise that finding the right shade of red makes my skin come alive. I've previously shied away from reds thinking that they didn't suit me, but that's because I've been trying reds with a blue tone in them as opposed to this which is a tomato red that veers towards orange. The vintage handbag doesn't come out much for all the previous reasons so this is a great excuse to showcase it once again.

Outfit details - trousers: River Island, top: M&S, belt, bag,bangle and rings: all charity shopped, necklace: gift, shoes: BCBGeneration.

On Sunday I'll be featuring my outfit for our first summer show so please join me to see how I kicked things off this year.

Anna x

Black trouser challenge 5

Yep, it's week five of my self-imposed black trouser challenge and I'm still going strong. I thought it was about time to inject a good ol' dollop of colour this time by way of this floralfest of a blouse. One of my favourite stylings of this fabulous blouse was featured on the blog here. Cost-per-wear for my trousers has dropped down to a comfortable £8 so I'm a very happy bunny. Let's take a look at this week's offering shall we?

So what can I say about this five week love affair? The ruffles still make my heart somersault, the fit is still good after lots of wash'n'wear, and I'm finding black such a dream to partner up with the contents of my wardrobe. This morning I found another clutch of tops which could easily have made an appearance here and not looked out of place in the least. I do wonder if I would have been quite so inspired if I'd chosen a plain, basic cut pair of black trousers for my style challenge, but hey, you know that I wouldn't have fallen for anything less than wonderful to convert me to the joys of black breeks! My sole concern is that you, my dear reader, are tiring of the repeated exposure to these fancy pants. Please whizz on by if this doesn't enchant you as it does me - I'll understand.

Trousers: River Island (still available here), blouse: Next (charity shop find, so may be quite old), shoes: New Look, rings: charity shopped, sunglasses: Quay Australia, heart pendant: boutique find, but no idea of the name, sorry!

This is a non-sponsored post.

My next post will be on Monday when I feature the #5Over50 challenge - hope to see you then!

Anna x

Black trouser challenge 1

If you're a regular reader you'll be aware that my favourite places to shop are charity shops and vintage stores. That doesn't mean to say I abhor mainstream fashion, it's more that I enjoy finding individual pieces that make a unique statement as well as getting a bargain. The trousers I'm wearing today are from the high street, from River Island (see here), and to my mind they deliver the individual style that I love. 

Before we go any further let me say that this isn't a sponsored post. I've set myself this personal challenge to justify the £40 I spent on these trousers - not an extortionate amount I know, but still more than I'm used to compared to charity shops. Over the next few weeks I plan to wear them once a week to see how versatile and cost worthy they are. What can I drive the cost-per-wear down to?

I'm not a huge fan of black trousers, particularly in synthetic fibres as they remind me of school trousers or office wear. In fact I don't own many pairs of plain black trousers as frankly I do find them totally uninspiring. I have forgiven them and the fabric here however, because of these fabulous frills. These trousers are ticking a lot of boxes. The fit is great for my hour glass figure with this high waist and the cropped length is also perfect for my height. And last of all let's not forget to mention the side pockets to give full comfort factor.

To complete the look I've added a black retro vibe shirt from Sainsbury's (in the sale, sold out, sorry) and the apple green jacket was a charity shop find (Precis brand) along with my much loved black sandals from New Look a couple of summers ago. I've cinched the waist of the trousers in with a stretch belt to add definition and slipped on a couple of gold toned rings - all of these are from charity shops. 

I fancy that I may be preaching to the converted here as I suspect that the majority of my readers wear black trousers far more often than I do. For you, this feature will be a chance to observe me (hopefully) discover how versatile these will be in my wardrobe. I don't think I could enter into this challenge with bog standard plain black trousers as the very thought of that has me loosing the will to live, but the flamenco frills add fun and hence Anna appeal. 

Linking with -

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Jess of Elegantly Dressed And Stylish

Anna x