The joy of colour

I'm never happier than when I'm wearing bold colours and today's outfit is pretty much as bold as it gets. Fuchsia and orange just sing out, signalling joy to anyone who cares to take a look. The overcast sky was a bonus this morning as I think bright sunlight might have bleached the overall effect. 

My outfit is a mixture of new and pre-loved (my new favourite word for a favourite way of shopping). The top is from TK Maxx, by Figuerola & Flower, trousers are from New Look, the sky scraper sandals are by Catwalk, necklace is pre-loved as is the orange ring and bangle, whereas the pink ring and bangle were birthday gifts from years ago, sunglasses are from Quay Australia. The pink culottes are still on sale, see here. I bought mine in the Truro store last month during the summer sale (£8) and they were the last pair on the rack. I fell in love with the colour and grabbed them to try on along with the armful of summer fripperies I'd found. Well, when I took them off the hanger I discovered that they were a size 18 (I'm an 8/10), but that didn't put me off. These plisse fabric culottes work fine on me in this size as they don't cling, sit on the hips (allowing a large lunch to be consumed without worry of mid-afternoon-belly-bloat) and therefore are more like wide leg crop trousers than mid-calf culottes. I'm a huge advocate of ignoring sizes in favour of trying on to see how things work out. Yes, I could have searched online to see if these were still available in my size, but the thrill of the chase was on and I needed these at that very moment. Impatient, impetuous, impending broke - yes, that's me!

Anna x

Black trouser challenge 11

Another week, another variation on the black trouser challenge. If you missed the start of this then you can catch the first instalment here. 

So here we have the 11th styling of my fabulous fancy pants and I thought it was time to go the whole hog with leopard print. In my book, there was a time when this print was very Bet Lynch of the Rovers Return - way be before your time? 

Since then, I think leopard print has graduated into the classics. No longer is it tainted with that slightly seedy influence, but has become mainstream fashion. Hands up out there if you don't have one single piece of leopard print, not even a scarf, in your wardrobe. Why do I think that both my sisters have are sitting at the back with their hands held high and eyes rolling? 

Anyway, I'll skip right along now to the bit where, right about this time of year, I send my apologies to my fellow bloggers and those of you who very kindly take the time to comment here and on my instagram account. Yep, I'm confessing to being over-run at work, home and life generally and am just about keeping the blog on track - apart from the fact that I'm not managing to answer my comments or visit other bloggers. Please know that I have the best of intentions, but have had to make the decision between keeping posting my own blog or doing the rounds to others as well as responding. All of this takes time and I thought it best to keep you coming back to see new features. Hopefully, in about a month's time, I ought to get back on track and do hope that I won't have lost too many followers through neglect. Please hang on in there - I love reading your comments!

Outfit details - trousers: River Island, cardigan: H&M, shoes: BCBGeneration, necklace: gift, rings: old.

Anna x

5th August show night

I'm surely not the only one to be slightly alarmed at the speed we're whizzing along currently. Here I sit, typing away frantically on the 9th about the event on the 5th while I have my mind on the 11th! So let's stop, breathe and just be in the moment.

I've been waiting for months to show you these fabulous new shoes. I bought them in the River Island sale in April when I was in Harrogate and have been keeping them for the right outfit. Fuchsia and red make for a stunning combination don't you think?

My frock is a recent charity shop purchase. The brand is Monsoon and I was delighted to find a dry cleaning label attached meaning I didn't have to undertake that myself. It's a lovely coral colour that works perfectly with the shoes.

 The breeze made for an interesting photo shoot with the majority of the photos being discarded thanks to my lack of fringe - oh how I hate to see my white forehead!

And here are the girls, also battling the effects of the wind. Max, Polly and Heather were on top of things for the evening, making everything run smoothly as usual. Many thanks to them.

The artists featured in this week's show (see here) are Teresa Pemberton, Tom Rickman and Jenny Ulyatt, shown above with her husband. They spent a couple of days on the island winding down after her opening night. Jenny works in watercolours, but with a very fresh, contemporary feel. See the link above to view her work.

Apologies for being brief, but I must head on out for my morning swim now. The sun is shining and there's still a brisk wind blowing, but the sea beckons no matter the weather.

Outfit details - shoes: River Island, dress: Monsoon, necklace: Debenhams, rings: charity shopped, sunglasses: Quay Australia. 

Anna x

5Over50 style challenge - orange is the new black

Welcome to our August edition of the 5Over50 style challenge.This is where one of the fashionable five over 50's choose a theme for us to style and yes, this month we're giving our interpretations of Orange is the new black, thanks to Ashley who's a huge fan of the TV series. My fellow bloggers have all entered into this one with great gusto so let's not shilly-shally any longer...

Here's a taster of what I've offered up -

Never one to be too predictable, I've chosen orange with accent colours of white, blue and lilac along with a sprinkling of metallics to round things off nicely. But more of that later...

Jacqui of Mummabstylish has given us textbook orange in all its glory. I love her long statement necklace that adds an elegant edge to this two piece. See the full story on her post here.

Orange trews, orange bag, orange hat and even orange lippy - yep, Gail has entered into the challenge big time. This casual look suits her down to the ground (no pun intended!) and you can see the whole shebang on her post here.

Laurie is sporting a summer chic style in her orange ensemble and it's pretty stunning to say the least. The pops of colour sing out against her sharp white trousers and white shopper. Visit her blog to get the lowdown here.

Ashley has donned her Orla Kiely tee shirt dress for today's challenge partnered with orange sandals and a cute raffia bag. A picnic must be waiting just off camera, don't you think? Sadly, this is her last post with the group due to work commitments, so do pop over to her blog for the final feature.

These silver glitter socks serve a dual purpose. Firstly they make a fashion statement, whatever that may be - I'll leave you to decide. But secondly, they help ease the rather tight fit of these new sandals which I've had since last summer without managing to stretch. Et viola - today I can!

If you're a regular, you'll have seen this dress before (a purchase from Tu at Sainsbury's from last summer) so I've tried to mix it up a bit with the white and metallic trim belt as well as the socks and mules. For some reason I felt I was channelling Vivienne Westwood the minute I donned this footwear - have I seen her in this combo I wonder, or is it just wacky enough to make me think of her? No matter, I broke the sandals in and they fit much better for having been stretched a bit at last.

Outfit details - dress and sandals: Tu at Sainsbury's, belt: charity shopped, heart pendant: Vanilla Boutique, rings: charity shopped, watch: Michael Kors, sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Linking with - 

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Anna x

Not an outfit, just clothes.

Polly insisted that we do a photoshoot of this, not me. I was in very practical mode on this particular day when I knew that we had a heap to get through at work (a whole lot of cleaning, then packing of artwork in addition to unpacking of more, hanging paintings too, as well as running in and out of the storeroom to recycle vast amounts of cardboard) therefore I couldn't afford to be teetering about in high heels or a tight frock. Hence the non-outfit, just easy trousers, baggy shirt and no jewellery. But Polly wouldn't hear of my protests about this non-outfit. No, it's for the blog this one...

Just think how much it would cost to lay on all of these special effects - background in soft focus, just the right amount of little boats bobbing about in the bay, ample gusts of wind to achieve that oh-so-natual windswept look for my hair - why it would cost a fortune. And to think that Polly and I get this done in under two minutes flat every morning completely unaided, well we're real pro's she and I!

Outfit details - shirt: charity shopped, sandals: picked up in New Zealand, trousers: Stanley Market in Hong Kong (a gift from a friend, thank you again Ben), camisole: Primark, sunnies: Quay Australia.

I'll be back on Friday with the 10th offering of the Black Trouser Challenge (that's provided it stops raining long enough for our shoot) and then on Monday it's time for #5Over50 feature with Orange is the new black. We also open another new exhibition this weekend and I'll showcase my outfit for that a week from now. I fancy that August may well speed by just as July did!

Anna x

Anna meets...Philonena

It's been a while since I've run this feature, but I'd say it's been worth the wait as today I meet Philonena who was visiting the island during the Cider Festival in June. Her partner organised the music for the weekend. He was so pleased that I wanted to interview Philonena as he's very proud of her taking such care over her appearance and stepping out in style.

Anna: What brings you to this tiny island?

Philonena: My partner, Mike arranges gigs for the 59 Ford Band in the West Country.They play here at the Inn every year, mostly 50's/60's music as well as rock 'n' roll led by the singer, Phil who is a friend of ours.  This is my first visit to the Isles of Scilly and it's been lovely out here by the sea - it's very different to a normal gig. 

Anna: Do you like to dance?

Philonena: Yes, I love to dance. Mike and I like to jive and dance to rock 'n' roll as well as any kind of good music. 

Anna: Do you have a style icon who has influenced you?

Philonena: Audrey Hepburn. 

Anna: Would you like to tell my readers how old you are?

Philonena: I'm 67.

Anna: You have amazing skin for a woman of your age. What's your secret?

Philonena: I use oil on my skin rather than cream, but think my Mediterranean genes play a part too.

Anna: Where's home for you?

Philonena: I'm half Maltese, but have lived in Bristol since I was 15. I was born in Yorkshire and have lived in Cornwall amongst other places. 

Anna: Do you dress like this every day?

Philonena: Yes, I love 1950's dresses and wear them every day.

Anna: You've recently had a tattoo. Tell me about it.

Philonena: It's a very unique image, and not one I want to share as it's a one-off. It's based on me in a Union Jack dress in a 1950's style. I had it done on the inside of my arm so that it's not on show, but is there for me to see and enjoy. The tattooist had to use a extremely fine needle to achieve such a delicate image. 

Anna: What keeps you young?

Philonena: Music and dancing with my special partner keeps me young. We love going out and having holidays together.

Thank you Phee, it was an absolute pleasure to meet you!

One other thing that Philonena and I chatted about was her motivation for dressing as she does. She was keen to get across the fact that she doesn't dress for anyone else, but herself. This is who she is, not who she's trying to be, and I understand that completely. She is quite shy and reserved and is keen for me to see that she doesn't dress like this as a way of showing off. Philonena has a strong sense of self that's not reliant on society's approval - that's a great message for women of all ages, don't you agree?

Anna x