Is summer on the wane?

I don't know about you, but I suddenly feel summer is already showing signs of leaving us here in the Northern hemisphere. Every time we have a day or two of prolonged showers I fancy that the sun, when it returns, isn't shining quite as brightly. Do you know what I mean? With this in mind, I'm searching through my clothes to bring out anything summery that you may not have seen yet this year.

The outfit of the day is all new, bought either in London or Truro over the past month. Makes me sound like a real gadabout doesn't it? Anyhooooo, here we have this delightful lace top and pleated skirt both from Zara. I'm having a love/hate relationship with this brand currently. Loving it because of the pieces which feel fresh and exciting and hating it because of my mental battle with fast fashion. Please note however, that as I sit here writing, listening to Radio 2, I've heard that Pablo Isla, the Head of Zara UK has just announced his intention to make the brand more committed to helping their customers to recycle their old purchases and that by 2025 the brand will be using more environmentally green fabrics such as cotton and linen as well as recycled polyester. The more cynical amongst you may say that it's merely a ploy to lure clients into the store as they drop off their unwanted goods. I think that any attempts to slow down fast fashion has to be good.

Yes, I totally love this uber feminine ensemble and wafted about all day long feeling rather pleased with myself. Seeking out joy surely has to be my mission statement, especially when I'm dressed like this. It seems so much easier to spread the love when you feel lovely.

The lemon spotty skirt led me choose these two citrine rings that I was gifted back in 2017. See the post here. I often browse the Gemporia website when I fancy a gemstone shopping spree - well a girl can dream, can't she? I'm sporting my old favourite sunglasses by Quay Australia. 

I decided to take a break from the white sneakers look this time, plumping for these wedge sandals by Europen which I recently found in TK Maxx in Truro. 

 

A final note about the outfit of the day. My dear friend Rachel, on seeing me today, declared that I looked like I'd stepped straight out of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and started to recite the words of the song Truly Scrumptious. Thanks Rach, that made my day!

                                                                                                  Anna x

My Jumpsuit Joy with the Style Not Age collective

Hello and welcome to this month's challenge of My Jumpsuit Joy! It was my turn to chose the subject and the ladies from the collective have each embraced it well, but first here's a quick look at the funky jumpsuit I've been wearing to work recently. The giraffe pattern is fun and the fit is easy thanks to the elasticated waistband. I often wear this on busy days when we might be hanging a show or clearing up after having just taken one down. I love that there's no tucking in and keeping tidy with a jumpsuit - it just holds everything together nicely!

Also this particular jumpsuit doesn't need high heels which again helps with practicalities like climbing ladders too. We'll come back to the finer details in a moment, but first let's see what the Style Not Age ladies showcased.

Jacqui has styled her black jumpsuit with green and white leaf print with her earth tone accessories to great effect. I love those open toed mule sandals and a tribal necklace paired with this simple cream clutch completes this fresh daytime look. See Jacqui's feature on her blog Mummabstylish.

Wow! Isn't Emma looking fabulous in her Jumpsuit Joy! This elegant black all-in-one is sizzling hot with that deep neckline and huge trumpet sleeves. Red accessories pump up the volume a tad too. Catch the full story on Emma's blog Style Splash.

And here's Hilda looking stunning in her Coast jumpsuit. This is another totally flattering design giving a sleek look which enhances Hilda's perfect figure. I really like the asymmetrical neckline with the flounce over one shoulder and a strap on the other - very unusual! Catch up with Hilda's post on Over The Hilda blog here.

I don't wear neutrals very often as you'll know, but I had to make an exception with this jumpsuit when I found it in a charity shop last year. The giraffe pattern is fun and more than compensates for the lack of ta-dah colour wise. The cuffs are elasticated, as is the waist, but I still like to add a belt for definition as this has a puffy midsection otherwise. This studded belt also helps to draw the eye away from the extra material around the tummy.

The back shows the extra straps which are just a nice feature too. You'll notice the strategically placed hands covering what can often look like yards of material across the derriere. I do really, really like jumpsuits, hence My Jumpsuit Joy, but they can be a difficult item to wear and not always the most flattering, although the silky fabric of this one does give it a sleeker line. I did, in fact, have another one lined up for this feature, but time and bad weather meant I couldn't get the shots together for our deadline. I hope to feature it next month instead.

These sandals are a lovely combination of practical and trendy in my eyes. I like that I can dash up and down stairs on this solid platform, be steady on my feet, and best of all have no need to change them mid-day because they hurt!

I've been looking for the perfect black necklace for ages now and was delighted to find this one recently. It's by Melissa James a new jeweller that I discovered at the trade fair in Harrogate last month. The matt black pillow beads with one patterned silver piece say simple yet contemporary which makes it the ideal necklace for this outfit.

Holding centre stage here is the citron ring I was gifted by Gemporia last year (see here). I've just taken a meander through the ring section of their website and came across another lovely temptation, be it much more ornate, here. The other ring was a charity shop find and you'll have seen my rose gold Michael Kors watch before I expect, but I've just found it's on offer here, so hurry and you could grab yourself a bargain.

A few more outfit details are: shoes by Sixtyseven, jumpsuit by George at Asda (this was quite a surprise for me), belt was a gift and is from Portugal, tee shirt is preloved with no label and sunnies are by Quay Australia. 

My Jumpsuit Joy may not have been quite what I envisaged personally, but the ladies did me proud with their offerings. Jacqui will be hosting the challenge next month and I fancy it will have a slightly different aspect to it ... 

Thanks for dropping by and see you soon!

This week I'll be linking with -

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Jacqui of Mummabstylish

Anna x