In the pink

Hello again! I seem to be having a bit of a pink moment again this week - such a flattering colour isn't it? My soft pink blouse was from Primark, as are the checked trousers, all from last month's trips to the mainland. I couldn't resist popping in to see if the stock changed weekly and golly, it certainly moved quickly! As you know I do love charity shopping, but when time is short it's always tempting to dash into the high street stores where you can see straight away what's on offer. Charity shopping and indeed browsing in TK Maxx both require more time and dedication. However, it'll come as no surprise to you to learn that I managed to shop in all of these over those four hectic trips.

My black and pink rose jeans jacket isn't new though. It's a charity shop find from some time ago and the brand is Topshop. I feel a bit sentimental whenever I find a Topshop piece in my wardrobe - how I miss the branch in Truro! One of my artists told me she shopped in Topshop ages and ages ago, long before I ever did. I had always seen it as my daughter's stomping ground and had avoided it for that reason. Wendy urged me to pop in and snoop around on my own and I was sold! I loved the huge one on Oxford Street and certainly didn't feel out of place amongst its shoppers.

The monochrome look called for my beloved leather and cowhide bag made by Claudine Sear of Bags of Time.  The across the body bag is soft and slouchy with phone and purse pockets sleekly incorporated. I view this as a timeless classic and expect to be using it for the next 10 if not 20 years.

The black and silver necklace is a charity shop piece, whereas my silver and black ring was a Gallery Tresco purchase very early on in my career. The huge pink rose ring was a gift from a girlfriend. My Radley sunglasses were a gift from another girlfriend. In fact, she gave me a whole selection of fabulous Radley eyewear as she had been working with the brand - what a perk!

And talking of all things fabulous - I couldn't resist these DKNY trainers from TK Maxx last week. I love the black and white duality of them. Super comfy too and yet still smart enough for work when I'm doing these dressed down days. 

Thanks for dropping by. I'm on a two week countdown not until my 7 year blogging anniversary. My outfit is all sorted and I'm just keeping an eye on the weather to find a good day for Fiona and I to seek out the perfect backdrop. To say I'm excited to share this new outfit is an understatement and when you see it you'll understand. 

Hope to see you soon!

Anna x

Saying goodbye to summer

Hello lovelies and thanks for dropping by! Yes, I'm admitting defeat. Today is the first of October and here I am showcasing my final summer outfit with more than a touch of sadness. My favourite time of year, not just fashion-wise, is summer and I'm always sorry to see the season change into autumn. I know I'm not alone in my thoughts.

My monochrome look offers nothing new, merely a mix of things you'll have seen before. The Zara "It" dress from a couple of summers ago has been a mainstay during the final burst of Indian summer we've experienced here on the islands. I love the long, loose fit which has been the perfect ploy for keeping cool. 

The two tone flatties are by Nine West and are suprisingly comfortable, indeed all-day-long comfy. The leather and cow hide bag is a recycled piece made by Claudine Sear of Bags of Time. 

Sunglasses are by Quay Australia, rings are pre-loved and the silver and gold coloured linked chain was a boutique find from a few years ago. 

A gentle walk to New Grimsby quay was a lovely start to the day. The sea was flat as mill-pond, looking more like a lake rather than the sea. A moment to stop and take it all in before the working day began.

So from here on I'll be searching through my wardrobe for those elusive items of transitional dressing. Not my easiest of looks - in fact I think I've maybe said previously that my outfits fall into two simple categories - summer or winter. Anyway, the weekend is almost here and I think that by Sunday I'll be dragging suitcases out from under the bed in the hope of finding some autumn inspired outfits. Wish me luck on this (dreaded) mission!

                                                                                         Anna x

Frilled to bits!

Hi everyone! How are you?

Excuse the pun, but I'm frilled to bits to wear this outfit! A monochrome permutation, showcasing these rather old flamenco inspired trousers, it was a joy to pair them with the frilly sleeved blouse to create an outfit that just cried out "Fun!" and oh, what fun I had!

Four years ago I set myself the Black Trouser Challenge - see here. It was the first time I'd succumbed to black trousers since my school days and I was positively evangelical about these delightfully ruffled ones. To my amazement, the weekly challenge ran for 13 inspired weeks and looking back seems to have been very popular gauging by the number of comments each post received. 

The eagle eyed amongst you may recall that this is an almost identical take on week two of the challenge, apart from the shoes and accessories. But hey, that was in 2017, so maybe I ought not to have even mentioned it!

What wasn't happening back in 2017, was the almost daily photobombing from Nick Halliday, CEO of the island! Nick clearly is up for a bit of fun too and may well become a regular on the blog at this rate.

You know what they say, "Laugh and the world laughs with you..."

And so, to the details - trousers were from River Island, blouse was from George at Asda, belt was charity shopped, shoes by Nine West, sunglasses by Quay Australia.

Rings are both pre-loved and handbag by Bags of Time. We sell these bags at Gallery Tresco. They're upcycled from old leathers and fabrics by Claudine Sear. Jamie bought me this one for my Christmas and it's my fave bag of the moment.

I love the mixture of classy and playful that these two elements combined say.

And just when I thought I'd regained centre stage ...

... this happens! Timeshare guest and friend Mark Rigby managed to edge into the limelight that is Anna's Island Style. Neatly done, I may add, as he keeps his 2m distance!

The silver disc necklace was a purchase from M&S many moons ago and yet still looks very contemporary. 

If this is the 14th feature of these (£40) River Island trousers then that brings the cost per wear down to £2.85. Not too shabby eh?

And one final thing. On Wednesday, weather permitting, I shall be leaving Tresco for a few days on the mainland. I have three health appointments to attend and beyond that I can already feel the siren's call of the shops. This will be my first time off the island in 15 months, a scary thought for a fashion blogger who claims to be ready for a change in retail habits. My aim is to shop responsibly; to buy only what I need or can justify by way of replacements. However, I accept my quest seems almost saintly and therefore am cutting myself some slack as I have a gift voucher left over from Christmas which will see my entry in the Portal of Joy - otherwise known as TK Maxx. Wish me luck!

                                                                  Anna x

That cold north wind doth blow!

Hello again!

I've seen on the weather forecast that parts of the UK have been having snow over the past few days, brrrrrrrrr! Well, not here thank goodness, but we're still feeling that brisk north wind. So much so, that I've dug out a scarf to go with my latest outfit. I rarely wear scarves. I'm just not a scarf person. I struggle to make them part of my look; they seem to stick out at funny angles or just sit in a big lump under my chin in the most unflattering of ways. 

Yesterday however, as I was making a dash for the door, I thought I might get away with not wearing a coat if I topped things off with a cosy scarf. And hey-presto, this one seemed to work! After a bit of a jiggle and windy round thing and then a looping through thing it looked like this. Get me, with a scarf, eh? A bit of personal blogging history being made. I'd bought this colour co-ordinated gem in Primark a few years ago and of course, this is the first time I've worn it.

This is only the second time I've worn my Adidas corduroy trouser suit and I'm happy to report that I'm still in love with it. I love the colour - coral or blush or salmon pink - call it what you like. The fabric too is ace; soft and cuddly and best of all the trousers have a touch of stretch meaning that they don't bag at the knees after the first time you sit down.

I opted for black and white as my accent colours by way of this gingham blouse which ties in nicely with my white and black boots. The blouse is very old indeed, but came from Asda and has worn well. The sleeves are very feminine don't you think? My sunglasses are old faithfuls from Quay Australia.

My rings and leather belt are all pre-loved items. The handbag was a Christmas present from my son, as were the pink leather gloves in the first shot.

I love the ribbon go-faster stripes down the outside of the trouser legs. My boots of the moment are here again - white patent leather boots (by Besson) - cos they work well with this look.

And yes, the update on the camera situation is that I bought a replacement last week and here it is in action. Lora is back working with me for a couple of months and she was very happy to take my photos. I feel I may have to look into pricing up a heavy duty expanding tripod for those times when I have to go it alone. I've had an expensive month as my washing machine broke down and I had to buy a new one last week too. Sometimes life's just like that, eh?

Thanks for swinging by again. I'll be back on Monday!

Anna x