Not Square With Gingham - our Style Not Age challenge

Hello and welcome! Thanks for joining me today as I gather together my Style Not Age friends who between us are presenting "Not Square With Gingham". It was Hilda's choice this month, and one that had me scratching my head a bit as I wondered what to wear. I really only have three gingham pieces, one of which I've already featured on our monthly style challenge (here). With no shopping trip in sight and a clampdown on spending this month due to far too many expenses with out little motor boat, I had to give up on my idea of eBay solving my problem. Anyway, as you can see I've gone all bright and colourful (oh what a surprise!) wearing this floral gingham top that came from a charity shop last year, but more on this later.

Hilda wears gingham check fitted trousers by Puno Roma and a classic Zara shirt. Why oh why, does that half tuck look stylish on her and yet half undone on me? Hilda's feature can be seen in full on her blog Over The HIlda.

Emma from Style Splash wears a summery pink and white gingham skirt and tee shirt both from Zara. (Have these ladies both been cashing in on the Zara sale site I wonder?) Her sleek and stylish summer shoes are from River Island. Do pop over to see more from Emma on her blog too.

Jacqui has given us a double dose of gingham with these crops and matching brolly, but she's also added some pattern play by way of this sleeveless duster in summer florals - fab! Last minute photos brought about this weather-led shoot which turned out both cute and playful for her. See Jacqui's post on Mummabstylish.

My photos were weather-led too as I panicked at my last minute attempt to find somewhere out of the high winds and between showers to capture my gingham offering. Steve kindly did the honours in his lunchtime. If he had zoomed into the sea in the distance you'd have seen the white horses driving over the tops of the waves. Heavy showers for the past few days has brought inches of welcome rain to the UK which is long overdue as you can see by the parched grassland of Jimmy Cox's field. (Jimmy Cox is long dead, so we weren't in danger of being chased off!)

I pushed the boat out by adding these pop art courts by Chockers to my jolly vintage skirt by Jaeger. They cost £8.50 in St Michael's Hospice charity shop in Harrogate in the spring.

My gingham top is by F&F at Tesco's but was sourced in a charity shop last year. I like the feature of the split sleeve which was a great compromise for me when off-the-shoulder tops ruled the roost, but weren't my thing. The addition of flowers and greenery to the gingham appealed to my need to break with convention. 

Today's jewellery is all preloved apart from my favourite gold chain necklace which was a gift from Sasha. This pretty pink cuff is a recent and welcome addition to my stash.

My other go-to accessory has to be this pink stretch belt which I found on eBay a couple of years ago. At £5 the cost per wear must have dropped down into the pennies by now as I seem to wear this belt at least once a week - it's turned into a signature piece of mine - not the most stylish, classy or expensive, but certainly useful!

The final flourish to my outfit was my black net petticoat, adding fun and fullness to the skirt. The simple act of adding a net underskirt instantly adds a sense of occasion to any ensemble - a favourite trick of mine.

Thank goodness that there was no-one about to see this windswept scenario as they were out for a woodlands walk - what would they have thought?

Thanks for joining me today on this last post of July. I can't quite believe that August is upon us! The summer is rushing past me with so many things left behind in the rush and tear of life; no link-ups as I'm too time challenged; far too infrequent exchanges with blogging friends; not enough miles clocked up ready for my big sea swim challenge - oh dear, I must try harder. On the plus side, I'm drawing on my mindfulness training from earlier this year (see here) and remembering to take a moment which has been a life saver. The "musts" and "shoulds" and "have tos" are being dropped in favour of power naps, picnics and revelling in the outdoors life. Counting my blessings is a great way of grounding myself and stopping the runaway train of thoughts that can sometimes drive me to exhaustion. Summer on these beautiful islands is in itself a huge blessing and one not to be overlooked. On that note, I shall leave you, my lovely readers and wish you well. Downtime is just what the doctor ordered methinks!

Until next time, take care!

Anna x

The shirt - a wardrobe staple, our Style Not Age challenge

Hello and welcome again to our monthly Style Not Age challenge. It was the turn of Jacqui to choose our topic this time and as you can see, The Shirt - a wardrobe staple, is it. This month's feature has a slightly different slant however as the group were invited to work alongside Jacynth Bassett, founder of The-Bias-Cut.com, the online boutique for women looking for quality and style. We each of us picked a shirt to style in our very own way, all done though mail-order of course. Jacqui's outfit reflects that perfect downtime summer uniform of shirt and jeans, but not just any old shirt is this, no it's the smoothest cotton poplin in a fishnet pattern in fresh white and pink paired up with kick flare cropped jeans to keep it very much of the moment. Jacqui has added a pop of bright red with her clutch as a finishing touch. Read Jacqui's feature here on Mummabstylish.

Hilda has chosen the same shirt, styling it again with jeans but of the blue variety. Summer sliders show off her red toenails giving that same pop of colour as Jacqui too. I always admire those ladies who can carry off that half tuck look with such ease - I just look a bit undone when I try this! Click on the link here to see her full story on Over the Hilda.

Emma of Style Splash has chosen the Blue Jay Feather print shirt, styling it with dark skinny jeans by Butt I Love You and these cute sandals by Isabelle Jaquelin. Bright blue handbag and oversized blue sunnies keep the look very much in the same colour palette.

It'll be of no surprise to my readers to see that I've shied away from the expected by not wearing jeans with the shirt. Yes, for a moment I did consider it, but my creative needs dragged me in a different direction. 

I had the notion that I wanted a summer styling of sorts and was delighted when I came across these Zara trousers (sorry sold out, but these are similar) when I was on my way for a dental appointment in Penryn last time. 

There's a little charity shop aside from my regular vintage shop which I frequent too and these were lurking on the racks waiting for me. Also preloved are my Topshop silver and white chunky sandals as is my River Island handbag. 

I love the embroidered flowers sprinkled across the trousers which echo the dandelion print of my shirt. I've had this preloved belt for over  a year now and just knew it would come into its own at some stage, and don't you think it looks dandy with this?

All of my jewellery is preloved too and how beautifully they all tie in with today's theme of summer whites and florals.

The resin necklace has real yellow flowers preserved inside these beads forever. The maker Daisy Dunlop used to sell her work at the gallery many moons ago which is when I bought this one. Her making has progressed beyond resin, but it still worth a look.

But let's get onto the main event, the shirt. Made for The-Bias-Cut.com by Gibson and Birkbeck of Scotland, it retails at £85 and is frankly worth every penny. I may be renowned for my frugal nature and love of  clothes recycling, but that doesn't mean to say I don't know class when I see it. This shirt screams classy and feels like it to wear too. The cotton is crisp and smooth and the finishing details are testament to the cost. The button loop at the neck shows some extra thought at the design stage, as do the placing of the buttons over the bust area - how often do we have to sneek a little safety pin inside our shirts to stop it gaping and show the bra? It was a lovely surprise to find that this has been surmounted with ease by clever placing of the bust level button at just the right spot meaning no flashing. The link to my dandelion print shirt is here, although not all the sizes are available at the moment.

Buying online isn't one of my favourite things as you know, but dealing with this mail order company was as smooth as the cotton of this shirt. I followed the sizing directions and chose a size 10 which came up exactly as I had hoped, fitting neatly over the bust and back as well as having sleeves that were made to finish at the wrist and no more. The floral print is so pretty and I can see that this will indeed be a regular go-to item in my wardrobe now. The shirt came beautifully wrapped in tissue and had all of the clips and plastic inserts similar to a man's shirt adding to the top of the range experience. All in all, online shopping through The-Bias-Cut.com was easy and efficient and the website is more than just a shopping venue offering a plethora of information as well as a blog too. 

The intro to the website summarises Jacynth's philosophy - 

Welcome to Shopping With Attitude - Where Ageism Is Never In Style

the-Bias-Cut.com is the first online boutique that truly celebrates style at every age. Featuring pieces by some of the best contemporary labels today, our eclectic collections reflect Jacynth's thorough and in-depth understanding of different women's bodies and shapes, as well as cut and fabrics. Throw into the mix her stylist, contemporary eye, and Jacynth is swiftly becoming recognised as one of the UK's leading experts and pioneers of style at every age. 

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

Style not age do rainbow brights

Yes, it's that time again for my monthly style challenge with the ladies of the Style Not Age collective. This month Emma chose rainbow brights as our theme which is surely just what we need after the grey spring days we've had of late.

The starting point for my outfit was these 60's multicoloured tights which surely constitute a rainbow in themselves. My scarlet and hot pink shift dress is a preloved find from M&S. The purple Ted Baker handbag is preloved too and my sunglasses are from River Island. Last, but by no means least are my silver brogues from Office.

And this is Emma with her fabulous rainbow clutch, inspiration indeed for this colourful challenge. The handbag is by a brand I've not heard of - Les Nereides - which she found in a charity shop. Emma has tied in her shoes, trousers and top perfectly to the rainbow hues. Do pop over to her blog Style Splash for more of her story.

Hilda found this dress by Marc Cain in a local boutique and thought it encapsulated this month's challenge in one fell swoop - spot on! The dress needs the minimal of styling as all of these bright colours are doing the hard work. Read Hilda's blog Over the Hilda for more.

Jacqui easily cracked this challenge with her rainbow courts, but then really went to town by adding a multi striped tee along with orange trousers, finishing with a denim jacket. Jacqui, you've made this all look so very simple! See more of Jacqui's story on her blog Mummabstylish.

On closer inspection I seem to have omitted to have included any blue hues in my offering. Dang! I was pretty sure these tights had all the colours of the rainbow in them.

Lilac, yellow, pink, orange, green, but no blue! 

My two tone dress is from M&S, found on a recent charity spree. The fabric is weighty, fully lined and hangs with a heavy swish to it. A shift dress is such a basic essential, but this one ticks the quirky box for me too with the half pleated skirt as well as the eye popping marriage of scarlet and fuchsia. A shift dress that's most certainly not boring, yay!

My bag of the moment, this Ted Baker one, was another charity scoop from my last trip to Truro. Shiny, colourful and bright - it ticks all the necessary boxes! 

My jewellery usually comes from charity shops too as I'm such a bargain seeking magpie, but today the only one of these is the wide orange bangle. I have three girlfriends to thank for the rest; Maggie for the pink rose ring, Wendy for the striped perspex rings and Lucy for pink and silver bangle.

Emma's challenge was right up my street and as you can see we all had great fun injecting lots of colours into our day. I do hope we'll act as inspiration for you too. I most definitely feel better for wearing bright colours; it's such an obvious way to cheer yourself up, and others too! I had lots of lovely compliments when I wore this outfit last week. Let's have fun with colours I say!

Linking with -

Jacqui of Mummabstylish

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Anna x

Style Not Age do polka dots

Hello again, and thanks for joining me today when I'm taking part in the monthly collaboration, Style Not Age. Jacqui has chosen polka dots as our style challenge, so let's get on with it!

I'll be honest with you and say that I don't wear polka dots very often meaning I was a tad panic-stricken when the challenge was revealed. As luck would have it though, I found this top when I was on the mainland recently. It's from F&F at Tesco and was reduced to £8 in the sale. Kerching! Problem solved.

It's Jacqui's challenge and she's looking as sleek as ever in this fresh combination of yellow, navy and mustard. Her fashion rule of take three colours works a treat here - see the full story of how she pulled this look together on her blog Mummabstylish.

Hilda has opted for her favourite dotty dress from Biba, topping it with a peplum sweater for a cosy yet trendy twist. Do pop over to her blog Over The Hilda to see more.

Emma from Style Splash is sporting micro mini dot trousers for this month's challenge along with a dotty trimmed top. Her jacket is just like a burst of spring, don't you think? Join Emma on her blog to read more about how she created her look.

When I bought the tunic I somehow imagined that I'd wear it with some black jeans and maybe my silver brogues, but when I started playing around, I thought these culottes (from Primark) were much more suited to my mood of the day - flamboyant, I suppose. I liked the idea of some pattern play with dots and checks in this palette of black, white and grey. 

Plus it also gave me a great excuse to bring out my favourite sockboots. You may be sick of seeing them, but I'm afraid they're here to stay. The brand is H&M, but I fancy they sold out long ago.

My collection of red toned jewellery is ever expanding thanks to all of these charity shop finds.

If you're a regular reader, you'll probably recognise the familiar backdrop, taken just a few steps from my workplace. The gallery is open once again and Polly is firmly ensconced as my  Gallery Assistant-cum-blog-photographer. Cue lots of hamming it up for the camera as Polly tells me off for too much chat and not enough action.

My antics have become so commonplace now that no-one gives me a second glance as I jig about for two minutes in the morning before we start work.

And there you have it, another monthly style challenge in the bag. I do hope you've taken some inspiration for the group and would love to hear from you if polka dots are your thing.

I'd like to take a moment to say hi to our two blogging friends who were part of our previous collaboration the 5 Over 50 challenge. Gail of Is This Mutton just so happens to be featuring polka dots on her blog today so you may want to pop over to see how she's done. Gail is still having fun blogging as well as preparing for a big walking challenge with her husband this year. 

Laurie from Vanity And Me is going from strength to strength with her fashion and beauty blog. Barely a week goes by without this lovely lady popping up in social media and the press. This doesn't surprise me as she is a great role model for the older woman who is refusing to be labelled as one of the invisible generation. Laurie truly has her finger on the pulse of everything that we want to know. Do take a moment to read the varied features about this busy woman's life. 

Linking with -

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Jacqui of Mummabstylish

Anna x