Picnic perfect!

Hello and welcome to this month's Style Not Age challenge. Our quest was chosen by Gail this time, being Perfect Attire for a Picnic. For me this would of course mean a beachside venue and here I am on Skirt Island at the most Southerly end of Tresco. My style buddies are all set, ready to show you their picnic-ready outfits too so let's get going!

Gail set the bar quite high with her fabulous picnic basket alone! Bowie tee, silver pumps and a bottle of bubbly signal a great picnic don't you think? Join Gail over on Is This Mutton to see more. 

This tent dress was made for drifting about in a meadow of wild flowers, however the British weather had other ideas meaning Jacqui had to make do with her own back garden! Join her for the backstory at Mummabstylish. 

Emma from Style Splash chose her outfit because she thinks the pattern is not unlike a picnic blanket.  The pretty pink gingham two piece was a Zara purchase a few years ago and has come into its own for today's challenge!

Picnic ready, Hilda is sporting an entire outfit from Tesco's apart from her trainers. Her cute look is ready for fun. See more on Over The Hilda blog. 

My picnic outfit is a collection of old pieces which are still bright and colourful. The tunic top was a hand-me-down from my daughter which she bought from H&M years ago. I'm a huge fan of paisley print therefore was delighted when she offered it up to me. An outfit for a picnic needs to be comfy and easy to wear, as well as being practical enough for clambering in and out of boats or in this case across the sand dunes to get to this remote craggy setting. 

The tide was still rising, sending splashing foam up as I was setting up for shots. There's nothing like a quick soaking to send me off in a fit of the giggles!

The elegant hat pose isn't just for show; sunhat and sunscreen are part of my picnic essentials, especially as I've had surgery and other treatments for skin cancer. I wear factor 50 on my face everyday now and have established a routine whereby I apply suncream before my sea swimming every day too. My pale Celtic skin is very much at risk of more sun damage even at work where the sun shines into the Gallery window for a lot of the day. 

We all need a little bit of sunshine on our skins to absorb our daily dose of vitamin D, but it's really not that long. In my case only 5 minutes a day and for those with darker skin it's about 30 minutes. These times are for arms, legs and hands as well as faces. After that you start to experience sun damage which is the precursor of more serious problems.

My pom-pom raffia bag was a charity shop find some years ago. I love the bold colours and the roomy size that is big enough to take beach towel and swimming kit too.

The pink plisse trousers are from New Look - they're light and airy and ideal for sunny days. My floral sandals were from Primark years ago. Perspex rings were gifts from a friend.

A tiny seed pearl necklace was a pre-loved purchase. It's a habit for me to always finish off an outfit with a necklace, even for a picnic. Sunglasses are by Radley London.

Time to stop and stare. Nature is the perfect meditation isn't it?

I do hope you enjoyed this month's challenge. I was so pleased to have made the effort to spend some time outdoors on Saturday, as by Sunday we had rain all day long - such an unusual thing for us. The forecast for the UK is another mixed bag of weather, but improving in the southwest later in the week. Fingers crossed for Thursday as I'm off to St Martin's for the day for another picnic outing!

Wishing you a great week ahead!

Anna x

Our Style Not Age challenge for May

The last Monday of the month means we're ready for May's Style Not Age challenge. It was Hilda's turn to choose this time and she has asked that we take our inspiration from the Sky and Sea. Obviously this was no hardship for me! I'm keen to see how the others tackled this one though...

Starting with Hilda; she's looking resplendent her bright blue Kimono from Zara which she bought a couple of years ago. See her story on her blog Over The Hilda.

Emma is wearing a vintage dress the pattern of which is similar to light playing on water. She's wearing cloud earrings to tie in with the challenge too. See more on her blog Style Splash. 

Gail has chosen aqua and blue to echo the Sea and Sky theme with a liberal dose of metallics to add that sunny sparkle - a great interpretation! Find out more on Is This Mutton.

Blue sky and white fluffy clouds were the inspiration for Jacqui's outfit. Her latest passion for her white trainers completes this cute look. Catch up with all of her news on Mummabstylish.

How lucky am I to have the turquoise sea right on my doorstep for this fabulous challenge! I'd been swimming on the other side of the island at Cradle Porth only an hour before this and was still buzzing with the afterglow. I swear that sea swimming actually gives me more energy!

I opted for these aqua jeans from Tesco's to reflect the clear sea colour. They're cotton with a bit of stretch which is just as well as I fancy that they're a bit more snug than last summer... The brand of the pale blue and white blouse is Kew159 and was a charity shop find - I thought this was a perfect rendition of the sky. I rummaged around in my jewellery box and found this aqua and white rope necklace to tie in with the theme. My favourite white and black Quay Australia sunglasses work really well with this ensemble.

Both my rings and the necklace are pre-loved. The suede belt was a purchase from Benetton a few years ago.

To complete the look I've added these turquoise metallic pumps, rather ancient though they are, but still very wearable. I bought them from Primark donkey's ages ago and had lost them in the back of the cupboard until recently. 

Thanks for joining us for this month's challenge - I do hope you've enjoyed it. I'll be back on Friday with my long awaited 6 year blogging anniversary post. I'm working on that currently and can't promise how it'll look apart from very colourful!

I hope you can join me for that on Friday!

Anna x

Spring Sweaters for our Style Not Age challenge

Hello and welcome to this month's challenge! It was my turn to choose a theme and I've gone for the functional Spring Sweater. We in the UK are still being battered by another beast from the east, making the sweater more vital than ever. So without further ado, let's see how the my style buddies approached this shall we?

Gail of Is this Mutton wears her snuggly mohair cardigan in a lovely spring shade of green offset by pinks in many hues. I'm more than a little envious of her new haircut! Do swing by her blog to find out more.

The eternally cool Hilda is happy to share that everything she's wearing, including her sweater, is over two years old - a woman after my own heart! See more on Over The Hilda blog. 

Jacqui's orange sweater is a super burst of spring colour. Styled with white jeans and knee high boots she has created a lovely weekend look. Catch her back story on Mummabstylish.

Emma of Style Splash wears a beaded collar sweater which she has paired with a dash of spring green too. Always one for a statement handbag she has chosen the perfect colours to tie in with her outfit.  

My own sweater is a vintage cotton Laura Ashley number, a happy find in a charity shop some years ago. I picked it up because it reminded me of a similar Laura Ashley one that I had the first time around, back in the 80's. I so regret getting rid of my original one, probably during one of my zealous clear-outs, but hey, at least I've got this replacement.

I love the pretty pastel colours which work perfectly with jeans for a casual look. I chose two floral rings in neutral shades, pre-loved, to compliment the jumper. 

The flower sprigged jeans were also charity shopped some time ago. 

Shown here for the first time is an exciting second hand purchase. The leather across-the-body bag reminds me of a postie's bag. I paid £20 for it - the quality of hide and work involved meant value for money to me. It's a great size, perfect for holding both my mini tripod and camera as well as lipstick and hairbrush.

My pink lattice work trainers are Sketchers, bought on sale at TK Maxx two years ago. I wear them on my lunchtime walks and are cool and comfy for the couple of miles I clock up every workday. They have air cooled memory foam insoles that make for easy mileage without blisters or overheating.

The sun was very obliging for this shoot, in fact it's been sunny for weeks and weeks here on the Isles of Scilly, but the easterly wind is relentless and very chilly. I managed to drop down out of the wind here in the corner of the beach on the south end of Tresco and had the entire bay to myself.

Today's blue framed sunglasses are by Radley London.

Showing the view here from Bathing House beach across to St Mary's and St Agnes. The islands look as glorious as ever.

I hope you've enjoyed this month's style challenge. Do let me know if this inspires you to emulate something we've done!

                                                                                   Anna x

Borrowed from the boys

Hello and welcome to our monthly gathering, the Style Not Age challenge, where my fashionista friends and I choose a theme to play dress-up. This month it was Emma's turn and she's come up with Borrowed from the boys which has resulted in some fabulous outfits.

Jacqui did actually borrow her son's tee shirt for this challenge. The geometric tee adds pizzazz to the classic combo of black trousers and jacket, all finished off with pink trainers for that ying yang touch. See more on her blog Mummabstylish.

Gail has countered the macho vibe of the theme by playing pretty in pastels. Her penchant for lilac works well here - I just love those lilac brogues! Catch up with her story on Is this Mutton. 

Emma's bee print jacket is from TK Maxx, a men's jacket it turned out to be too! She's embraced the theme to the hilt with her trilby and white shirt while maintaining her feminine wiles. Catch her back story on the Style Splash blog.

Hilda is another one to raid her family's wardrobe. She's sporting her husband's hat which ties in beautifully with these amazing Paul Costello Oxford bags. Read more about this summery outfit on her post at Over The Hilda.

I found this midnight blue suit in a charity shop in Harrogate a few years ago and decided to ignore the fact that it was on the men's vintage rail. I wear it a couple of times a year and each time I like to style it up differently. Yes, the shoulder pads are huge, but it was surely an 80's stunner at the time.

This time I've opted for a mixture of pale pink and rose gold to compliment the dark suit, rolling up the jacket sleeves to reveal this blush tone which is almost identical to the blouse. 

I've had this sweet pink blouse for years and yet am guilty of hardly ever wearing it. It was a purchase from Tu Clothing at Sainsbury's and a bargain piece at only £5. The pleated sleeves are so pretty and beg to be the stars of the show.

This is the first time I've worn flats with the suit. I usually wear heels to add a touch of glamour to such a masculine shape, but I felt that the rose gold trainers were feminine enough to work.  I've had these for three years now and still love them. (I bought them from TK Maxx for my video interview for the JD Williams campaign - happy days!)

The rose gold belt was another charity shop scoop. The heart pendant was from a little boutique in Truro  and the rings are both pre-loved.

These rose gold mirror sunglasses add the finishing touch to my own Borrowed from the boys look. It was fun to put this together and will certainly be an outfit that I'll wear to work this year. Smart yet feminine and unique too - what's not to love?

I do hope you've enjoyed this month's Style Not Age challenge. Please do pop over to see more from my blogging friends if you get a moment. Thanks for dropping by again.

Have a super week!