Jeans and Jewels, our Style Not Age challenge for October

Hello and welcome once again to our monthly Style Not Age which this month is led by my choice, that of Jeans and Jewels. I must confess that I stole the idea from the very talented professional Photographer Elisabeth Hoff who posted the details of a photoshoot on her Instagram account recently - see it here. I'm huge fan of Elisabeth's since we met on the JD Williams set some five years ago. I view her account often as she photographs a huge variety of famous models and actors. Elisabeth was incredibly kind to me, helping me to settle into this rather daunting role as fashion model. I worked with her on three campaigns for JDW and she even stepped in to change my outfit on our last shoot together in South Africa as she didn't think it reflected my character. See Elisabeth and I together on location here.

Emma built her Jeans and Jewels look on this fab vintage denim dress embellished with beads to which she added her statement necklace. Catch up on all of her news on her blog Style Splash. 

I love the layering that Gail has done with her jewels for this challenge. Her Georgian style necklaces are from Etsy and her jeans jacket is from Amazon. To get all the details of her outfit see her post on Is This Mutton blog. 

Hilda's given us a double dose of jewels with her jewel bright coat along with a totally bling necklace (inherited from her daughter). See more from her on Over the Hilda blog. 

A glitzy necklace and beaded jeans are Jacqui's offering from this month's challenge, capturing the essence of this contrasting theme perfectly.  Read her back story on Mummabstylish blog.

My jewels are all old pieces, some vintage, others that have been lurking in the back of my jewellery boxes for years since I started blogging.  I decided to add some brooches to my new Jack Wills jeans jacket. Some of you may remember I have another jeans jacket adorned with brooches too - see it here. 

I bought my Levi's jeans in Camden Market in September and just love them! The long, lean leggy look is fab considering I'm none of those things in reality. I've added height (and glamour) by wearing these stilletto heeled silver leather boots (old, by Buffalo). 

My bejewelled belt (from Amazon) seemed like the perfect accessory to go with today's look along with these twinkly rings (pre-loved). Sunglasses are by Radley London.

The backdrop to my photoshoot is King Charles' Castle located on the North End of Tresco. I was lucky to have a day off when we had a fine day of weather and took myself off there at the end of the day to capture the golden light (most flattering for older complexions).

I do hope you've enjoyed this month's Style Not Age challenge. Please do pop over to see the full stories from my stylish friends too if you have a moment. 

I'll be back next week with another post, but the subject isn't clear as yet. The Gallery is now closed, so dressing up is no longer essential, but that's not to say I'll be scruffing about in joggers any time soon! Thanks so much for joining me.

                                                                                            Anna x

Power Dressing, this month's SNA challenge

Hello again! Can you believe it's the last Monday of September? Man, where did that go? Anyway, here's what's probably going to be my favourite autumn/winter outfit this year. I love to find an out of season piece that I can put away in readiness for the months ahead and that's what this was. But first let's see what the collective made of our monthly Style Not Age challenge, the theme for which has been chosen by Emma so let's take a look at what she's wearing.

The double breasted purple jacket with big shoulder pads and shiny buttons is everything that power dressing ought to be, especially with the addition of purple trousers. Emma does a lot of clothes shopping while abroad, that's where she found the Zara two piece. Check out her blog for the back story on Style Splash.

Another trouser suit comes from Jacqui of Mummabstylish, this one from H&M last year. Neutral and black work well together and the unstructured shirt lends the whole look a more casual style. Catch up with all of Jacqui's news over on her blog here. 

Gail did her homework to check the current definition of Power Dressing which led her to coming up with this punchy look where she's using cream to offset the red jacket and contrasting green handbag. Find her whole story here on Is This Mutton blog.

I'm more than a tad envious of Hilda who seems to have a rich seam of clothes at her disposal thanks to her local boutique, which is where this sleek navy trouser suit comes from, on loan, I have to add. She's added a fab pop of colour with her phone bag and courts to finish the look off. See more from her on Over The Hilda blog.

I'm bubbling over with excitement about this fabulous co-ord that I bought months ago when I was in Taunton. I found it in Primark where this beautiful pink and orange tweed suit was in the summer sale. The jacket was £20 and the lined shorts only £14 - I honestly couldn't believe my luck! The orange lining gives the ensemble a luxe look not normally associated with Primark. I'm a huge advocate of savvy shopping, of rooting about in the most unlikely of shops to find stylish tailoring like this. Vintage and charity shops are other obvious places not to be overlooked, especially as we're still in Second Hand September.

Of course, not everyone would agree that a 65 year old woman ought to be wearing shorts to work, but I'd respond by saying that coloured tights in a good denier can help to carry this look off. I've bought 80 denier pink tights as another option and will showcase these within the next month or so. These sizzling orange tights are from my favourite Penzance haunt, Number 36 boutique. The orange leather ankle boots were a purchase from ASOS in the spring.

My new orange handbag is from Oliver Bonas and is called Emma East to West. Not only is it all kinds of fabulous in colour with these multicolour straps, but if you follow the link you'll see that inside is a detachable clutch in a contrasting green along with another detachable zipped wallet too. I bought this recently when I was marooned in Paddington Station for 15 hours during train disruptions as Sash and I tried to travel back to Penzance. It was a little ray of sunshine on what was a very dark and stressful day.

My shirt is second hand, the brand is Lands End, and was a charity shop find many moons ago although this is the first time I've worn it, but hey, doesn't it work well? I'm always happy to add a bit of fun with pattern play. The leather belt was also a charity shop buy as were the rings.

The gold linked necklace was from Primark a couple of summers ago and my sunglasses are by Quay Australia, not new. 

My thanks go to Emily for stepping in as photographer this week. Didn't she do a good job!

This month's challenge came at just the right moment for me as the weather is changing and turning more like autumn, therefore making it a legit move to pop on this glorious tweed two piece. I'm so looking forward to wearing this over the next six months and do hope you'll enjoy seeing it often too!

Many thanks from us all on this month's style challenge. I do hope our five interpretations of Power Dressing have entertained and maybe even inspired you.

Have a great week!

Anna x

Craving Crochet is this month's SNA challenge

Hello and welcome once again to our monthly Style Not Age challenge where Jacqui has chosen Craving Crochet as the theme. This proved to be very simple for me as I only have one crochet item in my whole wardrobe. This Karen Millen cardigan is a pre-loved item, found in a charity shop and chosen because of the autumn colours which I love, plus the fact that it was only £8!  

So, here's Jacqui looking totally fabulous in this Boohoo crochet maxi dress. High heels and tote bag complete this monochrome look. See more on Mummabstylish blog.

Emma's cute crochet vest bring's a 70's vibe to her deliciously bright ensemble. Catch up with the catwalk chick on her blog The Style Splash here. 

Another retro look comes from Gail in this adorable shift dress with crochet overlay - an impressive charity shop find for only a fiver! Check out her back story on Is This Mutton blog. 

Hilda's back story for her outfit is quite dramatic as her red gloves are in fact bandages from a recent fall, resulting in splints to hold together a broken finger and knuckle. Her planned crochet top wouldn't fit over her bandages, but a friend came to the rescue with a tank top and bag instead. Do pop across to her blog to hear her account on Over The Hilda.

I've shopped my closet for my whole outfit this month which makes me feel good after what seems to be a bit of a heavy retail summer. 

The satin kitten heels must be vintage by now as they were from Dorothy Perkins well over 20 years ago. I decided to ramp things up to create an evening out look and these shoes pretty much nailed it. Satin and pearls say evening glamour to me, don't you agree?

The satin trousers are very old and I think may have come from my daughter at some stage. The vest top is old too and the leather belt was a charity shop find a few years ago.

All my accessories are old. The chunky pearl necklace was from Debenhams many moons ago and yet is still a firm favourite of mine, and maybe yours too? My large cocktail ring is  from TK Maxx and the flower one was a gift from a girlfriend some years ago.

This wasn't my finest hour, photography-wise. I battled to find a quiet corner as the evening sun was dropping in the sky, resorting to my old faithful haunt of the slipway in front of the gallery. I'd mooched along to stand on the quay in the golden evening light, but there was a rush of small dinghies appeared alongside bringing the yachties in to New Grimsby quay in search of somewhere to have supper. I had great intentions to do a re-shoot, but life seems to have been busy as ever. Next week I'll feature myself and the girls from work as promised when we went out for our end of season meal together. The flower strewn vintage frock was much admired... 

Wishing you a lovely week!

Anna x

Kimono My House, our SNA challenge for July

Hello and welcome once again to our Monthly Style Challenge where my friends and I all take turns at choosing a theme. Gail has opted for Kimonos this time, resulting in a lovely variety of styles and colours. Mine is more of an overshirt, but that's mainly because kimonos are few and far between in my wardrobe. Let's see how the four fabulous fashionistas fared, shall we?

Summer is here, according to Jacqui! While the rest of the country is besieged with showers, Jacqui is ready to hit the beach in this beautiful all-white outfit complete with lace kimono. See her backstory on her blog Mummabstylish.

Hilda is showing the local shoppers how to do it in style in her fabulous paisley patterned kimono over her white trousers and mules. Catch up with her news on Over The Hilda blog.

Canary yellow trousers and blue patterned kimono make for a colourful offering from Emma this month. Her eclectic mix comes from the high street, eBay and charity shops to maximum effect. Read more from Emma on the Style Splash blog.

Gail's palette in more understated in soft turquoise, lilac and white. This elegant look comes from the high street aka John Lewis, M&S and ASOS to create a soft summery feel. Find out more on Is This Mutton.

My outfit comes from Number 36 in Penzance, a small boutique that I frequent when I'm on the mainland. The shop is small and beautifully curated to offer unique pieces in fine fabrics, usually holding only one of each style and colour to ensure clients find something special. The prices are good too, given that you end up with an individual garment or outfit that you know won't be seen elsewhere. My white linen trousers have a Made in Italy label as does the cotton kimono/overshirt. 

I'm wearing a white vest top and stretch belt to finish the look off, along with a pair of silver and white sandals. White sunglasses are obvious touch for this summer inspired outfit, although summer is playing hide and seek currently.

My silver and glass bauble necklace as well as both my rings are pre-loved from charity shops over the years, and the stretch belt is ancient, from good old Dorothy Perkins.

Apologies for my absence last week. 5am starts and bouts of insomnia are both taking their toll on me at this time of year, resulting in a mini-burnout situation. I'm trying to take things easy on the home front as that's the only area I can step back from currently, which means minimal amounts of after work chores, including admin. Thank you once again for being there, for coming back to read the blog and for your lovely comments which mean so much to me. I'll finish off with a shot of my back garden and the glorious agapanthus that are in bloom. 

Have a great week!

Anna x

Jumpsuit June our SNA challenge

Hello again and can you believe that it's the end of June already? Another month seems to have just whizzed past us don't you think? This month's Style Not Age Challenge comes from Hilda and was a great choice for me as I have this new jumpsuit to share with you. But more of that later. Let's take a look at the rest of the collective first...

Emma's hot pink frilly number comes from Zara and oh, how I have jumpsuit envy! Silver sandals and handbag are from Yaa Yaa London - brilliant accessorising Emma! See more on her blog Style Splash.

Jacqui's jumpsuit is from Roman and is totally fab too! I'd wear this in a heartbeat, but she's unsure if this is right for her. What do you think? Hop across to her blog Mummabstylish to let her have your thoughts.

This elegant jumpsuit of Hilda's is by Coast, but not new. Cool and stylish as ever Hilda carries this off with her usual aplomb. See her back story on Over The Hilda blog.

Here's another fab jumpsuit, from Gail this time. I love the double polka dots! This isn't new, but was from Phase 8 and Gail has accessorised it with red espadrilles and necklace. See more from her on Is This Mutton blog.

So here I am in my brand new (not even bought from Vinted) jumpsuit from Onjenu - see it here. I stumbled across this on social media, as you do, and immediately fell in love with it. I've worn it twice already and it's beautiful; so soft and easy to wear and very flattering indeed. No zips or buttons, you simply pull it on and smooth the pleats over the waist and bust to fit. It's soft fabric is lovely and drapey earning me lots of compliments.

And I mustn't forget to mention that IT HAS POCKETS! OMG, there's nothing nicer than a slouchy pocket to make a gal feel cool. That clever feeling of being dressed up but having hands deep in pockets makes it all look so uber casual. I wore this recently to a party evening at work and I felt a wonderful combination of chic and yet comfortable.

My necklace was a Gallery Tresco purchase from jeweller Charlie Dodge, rings are both pre-loved and sunglasses are by Radley London. 

The jumpsuit is quite long so I wore high platform sandals in natural suede from TK Maxx.

My photographer this week was Jodie who works locally in Tresco Stores. She appeared as I was lining up my tripod and camera and offered to do the honours - and didn't she do a great job! Thanks Jodie for stepping in and for making me feel so at ease.

So, here's a rather strange postscript to today's feature...

On Thursday my puffin swimsuit was stolen from my washing line. It was a bit of a shock for this to happen here on our idyllic island paradise as it kinda shattered the dream world I seem to live in. As you'll see from below, my washing line sits next to the main road on Tresco island in full view of everyone. Anyway, I posted about it on Instagram and my son Jamie did a similar post on Facebook.

Fast forward to Sunday lunchtime when the swimsuit was tossed over my garden wall. It begs the question that the perpetrator felt this was too hot to handle and that they might be rumbled if they tried to wear it here. I had suspected that the thief had scarpered to the mainland being a dodgy day-tripper, but now I'm not so sure. Anyway, I'll be keeping my swimsuits indoors to dry in the future.

                                                                        Anna x