Anna's Island Style: preloved jewellery

My 60's style

Hi there! Are you well? Hope you're doing fine. All's good here, busy of course, now that it's July, but that's as it should be. This was yesterday's work outfit, homage to the 60's, first seen here on my birthday. Bright colours and psychedelic prints were popular in the 60's just in time for me to find my first influences. I cut my fashion teeth on Mary Quant and Pan's People as I grappled with mini skirts, flares, skinny rib tops and fringed waistcoats in suede.

I love the soft pastel shades of this two piece (from Asos). I've added a simple white vest top and pink stretch belt to the outfit plus my pink and orange cowboy boots to give the look a bit of an edge. See the boots here.

White sunglasses are the ultimate accessory for this 60's look - these are a charity shop find, for the bargain basement price of £3. I remember saving up my pocket money to buy the perfect pair of sunglasses in my early teens, mine had orange frames and I thought I looked fab wearing them.

Steve and I had just returned from a drinks do and so I cashed in on the fact that he was a bit tipsy and asked him to take my blog photos. I plonked myself on our front wall and he clicked away, regardless of whether I was actually in the shot or not! Luckily he captured me a few times.

Necklace is from Zara, this season and rings are both old.

Looking back at my birthday shots you may notice that my hair was a bit shorter. I've decided to let it grow this summer although am still having it trimmed to try to maintain some sort of style. I thought I'd try something longer for a change. What do you think? The wind did make it look a bit scruffy didn't it?

Anna x

Hello again! It's been so good to have a week off work, but here I am back in the groove. I managed to find a happy compromise with my time off, catching up on a few chores (even spring cleaning two cupboards) and doing some batch cooking for the freezer, but also having some lovely swims, watching a few movies, read a book and had the odd daytime nap. It's been great!

Today's outfit is all about winter layering, the perfect answer to indoors heat and outdoors cold. My dress is a charity shop purchase from last month when I was on the mainland. It cost me all of £4.95! I love the pattern, the colours and the retro vibe too. The v cutout and neck band lift it out of the ordinary, don't you think? I popped a long sleeved thermal underneath to give an extra bit of warmth to this cotton dress.

Next I added this fur gilet, not new, but still a fab bit of glamour plus warmth when you need an extra layer. The waistcoat was from TK Maxx a few years ago and comes out every winter.

My boots aren't new either, but were from ASOS a few years ago. I love how I've created a brand new look without breaking the bank.

Nothing new with my rings or sunglasses either.

Last of all is this oxblood leather coat, another charity shop bargain from years ago - it was £20 from Oxfam and worth every penny of it. I love how windproof leather is and how it copes with rain without marking. Once the temperature drops a bit further I'll add a scarf and some leather gloves to make this entirely chill proof.

Can you believe that in a month's time we'll all be in the run up to Christmas? Is it just me, or are the months simply speeding by? I've bought one Christmas present so far and a couple of packs of cards so maybe I need to start getting my act together!

I'll be back on Monday with another of our Monthly Style Challenges. Please do swing by to see what we're up to!

Anna x

Hello and welcome to our monthly style challenge which is Layered Lux this time, the theme being chosen by Gail of Is This Mutton. Our outfits reflect the difference in weather and temperatures across England and Ireland during the past week when we took our photos; luckily it was a warm and sunny day here on Tresco when I wore this summery outfit, probably one of my last ones of the year. So let's take a look at how my blogging friends approached Layered Lux...

Jacqui's silky blouse certainly says Lux and she has co-ordinated it well with jeans and long line jacket for a casual look. Check out those fab shoes! See her blog Mummabstylish for full details.

Hilda's layering comprises of silk shirt, leather jacket and woollen coat - a sure sign that the temperature has dropped over in Ireland. Read her backstory on Over the Hilda blog.

For Gail, the trick is all about lots of thin layers to keep warm in the season ahead. A fine roll neck, topped with thin tee shirt and tie wrap starts her outfit and later she adds a sweater and gloves - see the final flourish on her blog here. Those rose gold boots surely say Lux, Gail!

Emma from Style Splash is ready not just for autumn, but winter too in this trouser suit topped with fur trimmed leather coat. It's a look I'd wear in a heartbeat Emma - pass it on when you're done!

This outfit was an absolute joy to put together, mainly because it's based around old or pre-loved items which always makes me feel good. The trousers are very old indeed and were from New Look costing £5 in the sale many moons ago. The pairing with this charity shop jacket is what makes me smile; I love the marriage of colours but the clashing of patterns. Jewellery-wise there's nothing new here either - the frosted disc necklace came from Marks & Spencer yonks ago and the silver rings are old too. Sunglasses are from Quay Australia.

It's the first time I've worn the jacket and had been put off by the fact that it didn't have buttons on the sleeves - although that wasn't enough to stop me buying it a few summer's ago. It was only recently that I found the jacket lurking in the back of my wardrobe and set to in finding some suitable buttons from my button box. I also put a new button on the front of the jacket and suddenly the whole thing came to life.

This lace shirt definitely adds an element of luxury to the outfit. A recent charity shop purchase, it was brand new, still with the labels on and was reduced to half price. This was its first outing and I must admit I think it'll be very useful for many summers to come.

Lace blouse and sparkly belt surely sum up Lux for this challenge today. I also liked the version without the blouse and with the jacket on (see below, although the sunlight was casting quite a different light for these following shots).

It's such a shame that I've only discovered this stylish jacket now, just as I'm about to do my autumn/winter changeover. Never mind, it'll be a joyful find for me when I come to unpack these clothes again in the spring! As ever, thanks for dropping by and I do hope that you've picked up some ideas for seasonal layering too.

Wishing you a fab week!

Anna x

Another week and another heatwave outfit - who'd have thought it? Friday's work outfit was all about keeping cool in the stifling heat. It was another scorching day on the Isles of Scilly and at work we had no way of escaping the intense temperature despite having the doors and sky lights open - there wasn't a breath of wind.

I chose this new airy smock dress (from TK Maxx) to keep me cool and it was pretty successful. The fabric is light and the cut very generous to allow lots of movement and air circulation - not that this was on my mind when I bought it as I simply loved the mix of paisley and floral patterns together. This was another purchase from the spring when I was on the mainland and I had scooped up some new clothes for the months ahead.

I'd spent most of the day longing for a sea swim at the end of work. The thought of the refreshingly cool water was what kept me going as the mercury rose. At one point while I was serving a customer I bent down to get a paper bag and felt two beads of sweat trickle from bra line down over my tummy - how little exertion was needed to work up a sweat!

The end of the day couldn't come quick enough for Fiona and I so we had a lazy walk to the south end of the island to find a spot for the photo shoot. It was a bonus to find an empty beach in the height of the summer - this is known as Bathing House Beach. Afterwards we crossed the road behind here and dropped down onto Appletree Bay for a delicious cooling swim.

The outfit was all about comfort so I opted for my sparkly flower sandals to finish off the look. These were from Amazon and are a wonderful mix of comfort and style - the insoles are nicely padded making them all-day wearable.

My sunglasses are from Radley London and the chunky necklace (Topshop) earned me lots of compliments as it picked up most of the colours of my dress.

Nothing new jewellery-wise at all. The rings are both old, but work fine with this look.

The islands are busy as ever at the moment which is exactly as it ought to be. We're having a bumper time in the Gallery for our artists too. Sales are strong and I'm just about to fill our art container ready for shipping to the mainland this week. We no long host exhibitions, instead we showcase one painting per artist and from there offer private viewing for the clients to see more from their chosen artists. The gallery has a wonderful mixture of paintings, a real eclectic gathering of styles offering something for everyone. We've hit upon a winning combination for artists and clients alike. I love this new format and as a business model it's a huge success. Hurrah!

Wishing you a great week ahead!

Anna x

Hello and welcome again to our monthly style challenge! It's my turn this time to choose the theme and what could be more appropriate than Summer Sizzlers? Our recent heatwave had many of us cooling off in sea or heading for shade at home. My offering is an oldie but goodie, a lace jumpsuit from TK Maxx many moons ago. So let's take a look at my style sisters to see how they tackled this one...

Jacqui's jaw-dropper outfit looks like she's stepped straight off a film set! Hat from Dune, swimsuit from Debenhams and lace trousers (old) certainly live up to the remit. See more on her blog here.

Gail from Is This Mutton has paired up lime green and fizzy pink for her Summer Sizzler look. Cute, fresh and very summery Gail snapped this on her Greek holiday which was indeed a sizzler with temperatures pushing 40 degrees! Catch her back story here.

Emma from the Style Splash is another to send us one of her holiday snaps, this time from Funchal. Orange is her Summer Sizzler colour and oh, how stylish she looks! Find all the details on her blog as above.

Hilda has opted for orange too, wearing a shirt and jeans bought locally along with orange shoes by Clark's. She's making a fab style statement as she takes herself off for her 40th Wedding anniversary - huge congratulations to you!

I've shopped my closet for this whole outfit which always feels good. The orange strappy sandals were from H&M, gilt belt was from Primark and sunglasses are from Zara - all old.

Rings are both old as well as being pre-loved.

My orange, turquoise and gold disk necklace was a purchase from Charlie Dodge jewellery.

My photo-shoot was located at my second home, my husband's shed in the centre of Tresco, well off the beaten track. This is where he is working on our boat in the evenings and weekends and where I seem to be spending most of my free time too. His tiny office served as a changing room and his wing mirror worked fine for hair and make-up. His truck was a great contrast for my glam jumpsuit don't you think?

Thanks for swinging by to join our Style challenge - I do hope you've enjoyed it!

Anna x

Hello lovelies! This week's post is my Friday work outfit (again). Friday seems to be a good day for a stroll after work with my friend and photographer Fiona. We ended up on Cook's Porth, just below the Old Blockhouse castle and settled there for a while. It was a lovely evening as we tucked in out of the wind to take these shots.

You may remember this lace blouse (Zara) that I wore a lot last year. It's become a summer staple - white means it's so versatile. The sandals were from Lazy Dogz and are so blooming comfy. Amazon has some of these on sale currently and I'm keeping my eye on them in case a gold pair comes up. I seem to be lacking a pair of flat gold sandals this year.

The only new item is/are these fabulous paisley culottes that I bought in Penzance from a little boutique on Causeway Head, called Number 36. (The label on them simply says Made in Italy.) It's a gem of a shop, selling lots of gorgeous clothes, as well as jewellery, cards and other lovely goods. I've bought a few things from there this year and will keep dodging in whenever I'm across on the mainland.

Not only do I love the pattern of the culottes, but also the deep shirred band that sits over the tummy and hips. It's a flattering style and easy to wear too. I resisted the temptation to pair them with a figure hugging top and went with a camisole layer under the wide loose blouse.

Nothing new jewellery-wise, but the blue rings do go so very well with the cornflower trousers don't you think?

I feel I ought to be awarding a prize for those of you who remember the brand of these old favourites. It's Quay Austalia, just in case you've missed that!

I hope this has been a breath of fresh air for you - either because of the outfit or the glorious backdrop. I have a lovely new pink linen dress to showcase to your next week, so do swing by if you have a moment.

Anna x

Anna's Island Style

My 60's style

Winter layering

Layered Lux, this month's Style Not Age challenge

Cool dressing for another heatwave

Summer Sizzlers, our Style Not Age challenge for July

Paisley pattern and lace for a summer's day