Oh! Orange overalls.

Hi there! How are you? This is another new outfit from Number 36 boutique on Causeway Head in Penzance. The linen overalls called out to me when I was in there during the summer; as you may know, orange is one of my favourite colours. I love the oversized style which is a great contrast to some of my more fitted outfits. I've worn these both to work and at weekends for a more relaxed look, but which says I've still made an effort.

I dodged about in the early morning sunshine trying to showcase the outfit without it being drained in the bright light. My garden wasn't too bad.

This is my go-to jewellery for orange outfits - the perspex necklace is very old, from another Penzance boutique, but which no longer exists, the gold edged bangle was again from a charity shop as were both rings. Sunglasses are from Radley London.

The white tee shirt was also a charity shop find. The classic white tee can always be found in my favourite thrift stores and I do tend to pick up a good quality one when I see them.

My Lazy Dogz sandals complete this easy to wear ensemble. 

A dear friend of mine recently turned 50, so I decided to make this FAB 50 tee shirt for her. I had this pristine white tee from M&S in my cupboard and then cut out the letters and numbers from some leftover fabric. I had planned to hand embroider the edges with some pink stitches but the needle was too big for the fine cotton lawn and broke it apart. Plan B then, or rather Plan C. B was to do a zig zag machine stitch, but for some reason my zig zag didn't work out so I did a simple stitch, twice to reinforce it.

Even though life is hectic as ever, I still have this creative niggle to sew. Another little project I've just managed to fit in was to add some silk flowers to a lovely vintage dress of mine. We plan to have a staff meal this month so I'll probably wear it then. I must say, I'm particularly pleased with the end result and can't wait to waft about in this maxi dress!

Thank you for dropping by again this week. As you'll notice I seem to have no particular posting day now due the busyness of work and life in general, but I do love to hear from you and to read your comments.

Have a great weekend!

Anna x

Hurrah for 6 years of blogging!

Hello and welcome to my 6th anniversary blogging post!

I can hardly believe that I've been sharing my life with you all for the past 6 years. Has it been fun? Yes, enormous! Has it been challenging at times? Yes, and sometimes I've considered packing it all up and slinking off over the horizon. But here I am, still dressing up and gadding about for your entertainment.

Fiona and I spent a couple of hours at the Tresco Abbey Garden on Sunday taking the shots for today's feature and we did laugh a lot along the way. There couldn't be a better backdrop for my anniversary post when you consider how many plants were in bloom that day. It was a true colour-fest of almost every shade possible - perfect when you consider that my style motto is "Let's bin the beige and have fun with colour!"

Before we go any further let's talk about this beautiful vintage maxi dress shall we? A recent purchase from my mainland trip, I bought it in a retro shop in Penzance, called Black Jacket Vintage. This was its first outing and oh my goodness what a lot of lovely compliments it got! The orange and lilac colours work so well together and the fit is fabulous. The satin edged fluted sleeves are such an elegant touch too; I did feel that I was wafting about in a happy, hippy haze. I'm so pleased to have this in time for summer. I'll be wearing this a lot over the next few months, that's for sure!

 In true hippy chick style I've added a huge bangle and big rings in orange. 

I've continued the retro vibe with these oversized orange sunglasses from Zara along with the shiny orange perspex necklace which was a boutique find at least five years ago.

The gold and orange sandals were a happy find when Steve and I were on holiday in New Zealand a few years ago. 

I'm going to rest up for a moment and allow my followers to take centre stage next. As you'll know I do love to have conversations with my readers, allowing me to build up blogging friendships over time. 

This is Susa from Cologne who has been chatting to me for some time now. She was kind enough to respond to my prompt to take part in this colourful feature. Susa says that Anna's Island Style has inspired her to shop her closet in an expressive way, using colours to brighten her mood and day. She's echoed my love for charity shop rings, wearing a pre-loved glass one and another gifted from a friend - sooooooo very Anna, she says. Susa looks wonderful in her orange and yellow outfit, a combination that I'd happily wear myself.  The lime green foliage of the Beech trees compliments her ensemble perfectly too. Thank you Susa for joining me with your burst of joy!

My blogging friend Hilda of Over the Hilda has submitted this fabulous red trouser suit to the feature. In her words: I love your colourful aesthetic and though I am not as adventurous as you I too find colour mood enhancing and uplifting. She has recently been inspired to dejunk her wardrobe and pass on the hardly worn pieces that were clogging the works. Anna's Island Style has helped her to venture into the world of vintage and charity shopping too. Great news Hilda, I'm delighted to have helped!

Jacqui (of Mummabstylish) and I met up in London in 2017 (see here) and have been good friends ever since. It was inevitable during our time together that day we would talk about clothes and I remember she told me about her three colour rule being her guideline to dressing. She said that she felt out of her depth when it came to pattern play. Well, four years on and look at her now - pattern play is no longer a mystery to Jacqui!

Not only has she dipped a toe into the world of clashing patterns, but she's inventing outfits and inspiring her readers to play along too. These aren't baby steps Jacqui - more like huge strides from a confident pattern mixer - hurrah and very well done my dear!

Kezzie runs a blog too (see here) which was the foundation of our friendship, but then she turned up on Tresco one day and boy did we talk! See my blog feature here. We have similar quirky tastes in fashion and she recently confessed that she'd bought some joggers like mine, although hers were charity shopped. She says this outfit is her homage to Anna - Brights like Anna was her post about these colourful trews and bright orange top. Again, another outfit I'd wear in a heartbeat. 

Let's continue with the tour of the Abbey Garden, shall we? I'm draped in front of the Shell House, created by Lucy Dorrien-Smith. Her mosaics are to be seen throughout the whole island of Tresco; the combination of shells and pottery add a vivid splash of colour to our school building, to Smith Square and most recently in the garden of the Lighthouse Cottage.

The path through the veg garden is lined with lavender, heavy with the buzz of bees as they gather their nectar. The enormous variety of flowers are pollen heaven for the local bee population which in turn create the much sought after Tresco honey, sold exclusively through the Garden Visitor Centre. 

I think Mother Nature wins the prize for being the most colourful!

Thank you for dropping by for my special feature today. I'm quite proud of my 6 year milestone, especially as my readership has continued to grow over the years which is very heartening. Your input is so welcome - it helps me to know that I'm hitting the right spot. Your feedback also fuels and inspires me to be creative, to constantly reinvent myself and keep finding new ways to engage you in Anna's Island Style. Thank you so much xxx

                                                                                    Anna x

Autumn equinox

Yes, today we mark the official start to autumn or if you're reading this in the Southern hemisphere then you'll be embracing the spring equinox. For us in the North this day heralds the start of shorter daylight hours and longer nights. In some ways I'm being dragged, kicking and screaming in rebellion as I say goodbye to summer, but I know that in a few weeks time when I'm togged up in brogues and snuggly tights I'll be, once again, in my element. I have a couple of last minute summery outfits to show you and here's the first...

Longer shadows and golden light signal the gradual change that's been taking place lately, but I've been making the most of the odd warm day to bring out something you've not yet seen this year. The maxi dress was a recent find in a charity shop when I was in Truro. Orange and turquoise are my two favourite summer colours plus the fact that this is a vintage piece makes it top of my "Best finds" list of the year. I've plucked some zingy turquoise accessories to emphasise the sea colours by way of these metallic mules, the beaded belt and two long turquoise necklaces as well as the bangle and ring.

Last weekend I announced that my clothes swap over usually brings on a change in the weather and bang, right on cue, it did! My friend Rachel was right in her prediction. Accordingly my bedroom is the scene of clothes chaos where the seasons are held in limbo, summer, autumn and winter all gloriously melded and mixed together in a jumbled rainbow of colours, textures and fabrics. I daren't move things forward as the days here are still producing the soft, warm, golden light which is so flattering to the skin. Yes, these are interspersed by windy, blustery, sometimes rainy and even foggy days too, but my attention is always focused on the single day when we are becalmed and autumn pushed back for another 24 hours. Sasha and her friends spent yesterday lounging on the beach and by the end of the day she was sporting a sun kissed look that she hadn't managed to achieve in her whole summer spent on mainland Cornwall. Hurrah for the joys of Scilly!

Outfit details - dress: Kivenil, shoes and tee shirt: Primark, belt: Sainsbury's, Dancing girl pendant: Charlie Dodge, long necklace: old, bangle: gift, ring: pre-loved, sunglasses: River Island.

Anna x