Black trouser challenge 3

Here it is, the third variation featuring these fabulous black trousers from River Island. I wonder how many of you will see the appeal of black and gold done this way?

What's interesting about this offering is that much as a chic, more sophisticated styling was maybe lacking, I still felt this outfit was more fun than ever. This just seemed to bring out the high spirits in Polly and I. I felt playful and the shoot did spiral downwards...

Now, it may be that ankle boots and cropped frilled trousers are not a marriage made in heaven for some of you and that's okay. I wasn't really sure about this move when I put these together, but I was drawn to at least give it a go. I'm completely on the fence now. The first person to tell me they don't like it, and I'll be agreeing. I think it's that flash of bare leg. Polly, on the other hand, loves this look. These boots are new and I just couldn't bear to pack them away for the winter without at least one outing. 

Details - sweater: H&M, trousers, boots and sunglasses are all from River Island, necklace: gift, rings: charity shopped.

My next feature will be Ping Pong Piece on the 20th so please do pop back to see what the subject of the day is.

Anna x

Paradise and a U turn

Today I was whisked off to paradise by my doting husband. We took a couple of hours off work and tootled off in our little boat to Samson, one of the uninhabited islands that make up the archipelago of the Isles of Scilly. Summer has been skirting round us for some time now, interspersed with gales and fog, but by late afternoon we truly felt like it had arrived. 

That's our boat on the left and the yacht in the centre was conveniently moored up in front of us just to add an exotic touch to our view. This shot was after our picnic tea. Steve had indeed sung for his supper by first of all taking some shots for the blog. So without further ado, here's what we achieved.

We spent a leisurely few hours catching up, discussing local news and generally making time for each other. It was good to step out of our normal routine and take a moment to enjoy the life we have here on these beautiful islands. We never take our lives for granted, but we know that we don't get out and about as much as we ought to. So this summer hopefully you'll see more of our picnics and boat trips too.

My own news included the fact that I've been approached to feature some jewellery on my blog. If you're a regular reader you'll know that I've been unwilling to go the way of sponsored posts and collaborations in the past. Well, it seems I'm about to make a U turn. As I'm heading towards my 60th birthday I've come to the conclusion that I can in fact change my mind without loosing my job as blogger extraordinaire! I have to be realistic about my blogging life span and would hate to get to the end of the road and regret not making the most of the opportunities that come along. I'm aware that I'm crossing a line in the sand and that some readers and fellow bloggers may not approve, but this is something that I feel happy about and the time feels right too. I'm sorry if I lose respect or readers as a consequence, but Steve and I chatted today and this really isn't such a big deal in the grand scheme of things is it? I'll still be choosing what I feature and how, so things ought not to look much different.

And finally apologies to those of you who were expecting to see the third episode of my black trouser challenge. It'll be along very soon, I promise!

And suddenly it's midnight and time for me to get off to bed. Thanks for joining me and I do hope you'll keep coming back in the future.

PS Everything I'm wearing today is charity shopped, and I love it all!

Anna x

Flowers and more flowers

If you've followed my blog for any length of time you'll be aware that I hardly ever feature jeans. But hey, it's the weekend and I'm in jeans. Not just any old jeans though - embroidered ones.

So the jeans are new, from TK Maxx and I'm wearing a top that I bought last year when we were in Sicily. I couldn't resist the cheesy pairing of floral top with flowery jeans. Very hippy in my own way, but fun none the less. And then just to get my point home, I've added a very old flowery leather belt as well as my flowery sunglasses. More is more is definitely my message today. Neutral leather strappy wedge sandals are the finishing touch. 

I'm keen to hear from those of you in the know if this is a genuine Pucci piece. I'm one of these people who buys because I love it rather than for the brand, but when I went looking for a label in this, I found I'd done what I usually do which is cut out any scratchy labels. When I googled this it came up with Emilio Pucci, but I wonder if this is an imitation. No matter if it is or isn't, I still love the vibrant pattern.

I'll leave you with some shots that I took this morning before my swim. It was about 8am and the sun was well up in the sky giving some lovely dazzling images. I hope you're having a great weekend. 

Linking with -

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Cherie of Style Nudge.

Anna x

Black trouser challenge 2

If you missed the start of this self imposed challenge then rewind here to see what's driving me. This week I've added another trend from this summer, the never-out-of-fashion gingham. The blouse encapsulates another two current trends, those being frills (oh, I can't get enough of these) and statement sleeves. All of this in one supermarket scoop! 

The beauty of these trousers is that they're the perfect canvas to add a playful touch to. I've combined a bit of pattern play to today's version by way of checks, stripes and the sunglasses, and yet I still feel this has a restrained look (by my standards anyway). No riotous colours or florals here, just plain ol' black and white and yet without dropping into the boring zone. Last week Samantha commented that she thought black trousers would equate to mega yawns and zzzzzzz's but how wrong could she be! These ruffled hems could never be mistaken for boring and certainly lift these black trousers out of the ordinary.

So that's my second version which brings the cost per wear down to £20. I have no idea what I'll dream up for next week, but that's the inspiring bit for me. Creating the new look, surprising myself with a random selection of pieces that somehow bond together to make an outfit. I fancy that I may take another gentle step forwards, nothing too dramatic yet. I'd really like to think that I can entice you to try something a little out of your comfort zone too. For some that may be just popping into River Island to try these trousers on in the changing room. For others, you may send for a pair to try at home so that you can play around and see what outfits you could create. Or maybe you'll just enjoy seeing me playing dress up - well that would be lovely too!

Outfit details - trousers: River Island, blouse: George at Asda (sold out I'm afraid), shoes: New Look, belt, rings and pendant: all charity shopped, sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Please note, this is not a sponsored post. 

Anna x