5Over50 style challenge - orange is the new black

Welcome to our August edition of the 5Over50 style challenge.This is where one of the fashionable five over 50's choose a theme for us to style and yes, this month we're giving our interpretations of Orange is the new black, thanks to Ashley who's a huge fan of the TV series. My fellow bloggers have all entered into this one with great gusto so let's not shilly-shally any longer...

Here's a taster of what I've offered up -

Never one to be too predictable, I've chosen orange with accent colours of white, blue and lilac along with a sprinkling of metallics to round things off nicely. But more of that later...

Jacqui of Mummabstylish has given us textbook orange in all its glory. I love her long statement necklace that adds an elegant edge to this two piece. See the full story on her post here.

Orange trews, orange bag, orange hat and even orange lippy - yep, Gail has entered into the challenge big time. This casual look suits her down to the ground (no pun intended!) and you can see the whole shebang on her post here.

Laurie is sporting a summer chic style in her orange ensemble and it's pretty stunning to say the least. The pops of colour sing out against her sharp white trousers and white shopper. Visit her blog to get the lowdown here.

Ashley has donned her Orla Kiely tee shirt dress for today's challenge partnered with orange sandals and a cute raffia bag. A picnic must be waiting just off camera, don't you think? Sadly, this is her last post with the group due to work commitments, so do pop over to her blog for the final feature.

These silver glitter socks serve a dual purpose. Firstly they make a fashion statement, whatever that may be - I'll leave you to decide. But secondly, they help ease the rather tight fit of these new sandals which I've had since last summer without managing to stretch. Et viola - today I can!

If you're a regular, you'll have seen this dress before (a purchase from Tu at Sainsbury's from last summer) so I've tried to mix it up a bit with the white and metallic trim belt as well as the socks and mules. For some reason I felt I was channelling Vivienne Westwood the minute I donned this footwear - have I seen her in this combo I wonder, or is it just wacky enough to make me think of her? No matter, I broke the sandals in and they fit much better for having been stretched a bit at last.

Outfit details - dress and sandals: Tu at Sainsbury's, belt: charity shopped, heart pendant: Vanilla Boutique, rings: charity shopped, watch: Michael Kors, sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Linking with - 

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Anna x

Black trouser challenge 10

And here I am in double figures with this Black Trouser Challenge. Instead of it being difficult as I half expected, this has become a really enjoyable weekly feature. Today I've acted on the suggestions of a couple of bloggers who wish to see a casual twist. Let me know what you think Mary and Jude.

These LA Gear trainers were a recent purchase from TK Maxx. I totally love the colours, texture and pattern of them - so much so, that I did my little happy dance when I tried them on. That would have been fine if I'd been in the changing rooms, but I was on the shop floor being watched/ignored by my daughter. She soon told me to stop as people were watching. I like to be embarrassing at least once each time we're out together, so that got it out of the way for the day.

I had to ham it up a bit to counter the fact that I didn't comply fully with the remit of casual. The black trousers are strictly work wear for me and as such I do have to look semi-smart behind the desk as I serve customers. A tee/sweat shirt would have been more casual, I know, but I could only see me wearing that on a hanging evening (such as this evening, I suppose). Anyway, our photo shoots are first thing in the morning when we catch the morning light before we start the day's work. This is the first time I've ventured out in these with flats of any sort and I was pleasantly surprised that they didn't feel too out of place styled this way. It's given me a couple more ideas along these lines too which is great. And let's not forget that today's outfit brings the cost-per-wear down to £4 which is pretty cool.

Outfit details - trousers: River Island (still available here), top H&M, body: TK Maxx, shoes: LA Gear, bag: Candy Bag, pearls: Almost Perfect, striped ring: gift, brown ring: old.

This is not a sponsored post.

Anna x

Not an outfit, just clothes.

Polly insisted that we do a photoshoot of this, not me. I was in very practical mode on this particular day when I knew that we had a heap to get through at work (a whole lot of cleaning, then packing of artwork in addition to unpacking of more, hanging paintings too, as well as running in and out of the storeroom to recycle vast amounts of cardboard) therefore I couldn't afford to be teetering about in high heels or a tight frock. Hence the non-outfit, just easy trousers, baggy shirt and no jewellery. But Polly wouldn't hear of my protests about this non-outfit. No, it's for the blog this one...

Just think how much it would cost to lay on all of these special effects - background in soft focus, just the right amount of little boats bobbing about in the bay, ample gusts of wind to achieve that oh-so-natual windswept look for my hair - why it would cost a fortune. And to think that Polly and I get this done in under two minutes flat every morning completely unaided, well we're real pro's she and I!

Outfit details - shirt: charity shopped, sandals: picked up in New Zealand, trousers: Stanley Market in Hong Kong (a gift from a friend, thank you again Ben), camisole: Primark, sunnies: Quay Australia.

I'll be back on Friday with the 10th offering of the Black Trouser Challenge (that's provided it stops raining long enough for our shoot) and then on Monday it's time for #5Over50 feature with Orange is the new black. We also open another new exhibition this weekend and I'll showcase my outfit for that a week from now. I fancy that August may well speed by just as July did!

Anna x

Anna meets...Philonena

It's been a while since I've run this feature, but I'd say it's been worth the wait as today I meet Philonena who was visiting the island during the Cider Festival in June. Her partner organised the music for the weekend. He was so pleased that I wanted to interview Philonena as he's very proud of her taking such care over her appearance and stepping out in style.

Anna: What brings you to this tiny island?

Philonena: My partner, Mike arranges gigs for the 59 Ford Band in the West Country.They play here at the Inn every year, mostly 50's/60's music as well as rock 'n' roll led by the singer, Phil who is a friend of ours.  This is my first visit to the Isles of Scilly and it's been lovely out here by the sea - it's very different to a normal gig. 

Anna: Do you like to dance?

Philonena: Yes, I love to dance. Mike and I like to jive and dance to rock 'n' roll as well as any kind of good music. 

Anna: Do you have a style icon who has influenced you?

Philonena: Audrey Hepburn. 

Anna: Would you like to tell my readers how old you are?

Philonena: I'm 67.

Anna: You have amazing skin for a woman of your age. What's your secret?

Philonena: I use oil on my skin rather than cream, but think my Mediterranean genes play a part too.

Anna: Where's home for you?

Philonena: I'm half Maltese, but have lived in Bristol since I was 15. I was born in Yorkshire and have lived in Cornwall amongst other places. 

Anna: Do you dress like this every day?

Philonena: Yes, I love 1950's dresses and wear them every day.

Anna: You've recently had a tattoo. Tell me about it.

Philonena: It's a very unique image, and not one I want to share as it's a one-off. It's based on me in a Union Jack dress in a 1950's style. I had it done on the inside of my arm so that it's not on show, but is there for me to see and enjoy. The tattooist had to use a extremely fine needle to achieve such a delicate image. 

Anna: What keeps you young?

Philonena: Music and dancing with my special partner keeps me young. We love going out and having holidays together.

Thank you Phee, it was an absolute pleasure to meet you!

One other thing that Philonena and I chatted about was her motivation for dressing as she does. She was keen to get across the fact that she doesn't dress for anyone else, but herself. This is who she is, not who she's trying to be, and I understand that completely. She is quite shy and reserved and is keen for me to see that she doesn't dress like this as a way of showing off. Philonena has a strong sense of self that's not reliant on society's approval - that's a great message for women of all ages, don't you agree?

Anna x

Black trouser challenge 9

Yes, it's week 9 of my self-imposed Black Trouser Challenge featuring these marvellous fancy pants by River Island. Today's post is very special however, due to a spot of luck. Earlier this month I entered a give-away sponsored by ADRA. Now, I'm sure we all have friends who are always lucky with raffle tickets and prize draws, but I never win anything. Until now. ADRA chose me as one of their four winners in their 4th of July draw and I won this beautiful white blouse. Huge fanfare, streamers popping and technicolour fireworks zooming skywards please!

The blouse is a dream to wear, made out of 100% silky smooth cotton and is crispy cool for summer. I love the cutaway shape to reveal shoulders and also love that it's cut high enough to clevery hide that unsightly overspill that can happen between bra and underarm - the angle looks sharp, modern and chic. The cutout on the back is beautifully placed to show an area that I'm very happy to reveal, but still allows you to wear a bra. And let's not forget to admire the fabulous frilled finish that has to be the best feature of all. Little wonder that I was so keen to win this as it's the perfect partner for my ruffled hem trousers. The blouse is long enough to wear over trousers rather than tucked in and I'll be showing you that next month when I wear it with a splash of colour to show you a more casual look. So, thank-you ADRA for changing my luck and making my day!

Outfit details - trousers:River Island, blouse: c/o ADRA, necklace: Du Barre, shoes: New Look, belt: Dorothy Perkins, rings: Sainsbury's, sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Anna x