Primark trouser suit; a summer gem!

Hello again my lovelies!

May has arrived and for the past little while it's been glorious weather without that dreadful sharp easterly wind. On Friday I braved it in what is one of my favourite summer trouser suits - I say braved it because it's a lightweight summer fabric and wouldn't withstand a chilly breeze. However, all was good and I even managed to do my own blog photography before I started work!

I bought the checked co-ord from Primark two years ago and it's still looking sharp - see it previously here, here and here. I often get asked where it's from and my response is always met with surprise. The unstructured jacket hangs loose without any buttons making the paperbag trousers the focal point of the outfit. 

The button back sleeves and shorter length trouser work well for my build as I like to show some wrist and ankle. My only minus point would be the lack of pockets, especially trouser ones, but on the other hand it was a brilliant purchase at only £30 for the whole suit.

The Karl tee shirt was a TK Maxx purchase about three years ago. You can't go wrong with a white tee, can you? Sunglasses are from Quay Australia.

My gold coloured chain was another Primark purchase. The rose gold watch is by Michael Kors, worn with my wedding ring and a russian three gold ring. Simple jewellery for this clean cut ensemble.

This is a great outfit for running around. I had to pop out to move art from one holiday cottage to another, so I chose practical footwear by way of these white patent finish Puma trainers. The ribbon laces for once aren't my adaptation, but they do add a touch of femininity don't you think?

It's so lovely to have you swing by again today. My readership is looking healthier than ever, so thank you if you're a regular and a very big thank you if you're spreading the word about Anna's Island Style!

                                                                           Anna x

Smart and sassy!

Hello lovely readers! How are you today? Well, I hope.

Today's title refers to the outfit, not me by the way. You'll have seen the dress featured previously, but the addition of a jacket just gives it a smart edge. My love of pattern play is truly evident here too, even down to the heart sprigged tights. It felt like a proper spring outfit when I wore it earlier this week. 

The jacket is by Heyton, bought in TK Maxx a few years ago. It really is a beautifully tailored piece, with perfect proportions for my height; flattering cut, neat stitching and lovely sleeve length. I had a search online for the brand, but couldn't find a web page, however I did find the same jacket on eBay if anyone is interested. 

My leather brogues are from Office (very old), but do work so well with this Zara snakeprint dress. I love the mint shade of the shoes although they're quite a difficult colour to tie in with a lot of my outfits. They are absolute heaven to wear, being all day long comfy with no need for that lunchtime swap over as so often happens to me. The Radley handbag was a wonderful charity shop find, a stylish neutral bag for this look.

 

My rings are both pre-loved, charity shopped and blooming perfect for this ensemble. Hurrah!

The dress came with its own self tie belt, so as is my wont I changed that for a different one; yet another charity shop find. It's leather and elastic woven with gilt trim to create an unusual accessory that had earned its place in my collection.

Next month is my 6 year blogging anniversary and I'm inviting any of my readers to send me an email with a photo of yourself in an outfit inspired by Anna's Island Style. Some of my blogging friends have responded to this, but I'd love to showcase readers too. So don't be shy, please step up and let me feature you on my anniversary feature!

                                                                       Anna x

Spring Sweaters for our Style Not Age challenge

Hello and welcome to this month's challenge! It was my turn to choose a theme and I've gone for the functional Spring Sweater. We in the UK are still being battered by another beast from the east, making the sweater more vital than ever. So without further ado, let's see how the my style buddies approached this shall we?

Gail of Is this Mutton wears her snuggly mohair cardigan in a lovely spring shade of green offset by pinks in many hues. I'm more than a little envious of her new haircut! Do swing by her blog to find out more.

The eternally cool Hilda is happy to share that everything she's wearing, including her sweater, is over two years old - a woman after my own heart! See more on Over The Hilda blog. 

Jacqui's orange sweater is a super burst of spring colour. Styled with white jeans and knee high boots she has created a lovely weekend look. Catch her back story on Mummabstylish.

Emma of Style Splash wears a beaded collar sweater which she has paired with a dash of spring green too. Always one for a statement handbag she has chosen the perfect colours to tie in with her outfit.  

My own sweater is a vintage cotton Laura Ashley number, a happy find in a charity shop some years ago. I picked it up because it reminded me of a similar Laura Ashley one that I had the first time around, back in the 80's. I so regret getting rid of my original one, probably during one of my zealous clear-outs, but hey, at least I've got this replacement.

I love the pretty pastel colours which work perfectly with jeans for a casual look. I chose two floral rings in neutral shades, pre-loved, to compliment the jumper. 

The flower sprigged jeans were also charity shopped some time ago. 

Shown here for the first time is an exciting second hand purchase. The leather across-the-body bag reminds me of a postie's bag. I paid £20 for it - the quality of hide and work involved meant value for money to me. It's a great size, perfect for holding both my mini tripod and camera as well as lipstick and hairbrush.

My pink lattice work trainers are Sketchers, bought on sale at TK Maxx two years ago. I wear them on my lunchtime walks and are cool and comfy for the couple of miles I clock up every workday. They have air cooled memory foam insoles that make for easy mileage without blisters or overheating.

The sun was very obliging for this shoot, in fact it's been sunny for weeks and weeks here on the Isles of Scilly, but the easterly wind is relentless and very chilly. I managed to drop down out of the wind here in the corner of the beach on the south end of Tresco and had the entire bay to myself.

Today's blue framed sunglasses are by Radley London.

Showing the view here from Bathing House beach across to St Mary's and St Agnes. The islands look as glorious as ever.

I hope you've enjoyed this month's style challenge. Do let me know if this inspires you to emulate something we've done!

                                                                                   Anna x

Lovely leopard print!

Hello again! Are you okay? How's life treating you?  I love to hear from you so please add a comment at the end of the post to share your news. This is a hot off the press outfit, taken just an hour ago. 

The look is inspired by a dear friend. We were discussing our plans to clothes shop next month (me in the UK and she in Portugal) and what we hoped to buy. I was bemoaning the fact that I had missed purchasing three wonderfully bright linen summer tent dresses; one in turquoise, one in orange and the other in bright pink. Big, loose and airy for the summertime is how I described them and such a heartache that I dithered over them two years ago when I was in Truro. Her observation was that the voluminous tent dress can swamp me (and her - we're of similar heights). She suggested that I might consider figure hugging styles as they're more flattering for us, giving the illusion of being taller.

Leopard print is one of her favourite patterns, so this one is for you Bo. The skinnies are  indeed figure hugging, but thankfully they do have lots of stretch. Purchased years ago from Zara, the bonus feature has to be the lovely pockets. You can't beat a good pocket can you?

The pre-loved blouse is by Boohoo and is a great match for this vivid outfit. The mix of animal and chain prints in red, black and blue work really well with the leggings. 

The final dose of pattern comes by way of these M&S tartan boots, again not new, but from a few years ago. 

Skinny trousers, fitted shirt and high heeled boots do give a streamline look which does help to quell the voice of the fat woman who lives in my head. Please tell me I'm not the only one to suffer from mild body dysmorphia? My lovely friend Bo has a knack of saying just the right thing to help me open my eyes to what others see. Thank-you darling!

Pre-loved rings, Primark gold chain necklace and Quay Australia sunglasses are today's accessories.

I'll be back on Monday with my fabulous fashionista friends for our monthly Style Not Age challenge. Do come and join us if you can!

                                                                                      Anna x