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
