Tea Party

There are a lot of good things about not watching the Royal Wedding live: you can calmly listen to vows, knowing Kate will say William's full name flawlessly, you have time to prepare tea and crumpets, you can fast forward through commercials and "Moments Ago" time fillers. But the best part about not waking up at 4 am is that you have time to plan your own Royal Wedding outfit. I chose a simple but sweet summer dress with some rad accessories, including this outrageous blazer of my mom's. The high ruffled collar seemed perfect for the occasion.
Tragically fascinator-less, I had to make due with my most festive headband, adding to the costume-like fun with my oversized pearl earrings and rings.
I wore my grandmother's brooch in honor of the Queen because it's so conservative and vaguely British, it just seems like something that she'd be down with. And, of course, I wore my Kate Spade shoes -- everyone needs a little extra sparkle on the wedding day.
Dress: Thrifted, Value Village, Vancouver, Reitman's

Blazer: Mom's closet

Sunglasses: Target

Pearls: Hand-me-down costume jewelry

Brooch: Vintage, Inherited from Grandma

Shoes: Kate Spade, Kate Spade Outlet
A wedding, a pot of tea, and some crumpets made up the perfect start to my Saturday. xoxo Anna Rae

Not as Crazy as Beatrice

When I decided to add this cardigan to my outfit last night, I wondered if all of the color, paired with a bold print, was too much. Silly me. I forgot that my outfit would look so tame today in comparison to all of the wonderfully unusual fashion at the Royal Wedding.
The pattern on this blouse has so many variations of the same colors, that it seemed like a fun idea to pair it with red and coral, creating a giant variation of the same hue.
I bought this blouse during the same shopping trip when I bought my pants, and, instead of my normal process of trying on a few different variations of the same outfit before I decide on one I like, I noticed that when I pulled both of these out of their shopping bags that they would go well together. When fashion gives you an easy way out, sometimes you just have to take it.
And like so many color blockers before me, I paired all of the color with a simple, nude shoe.
Shirt: Express (on major, major sale!)

Pants: the Limited

Cardigan: Anthropologie

Shoes: Old Navy
I've clearly caught Royal Wedding fever, if you couldn't tell by the way I'm gleefully throwing these tulips petals around. Such whimsy! Although I've looked at slideshow upon slideshow of Kate's beautiful dress and all the other amazing fashions -- especially the fascinators! -- I'm waiting to watch the wedding with my aunt tomorrow over tea and crumpets. What did the rest of you think? Did you watch it? In real time? xoxo Anna Rae

Weather Permitting

I assembled this outfit because I thought it'd be an adorable way to dress for a baseball game. My original plan for the day was to see a Pittsburgh Pirates game, but as I was about to drive into Pittsburgh, it started thunder storming.
I really wanted to wear this beret (in case it rained) and this dress (its gray and yellow is a fun way to nearly dress in the Pirates' black and gold), but was looking for a way to bring them together. In a moment of DIY glory, I wrapped this hot pink ribbon around my cream belt. I'll admit that I'm not a crafty person, and most DIY projects are beyond my reach, but I liked this simple solution.
And now to shift the focus from baseball and ribbon crafts: Rosel, an amazingly insightful writer who blogs about feminism, (Canadian) politics, culture, and, most recently, fashion, wrote a really interesting piece about the anonymity of fashion bloggers. I must admit that I'm slightly biased towards her writing, since she is a real life friend of mine, from the very glamorous part of my past when I studied abroad in an English castle, but I think I'd recommend it anyway. This blog has become more of a diary to me than I realized, but only drifts into the non-fashion aspects of my life in small, strange ways. I could say more, but she already has, so I'll just strongly recommend that you go read it.
Dress: Old Navy

Belt: Thrifted, Value Village, Vancouver wrapped with ribbon

Shoes: Gabes

Jacket: Thrifted, Value Village, Vancouver, Eddie Bauer

Hat: Luxx, South Side, Pittsburgh

A behind the scenes shot! Thanks to my Aunt Lisa for acting as creative director for the shoot, most especially trying to control my very unruly hair. xoxo Anna Rae

Red Pants Remix

Finally, all of my spring trend dreams have come true! I've been longing for red pants for a while now after seeing them on just about every other fashion blogger (when did everyone else buy their colored pants? How did they know to do it so quickly?), and I finally found a pair that fit well and were an excellent price -- once I included my teacher discount at The Limited.
This outfit is a remix of both my last attempt at color blocking and my new Modcloth blouse. Better than the originals? That one might be too close to call. Your votes and opinions are always appreciated, of course.
Since I was wearing bright red pants with a purple cardigan and a lace blouse that features an oversized Peter Pan collar, I thought it was safe to assume that the accessories should stay on the more subtle side. This key necklace, one of my absolute favorites, always adds a little bit of class and whimsy to my outfits without ever overwhelming them.

I have to admit that I might be getting a little bit vain about how my legs look in heels. The black wedges, then, seemed pretty imperative.
Pants: The Limited

An important note about the Limited: Teachers and students both receive discounts. When shopping, always take your academic ID card.

Blouse: Modcloth

Cardigan: Old Navy

Shoes: Target

Necklace: Gifted, Mom and Dad, Tiffany's
How much will you be seeing these pants on the blog? So much. In fact, I might go back and buy the yellow ones. xoxo Anna Rae

Tailor Made

I picked up this dress from the tailor's, and couldn't wait to pair it with my yellow cardigan and belt. The combination of yellow and navy along with the seersucker fabric makes this outfit so nautical and fun.
Last summer, when I first bought this dress, I wasn't sure if I liked it at its original length, or if it needed some tailoring. Both Libby and Erin suggested that it did, and after seeing the dress minus a few inches on the bottoms and few centimeters off of the sleeves (as an American that lived in Canada, I can pretty much switch between metric and standard measurements flawlessly), I totally agree. Now that it's at its new length, I'm even more in love with it.
Because I was so excited to wear this dress again, I kept the details of the outfit pretty simple. I just bought these (very high!) nude wedges at Old Navy, and I think that they're going to be perfect for so many of my outfits this summer. My roommate Camilla's mom bought me this necklace when I graduated college, and it's one of my favorites. It's simple enough to go with any outfit, but lovely enough to make an impact on that outfit.
Dress: Vintage, Eons, Pittsburgh, Hemmed

Neckalce: Gifted

Cardigan: Old Navy

Wedges: Old Navy

Belt: on dress from Ross Dress for Less
Have you altered any pieces for a fresh spring look? xoxo Anna Rae

Easter Bonnet

It wouldn't be Easter without a bonnet. While this fascinator does not earn full-on hat status, I think it is more than appropriate for adding a bit of paschal festivity.

Since I had already made such a statement with my headgear, I didn't want to create too much distraction in the pews by over-gilding the Easter Lily with my outfit. This beautiful dress' muted colours and abstracted daisy print was both springlike and appropriate.

And you know I will be wearing the fascinator with my pyjamas to watch the Royal Wedding. I'm a loyal subject!

Fascinator: Claire's Accessories
Dress and Belt: Milly, Holt Renfrew (a clearance rack gem)
Wedges: Cole Haan Freedman's South Granville
Coat: Tulle, Shine

Date Night

Easter was a lovely day that was made lovlier by taking a fine fine walk with Jenna, best friend from high school. She is fancy and lives in San Francisco (near the Tanner residence, geez, so many Full House references today...who am I kidding though, I make ALWAYS Full House references) but still traveled back for just the weekend to see her family. Because she had some down time between her dinner and the airport, she stopped for the evening to go on a little walk! So here we are, in all of our couple-dom, taking advantage of the wonderful views by the incline. She also forced me to venture out onto the lookout point, even though I don't trust her architecture mumbo jumbo. Blah blah blah, concrete supports. Blah blah blah, steel beams. Blah blah blah seismic safe structure*. Blah blah blah death trap! Okay, maybe I added that last one, but trust me, they're terrifying. And Pittsburgh inclines are unlike the one in Johnstown because ice cream is not awaiting visitors at the top. Wah wah.

My hoodie: Express

Jenna's hoodie (borrowed from me): Gap

Pretty skyline: City of Pittsburgh

*Phrase invented by Dr. Ralph Feather (apparently) Jenna wanted me to give credit where credit is due, ha.

Until next time. Libby

the Bunny Hop

This year for Easter I wanted to look even more floral-y and even more colorful. Despite not wearing tights -- it is the end of April, after all, I think I've succeeded. I love the bold print on this dress and how it allowed me to incorporate my favorite color of the season -- coral.
The cardigan didn't last long in the warm weather and even warmer houses, but I loved how the cardigan and shoes worked so well with the dress's bright flowers.
The gathering at the waist as a small flower itself is my favorite part of this dress -- the detail just screamed Easter to me.
Since the pattern was so bold and the outfit was already full of bright pieces, I didn't want to add extra color with my jewelry. Pearls and a brooch seem like such a classic statement to make for such a typically Easter outfit -- and I like the idea of pinning my oversized pearls together with the brooch. It adds a fun twist to the classic accessories and saves any panic over whether or not you should wear brooches on nice dresses.
Dress: Donna Ricco, Nordstrom's

Shoes: Target

Cardigan: Anthropologie

Pearls: Claire's

Brooch: Vintage, Arterie, Montreal

The Easter bunny was very, very nice to me this year, and filled my Easter basket with this adorable, sunny yellow Michael Kors bag that slings across my shoulders, and is perfect for all summer adventures.

Happy Easter! xoxo Anna Rae

Hoppy Easter '11

Yes, yes, I know this is kind of cheating, wearing the same outfit for the same holiday two years in a row, but I styled it differently so don't say anything. Okay? I decided to go for more of an Easter egg color motif, which was quite successful seeing as how my boyfriend's brother saw me coming up the back deck and announced, "Who's this little Easter egg coming up our stairs?" Double the "c" double the "s" and then you have success! (Thanks Full House, for that mnemonic device ;))
And do you remember last year when I went to Anna's and decided that I enjoyed having two Easter meals, and set out on the challenge to find a boyfriend to have that every year? Well apparently I forgot to look for someone who lives within a five mile radius because I gave up dinner with my family this year and went to his residence. Don't feel badly for me though, (wait, you weren't feeling bad for me anyways?) because the meal was delicious, complete with good wine and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Yummm...

Hoppy Easter Everyone! Some blogging bunny loves you!

And in reference to faithful reader Amanda's comment, I did, in fact, miss my family today! Hehe

Until next time. Libby

Shoes: DSW, Steve Madden

Skirt: Anthropologie

Top: Gap

Sweater: Express

Zebrights

While wearing this outfit the sun reflecting off my shiny shoes was enough to distract me from concentrating on any task at hand. They make even coloured patent shoes seem dull in comparison.

Can you blame my lack of focus in the face of their sparkle? Like many of my best finds, I stalked these carefully online until they went on sale. While you risk your prey getting away this way, I can rarely justify a full price purchase.
Also gleaming was my crystal (ok glass) necklace, which picked up the blouse's glass buttons. While clear accessories are no longer super trendy, I think lucite, glass, or crystal jewelry is a classic and almost endlessly versatile choice worth owning.

Cardigan: JCrew, Ebay
Blouse: Nanette Lepore, Nordstrom's Rack Seattle
Jeans: Hudson, Ebay
Flats: JCrew, jcrew.com
Necklace: RW&Co

Lady Like

There's something so fun about adding an extra feminine edge to your outfit. Today, I wore my new shirt from Modcloth -- an instant favorite because of the lace Peter Pan collar.
I paired the shirt with my polka dot dress and added some color with the yellow cardigan and red belt. I threw on my leopard print shoes at the last minute as a bit of edge to balance out the very feminine outfit.
The fully lace back of the shirt is one of my favorite things about it! I can't wait to wear it with a red or blue tank top underneath.
Shirt: Modcloth

Dress: Thrifted, St. Mary's Church Hospital, Sechelt

Belt: On Dress, Thrifted, Salvation Army, Lancaster

Sweater: Old Navy

Shoes: Gifted, Mom and Dad, Zappo's, FS NY
And aren't those tulips beautiful? Good job Mom! xoxo Anna Rae

Chain Link

So today I had an interview for a summer position with kids with autism. So even though people say "dress for the job you want, not the job you have" I thought it would be better to ignore that and wear this instead of wearing gym shorts and a tshirt - my uniform for the summer camp.
Faithful reader Amanda and Mr. Amanda got me this shirt last Christmas I believe (or was it my birthday? Who knows, they're so close I get confused and it really doesn't matter) but it's such a lovely shirt made of lovely (and comfortable) material.
It's a chain link-ish pattern, but depending on the light, as evidenced by the pictures above, it is either gunmetal gray (grey?) or a blue-ish tint. Pretty either way!
Then I just wanted to showcase some lacy detail for this otherwise plain black skirt. It's the little things, folks.

Shoes: Steve Madden

Skirt: The Limited (from high school I believe, holy crap, that's old)

Shirt: Gifted, Amanda and Mr. Amanda

Blazer: Gap

Hopefully this satisfied TJ and faithful reader Amanda - they seem to miss me. Who knows why.

Until next time. Libby

And spoiler alert: I'm wearing the same skirt I did for last year on Easter. See how I style it differently next week!