Easy Being Green

Sweater dresses are awesome. You can wear them with tights and flats or leggings and boots and be as comfortable and warm as if you were wearing a bathrobe. The key is to avoid scratchy wool or cheap acrylics in favour of cashmere and merino wools.
While adding a cinch belt to this dress didn't up the comfort factor, it did help play up the graphic black and green stripes, the reason why I didn't add anything to the colour palate. My favourite feature of this dress (other than the colour, stripes, and soft cashmere) is the three-quarter length blouson sleeves. They are easy to type in, a cinch to pair bracelets with, and forgiving on long arms because they look intentionally rather than misfortionally too short. (I know that is not a word)
Dress: Juicy Couture, Ebay

Tights: Hue, The Bay

Belt: Mexx

Necklace: Le Chateau

Bad Weather and Good Holidays

I love my rain boots. They're such a fun, bright reason to not mind walking around in the rain all day. If they're on my feet, then they're the focal point of the outfit for pretty obvious reasons.
I styled the boots against neutrals: black tights, denim dress, and a gray sweater vest. The pink belt matched the pink in the boots, helping the outfit to not seem too gloomy from the knees up.
Boots: Gifted, Mom and Dad, Morning Glory, Greensburg

Dress: Old Navy

Vest: Gabe's

Belt: Target
Additionally, it's Halloween weekend! This year, with the snow and the uncertainty until the day before that I would even be celebrating, I chose a costume that was both on my list of favorite characters and pretty low-key to assemble. Canadians may be unfamiliar, but I went as Daria and wore clothes from my wardrobe and a pair of those $1 glasses with the fake nose and eyebrows (I pulled off the nose and eyebrows). Simple! Fun! Warm! I'm posed below with my friend and sometimes blog photographer Will, who is dressed as Leopold Bloom.

Happy Halloween! xoxo Anna Rae

I Spy

I spy with my little eye a new novelty necklace from Vegas. Like Erin, I also sometimes stalk clothes and accessories that I'm very in love with. I've regularly visited this necklace at the Kate Spade store in Boston, knowing that I couldn't really afford this. This past weekend, my family went on a long-weekend vacation to Vegas as an early Christmas present and we, the now adult children, were gifted a Vegas allowance as part of our present. I spent almost all of mine at Kate Spade, and I'm sure you'll see all of the results soon.
The rest of the outfit isn't new. I've been pretty unexcited about my clothes recently, and I think it's because they aren't that new. It's important, though, to think about your clothes as exciting once the newness has worn off. Instead, how can you change your clothes, even slightly, to make them seem fresh? Today, I changed the tights to a slightly richer color, left the dress unbelted to fully explore its shift shape and matched the gold necklace to a gold headband.
Dress: H&M

Tights: Hue, Macy's

Necklace: Kate Spade, Las Vegas

Headband: Gifted, Elana

Boots: Zappos, Chinese Laundry
My chic raincoat for the threatening skies added, with my black boots, an additional layer of black and white. What do you do when you're unexcited about your wardrobe? xoxo Anna Rae

That's Not My Name

I stalk clothes. When I first discovered that Nanette Lepore had produced both dresses and blouses with a print of boys' names in script I knew I had to own one of them. The print also came in pink on black and I would buy it as well if I could!
As an English PhD student I of course love font as pattern, and adore the way you can't really tell what the print is unless you look closely. There is also something so deliciously retro and tongue-in-cheek about having "Ralph", "John", and "Harry" emblazoned on a conservative blouse.
A black skirt, pearl studs, and simple turquoise flats set off the top without competing with it.
Blouse: Nanette Lepore, Ebay

Skirt: Teenflo, Winners

Shoes: Banana Republic, Ebay

Photos by my lovely fiancée Reece, whose name sadly doesn't appear.

Against the Grain

This outfit is not at all typical of my style, my go-to pairings, or my natural instincts about what works best on my body. Still, I felt great in it, loved the double stripes and the black, white, and gold color scheme, and thought the boots with the skirt was the sort of bohemian, Sienna Miller type of style 20-year-old me would have cried in delight over. So, I must say, it was a success. Sometimes, going against your instincts can be fun.
Skirt: Vintage, Garment District, Cambridge

Shirt: J. Crew Factory Outlet, Williamsburg, VA

Cardigan: Jacob

Boots: Gifted, Mom and Dad, Chinese Laundry, Zappo's
Look at that small braid in my hair. I'm very proud. xoxo Anna Rae

Bubblegum Pink

Wearing a more conservative combination of a button-down shirt and jumper dress, I thought I could add some fun to my outfit with bubblegum pink tights. The tights brought out the pretty pastels in the shirt's plaid, a fun and feminine addition to my otherwise basic outfit for interning.
I balanced the pink out with a neutral metallic belt and shoes and added a final touch of fun with my anchor earrings.

Dress: H&M

Shirt: Gabes, Urban Outfitters

Belt: Target

Shoes: Thrifted, Etown Goodwill, Target

Earrings: Claire's
Although I sit alone in a room working with maps and street orders from 1916, I think the outfit added some excitement to the Public Works department at City Hall. xoxo Anna Rae

Feature Attraction

Girly movie night with your best friend? Awesome. While wearing ruffles and florals? Even better.
It's just as easy to wear jeans with a blouse (or a nice knit top) and a cardigan as it is with a t shirt and hoodie. Trade up! The bolder the top, the less work you have do with accessories.
Same with the shoes. Cute flats are not exactly sneakers, but you can still do a mean run for the bus in them. While pretty much everyone has jumped on the ballet flat bandwagon, there is still time if you haven't.
Blouse: BCBG, BCBG Outlet (Tulalip WA)

Cardigan: J Crew

Jeans: Citizens of Humanity 'Faye', Hill's of Kerrisdale (Citizens: please start making these again)

Shoes: Steven by Steve Madden, Zappos.com

Playing Favorites

When I put this outfit on today, it felt like one I had worn many times before, but I liked it enough to take some bad-lighting, end-of-the-day photos of it. It really has all of my favorites: dress, tights, cardigan, shoes, necklace.

Dress: H&M

Tights: Target

Belt: H&M

Cardigan: Old Navy

Neckalce: Gifted, AlyWebb

Shoes: Gifted, Mom and Dad, FS/NY, Zappo's

Headband: Claire's

I also love the polka-dot layered look with my headband, an easy hair solution that gave me 10 more minutes of sleep this morning. xoxo Anna Rae

Puppy Love

I'm a cat person. But when dogs get little bows and become printed onto silk chiffon it makes me feel like switching sides. I like my novelty prints rendered on the twee-est shapes possible, and the ruffles and tiered sleeves of this top fit the bill perfectly. Novelty prints always feel a bit 1940s to me (my favourite dressing decade) so I tucked them into a tweed pencil skirt with the slightest of fishtail hems. The hem also features an asymmetrical frayed ruffle, keeping it from being too derivative.
I just had to match the Scotty dogs' bows with my shoes. I recently purchased this patent pair so I can continue to wear red pumps in inclement weather, as my suede ones are just not Vancouver friendly. The pointy toe makes them a bit more vampy, but the low heel keeps them walkable.
Blouse: Femme de Carriere

Skirt: Nanette Lepore, Holt Refrew (on summer clearance)

Shoes: Vince Camuto, Winners

Thanks to Mono for her photography!

Freaky Friday

I know what you're thinking, how did Erin's clothes and style get on Anna's body? I guess that's what happen when you share a style blog with someone -- you start picking up their fashion cues.
Since Erin debuted her yellow tights with houndstooth last year, I've been wanting to do the same. I paired the yellow in the tights with the yellow brooch and offset it with my red belt. I love red, yellow, black and white together. It feels so very 1960s London.
I didn't want too much going on with my necklaces since I was wearing a brooch and bright belt, but I think layering the gold would well with the other accessories and the (unphotographed) exposed gold zipper on the back of the dress.
Dress: H&M

Tights: We Love Colors

Belt: from thrifted dress, Salvation Army

Brooch: Etsy

Necklaces: Joe Fresh, Real Canadian Superstore and Gifted, Target

Shoes: Chinese Laundry, Zappo's
I can't wait to wear this dress again and again. xoxo Anna Rae

Black and Blue

If you don't own teal tights I suggest purchasing some. I love the punch they bring to the simplest of outfits.
I kept up the bruise theme with a grey striped tank and black cardigan. The cardigan is Joe Fresh and features a great gathered trim. It's still available (also in beige) if you want a cheap new basic!
The shoes aren't new but are worth featuring. They have the perfect point and chic flat bow for a touch of timeless elegance. Don't own pointy-toe black flats? Get some.
Tights, Necklace, and Cardigan: Joe Fresh, Real Canadian Superstore

Tank: Talula Babaton, Aritzia

Skirt: Anthropologie, Turnabout Consignment (Broadway and Balaclava in Vancouver)

Shoes: Restricted, Amazon.com

Concrete Jungle

I rarely take 'going out' photos, an oversight I hope to remedy despite the challenges of evening photography. I braved Yaletown hecklers and unflattering streetlights just to bring you these shots of my new black and white animal print haircalf pumps .

The outfit that I wore for drinks with the ladies consists of items I wear to teach. Because I am on a limited budget, I try for most of my purchases to be both business casual and cocktail cute. That way moving from academic life into nightlight just requires more daring coordination and thicker eyeliner. The majority of your wardrobe should be wearable to more than one type of event, even it it means your students will write about your shoes in your course evaluations.

Blazer and Pumps: Zara

Blouse: Club Monaco

Jeans: Paige Premium, Zappos.com

Necklace: Vintage, Etsy

Bag: Kate Spade, Kate Spade Outlet