Unnatural Selection

What is underneath this jacket will not come as a surprise to any faithful readers (and likely was not unexpected for my students either): animal print.

Why would I add yet another leopard to my menagerie? Because it's pink! I adore the classic-with-a-twist sensibility of coloured animal prints like green leopard or blue zebra.Because of the pinks, this print almost reads as a floral, which I why I topped it with a vintage tone-on-tone brooch. Brooches work just as well on prints as solids, so experiment!

This blouse is a perfect example of a budget Ebay find. It's Banana Republic, so I knew it would fit, and my sole $5.99 bid (plus $2 shipping) took it home. Most of Banana Republic's blouses are silk rather than polyester, and are great value. Browse for your favourite brand and see what you find.

My cut-out pointy-toed flats finally skipped their last, so I replaced them with this beautiful patent pair. I was really looking for another version with toe cut-outs, but the flat bows are so beautiful it was an easy compromise.

Blouse: Banana Republic, Ebay
Jacket: Mac and Jac, La Belle Vie Consignment Kerrisdale
Capris: Gap
Brooch: Vintage, Etsy
Flats: Restricted, Amazon.com

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

Digging a Trench

I'm so pleased to be able to debut my new spring trench on the blog! Lightweight and bright, it's everything I could ask for in a warm(ish) weather topper.
Underneath it all was the cardigan rind to the watermelon coat. Green and pink, especially when they are slightly chartreuse-y and coral-y, are as refreshing a pairing as the fruit they reference.

While I wear this cameo often, I thought it deserved a close up, along with the lovely edging and hook-and-eye closures of my top, last seen in a more formal iteration rather than with wide-leg jeans. If you are looking for a cameo of your own, I recommend the vintage section of Esty. Browse for 'cameo' along with the colour you want to narrow down your search. Even a costume cameo like this one can make a strong statement.
Trench: Vero Moda, The Bay

Blouse: Nanette Lepore, Ebay
Jeans: Citizens of Humanity, Hills of Kerrisdale
Cardigan: Gap
Cameo: Vintage, my Nana's
Shoes: Gianni Bini, Ebay

Black and White and Red all Over

The theme of this outfit is impatience: I bought a romper on final clearance this winter and just couldn't wait until spring to wear it. Since it is black and white (of course) it only needed my new favourite shoes, tights, and a cardigan to winterize it.

Anchoring the outfit was the bold pop of colour that only red can provide. I like this belt because it has a covered rather than a metal buckle, which is more versatile if you accessorize with both gold and silver.

Though I loved the look, even with the tights I did end up feeling a little self conscious in this length in early March-- what are your thoughts on winter shorts?

Romper: BCBG Generation, The Bay

Cardigan: Banana Republic

Belt: Aldo

Shoes: Bass, Shoebuy.com

Coat: Tulle, Hill's of Kerrisdale

Scarf: Gap

Hat: Joe Fresh, Real Canadian Superstore

Tights: Hue

A Little Bit of Everything

Despite featuring almost all of my favorite things to wear -- bright colors, floral embellishments, edgy metallics, and animal prints -- this outfit doesn't seem too crazy to me. Since it contains almost all of my favorite things, it's probably no surprise that I absolutely love this outfit -- which may be why its the second time that I've worn it in 4 days!. I found this dress at Burlington Coat Factory on Saturday and immediately knew that I wanted to pair it with my coral cardigan. The metallic beadwork on the top of the dress gave it an edgier feel that seemed like a perfect complement to these (slightly subtle?) animal print tights and metallic wedges. I should have owned a pair of shoes like these ages ago.

Dress: Burlington Coat Factory

Cardigan: Anthropologie

Tights: Target

Shoes: Thrifted, Goodwill, Etown, Target

Coat: Vintage, Thrifted, Salavation Army, Lancaster

One of the best parts of this dress is how well it matches this wool coat I bought on my thrifting excursion. Maybe it's the seemingly never-ending winter, but I can't stop myself from buying coats these days! xoxo Anna Rae

Baby, It's Cold Outside

It was so cold outside on Friday, that I decided to photograph my outwear along with my outfit. The purpose, of course, was to show off my new purse because I'm oh so smitten with it. This is the first Coach purse I have ever bought (I bought myself a briefcase sort of bag and my friend Kylee once bought me a wristlet), and I have to say it was worth the wait. I was never a fan of the classic Coach design, but I love the gray and brown combo, I've always had a soft spot for Tweed and rainbow colors, and the inside has the most beautiful purple lining. Add in a 500 price tag that was going to ring up just over 100 -- I was sold. There are a few things I've found it's worth spending a bit more money on, and bags and boots are on the top of the list.
The outfit itself was built around the red tights I recently bought at Target. How festive!
Dress: Target

Shirt: Thrifted, Value Village, Vancouver

Shirt: Jacob

Tights: Target

Shoes: Gifted, Mom and Dad, Zappo's, Fitzwell

Coat: Burlington Coat Factory

Gloves: Target

Hat: Target

Purse: Coach Factory Outlet, Hershey

I was excited about this outfit because I was able to find a way to wear my cream, lacy dress from Target that I bought quite out of season. I really liked the layering here. The hint of the collar and tails of this shirt went so well with these tights, and I really liked the way it picked up the cream of the dress and the gray of the shirt. Quick, easy, but fun.

The hat needs no explanation, as it has feathers. xoxo Anna Rae.

Thanks to Aunt Donna for snapping the pics!

Comfort and Detail

I was distracted by these tights on a Christmas decoration shopping trip to Zellers and had to add them to my legwear wardrobe. I loved their black lace print on a very opaque grey background-- they manage to be both subtle and interesting.

To stay warm during our unseasonable cold snap, I paired the tights with a black merino sweater dress. This outfit is really about texture rather than colour, detailing that sadly doesn't come through in the photos (depite the wonderful camerawork!). The pattern on the tights seems embroidered, and the dress has a ruffled placket and pockets and a small rib knit on the top.
Dress: Laundry by Design, Ebay

Tights: Wonderbra, Zellers

Coat: Tulle, Shine

Scarf: Club Monaco

Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction, Joneve

Things that rhyme with purple

Of all my coloured coats, my purple one gets the most wear, likely because it manages to be striking but not overpowering (Anna also has a beautiful purple coat, shown here). My yellow cardigan is another item that both Anna and I own. I love yellow with grey, black, leopard print, denim.... the list is practically endless. My favourite thing about this cardigan is the delicate chiffon ruffles, even if they do make laundry day complicated. The blouse's high neck and ruffles have a schoolmarmy vibe that I love in a blouse (plus I actually am a schoolmarm) but an abstracted leopard-looking heart print keeps it current.

I finished off the look with my new silver flats. I have had to replace silver flats in my wardrobe multiple time over the past 6 years of so because they are just that versatile. My newest pair was a bit more of an investment, but one I'm hoping will pay off in longevity. I consider one pair of metallic flats (gold, silver, pewter or even bronze) to be a necessity you might want to consider adding to your wardrobe.

Coat: Tulle, Hill's of Kerrisdale

Jeans: Hudson, Fab Kerrisdale

Blouse and Cardigan: J Crew

Flats: Tory Burch, Ebay

A Patch of Blue

Another day, another coloured coat, this one in a beautiful robin's egg blue. Bright coats make me feel like I am making a style statement because they stand out so much against the sea of black and tan outerwear.

My beloved black and white took the form of frothy ruffles subdued with a belt and classic cardigan.

I wore metallic yellow shoes to pop against both the black and white and the sky blue. I love these shoes (and yellow shoes in general) so much that I have to restrain myself from wearing them too much lest they lose their impact. Yellow functions much like red as an accent colour in a wardrobe, but is far less common-- try it out!

Finally, a clear pendent added an extra layer of interest without being too distracting.

Coat: Tulle, Shine

Top: Ann Taylor Loft, Ebay

Cardigan: Banana Republic

Jeans: Hudson, Fab Kerrisdale

Shoes: J Crew

Necklace: Vintage, Etsy

Sunglasses: RayBan, Winners

A Ray of Sunshine

I have multiple bright coats (you really only need one though and they do go with everything) but this one is my favourite antidote to grey Vancouver days.

I love the pattern on this dress, which I feel distracts from the fact that it is essentially just a big comfy tent. This is key when you are feeling like it might be an 'I give up day' involving yoga pants.

I'm looking into the distance to ponder the excellence of this necklace. This is its first appearance on the blog, but one of many in my wardrobe. Supersized black and chunky beads go with pretty much everything.

Coat: Tulle, tulle4us.com

Dress: Vintage, store in Kerrisdale beside Roger's Video

Necklace: BCBG, BCBG Outlet

Tights: Spanx, The Bay (These are Spanx's reversible (!) black/grey tights)

Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction, Joneve

Read My Lips

Sometimes an item of clothing is just perfect. I first saw this Kate Spade blouse last year and slowly stalked it through the wilds of Internet e-tail until I sniped it at a price I was able to afford. Why was this top worth the effort? Behold:

Lips! Smoking! Pleats! Peter Pan/Petal Collar! Whimsy! Irony! You can click on the picture to zoom in on the print for full effect. As my friend Mono commented, it has all the cool rebellion of smoking with none of the lung cancer and COPD.

I chose a black skirt and wedges so the blouse stayed the starring attraction, a role it is used to ever since its appearance on Gossip Girl. It might have worn by a minor minion (Amalia Season # Episode 8) but it is still the closest I'll come to Upper East Side society.

Blouse: Kate Spade, eBay

Skirt: Teenflo, Winners

Wedges: Cole Haan

Coat: Tulle, Hill's of Kerrisdale