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

Birthday Girl

For my birthday, I wanted to look a little special, but it was also very warm, so I had to keep it pretty simple. The skirt was a very exciting, recent find at the Garment District, a great vintage store in Cambridge. I think the shape of the outfit, plus the small details made it special.
The creams ant metallics in the skirt matched the necklace and top, and the birdcage necklace is one I don't wear often, because it's pretty big and loud, but it seemed like a perfect way to add interest o the outfit. The pop of color in the shoes completed the casual, simple, but fun and slightly retro look.
Shirt: Old Navy

Skirt: Vintage, Garment District

Belt: American Eagle (very old, from high school)

Shoes: Target

Necklace: Target
My birthday was a success. Thanks to everyone who joined me for beers and so much gregarious fun that we were told by the not-so-nice waitress that three tables asked to not sit near us. xoxo Anna Rae

Put a Sequin On It

Although I'm not typically a blue jeans girl, I can recognize when they will make a good outfit great. This vintage blouse worked perfectly with my very flared leg jeans.
The real star of the outfit, in my opinion, is the pairing of the blouse with my sequin tank from Joe Fresh. I love this shirt. I bought it on an excellent trip to Montreal, it's one of my favorite color combinations, and with it's slightly puffed sleeves and pussy bow, it's unlike most pieces in my wardrobe. Mixing vintage pieces in with very modern pieces is part of the fun of having a more eclectic wardrobe.
And it was officially time to pull the fall/winter shoes out of the closet. The working girl's blouse called for my favorite professional looking flats. The wide flare on the jean helped the outfit from looking too formal -- fitting its occasion perfectly, an afternoon of reading.
Shirt: Vintage, Arterie, Montreal

Tank: Joe Fresh, Downtown store, Vancouver

Jeans: Old Navy

Shoes: American Eagle
And I must thank Matty, who was an excellent photographer. It's great meeting so many new willing blog photographers. xoxo Anna Rae

Styling it Solo

One is fun. Especially when it comes in the form of a romper. When I spotted this one-piece number at my local Salvation Army thrift store earlier this spring I literally gasped as I grabbed it off the rack. The halter neckline and pockets needed no alteration, but I shortened the knee length culottes to a more kicky length, the better to show off my wedges. I bought them last summer to wear to an outdoor wedding and love their blister-proof soft leather straps.Supporting players were also thrifted finds: both the gingham belt and the bangle came from the same thrift store on different trips. My hair with this look is a modified take on milkmaid braids. Rather than simply parting and braiding, I pinned back the top half of my hair for some soft volume and then crossed the two braids in front like a headband. Romper, Belt and Bracelet: All thrifted, Salvation Army Kerrisdale
Wedges: Ellen Tracy, Winners
Sunglasses: Kate Spade, Amazon.com

Midway Mania

The fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays: picnic food, the Midway, once upon a time an early morning parade that I now sleep through, s'mores, and fireworks. In addition to all these wonderful things, Independence Day is the one holiday when the general public adopts my love of dressing for a theme. To match my family members and friends in their sartorial support of our country, I also try to make interesting and fun outfits complete with red, white, and blue.
This year I chose my blue and white vintage dress and wore a white rope belt from another dress, helping the look to achieve a preppier, New England vibe. My head scarf, fitting with a preppier look, was a plaid skinny tie that added a perfect pop of red.

(Oh, that face. I'm still trying to perfect some casual blogger poses and faces)

I kept the rest of the outfit casual with curly hair and my zip-up sandals. Last year, my red, white, and blue had more of a 1960s vibe, but today I felt like I could be heading out to a clam bake at any second. There's no better occasion to draw inspiration from the preppy and the nautical than the fourth of July. After all, those are two areas where American fashion probably knows best.

Dress: Vintage, hemmed, Eons, Pittsburgh

Shoes: Gabes

Belt: from St. Barths Calypso for Target dress

Tie (as head scarf): H&M
I hope both the Canadian and American readers had great long weekends, celebrating their countries in style. xoxo Anna Rae

Good Morning Baltimore

I can't resist a theme (even if no one else is dressing up) so of course I had to wear a vintage 60s dress to go see Hairspray at the Stanley Theatre in Vancouver. This beautiful dress was just the ticket.
I love the bold print, the self ruffles at the hem and neckline, and the sassy dip in the back. The dress was originally a maxi, but because of my height it was an awkward mid-calf length, so I hemmed it to the knee and reattached the ruffle.
Dress: Vintage, JessJamesJake via Etsy
Slingback Pumps: Cole Haan, Holt Renfrew
Purse: Spring Shoes

Getting my DC Ducks in a Row

This past week, while browsing apartments in DC, my friend Claire and I quickly took some blog photographs in front of one of the row houses where I may live. In this row home, I'd live in its basement, but isn't it so lovely? I can't wait to move. For a busy, warm day of running around the city, I wanted an easy outfit that would make me look at least a little professional in front of landlords.
I love the idea of pairing seersucker with floral prints, and these shoes seemed like a subtle way to pair the patterns. The pink belt is the perfect pop of color, and the gold locket is both simple and slightly nautical, like the dress.

Dress: Vintage, Eons, Pittsburgh

Belt: Target

Shoes: Old Navy

Locket: Gifted, Mom and Dad
Thanks Claire for quickly taking these pictures and for being the greatest tour guide of Columbia Heights. xoxo Anna Rae

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

Overdressed for Christmas Eve or Christmas Part I

I'll admit it immediately: I'm overdressed for Christmas Eve. But, really, who can blame me? It's a holiday, after all, and I really like the idea of dressing up to help make an event seem special, not just to comply with social codes or an establishment's restrictions. If I overdress for the grocery store, I may as well overdress for Christmas Eve dinner.

I bought this dress, as I've mentioned before, last Christmas. I love that it's plain enough to really dress up or dress down (works for parties, works for teaching), but it also has these amazing sleeves that really make it noteworthy. Since the dress was quite plain, I wanted all my accessories to be fun and bold, which made the dress seem far more casual than if I had paired it with black tights and sensible flats.

I love these tights! They are oh so festive. As soon as I bought them, I knew that I wanted to pair them with my red belt for Christmas Eve. I liked the idea of having only solid colors in my outfit and my fun but simple oversized pearls as the only accessory to really highlight an amazing Christmas present. Luckily, we opened our immediate family presents last night, and I am now the proud and excited owner of these beautiful mixed-patterned flats! Thanks Mom and Dad! They are now, by far, my absolute favorite pair of shoes. I can't wait to build more outfits around them (I think the stripes and plaid are just crying out to be paired with a polka dot!).
I would have worn these pearls anyway, but how perfect are they at framing my adorable bob? If you can tear your eyes away from my stylish new haircut (I can't!), note the detailing on the sleeve. It's just another reason to really love vintage.
Dress: Vintage, Etsy

Pearls: Claire's

Tights: Target

Shoes: Gifted, Mom and Dad, Coach

A very special thanks to TJ, the most creative person I know, for taking these pictures with both talent and efficiency (It's too cold for involved photo shoots!). xoxo Anna Rae

Decisive Emotions about Neutral Tones

Despite the fact that my outfit is full of neutral tones, I absolutely love it! I finally admitted to myself that it was indeed cold enough for my long, incredible steal of a coat that I bought from Mintage last season when it was going out of business. Since I only have a few winter coats, I mostly wear them depending on temperature, not on what outfit I'm wearing, but there's something about matching my coat to my outfit that makes me feel so put together. I feel like I'm on a television show.

Clearly, I'm madly in love with these shorts. I liked the idea of pairing them with black tights and oxfords, long lines and all of that. With the shorts and the oxfords, I felt a school nerd vibe, and went with it: button-up shirt with an adorable tie and cardigan.
The small details in this outfit really help to pull it together. I liked the idea of wearing the necklace under the tie, so you could see its pieces only at the exact moment where it meets the lace detailing of the blouse. Like I said, I felt very put together in this ensemble. I love when that happens.
Coat: Vintage, Mintage, Vancouver

Cardigan: New York and Company

Blouse: Thrifted, Alabaster's Attic, Greensburg

Shorts: Thrifted and hemmed, Value Village, Vancouver

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

Necklace: Gifted, Janet

The outfit was complimented by some amazing photos! Thank you Susan for freezing outside with me for the sake of fashion blogs. xoxo Anna Rae

She Didn't Go to Smith

Today, I feel like I could be going to one of the Seven Sisters Colleges in 1945. Instead of running around my backyard, I feel like I could be running to classes at Wellsley or Vassar.

The skirt and the sweater really help with the old-fashioned academic vibe. The skirt is actually a dress, but I love the looks from the F10 lines so much, and I felt like my time to wear them was slipping away. Without a long wool skirt in my closet, I had to improvise.

The sweater is from a vintage store in New Hope, PA, and it's lined! I love it so much. It's a neutral tone with such amazing details. The key necklace seemed very college girl to me.
I loved having my mustard socks as a small pop of color. Although I'm in love with the socks with dress shoes trend, but I know a lot of people aren't on board. I really feel that with this skirt, especially with a retro liberal arts college inspiration, the socks and oxfords are perfect.
Dress (as skirt): Joe Fresh, Real Canadian Super Store, bought by Erin

Shirt: Charlotte Russe

Cardigan: Vintage, Love Saves the Day, New Hope, PA

Socks: Target

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

Neckalce: Gifted, Mom and Dad, Tiffany's

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our American readers! I bought myself a new camera as a Thanksgiving present, so I'm glad to be back to blogging. xoxo Anna Rae

Secondhand Savannah

This dress is one of my favourite thrift store finds-- not only is it incredibly comfortable and versatile, it represents one of the minority players in the animal print world. Giraffes might not have as much style cache as leopards, zebras, or even snakes, but I think they are due for a starring spot at the fashion watering hole.

I kept the dress the focus with a black cashmere/modal cardi-wrap, tights, and boots. It is worth noting that this dress came with linebacker rivaling shoulderpads, but some quick snips removed it from Dynasty territory.

Perfect for some rainy day hunting!

Dress: Thrifted, The Salvation Army Kerrisdale

Cardigan: Line, Hills of Kerrisdale (Line is a fantastic Canadian Knitwear brand also available at Holt Renfrew)

Tights: Hue

Boots: Steven by Steve Madden

Look Ma No Pants

I really like eBay shopping: I can get incredible deals on brands I wouldn't be able to afford otherwise, and gently (or never) used items from places like Banana Republic and Ann Taylor. My best advice, however, is 'caveat emptor'-- with no returns or try-ons, you have to cover your bases. Like measurements. And what serves as a 'dress' to some might not to 5'9'' ladies. Despite my best excuses (The leggings are really thick! My bum is covered! Everyone else is doing it!) I am really just wearing a tunic. And no pants.

The solution? A sylvan romp and my best Robin Hood/Elf impression. And my top 3 eBay (and online in general) shopping tips to save you from pantslessness:

1. Take measurements! Shop from brands that you trust, know fit you, and that you have tried before but also get garment measurements. A good seller will give the bust, waist, hip, and length (ahem!) dimensions of the ACTUAL garment (not just the brand size charts). Use a measuring tape and compare them with something similar that fits you well. This works for shoes as well with the insole measurement

2. Don't take risks! As well as purchasing known brands, things like cardigans are low risk and jeans high risk in terms of how exact the fit needs to be. I only buy jeans that I have tried on before and know the style name and number, and I still confirm the dimensions with my trusty measuring tape. Don't take risks with sellers either. Purchase from North American sellers with excellent ratings who guarantee authenticity. Ask about the garment condition and for additional photos if needed

3. Know your prices! Be aware of what something costs retail (just google it!) and only purchase something if it is truly a deal. I like to only buy something if it is 50% or less below the retail price and if the shipping is reasonable. The $10 shoes are not a deal if they cost $30 to ship.

Despite its brevity, I am still pretty happy with this purchase. I love how the print of the silk fabric and pleating detail looks with my ruffled cardigan and flower necklace. And I can always shorten it into a blouse...

Tunic: Nanette Lepore, eBay

Leggings: Lululemon

Cardigan: Mexx

Wedge Boots: Diba, Ross Dress for Less

Necklace: Vintage, Etsy