Mixed Showers, Mixed Patterns

I am so glad I bought these fancy rainboots! (previously seen here and here) What might have seemed like the silliest purchase ever has made dressing for drizzle more of a joy than a chore. Adding to the silver lining? Stripes and polka dots. As recommended by many a magazine editorial, I kept the colours in the same family and the size of print similar for maximal mixing magic.

I love this blouse of course because of its polka dots (my nominee for the greatest print of all time) but also because the dots are actually slightly irregular splotches. Less visible in the photo but equally wonderful is the giant bow at the neck. My taste might be predictable but at least I'm consistent!

Blouse: Jacob

Cardigan: Club Monaco

Belt: Joe Fresh, Real Canadian Superstore

Jeans: Hudson, Fab Kerrisdale

Boots: Kate Spade, Ebay

Brooch: Vintage, Etsy

Christmas Reds and Greens (and Pinks!)

The end of term is winding down, which my forever-in-school-mode brain immediately interprets as the Christmas season. Keanan and I, during our first photo shoot, took advantage of this festive spirit, posing with the tree in front of some fluffed curtains (I told you he was a professional).

The more I own this skirt, the more I love it. I wore something similar to this -- the same cardigan and skirt combo but with a different black and white striped shirt -- and, as usual, feel like I really got it right on the second try. The untucked tank top work well to hide the elastic waist of the skirt and the addition of the belt gave the untucked shirt purpose.
I really love pink and red together, which is why this cardigan was an instant favorite. I didn't want any other colors interfering with the amazing combo, so I opted for black tights and black boots. Three straight outfits featuring the black boots? This girl knows how to pack enough for a three day trip inside of a purse.
The small metallic details on the brooch worked perfect with the necklace, and is probably one of the edgier pieces in my collection. I almost hesitate to every claim that one of my outfits is edgy (I am still wearing a pink cardigan with a floral brooch after all), but this one felt a little more rock and roll than usual. My shirt is untucked, after all.
Cardigan: Thrifted, Value Village, Vancouver

Skirt: Thifted and hemmed, St. Vincent de Paul, Latrobe

Tank top: Target

Necklace: Gifted, Erin

Belt: Gifted, Erin

Boots: Gifted, Mom and Dad, Zappo's, Chinese Laundry

Photos by Keanan (the last of the set, unfortunately)

As the end of the year approaches, I'm reviewing my old outfits for a Best of Anna in 2010 Post. Your opinions are appreciated, of course. xoxo Anna Rae

Structured Fashion: A Story of Love, Heartbreak, and Recovery

Of course, all of this has to do with a dress -- this dress.

During the last few weeks of college, I bought what I thought was the most outrageous and comfortable dress that I had ever tried on. It was bright, it was not restricting, and it had pockets. I wore the dress almost every other day, including the day I moved out of Etown. Knowing the I loved the dress so much, I packed it for Vancouver, but once I was there, I realized something: the dress was completely unflattering. Still loving the pattern, collar, and colors, I begged Erin to help salvage it. She expertly sewed ribbons onto the dress to create a waist, and it worked! Success!

Unfortunately, the ribbons ripped in the washing machine, and I was too nervous to re-sew them myself. As perhaps a sign that my fashion skills have improved, I had the expert idea to belt the dress. The amazing results, below:

This dress is once again one of my favorites. The black belt gave it shape, structure, and helped to make the dress seem more casual. If I was to wear this to a party or dinner, I might change the tights to a textured or floral fishnet, but since I was spending the day with old friends, shopping, eating, and running around Etown, I needed to winterize the outfit, adding the solid tights and boots, and a purple cardigan. My first instinct was to pair the dress with a neutral cardigan, but I wanted to instead keep the attention on the bold and beautiful colors with a tonal match.
The collar of this dress is so amazing. I'm so glad to know it's going to be back in heavy rotation.

Dress: Gabe's, originally Urban Outfitters

Belt: Gifted, Erin

Boots: Gifted, Mom and Dad, Zappos, Chinese Laundry

Earrings: Gifted, AlyWebb

Photos by Keanan (but not his fancy camera)

Janet, AlyWebb, and I spent most of the day (and most of our money) at the Hershey Factory Outlets, and I can't wait to post my new purchases (both the ones I bought for me and the ones I bought as presents). xoxo Anna Rae

Cattails at Christmas

Readers, you're in for quite the treat today. I'm staying with my friend Keanan, who just happens to be a pretty professional photographer, and we decided that writing papers and marking papers are no match for the excitement of a proper fashion blog photo shoot.Today's outfit is a mix of the preppy, for the schoolwork that needs to accomplished, and the comfortable, because the work is being done on someone's couch, avoiding the winter weather outside. This outfit feels pretty 90s to me, a sort of slacker version of something you'd seen in Clueless. The untucked, oversized oxford and oversized pearls seemed the perfect match for the traditionally preppy look of the sweater vest. The outfit seemed crazy enough on its own -- especially with the festive headband -- that it didn't require any bright or bold colors. It's not often that I'll admit to not needing a flash of neon or splash of bright red, but all of the other elements seemed enough.
I'm always envious of the fashion blogs that feature take such creative approaches to beautiful locations. In my own attempt at this, Keanan and I tried to bring some festive fun to the dying cattails.
How, you ask? Christmas ornaments and cinnamon candles, of course.
I feel like I'm in a special Christmas production of "Oklahoma."
I liked the idea of playing with proportions since the shirt is already so long, pairing it with shorts, tights, and boots. The shorts, tights, socks, and boots combination has been one of my favorite winter alternatives for this year and last. There's something very liberating knowing that just because it's cold, you don't have to wear jeans day in and day out.

Shirt: Thrifted, Value Village, Vancouver

Sweater vest: Gina Tricott, Stockhom

Shorts: Thrifted, Value Village

Tights: Walmart

Boots: Gifted, Mom and Dad, Zappo's, Chinese Laundry

Headband: Gifted, Aunt Donna, Kohl's

Pearls: Claire's
Blogging is so much more fun when other people are involved. Today brought back memories of the times when Erin would crawl on the floor of the Reading Room or stand on the roof of Jenna's car, just to get the perfect shot. Thanks again to Keanan the Keener. xoxo Anna Rae

School Daze

In the midst of a crazy few weeks of end of term marking madness and PhD application stress, feeling awake enough to put on a nice outfit and keeping it on long enough (read as: not immediately taking a nap as soon as I come home from teaching) to pose for pictures felt like great successes in my book this week. Not wanting to stray too far from the academic interests that are dominating my life, I chose a scholarly setting for the photos.

Don't you love this desk? When the Catholic schools in the area merged, they auctioned off the pieces they no longer needed, and my parents bought me this desk and a few others to play school with. It's so adorable that they stained it and now use it for decoration, even though I'm still clearly using it to play school.

I love this mixed pattern! The shirt is something that I rarely go to on its own, but paired with this skirt, I like it so much more. The creams and golds work so perfectly in both pieces, and I really like the idea of pairing a big print with a big stripe. Navy tights because, unlike fellow blogger Erin, I've been really, really loving Navy these past two winters (or maybe Erin only doesn't like navy with jeans. Either way, her love affair with black and white is much stronger than mine; I've always preferred browns and navys).
You may think, with my love of pattern mixing, that the bold print paired with the stripes would be my favorite part of the outfit. Well, dear readers, you thought wrong. My favorite part is the way the flower, on the tank top layered underneath the shirt, adds a small, feminine detail to the loud, large print. I love the pairing of the two. I also really like the idea of wearing cream in winter, and it was nice to keep that color consistent with the three pieces.
Skirt: Thrifted, Value Village, Vancouver

Shirt: Gifted, Elana, Target

Tank top: Old Navy

Tights: Kohl's, worn inside out

Shoes: Thrifted, Alabaster's Attic, Greensburg

I had to wear boots to school because the parking lot was snowy, but since I was taking the pictures inside, I thought why not wear the platform Mary Janes that are over loved and under used. xoxo Anna Rae

Designing Woman

Wearing these pleated pants with this pussy bow blouse makes me feel like my mother, circa 1986, off to complete a big interior design job. While she definitely would not have paired them with pink shoes, and has since made the well advised switch to flat-front pants, I think perhaps I underestimated the awesomeness of this type of look.

I originally tried this outfit with some bold necklaces, and then bracelets, but decided to practice restraint in favour of simple pearl studs.

My favourite part of this outfit has to be the shoes, which came from Amazon's 'Warehouse Deals' section. They offer incredible deals on shoes that I presume have been tried on and then returned. These were offered as used in 'very good' condition, yet I was unable to find any signs of wear. Even so, they were still 85% off the price they are being sold for new. I feel like a thief!

Wedges: Butter, Amazon.com Warehouse Deals

Pants: Pure Alfred Sung, Zellers

Blouse: Femme de Carriere (Vancouver stores at Oakridge and Metrotown Malls)

Belt: Old Navy

Freezing for Fashion

It's the first pictures with snow of the year, and I have to say, I'm so impressed by all the fashion bloggers who pose in the middle of East Coast or Midwest winters. I don't know how you do it. 10 minutes outside and I had to run back in, finishing the photo session after I warmed up by the fire.

I've been feeling a little bored with my closet lately, so I thought it'd be useful to pull out a piece that I hadn't worn in a while. I bought this dress off of Etsy for our English department holiday party last year. It arrived at my doorstep the night I came home from the party, but I was able to wear it for Christmas Day. It's a bit dressy on its own, but most of the detailing is on the sleeves, so it works well as a basic piece for layering.

To brighten (and lighten) up the black, I wore this great vintage blouse underneath, with its playful bow and light pink that matched my pink tights. The grey sweater and black oxfords helped to make the outfit perfect for both the weather and teaching.
Dress: Vintage, Etsy

Blouse: Vintage, Arterie, Monteal

Cardigan: Thrifted, St. Vincent de Paul, Latrobe, Brand: Zara

Tights: We Love Colors

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

Earrings: Gifted, AlyWebb

It never really seems like a proper snowfall if you can see the grass under the snow, but after two years of living in the (mostly) snowless Pacific Northwest, I'm happy to ease into the weather. xoxo Anna Rae