Fashion Safari

This outfit was a bit of a trek into the fashion wilderness, and not only because of the leopard print. I wanted to combine colours, prints, and textures in a way I have been too nervous to do outside of my apartment.

I like pairing slightly 'off' colour opposites (ie turquoise and coral rather than blue and orange) for vibrancy and 'pop'! Keeping the bag and cardigan in the same tonal family was my attempt to make the disparate prints cohere.
Basket weave wedges in a muted metallic are fun but still neutral. I am planning on continuing my sartorial safari into unknown territory as the weather cools, so let me know if you think I am headed in the right direction!

Cardigan: JCrew, Ebay

Dress: Donna Morgan, Dillards

Necklace: Sam Moon in The Woodlands, TX

Wedges: Kate Spade, Winners

Bag: Coach

Too Much Sunshine? Never.

Do I look unusually cool in my photos today? It's only because the pictures were way too sunny so I had to do some effect-ing on iPhoto. Or perhaps it's just because this outfit is cool: a simple sundress paired with a cardigan and sunglasses that give it just a bit of a vintage feel, despite the very contemporary floral pattern and very in pairing of red and pink.
I've worn this outfit a lot this summer, but mostly just running out somewhere or on long plane or car trips, so I never had the occasion to photograph it. It's so simple, but looks pulled together -- it was really the perfect summer outfit, worn for maybe the last time before it needs a pair of tights underneath.
My hair, uncut for the wedding, is long enough for a ponytail -- I look I love, despite being really devoted to my short, layered hair, so I thought it was a good opportunity to show off this headband, which goes well with the flower and beaded buttons on the cardigan.
Adorable flower, red cuffs on the sleeves and shiny red buttons -- this cardigan is one of my favorites, not hard to be considering how much I am loving the pink and red combo these days.
And of course, my new silver flats. I'm thinking I'll continue to wear these in the fall and winter with tights showing through the peep toe. Too weird? I'll probably do it anyway.

Dress: AE

Cardigan: Thrifted, Value Village

Headband: Gifted, Aunt Donna, Kohl's

Shoes: Payless

Sunglasses: Joe Fresh, Real Canadian Superstore (I haven't credited them in a while and I think they really make the outfit)
And now I will watch Hairspray on TV and dream about owning all of its adorable day dresses. xoxo Anna Rae

Destination: North Shore

Ok, remember when I said that the next time I have a more exciting location that it would be a sure sign that my outfit is lacking? Well guess what, I lied because I really like this look. It's summery, the shorts are BRIGHT, but it still has a simple feel to it that I love. Also, instead of doing a fun Flashback Friday post (gosh, remember those?!), I figured I would spice things up and take my photos to the great outdoors. Maybe this will become a Friday tradition....maybe.

"Oh hello, Gateway Clipper"

The morning started with a "Strip Trip," which sounds much naughtier than it really was. Laura, Kayla and I ventured down to the Strip District for a cup of coffee and to buy some fresh vegetables and cheese...mmm. It was a cool morning that made it feel a little bit like fall, but it was sunny out so I was fooled by the temperature - hence the sleeveless top and short shorts. Stupid sun playing tricks on my scientifically challenged mind.

"Won't you be my neighbor?"

After coffee, Laura and I ventured down to the North Shore to meet Jimmy for lunch outside and thankfully, the sun actually followed through and warmed things up! And the result was weather that was absolutely GORGEOUS (now in order to read that last sentence correctly, read the word "gorgeous" with a slight southern drawl. Perhaps act like you're drinking a mint julep, strolling the streets of Nawlans (New Orleans, in my southern gooorgeous accent..follow me?).
You might think that Laura and I were tourists the way we were taking pictures at certain landmarks, but alas, we are not. In fact, the North Shore was a staple this past summer for afternoon lunches outside on Fridays with Jimmy...so sad summer is quickly coming to an end. Don't get me wrong, I love fall, but I don't love that devil season that comes after.

"Help I'm falling and I can't get up!!"

Here I am trying to boost myself up on this deceptively high structure of sorts. Thank goodness I've been doing yoga arm workouts, because this was a struggle! I made it though (barely), so do not worry.
The act of climbing up this structure left.me.ex.haus.ted though, so I had to take a brief nap. Juuust kidding! Laura just thought it would be a fun picture to have me lay down and who am I to disobey my photographer when she is kind enough to help me out? I can't wait to wear these shorts in the fall and winter with dark tights to mix it up and make them work throughout the whole year - yes versatility!

Waaaait, this isn't Libby! Oh, that's right, it's Laura. Look how much more successful she was at conquering that stupid fake skateboard ramp like structure. You can't especially tell, but her tank top features really adorable metallic stripes - so simple and chic.

Until tomorrow. Libby

Shoes: Sam Edelman

Shorts: BCBG Outlet (marked down from $102 to $29!!! Srsly, who would pay $102 for shorts?)

Top: Aerie

Sunglasses: Marc Jacobs

Hip-py Chic

A little while ago, Amanda asked a few questions of us here at The Tights that Bind. Annie already answered one about dressing casually, so I figured it's my turn now. Ahem ahem, looks like you need to pick a question to answer next, Erin. Cough. Elbow nudge. What?

So the question I picked deals with hiding a part of our body that we don't like. How do we hide/minimize it? Well friends, if you haven't noticed, my hips are, well, pretty big. So when at all possible, I try to hide them. Sometimes I say "screw it" and wear things like cargo jeans (in 8th grade), or skinny jeans (now). It's not really the most flattering look on me, but I like them nonetheless.
The most surefire way to minimize my hips, however, is to accentuate my waist. While not trying to sound like a jerk, I have a fairly, and shockingly, tiny waist (I'm about 5'7" and weigh about 150 lbs, so I think it's surprising that I have a waist as small as I do). Anyways, I'm pretty curvy, so when I can, I dress in a silhouette that is close to this dress - high waisted or belted skirt, shirt or dress that falls away from the hips so the material doesn't hug my thighs and emphasizes my hourglass shape.
To further prove that my hips and waist need dressed differently, I will tell a brief story. Last week while shopping, I had to try on a range of sizes when it came to different types of clothing. When I buy dresses, I usually have to get a size 4, but in shorts I need a size 8. That's kind of a big difference! The size 8 is also needed to accommodate my ample behind. I'm not complaining, however, because I really like my waist and enjoy wearing this kind of silhouette, as evidenced by most, if not all, of my posts on here.

Until tomorrow. Libby

Shoes: Sam Edelman

Dress: BCBG Outlet

Squinty Expression: The Sun

Splat!

Last week, my cousins asked me to be a special guest star in the season finale of their Splat Production series, which has been uploading videos each week on Facebook this summer.

They asked me to play a psychiatrist, so I tried to look professional, but not too professional since I was acting in a movie written and directed by my 14-year-old cousin, filming in his house and backyard. I liked the look of mixing the stripes of the skirt with the argyle of the sweater and decided to keep the rest of the outfit pretty simple.
Skirt: Thrifted, Value Village

Sweater Vest: Thrifted, Goodwill, Etown

Shoes: Thrifted, St. Mary's Hospital Thrift Store

Shirt: Old Navy
The video turned out well, despite the sheer horror of trying to watch yourself act. If you have Facebook, check it out on Splat Productions. xoxo Anna Rae

The Wedding! Part I

So, apparently, I'm actually not that dedicated of a fashion blogger -- I completely forgot to take blog photos for the wedding and the rehearsal! Hopefully, once all the photos filter in, they'll be enough for some posts -- and I am totally ready to recreate the rehearsal dinner look, as I loved it -- but, again, you'll have to wait. To hold you over, I have the results from my first experience as stylist and personal shopper for the very important Mother of the Groom. Shut up and wear beige, she did not.

But first: the beautiful bride and her okay-looking groom:

There was a disco-themed party-bus limo. It was kind of hilarious.

I started shopping for my mom's dress over Christmas, when I was home from Vancouver, so I did most of the shopping online. We ordered a bunch of dresses from Nordstrom's, but once she put this one on, we knew it was the one (or I did, and she fretted for a while about the length). The colors of the wedding were black, silver, and sangria, so I thought this pewter color worked really well. The dress was a little long, so she took it to a tailor and had one of the ruffles taken off the bottom.

Because the top of the dress was a pretty deep V (especially for Karen), we knew we needed some substantial jewelry. Originally, we were shopping for rhinestones, since she already had the shoes, but Mom saw these at David's Bridal and they seemed perfect.
I love these shoes! They're the perfect color, they're fun, and they're just dressy enough without looking wintry.
Convincing my mom to buy a colored clutch was probably the biggest coup of my styling. A woman that loves matching and coordination, she thought the purse should be pewter, but as soon as I sent her a few online options, she seemed pretty excited about it. The purple didn't exactly match the dresses, but stayed in the color scheme and offset the pewter well.

Also note the band on the waist, it's my favorite part of the dress.
And her best accessory: her favorite stylist, me!
Dress: Nordstroms, online

Jewelry: David's Bridal

Purse: Zappo's, Jessica McClintock

Shoes: Zappo's (brand unsure)

Photo credit for the picture of the bridal party: Damon Burnette

Look out for my outfits soon! xoxo Anna Rae

First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage.

So The Tights that Bind was wedding packed this weekend - I attended the nuptials of my brother's best friend. The wedding was outside, and other than a couple of rain drops at the very beginning of the ceremony, the rain held off until we were safely inside for the reception.
After showing you all different choices for what I was going to wear for the wedding, I chose a completely different dress! It was a last minute buy at the outlets last week and it just screamed fun summer wedding! I had to improvise and put a tank top underneath so that I wouldn't look like a huge slut bag. Weddings just aren't the appropriate time for those sort of impressions. Then again, when is?
The bride looked absolutely gorgeous. She really struck the right balance that is necessary with her hair. It was styled very nicely, yet she still looked herself. The dress was gorgeous and very flattering - simple, yet enough detail to look perfect. Sorry I don't have a close up of it...
But I do have a picture of faithful reader and commenter Amanda! And surprise - the reason I didn't wear the other dress to the wedding is because Amanda borrowed it!! How great does she look - she had Sophie Monster 3 months ago and yet she already has a waist. How should that make me feel though when she borrowed so many of my clothes while she was pregnant - it's kind of odd knowing that my wardrobe can double as a maternity line. Wah wah.
This gem is my brother, Michael. Sometimes he likes to play pranks where he doesn't smile and I'm all unsuspecting and whatnot....Jerk. But he gave a wonderful toast and it was quite fun to dance with him and Amanda that evening!

Until tomorrow. Libby

Shoes: Aldo

Dress: BCBG Outlet

Slut-proof Tank Top and Clutch: Express

Necklace: Macy's

Timing Out

Today I taught my last class of the summer and wore what regular readers can probably identify as classic Erin even from only a small number of posts: black & white and a pop of colour.
What I think makes this basic outfit special (other than bright pink, which is inherently wonderous) is the graphic whimsy of the "Call Home" telephone brooch and the three dimensional square neckline details on the abstracted houndstooth top. Both teeter along the classic/crazy line which is a wonderful place to be, in clothing and otherwise.

Grounding the look are my wardrobe workhorses: black capris, (soon to be repaced by black pants as fall nears) black flats, and pearl studs.

This was my second attempt at self-timing, so please excuse my lack of a good head to toe shot. Perhaps September will bring not only additional layering options and my response to the yellow tights challenge, but also more willing photographers. My favourite part of TTTB before Anna repatriated was taking the pictures -- I am hoping to find some kindred spirits who also like detail shots, location scouting, and long walks on the beach.

Cardigan: Banana Republic

Top: Tory Burch, eBay

Capris: Le Chateau

Brooch: Vintage, eBay

Flats: American Eagle

Shopping Outlet

First off, please excuse the hair in this post - I didn't dry it after a shower the night before and it has this naturally wavy/mind of it's own thing going on. So this was the result of running a straightener through it for about 5 seconds before running out the door to eat some breakfast with Laura. And by breakfast, I mean chocolate cake...mmm, instant salivation.
So after breakfast with some excellent coffee involved, I went home to Latrobe for some quality time with the family - including that sweetheart Sophie Bear. Enjoy the change of scenery? I hope so because this is about as daring as I get. I figure the more crazy the scenery, the less you'll look at my outfit..yeah, that sounds like a good excuse for my obvious laziness. So really, next time you see that I have an extravagant location, you'll know that my outfit is lacking. What lacks in one area is made up for in another, right? Huh? RIGHT? Pfft, it makes sense to me at least.
How cute are the details of these shorts?? I'm obsessed. But I still can't tell if they're blue or black pinstripes - sometimes I have difficulty with those colors. Meh, no big deal right? I got this outfit at the Grove City outlets last week....I got some really good finds that are sure to be featured quite soon. In fact, the next two posts will most certainly include some deals.
Oh goodness, whatever you do look away from the hair. Just focus on the real star of this photo - the cute pockets! They have the piping detail that is shown in the picture above and cute buttons, as well. And now to introduce the cutest accessory money CAN'T buy:
SOPHIE MONSTER! She's chubby, bubbly and all around smiley...and sometimes a little gassy. How cute is she in her little Ralph Lauren outfit courtesy of her cousins? She's so ready to whoop your butts on the tennis courts it's not even funny. Soph doesn't care that her Aunt Libby's hair is a horrendous hot mess, and she thinks that you all should give me a break, too. I mean, are you strong enough to say no to that chubby little face? ...I didn't think so.

Until tomorrow. Libby

Shoes: Sam Edelman

Shorts: White House Black Market Outlet

Shirt: Calvin Klein Outlet

Sophie: c/o Michael and Amanda

Sophie's Outfit: Ralph Lauren gifted by cousins

Let's make like Heinz and Caaaaatch Up!

Hahah I sure do love using that phrase about catching up. It gets me every.time. So sorry for the grainy picture, it was dusk and I was rushing around and just fit this picture in. So I'll be playing catch up the next couple of days from this weekend. I went to a wedding - and played around with Sophie Bear. I can't wait to show her off - she's fall's must have fashion accessory!!

Until tomorrow. Libby

Shoes: Sam Edelman

Skirt: Gap Outlet ($12!!)

Shirt: Gift from Mom and Dad from the Limited

Summer's Swan Song

Despite what the weather may want you to think, summer is over. I start teaching my first class tomorrow, the wedding that wouldn't happen until all the way at the end of the summer is two days away, and my cousins filmed the final episode of their summer project. The following pictures were taken at their house, since I was asked to special guest star.

Cushioning the End of Summer blow is the fact that I found this great seersucker dress just in time for the turn of the seasons, because what translates from summer to fall better than short-sleeve, long dresses like this?
I found this at a vintage shop in Pittsburgh, and while part of me wants to get about two buttons worth of length taken off, part of me likes it just the way it is. Thoughts?
I added this brown belt to go with the brown oxfords, and I thought the birdcage necklace would highlight the whimsy that these kind of dresses have. Thanks Julie for snapping the pics!
Dress: Vintage, Eons, Pittsburgh

Belt: Target

Necklace: Target

Shoes: Thrifted, St. Mary's Hospital Thrift Store

Pictures from the rehearsal dinner and wedding are guaranteed, but timeliness is not. xoxo Anna Rae

Double Feature

You know what makes Inception a better movie? Immediately following it with Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. I saw this epic Double Feature last night and I loved it (mostly Scott Pilgrim) as much as I loved the outfit I wore to it.

This denim dress, while one of my favorites, is pretty plain in the summer without any tights and because of its shape and peasant sleeves, it's hard to wear anything over it. Or it was, rather, until I remembered the classic cuff, an elegant solution to any weird sleeve dilemmas. Add a few detail pieces and you have a summer outfit reminiscent of cooler day layering, but still weather appropriate.
And the details from top to bottom:
A new headband! Like 17-year-old Blair Waldorf, I can't stop wearing headband, especially ones that sparkle and look like flowers. When my aunt Donna offered to buy me three new headbands as a consolation for having to wear hard contacts, I couldn't refuse.
This brooch is so amazing. I found it at the flea market for $2 and it might have been the purchase of the day. Both silly and classic.

I bought these shoes as the dancing, late-night alternatives to the high heels I have to wear down the aisle at Nick and Emily's wedding on Saturday (the wedding is in a week! I can't wait), but I thought I should break them in.

Dress: Old Navy

Blazer: Thrifted, Value Village

Shoes: Payless

Brooch: Golden Nugget Flea Market, New Jersey

Headband: Gifted, Aunt Donna, Kohl's

What makes this outfit even better? It was on TV.

The Waffle Shop in Pittsburgh not only makes amazing waffles 'til 3 am, but also hosts a talk show starring attention-loving customers. Like me. And my friend Will, who, it should be noted, is wearing a Brave New World tshirt.

Thank you Lindsay for taking both the fashion and interview shots!

Blogging pictures of television shows. The Tights that Bind is very multi-media. xoxo Anna Rae