Happy Birthday Baby!

Today, our blog turns one. Thank you for reading, commenting, taking our pictures, and being in our pictures. Thank you Libby, for starting this blog with me when I really needed a hobby, and thank you Erin, for first being such a great photographer and art director and then for keeping the cross-continental conversation alive by joining the collective.

I'd like to say that I wore this bow and drank this martini in birthday celebration, but really I was at my friend Susan's Oscars Party. Even if it's to just sit on a couch and eat a lot of food, I feel that the Oscars are a slightly formal occasion that deserve both nicer clothes and slightly crazy, Swinton or HBC like impulses.

Dress worn as top: Topshop, London

Shorts: Thrifted and Hemmed, Value Village, Vancouver

Tights: Target

Shoes: Thrifted, Goodwill, Etown, Target

Scarf as bow: Thrifted, Salvation Army, Lancaster

Pearls: Claire's

What did you think of the Oscars fashion? I found the year to be a bit boring, but liked Cate Blanchett best, and would give high marks to Michelle Williams, Natalie Portman, and Reese Witherspoon's hair. xoxo Anna Rae

Mad Hatters

Today, I assembled a fairly fun and bright outfit to go shopping with my aunt for her birthday, an outfit that was completely overshadowed when I found this sequined cap at a vintage/consignment/independent seller store. Knowing it was love at first sight, I also bought it in teal.
The outfit itself was centered around the idea of wearing this dress as a jumper. Once I paired it with this pastel-plaid blouse, I thought it'd be fun to bring out the colors in the blouse by wearing richer tones in my cardigan and tights.
Luckily, the cap fit in with this theme perfectly, highlighting the pink of the blouse. I have a feeling that my spring wardrobe will be constantly pairing bright colors with each other.
Dress: Thrifted and hemmed, St. Mary's Hospital Thrift Store, Sechelt, BC

Blouse: Gabes, Urban Outfitters

Cardigan: Old Navy

Belt: Thrifted, Value Village

Tights: Target

Boots: Gifted, Mom and Dad, Chinese Laundry

Necklace: Gifted, Mom and Dad, Tiffany's

Hat: Luxx, Pittsburgh, South Side
Julie, my photographer for today, is modeling the other cap. She's such a good sport that she also wore the cap throughout the day, being my twin and causing many other Carson Street pedestrians to speculate on whether or not we were seeing Gaga tonight (sadly, we're not). xoxo Anna Rae

Casual Wednesdays

I think that this outfit was seriously inspired by my newfound love of Portlandia.

I don't teach classes on Wednesdays this semester, so I usually spend the day lesson planning or running around to errands or appointments. I often don't love my casual outfits, because I don't like dressing down, but I thought this outfit was fun, comfortable, and pulled together. I pulled this shirt out of To Be Donated bag the last time I was at my cousin's (Thanks Lauren!), and I loved the idea of pairing it with my striped tank top. The shorts and thick socks were part fashion, part function: I liked the way the socks added to the Pacific Northwest feel of the outfit, but I also recently fell and cut open my knees (surprise, surprise!), so I wanted something that would be warm and comfortable. The feminine shoes with the slightly more masculine outfit just seemed fun.
Shirt: Giveway, Forever 21

Tank top: Target

Belt: Fashion Bug

Shorts: Thrifted and hemmed, Value Village, Vancouver

Socks: Target

Shoes: Thrifted, Goodwill, Etown, Target

Happy weekend everyone! xoxo Anna Rae

Her heart's in the right place

While I love pretty much every bright colour, chartreuse has a special place in my heart (so much so that my living room walls are a paler version of this cardigan). I had been coveting this blouse since I first saw it online, so I was ecstatic both to find it at an outlet in December and to discover how well it matched with my cardigan.

Aside from the coloured leopard print, the bow and cascading ruffles down the front make the blouse a true statement piece.

As much as I love the blouse, however, I still think these quirky but classic shoes are my favourite part of the outfit!

Shoes: Tory Burch, Ebay

Blouse: Kate Spade, Kate Spade Outlet

Cardigan: JCrew, Ebay

Jeans: Hudson, Fab Kerrisdale

Necklace: Vintage, my Great-grandmother's

Happy Days are Here Again

Today was one of those amazing 65-degree days that somehow appear in the middle of winter. Even though 65 isn't quite a tropical temperature, it felt warm enough that once I came home from school, I had to immediately change out of my thick tights and grey sweater and find the brightest and lightest thing I could wear.

I love this Liberty of London dress. My excursion to Target with Erin and subsequent late-night ordering off of their website is one of my favorite fashion adventures, and the memories always come back once I put the dress on. I know I wear this cardigan more than I probably should, but forgive me this one overdose. How could I not want to rewear it now that Emma Pillsbury gave it her seal of approval?
Instead of the blue ribbon that came with the dress, I chose to belt it with this polka-dot belt from another dress, both playing up the coral-blue color combination and adding a small dose of pattern mixing. I wore my button bracelet because I felt like it adhered to the whimsical feel of the outfit and it made the black of my boots seem a little less harsh in contrast to the bright Spring colors of the rest of the outfit.
Dress: Liberty of London for Target

Belt: from Thrifted dress, Salvation Army, Lancaster

Cardigan: Anthropologie

Bracelet: Gifted, Camilla

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

I know that the weather can't stay like this for much longer, but it already has me looking forward to Spring! xoxo Anna Rae

Weekend Wear

I'm not, and have never really been, a jeans girl. Perhaps it was spending so much time in tights and jumpers as part of a required uniform in elementary school, but I've always found tights and cotton dresses incredibly comfortable. So, for a casual day of brunch, Target, and True Grit with my cousins, I chose to rewear this great floral dress, but with no jewelry, a comfier cardigan, less form-fitting belt, and my broken-in Doc Martens.
To someone who doesn't find tights and dresses as comfortable as I do, the distinction between two outfits that include the same dress, a cardigan, and a belt might not be that great, but to me, this version is the picture of dressing for comfort. With the belt and cardigan matching the navy in the dress, the color palette was quite muted. Despite choosing pieces for comfort, I still loved the small pattern mixing detail of the belt and how the light blue on the cardigan matched the flowers on the dress.
Dress: Modcloth

Cardigan: Anthropologie

Belt: Vintage, on dress bought at Eons, Pittsburgh

Tights: Target

Boots: Gifted, Mom and Dad, Doc Martens
Luckily, this outfit is perfect for dog walking! Thanks to Gino for being a mostly-willing model, and thanks to Julie for snapping the pics! xoxo Anna Rae

Slightly Belated Sentiments

For my West Coast readers, I believe I have submitted this Valentine's Day post just under the wire -- you should have about an hour to enjoy it before its holiday sentiments become belated. My Valentine's Day was full of highs (Jentine of the amazing My Edit commented on my last post!) and lows (The dentist told me I have a cavity) -- a roller coaster of emotions -- but my love of this outfit and its not too overwhelming pairing of red and pink remained steadfast. I chose this dress for two reasons: the temperatures (despite the constant rain) reached a tropical 50 and its sweetheart neckline screamed romantic in a way that I couldn't ignore on Valentine's Day.
I have a red and pink cardigan, but I both wore it on Friday and already paired it with this dress for the blog. Instead, I chose to highlight the pink and red pairing in the dress with my pink embellished cardigan and a red belt that came free with a recently thrifted dress -- the best kind of thrift store score. The tights were a nice neutral to pair with the bright colors of the dress, cardigan, and belt, and the shoes nicely echoed the floral print of the dress and embellishment on the cardigan.

Dress: American Eagle

Cardigan: Kohl's, circa 2004

Tights: Target

Shoes: Target

Belt: Thrifted, attached to dress, Salvation Army, Lancaster

I hope that, like mine, your Valentine's Day was mostly lovely. Alternatively, I hope the next time the dentist tells you that you have a cavity, one of your daily read fashion bloggers comments about one of your posts. xoxo Anna Rae

Sparkles and Feathers

I took the upcoming holiday as an excuse to dress up a little for a night out in Pittsburgh with my cousin. I'm a little hesitant to wear color with this dress -- something I usually never shy away from -- because I don't want to overwhelm the sparkles. I instead chose some tights that would match the light grey in the dress, my new favorite metallic wedges, and some fun black and white accessories.

To add a little extra fun and interest to the outfit, I decided to wear this amazing belt that Camilla sent me in an owl-themed birthday present. Although she sent it weeks before Christmas, I received it yesterday. Fun owl clothes and accessories are always better late than never, I'd say. The black and white feathers add an extra layer of interest with unusual texture, which is fun in an outfit that is so focused on textures.

Dress: Gabe's

Belt: Gifted, Camilla

Tights: Target

Shoes: Thrifted, Goodwill, Etown, Target

Earrings: On sale in London, but I forget the store

Happy Early Valentine's Day! xoxo Anna Rae

Snow Leopard

This semester's safari continues with this beautiful grey leopard blouse. I actually prefer grey leopard to the classic brown, as I find it integrates more seamlessly into my wardrobe of blacks, whites, and bright colours.

Despite the blouse's neutral versatility, I kept this outfit simple with a tonal palette, although if I wear it this way again I think I will pair the blouse with slightly lighter grey tights and perhaps my turquoise necklace. Blogging about my wardrobe makes me want to stay away from boring!

A final tip for skirt and tight wearing from someone who finds skirts overly fussy: If you want to tuck in your blouse, tuck it right into the tights for fidget-free styling.

Blouse: Mia Via, Nordstrom's Rack

Skirt: Teenflo, Winners

Tights: Spanx, (reversible tight-end tights) The Bay

Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction, Joneve South Granville

Necklace: Le Chateau

the Holiday Warm-up

To introduce my cool-girl dark-washed denim jean skirt, I paired it with edgier tights and the most feminine combination of blouse, cardigan, and brooch that I could manage. I liked the idea of mixing sweet with cool in this outfit because the skirt seems to have more of an edge than most of my clothes, but still has a very classic, feminine fit.
Also, it is almost Valentine's Day, so I jumped at the chance to pair this purple, pink, and salmon plaid blouse with a purple cardigan and pink-rose brooch. It's not close enough to the holiday for the amazing red and pink color combinations, but I think this color palette was a nice warm-up.

Skirt: Anthropologie

Blouse: Gabe's, Urban Outfitters

Cardigan: Old Navy

Tights: Target

Shoes: Steve Madden

Brooch: Inherited, Grandma's

How adorably sweet is this brooch? My mom found it in my grandmother's jewelry and gave it to me -- it might make another appearance before this holiday dressing is over. xoxo Anna Rae

HMS Pinafore

This outfit paired a silk peplum blouse with sailor pants for (what I hope was) a glam nautical feel. I love the tiger lily print on this blouse, as well as the portrait collar and black/pastel yellow combination.

I was really excited to see the return of wide-leg pants on the spring runways as I am a big fan of their marriage of comfort and chic. I can't wait to pick up a new pair of really wide-leg jeans.

Wide pants look best with a pointed toe, so I am sad to report that the black flats pictured are on their last legs (feet?) and I am on the hunt for their replacement So if you have a lead on black pointy-toe flats with cutouts, let me know!

Shoes: Sam Edelman, Winners

Pants: Ross Dress for Less

Blouse: Milly, Ebay

Pearls: Joe Fresh, Real Canadian Superstore

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

I don't rely on mirrors, so I always take Polaroids.

When I put this outfit on this morning, I thought it was such a simple ensemble -- sensible pants, a plain colored shirt, and patterned cardigan for detail. Now that I look at the pictures, it seems a little wackier than I originally thought.

I think that, as you can see, the purple in the belt and the yellow in the shirt's bow don't match the cardigan's colors precisely, allowing the top to be more of a tonal blend of contrasting colors. And they are my favorite contrasting colors. But let's talk about these newly thrifted shoes...
...Erin! Look! It's a metallic, pointy-toed wedge. If I was on version of What Not to Wear where you were Stacy London, I think this would be the moment where you'd shout, "Shut the Front Door!"

I like this outfit much better photographed than in the mirror this morning, which is a pleasant surprise.

Cardigan: Gap

Shirt: Ross Dress for Less

Pants: the Loft

Belt: Gifted, Camilla

Shoes: Thifted, Goodwill, Etown, Target
Sometimes, the tripod really does its job and captures a picture with excellent lighting like this one. xoxo Anna Rae

Lacing up

This outfit marks the debut of my new lace-up heeled oxfords. I first spotted them in Lucky magazine, and, as regular readers might be able to guess, I was defenseless when confronted by their black and white colour scheme and twee sensibility. To make the shoes the focus, I paired them with slim cropped pants.

Echoing the shoes is my favourite spring find from Joe Fresh, a trompe l'oeil lace take on a Breton stripe tee, along with a fun layered necklace for sparkle.

The shoes might have been compared to both bowling and golf footwear today, but I still love them.

Shoes: Bass, shoebuy.com

Pants: DKNYC, DKNY outlet

Tshirt: Joe Fresh, Real Canadian Superstore

Cardigan: Line, beyondtherack.com

Necklace: Joe Fresh, Real Canadian Superstore

Earrings: Banana Republic

Thanks for the pictures Dad!

the Sound of Sarah Records

With the lace-collared polka-dot dress, lace tights, oxfords, and embellished cardigan, this is the twee-est outfit I've worn in while. After teaching, I just had to add a bow.
This dress was one of my recent thrift finds, and I loved the way the navy looked with the coral cardigan. The outfit was so adorably feminine, I didn't even mind wearing my oxfords (they've been getting a bit boring with all the ice).

I don't like to wear bows or anything else too silly or distracting while teaching, but I liked how it worked with the cream in the dress and the tights. Once I paired the dress with the cardigan, this outfit really felt like a no-brainer. As much as I liked trying on combinations and planning out outfits, sometimes the ones that come together on their own are the most fun.
Dress: Vintage, Salvation Army, Lancaster

Cardigan: Anthropologie

Tights: Target

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

Headband: Gifted, Aunt Donna, Kohl's
Hopefully the snow-ice-rain combinations will take a break for a day or so and I can start wearing different shoes! xoxo Anna Rae