Oh, hello. Libby and I didn't quite see you there. We were too busy being classy by the gazebo, a sharp contrast to how we acted the rest of the holiday, which was mostly eating (well, more me. Libby pretends like she ate soooo much at my family dinner - a second meal for the both of us, but please. She had the tiniest bit of spaghetti with barely any Sunday sauce, only one piece of Easter bread (and that was sans butter) -- no soup, no casserole, no ham, no corn, no chicken cordon bleu and if she had pie, it was only one piece, and I don't think she ate any cookies at all except for maybe one pizzelle. A poor showing, I'd say), drinking mimosas (who doesn't love an Easter brunch?), running around the yard, gossiping -- mostly about Gossip Girl, and talking even louder than usual because that's what you do in a house with 30 other people as loud as you.
But, nevertheless, here we are, standing by the gazebo, together(!), acting classier than usual. My cousin TJ was the art director for these pictures. He dismissed the role of mere photographer, passing on the chore to my aunt Donna until the shoot was relocated -- on location in the field behind Grammy's house, which I guess give being the photographer enough street cred that he would do it, but he thought most of the photos were lame. Well, if you find Easter to be the time to dress in only the color of Easter eggs (me) or in your best Petercottontail attire (Libby), then you're probably the kind of person who takes lame pictures. More evidence of that conclusion immediately following:
I'm pretty sure this is a terrible picture in terms of displaying either of our outfits and it's super shadowing, but hey -- I'm swinging, in a swing meant for a five year old, and Libby is pushing me. It's all kinds of adorable. Let's suggest that you can really appreicate my tights and the skirt-shoes combo that the Libster is rockin'.
Even if it isn't shown clearly, you should know that I love this dress. Because it's such an Easter dress and has a bit of a retro feel, I felt that I could really play up both the color palette and its 60s shift dress inspiration, two things I love. And who doesn't feel a little bit costumey when dressing for holidays, anyway?
And isn't it great that Libby, without consulting with me about my retro focus, decide to also do a throwback to the 60s with her sexy flight attendant look? My family made fun of her for it, and instead of getting offended, she pointed out exits and brought my aunts coffee. And that's how you score a standing invite to any and all family dinners. Honestly, I don't really think that Libby resembles a flight attendant, but will agree that she dressed far more professionally than I did, which may have something to do with the large print and bright tights on display below.
The shoes, also, are amazing. The perfect Spring flat -- a neutral tone with adorable flowers. Nueturals and florals, what's not to love?
The vintage brooch and earrings and the top-bottoned cardigan, paired with a shift dress, were inspriation enough to back comb my hair. I make no apologizes about how much Joan Holloway has influenced my look, but family members at both Easter brunch and Easter dinner (lunch? What does one eat at 3:30?) remarked that I looked a little Jersey shore. Please disagree with them and overwhelmingly praise my ode to Mad Men fashion.
But enough about me...
Look how adorable my cousin Julie is and how high she can jump! Because this is the first time in decades where I've seen Julie not wearing some variation of her sweatpant outfit (unless you count when we're at the beach and she's wearing a bathing suit, which I don't, because as soon as we go back to the beach house she throws on some sweatpant shorts), because it's such an adorable dress (from Kohl's), and because our cousin Meghan had worn the same dress for Easter, and you know how much I love fashion coordination, I invited her to pose for the blog.
I love a sundress with a big print, love the wide band on both her waist the hemline, and think that this dress is perfect for almost any Spring or Summer occasion -- I even suggested her and Meghan wear their matching dresses for my brother's wedding in August.
As the photos suggest, I had a lovely holiday at home. I didn't take any pictures that better displayed the 'burbs, but I wore my graduation dress yesterday and wanted to hold off posting any pictures of it until I actually wear it to grad, in an effort to make the dress seem more speical occassion-ish. I guess you'll just have to wait in great anticipation until June. Until then, consider how lovely we look in our very differet but equally stylish outfits.
We're just really fashionable women, and I'm pretty sure we're talking about important and interesting things, like how the camera battery was dying or how much Libby hates it when her face is in photos.
Dress: Target
Cardigan: Old Navy
Tights: We Love Colors
Brooch and clip-on earrings: Etsy, Whimsical Vintage shop
Shoes: Target
See you in Van-city. xoxo Anna Rae
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! 
