The State of Things

The good thing about a statement sweater dress is that you don't have to explain much of your outfit. I love it and I wear it often with black tights and black boots, mostly just changing the necklace I pair with it, but it's most often my beloved Kate Spade glasses.

Instead I can tell you about the state of the blog: it might be over. Erin and I, after some soul-searching/facebook-messaging have realized how costly it is to update a blog. It really wears on you and your bank account to feel the pressure to post new outfits. Neither of us can afford this indulgence and, honestly, we miss taking blog pictures together. And, you might agree lovely readers, the excitement over fashion blogs has waned. I am no longer as eager to read the ten I used to read on a daily basis. I no longer feel excited or inspired by other people's outfits the way I once was. You're probably assuming that the blog will no longer continue, and this is a pretty good prediction. There might be a catch: I've decided to stop shopping for Lent, and may find myself needing the inspiration to dress in interesting ways with old pieces. If that's the case, I might post again, but it would be a solo effort.

Dress: Old Navy

Necklace: Kate Spade, Kate Spade store, Vegas

Boots: Chinese Laundry, Zappo's

If this is the last post, then I just want to end it by saying how much I love this blog. I've never been a hobby person, but it was really a fantastic hobby. xoxo Anna Rae

Easy Being Green

Sweater dresses are awesome. You can wear them with tights and flats or leggings and boots and be as comfortable and warm as if you were wearing a bathrobe. The key is to avoid scratchy wool or cheap acrylics in favour of cashmere and merino wools.
While adding a cinch belt to this dress didn't up the comfort factor, it did help play up the graphic black and green stripes, the reason why I didn't add anything to the colour palate. My favourite feature of this dress (other than the colour, stripes, and soft cashmere) is the three-quarter length blouson sleeves. They are easy to type in, a cinch to pair bracelets with, and forgiving on long arms because they look intentionally rather than misfortionally too short. (I know that is not a word)
Dress: Juicy Couture, Ebay

Tights: Hue, The Bay

Belt: Mexx

Necklace: Le Chateau

Carmen Miranda North

Anna was with me when I bought this dress at an end-of-season sale last January and thankfully convinced me to splurge a little on a truly special piece. It may be a simple black sweater dress, but the details on the sleeves punctuate the look, giving the dress (and me!) that extra bit of flair.
The delicate crochet ruffles remind me of coral while adding a bit of sass to my pedagogical hand guestures. Their sassy detail is typical of many Milly designs, (like my New Year's dress) most of which leave me lusting after an endless fashion budget. While I can't clothe myself entirely in Milly (or Kate Spade for that matter), I try to use their creativity and wit to inspire my own more budget style.

Dress: Milly, Holt Renfrew

Tights: Hue

Boots: Diba, Ross Dress for Less

Comfort and Detail

I was distracted by these tights on a Christmas decoration shopping trip to Zellers and had to add them to my legwear wardrobe. I loved their black lace print on a very opaque grey background-- they manage to be both subtle and interesting.

To stay warm during our unseasonable cold snap, I paired the tights with a black merino sweater dress. This outfit is really about texture rather than colour, detailing that sadly doesn't come through in the photos (depite the wonderful camerawork!). The pattern on the tights seems embroidered, and the dress has a ruffled placket and pockets and a small rib knit on the top.
Dress: Laundry by Design, Ebay

Tights: Wonderbra, Zellers

Coat: Tulle, Shine

Scarf: Club Monaco

Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction, Joneve