Thursday, October 28, 2010

Orange October

Orange October;
Dress: Anna Sui for Target orange striped dress
Scarf: H&M knit circle scarf (oldddd)
Cardigan: H&M gold cardigan
Legwear: Hue black tights
Shoes: Steve Madden boots
Bag: ALDO Gairo fuchsia bag
Necklace: Silver birdcage (gift from a friend)

This is a pretty loud outfit but when I feel like being bold, I really go bold.
I adore orange. I knew had to have this dress when Anna Sui's line for Target came out. I honestly wanted to buy half the items from that collection. I still regret putting down the cute knickers as I've never been able to track them down in my size again. Alas.

As much as I love it, I wish it was easier to wear this outside of the Hallowe'en season. Like last year, I'm planning to wear it out until December. I'm really milking it this year since at the moment, the San Francisco Giants are halfway to winning the World Series! I'm probably more an Oakland A's girl at heart, but I was raised by my dad to love baseball and our home teams. I have just as many memories of freezing nights at Candlestick Park as I do in The Coliseum.

To be honest, I never know how I feel about these boots. I bought them for my Hallowe'en costume last year and have barely worn them since. They are bit too hard for my normal aesthetic. As boyfriend pointed out, they have a bit of an "edge" that I don't normally sport. After autumn ends, I think they're heading back to the dark corners of my closet.

Like the dress, however, my feelings on this kooky scarf are not at all mixed - it was love at first sight.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Rainy Day Weather & てるてる坊主

First off, I want to thank Anna who works at my local Anthro store. I was out shopping today with Boyfriend, and she recognised me from the blog and said she was a reader! You don't know how much that made my day, Anna!

Rainy Day Weather;
Umbrella: Lulu Guinness birdcage bubble umbrella
Top: Anthropologie Raining, Pouring blouse (and F21 layering tank)
Cardigan: H&M slouchy lavender cardigan
Necklace: Urban Outfitters Cancer Zodiac charms
Jeans: Urban Outfitters BDG skinny jeans
Shoes: Seychelles Four Leaf Clover boots
Bag: ALDO Gairo fuchsia, bow adorned bag


I actually love the rain, but today it ruined my plans which mainly involved frolicking in a pumpkin patch. I decided to embrace the weather with one of my recent sale scores and pull out my favourite umbrella. I really owe my friend Gail for being willing to ship me this beautiful Lulu Guinness umbrella from London last year. I spend almost every rainy day with it on my arm.

I wasn't sure how to feel about this blouse at first. As a curvy girl, billowy tops do basically nothing for me. I love the idea of them, but I'm never sure if I'm really pulling off the look. My skinny jeans and tall boots I think help keep the bottom of my outfit sleek enough to balance the blouse. I'll take it anyway! The beautiful fall colours and quirky print of this top are making me blind to its faults.

As I mentioned the rain did spoil our original weekend plans, so Boyfriend and I made some teruterubouzu (てるてる坊主). For those unfamiliar, these little guys are sun buddies that are meant to send good weather when you hang them from your window. In high school I went on a few trips to Japan. During my longest stint, I spent a summer with a family that had five daughters. It was a rainy summer, so my youngest sisters and I would make teruterubouzu dolls in the mornings. Hopefully they'll work in my favour so I can grab a few pumpkins before Hallowe'en!



Friday, October 15, 2010

The Hound of the Baskervilles

I've been working seemingly endless hours lately. This is the price I pay for being an overachiever, even now that I've left school. I absolutely love this outfit. This dress is one of my "White Whales" that I managed to get my hands on thanks to eBay. I remember this coming out a few years ago when I couldn't afford Anthropologie prices. I grabbed two sizes off eBay when it popped up and thankfully one was a perfect fit. Thanks to the awesome Trade Market on Effortless Anthropologie, I was even able to sell the extra dress to another Anthro fan!

This really has everything I could ever want in a dress; lace, cream ribbons, a bow, a poofy skirt, and a perfectly defined waist. I truly think it looks best with some rugged brown boots and a utilitarian bag. With the beautiful Winding Ruffle boots, I still keep everything ultra girly.
I'm excited I waited this long to post actually, because it means I'm onto a new book!

The Hound of the Baskervilles;
Dress: Anthropologie Hour by Hour dress
Cardigan: Anthropologie Wish You Were Here cardi
Bag: Urban Outfitters BDG Primary Satchel
Necklace: Silver birdcage (gift from a friend)
Boots: Anthropologie Winding Ruffle boots

This weekend is the San Francisco Treasure Island Music Festival. My favourite band in the world, Belle & Sebastian, are headlining on Sunday and I can't wait. I've put off listening to their new album in order to experience the new material live for the first time. I can't even say how much live music means to me. There's nothing like the energy of the musicians and watching a whole room of people feel as thrilled as you to hear a great song.


Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Dress to Impress

Contrary to what those who know me would think, sometimes I love being wrong. I often assume clothing outside my familiar styles will be a disaster once I put it on. I saw this Grasby Gardens dress at Anthropologie and thought the colour combinations and the cut were so unlike anything else I owned. I knew it would either be a total hit or a complete miss and something about this cut to me suggested disaster. Of course I put it on and fell in love. I turned away from the initial price, but to my delight the dress received a quick sale cut. I loved it too much to hope and wait for another quick second cut, so I grabbed it. Anthro must be on my side lately because despite my lack of willpower, the dress got the second cut and I got a tidy price adjustment. What enablers to my overflowing closet they are...

Dress to Impress;
Dress: Anthropologie Grasby Gardens Dress
Necklace: Juicy Couture charm necklace
Legwear: Ruffian for Anthropologie floral lace tights
Shoes: Chie Mihara Alegra platforms
Bag: Bow clutch from a San Francisco boutique


I wore this outfit to watch Boyfriend and his band perform. He was so excited about the night, I really wanted to dress up. His jaw dropped at the outfit so I guess that goal was a success!


Friday, October 1, 2010

Lady Chatterley's Lover


My relationship with jeans and trousers is a hot and cold one. I can never decide if I love or hate them and the way I dress tends to reflect these bipolar moods. When I was younger, I lived in jeans. I was self-conscious of wearing the skirts and dresses I truly wanted so I kept my outfits simple and based on jeans. In recent years, I tossed them aside for the thrill of skirts and dresses I coveted and haven't looked back. Now when faced with coordinating daily outfits for the office, I've been turning to jeans again.
My casual office gives me a lot of freedom but sometimes I feel I fit in best with just a blouse, jeans, and some sensible heels. I still feel mixed wearing them though. It's easy, and looks nice, but I'd rather be in my dresses and skirts. Does anyone else have this kind of silly relationship with their clothing?

Lady Chatterley's Lover;
Hair: My favourite $2 hairband
Necklace: Anthropologie Meadowlark cameo
Top: Anthropologie Secret Garden blouse
Cardigan: H&M mustard yellow cardigan
Bottoms: Urban Outfitters BDG overdye cigarette jeans
Shoes: Seychelles Kiss at Midnight / Anthropologie Hidden Sun mary-janes
Bag: SXSW Film tote (freebie!)

I'm so excited the fall appropriate mustard yellow is all over Anthropologie's fall offerings. I love this colour! I'm also dying to incorporate more orange into my wardrobe. The orange red of this top and my current book selection have really put the fire in me. Orange, in any shade, is a bit under appreciated in the fashion world but not during fall so I must take full advantage of this!