Gifted

What a fabulous birthday! I should bake and throw a party every year! Being lucky as I am to have such a great group of friends, I ended up with an overly generous assortment of lovely things to show off here on the blog. I was especially excited to be given my first set of "real" jewelry from Boyfriend. I didn't expect it by any means, which made it even sweeter. He cleverly bypassed my birthstone (red is not my colour) and selected a set of blue topaz. The shade of blue is exquisite and will go anything in my wardrobe.

Also contributing to this outfit, my friend Tammie gifted me this awesome Target purse. The colour is a perfect neutral for all my pastels and is quickly becoming my favourite bag of the summer.
Amanda and share a mutual love for owls, and she picked out this gorgeous peachy pink owl brooch from Etsy. I anticipate using it often as it also lends itself pretty well to my personal colour scheme.

The last birthday goodie is this breezy, cotton dress. I don't think I ever noticed this online, but when I was grabbing up items to try for my birthday discount, I fell in love. Subtle cherry blossom print in a sky blue, machine washable (!) ... what's not to like?

Gifted;
Dress: Anthropologie Beau Ideal dress (on sale, give it a try!)
Top: H&M peach cropped cardigan
Bag: Target mocha shoulder bag
Shoes: Anthropologie Dearie Me wedges
Accessories: Cushion-cut blue topaz ring & necklace
Anthropologie High Prairie belt
Etsy custom owl brooch

What's in the stars?

Happy 4th of July weekend, all! My birthday is coming up quickly, Sunday in fact, and I was happy to find this pretty little envelope in my mailbox today. Anthropologie has managed to introduce a few adorable pieces in their July catalogue, any one of which I might choose to splurge on to celebrate. I've got my fingers crossed this small list ends up in one of my local stores this month;

Hopefully I'm not the only one a bit excited by the July catalogue! I'm honestly shocked there are no dresses I would try (even a on second sale cut price) but there are some beautiful skirts, shoes, and blouses.

Sun Hats

I love summer. I love swimming, lemonade, fresh fruit, and sun hats. I didn't always enjoy dressing for it, but now I wait all year for the easy days of my pulling out my Anthropologie sun dresses not agonizing over matching shoes, tights, cardigans, or coats. Don't get me wrong, the challenge is fun too, but a few weeks without it is a welcome break.

This is actually my first true summer vacation in many years. I can't remember life without a full time job, a summer job, or summer reading lists. Unemployment is scary, and will soon get boring I'm sure, but right now, the ease of it is refreshing.

Ah, this dress... I forgive your unflattering pleats on my stomach for your beautiful colours and fantastic print.

Sun Hats;
Dress: Anthropologie Wisteria Halter Dress
Shoes: Anthropologie Dearie Me Wedges
Accessories: Urban Outfitters braided sun hat
Accessorize rose necklace
Bow clutch from local boutique
Betsey Johnson floral sunglasses

Reviews; Bright Bandana Dress, Sugared Dress, and Flower Stand Dress

I actually remembered to grab my phone while trying on some dresses in Anthropologie today! Anthro has been a little off my radar the last few months. I've been busy, and they've been a bit off. Feeling a bit lighter, I decided to stop in and ended up trying three cute dresses.

Bright Bandana Dress, $158

I saw this in the window of my local store and it grabbed me instantly. I didn't notice it online, but I loved the colour in person. I took my normal size 10. This dress wins a point for me for not having a plastic hidden zipper. I hate those with the passion of a thousand exploding suns. They are always delicate, and lately Anthro has had especially flimsy ones. I love the sweetheart neckline of this frock as it's flattering on my larger bust. The material is a very light and summer appropriate cotton (machine washable, no less!). I don't love the apron style pockets, but they blend in alright if I leave them empty. I'm definitely hoping to pick this dress up, but I'm holding out for a sale.

Sugared Dress, $198

I was really hoping this piece would be my birthday dress this year. In person, the pink notes of the print were even more noticeable. I loved that. I was disappointed once I had this on in my normal size 10, however. Remember my hatred for hidden plastic zippers? This one was so delicate that I was afraid to zip it up. The bust felt big and slightly loose, but I just didn't trust it not to break. I had flashbacks to the Sing Sweetly Dress which broke on me in even a huge sizes. Talk about disheartening! The dress is flattering to an hourglass figure, which is great and all too rare. Those with smaller busts might need to size down for the large top. For the price and that zipper though, this is a pass until sale time. Sad.
See it again on Kim from Anthroholic.

Flower Stand Dress, $228

Okay, so I'm going to be the first to admit this dress is not the most flattering on me. It doesn't work on my longer torso, so it can't show off my small waist to the best extent. I also don't really care. I was so ready to walk out with the Flower Stand Dress, or even wear it out of the store, until I saw the price tag. Ouch. I will try and wait for sale, but I can't wait to wear this in the hot weather. The skirt, despite have some pouf, feels so light. I love the stripes and the colours, and I love that it comes with straps. The other sad point, besides the price, is this is another hidden, plastic zipper. This one felt a little less flimsy than the Sugared Dress, but I would have preferred it a) in the back of the dress and 2) to be metal. Still I love this thing, and I will be dreaming of it until I can afford it.

If you have any questions about these reviews, feel free to ask away. If you've reviewed these dresses as well, I'd love to link back to you so let me know!

Lost in my garden

I've spent the last two months wandering. I've been fighting with my employer to, strangely enough, let me go, and let me leave with what I think I'm owed. They've been less than cooperative and it has been exhausting. I'm hopefully at the end of the fight now but I'm left with a new task - what do I actually want to do? My old job had been something I fortunately fell into, making my way through undergrad. Before this moment, I've never stopped to actually think about this question. I have pie-in-the-sky dreams of course, but nothing grounded in reality. I expect this summer I'll have a lot more wandering through gardens to do...

Lost in the garden;
Dress: Anthropologie Beda Shirtdress in white
Bag: Urban Outfitters BDG Primary Satchel
Shoes: Steve Madden lea oxfords (old and trusted favourites)
Accessories: Urban Outfitters leather belt
Anthropologie Meadowlark cameo necklace
Urban Outfitters floral metal hairband
Ruffian for Anthropologie floral lace tights

This dress is a challenge to wear. The preppy cut and collar is a bit outside of how I normally style myself. I have trouble thinking the bright white and stiff collar go with much of anything. Bright red maybe, but outside of fresh strawberries, that is a colour I avoid. It sounds silly, but it's an accurate piece for my relationship to my old job. I put on this dress and feel comfortable, but I never feel quite like myself.

Courtesy of my backyard.

High Tea and elderflower scones

When I'm distressed about my professional life, I tend to retreat into the all my favourite sections of my closet - lace blouses, pastel skirts, bows, and of course anything pink. They all remind me that the dry, cubicle-ruled parts of my life aren't everything.

I was forcibly transferred to a new office this week. My old project was discontinued and it's funny how much I already miss working on it in my old office with old coworkers and we haven't even said our final good-byes yet. We started the send off with an informal cook-off party, giving me an excuse to do the other thing that keeps my mind off the world: baking. I made elderflower orange scones, and served them with fresh blueberries, vegan "clotted cream" and strawberry jam.

High Tea & Elderflower Scones;
Outer: Leifsdottir cream ruffle coat
Old Navy pink ruffle cardigan
Accessories: Juicy Couture pink bow scarf
Disney Couture gold Alice silhouette necklace
Anthropologie Rippled Ribbon Belt in sky
Urban Outfitters metal flower hairband
Hue opaque tights in black
Top: Anthropologie High Tea Blouse
Bottom: Anthropologie Sagebrush Skirt
Shoes: Madden Girl black patent heels
Bag: Coach Madison Sabrina in pink

Pride & Prejudice

I'm still soldiering on without a camera of my own, so thank you to all my readers for bearing with me! I've finally been able to borrow Boyfriend's to try and get back in the outfit of the day groove.

I wasn't expecting to love the First Hints blouse before I tried it on. I ignored it on the website despite the beautiful print since I figured it would be shapeless on me. I was surprised by how much I loved it, despite the shapeless drape. I was partially swayed by how many outfit ideas flew into my head once I had it on.

I've put on some winter pounds, so I've stayed away from some of my favourite pieces that I felt showed off the gain. My menswear shorts fell victim to that, but I knew this blouse was meant to be paired with them. I put aside my insecurities and proudly wore this spring ready outfit today.

Pride & Prejudice;
Top: Anthropologie First Hints blouse in ivory
Bottom: Urban Outfitters menswear tweed shorts
Shoes: Chie Mihara Alegra platform mary-janes
Bag: Coach Madison Sabrina in pale pink
Accessories: Hue opaque tights in black
Forever21 layering camisole
Forever21 drop charm necklace

P.S. I want to thank a local Anthropologie SA, Anna, for being so cheerful and sweet on my last visit into the store! Hopefully I'll get a chance to try on the Overwhelmed Aster Dress she recommended soon!

Dogs & Prairie dresses

2011 had started rough for my family and it seems it's determined not to let up yet. I've spent the last week wading through intense uncertainty my job. Everything has been, to say the least, unpleasant. On the bright side, it is amazing how much troubled times are soothed by coming home to a cute puppy.

Boyfriend and I took my new family dog, Ben, out for a walk at a nearby park this beautiful Sunday afternoon. He's a rescue who is part Black Lab and, we think, Border Collie. We couldn't have asked for a sweeter dog.

Dogs & Prairie Dresses;
Dress: Anthropologie Plains & Prairies dress
Top: Miss Selfridge pink and cream polka dot shirt
Shoes: Anthropologie Winding Ruffle boots
Bag: Coach Madison Sabrina in pale pink
Accessories: Urban Outfitters leather waist belt
Urban Outfitters metal hairband
Forever 21 pink songbird necklace
Betsey Johnson floral sunglasses

The Plains & Prairies dress was not something I initially coveted when I saw in last year. I found it alone in the sale room a bit after it was marked down and tried it on for fun. I was amazed and delighted at how well it fit me. The one complaint I had was that the top was a bit immodest on me. The adjustable straps help, but overall this was an item meant to be layered with a shirt. I barely ever wear the dress without this polka dot top under it.
The dress lightly lined and a bit long, making it perfect for spring. I love adding sleeves to make my dresses a bit more spring seasonal - the perfect thing to throw on without a cardigan for breezy, dog-walking days.

50s frocks for spring

If you're shaped at all like me, the current 70s trend that retailers like Anthropologie are embracing for spring doesn't do a thing for you. Sure, it's beautiful in theory, but put those looks on my wide, short, curvy self and it's a non-starter. Thankfully, one of my favourite UK high street chains, Monsoon, has some ultra feminine frocks to thrill me for spring. They're embracing the 50s housewife silhouette, which is a look near and dear to my heart. I hope for those similarly unsuited for the 70s boho look, this list provides a little eye candy for the season.

I'm currently hoping to indulge in some of these beautiful things;

Rosie Dress, £85

Posey Prom Dress, £65

Dot Spot Cardigan, £48

Hazel Peeptoe Shoes, £55

Juniper White Leather Bag, £65

Fusion Peony Dress, £65

Mint Ruched Sleeve Cardigan, £38

Meadow Dress, £95
(Oh how I love thee!)

Mia Dress, £180
(If not for the unfortunate price tag, this would already be mine!)

Spring Opener

Well here we are at the end of March and I'm still without a properly functioning camera. It's time for me to get low-fi and creative around here.

I've never had a more appropriate spring day at work. Signs of the season were everywhere, brightening an otherwise humdrum day at the office.

baseball season, blooming into view

weather clear and beautiful enough for a silk, floral frock...
(Anthropologie "Tuileries Dress")

...and bright pink heels

(Seychelles "Woodpecker")

the cashier ringing up my lunch stopping to tell me, "your bangs are perfect."

(Urban Outfitters metal hairband)

a coworker (and friend) bringing me a beautiful, seasonal treat
(桜抹茶 cherry blossom green tea)

Thank you to all my followers for sticking with me through the silence. I hope you're out enjoying spring!