Review; Tuileries Dress, with an experiment in petite

One of my favourite, if not my very favourite, Anthropologie items is the Sugar & Cream dress. I was given it for my birthday last year and the dress couldn't be better suited for my excessively girly tastes. The dress is made even more perfect by the fact that it is supremely flattering. It's flattering that is in every way but one - it's way too long. The unfortunate truth is that this is not an uncommon occurrence for my Anthropologie dresses and skirts. I never thought of myself as a "petite" girl at all. My height seemed average, even tall compared to a lot of my friends, but the truth is I'm 5'5" at best. I've decided to let my credit card hate me and order some of Anthropologie's new arrivals in both the standard and petite sizing to see the difference between the two and determine if the petites are better suited for me.

Here is the beautiful Tuileries Dress ($158) in all it's floral glory. I love this even more in person and it is very true to the product shot. In this set of photos, I'm wearing the petite on the left and the standard size on the right. In both cases, I'm wearing my true size 10, both of which are perfect fits for me. Any size smaller would be impossible to zip but any bigger would be ridiculously baggy, especially in the shoulders (see below).

My first thought is what a difference some inches make off the hem! The dress definitely goes from cute to frumpy on me when I don the standard size. An above the knee frock Anthropologie feels like a new frontier! The one benefit the standard size is over the petite is the waist is much closer to my actual waistline, so perhaps I have a long torso.

In these photos (petite on top, standard below), you can see another huge difference in the petite versus standard sizing. The straps are way too long with the standard 10. I would want to size down in the standard dress, but bust probably wouldn't allow it.

Last shot, showing again how baggy the rest of the top is in the standard 10. Once again I can't really size down given my bust size but the petite solves most of my problem with a closer fit.

See this dress again on Tien of adiaphane, Molly of Anthromollogies, and Bonnie of Small Town Fashionista. If you've also rocked this dress, leave me a comment or drop me an email (found in my profile) and I'll be glad to link back to your review.

If it wasn't obvious, the petite is my clear winner. I do wish Anthropologie carried a full range of petite sizing in stores so I didn't have to order and return, but I'm glad they offer them at all. I am excited to try a few more items on to see if their difference is just as dramatic!

The Woman In White

I love a good mystery and they are best in the cold weather. The preface of this edition told me that the "The Woman In White" was the first sensationalist mystery novel written. I had never read it before and I am so glad to have found it now. Marian Halcombe is fast becoming one of my favourite fictional characters. Quotes from her or concerning her actions have caused me on more than one occasion to laugh out loud on the train even during the deathly quiet morning commute. She is witty, Victorian perfection.

"Men! They are the enemies of our innocence and our peace -- they drag us away from our parents' love and our sisters' friendship -- they take us body and soul to themselves, and fasten our helpless lives to theirs as they chain up a dog to his kennel. And what does the best of them give us in return?"

"When a sensible woman has a serious question put to her, and evades it by a flippant answer, it is a sure sign, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, that she has something to conceal."


The Woman In White;
Cardigan: Anthropologie Fresh Perspective cardi
Accessories: Silver birdcage necklace (gift)
Urban Outfitters leaf hairband
Dress: Free People Medallion Lace Dress
Tights: We Love Colors solid mocha tights
Dress: Anthropologie Winding Ruffle boots
Bag: Karmaloop pink lace shoulder bag

"Women can resist a man's love, a man's fame, a man's personal appearance, and a man's money; but they cannot resist a man's tongue, when he knows how to talk with them."

Oh, I could quote her all day...

Anthropologie, blooming back after a dull winter.

My days have been so long and so busy, I haven't been able to do a lot of outfit snaps. The gloomy weekend weather didn't help, so I'm back to browsing online. It looks like I'm eating my words after Anthropologie boring me through the winter. Sounds like it's time for another quick wishlist, since they deserve credit where credit is due. I will be singing their praises for some genuinely lovely new spring and summer clothes. I'm all over everything that's flowers and lace, which is always in style in my life, and thankfully seemingly always in style for spring.

Tuileries Dress, $158

Wisteria Halter Dress, $148

Garden of the Spectrum Mini, $198

Picked Plaid Skirt, $98

Wispy Cirrus Blouse, $118

Back Porch Blouse, $98
(Okay, that one isn't new, but I love it!)

I've already placed an order for one item on this list, and I'm considering letting my credit card hate me for a few weeks for the sake of a reviewing experiment. I'll definitely be posting if I decide to give it a go. I'm excited to go peruse other Anthropologie blogger's wishlists. I'm glad there seems to be items to please quite a large faction of us!

Pacific's Edge

This was my first proper Valentine's Day. Being taken away to be wined and dined on a romantic outing was a new experience, and I had so much fun dressing up for the occasion. I wear so much pink on a daily basis that it doesn't feel too special to dress up in it for Valentine's Day. We went down the coast a bit for the weekend, and once I saw the sun set over Highway 1, the pinks mixed with the pale blues, and I knew my dress would be perfect for the holiday.

We had an amazing dinner, where I neglected to take any photos. I was too overcome with the gorgeous views of the Pacific ocean, the taste of my champagne and the most delicious risotto I'd ever tasted. You can take a peek at the photos on Yelp for just how stunning the sunset over the ocean looked during our dinner, taken by some other diners not floating on as many clouds as me.

Pacific's Edge;
Outerwear: Anthropologie Leifsdottir Floe & Current Coat
Dress: Anthropologie Dreamy Wanderings dress
Bag: Coach Madison Sabrina in pink
Legwear: Topshop mauve tights
Shoes: Madden Girl patent blush pumps
Accessories: Anthropologie Trimmed Necklace in pink
Pink heart ring (super old gift!)

I was also delighted to show off another find off my White Whales list. The Floe & Current coat is admittedly a little too small for the fullest part of my chest, but I'm loath to give it up just yet. I have to think on it a bit longer since for now, I'm just too excited to show off that beautiful robin's egg blue. I've been dreaming of pairing this with outfits for years, so I'm having some fun before I decide if I should turn it back over to eBay and hold out for finding the bigger size. Choices, choices...

To splurge or not to splugre

The one upside to being uninterested in Anthropologie's latest offerings is that I have been able to focus on some older desires. For instance, I've found three items off my Anthro "White Whales" list, which has brought me quite a lot of satisfaction. I've also been able to sell a few items from the back of my closet so I'm looking at having a bit more disposable income than usual come next month. I've been thinking of saving up for a purchase (shock) outside of Anthro.

Thanks to Anjali's influence, I've been lurking a lot on Kate Spade's website. I was previously indifferent to her designs, but now a couple of items have caught my eye. I'm thinking one of these beautiful things will make the cut if I close my eyes and decide to splurge.

Emma & Great Expectations book clutches, $325 each

Karolina patent leather heel in strawberry, $298

Melody Dress, $445

Happy Valentine's Day

This has been a difficult year for me in every way but one.
Yesterday was our first anniversary, and we look forward to many more.
He helped give me the confidence to start this blog and to feel myself again in the midst of everything that went off the rails in the last few months.

Happy Valentine's Day.
I hope you're spending it with anyone you love,
doing things you love,
and especially,
wearing something you love!

Lantern's Glow

I made a post recently listing my favourite Anthropologie items that got away from me. Most of the items I've been pining after for at least two years, so I didn't expect to suddenly find the items after sharing my list but for two items, that's exactly what happened. There must be some sort of magic from writing down their names. Years of never seeing my size and before I even hit publish on the post, they showed up on eBay. I didn't get the best deal on this dress, but after a certain point of pining after it, I didn't care. I did get a deal on the other item though so I felt it balanced out. Both items were in perfect shape and I was giddy with excitement when they both fit perfectly. I'll be posting an outfit with the other item soon!

Lantern's Glow;
Dress: Anthropologie Lantern's Glow Dress
Cardigan: Anthropologie In For A Frill Cardigan
Accessories: Urban Outfitters typewriter initial necklace
Urban Outfitters metal flower hairband
Bag: Mulberry for Target patent satchel
Legwear: Anthropologie Mademoiselle Tights
Shoes: Steve Madden patent pumps

This dress is even better than I remember it! The waistband is in a perfect spot and it is as flattering as I could hope. I love the bird design so much that I didn't feel up to adding colour to the rest of my outfit to distract from it. I'm feeling really subdued lately, and wearing a lot of neutrals. Maybe it's the gray weather. Or maybe, as much as I prefer colour in my life, I'm admitting sometimes an item looks best left to stand-out.

I really adore this cardigan, though I'm not showing it off to its best. I was concerned with the slightly baggy fit, but I've just scored a small on a pop-back to exchange my medium. I've really been scanning my wishlists at Anthropologie more than usual. The new arrivals have been doing nothing for me. I expect to be trolling eBay even more often so maybe my luck will continue to the rest of my list..!