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!

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...

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

A Christmas Carol [Christmas Outfit 3 of 3]

I have been meaning to post these outfits for some time, but as they say, life got in the way. After my lovely, relaxing holidays, I'm sorry to say my family lost one of its oldest friends. A longtime friend of my dad's passed away, and though he's not one to show a lot of emotion, he's devastated. My mum was out of town at the time, so in-between some long work hours, I tried my best to take care of him for the last week. I've really been quite sad about things for my ole dad. I know you always idealize your parents, like even as they get old, to you they just can't be that old, but he really is too young to be losing his friends this way. It's hard to start the new year this way. At least after some reminiscing with other friends and his friends' family, my dad's in better spirits today.

Here is the last of my belated Christmas celebration outfits. The gorgeous dress was a Christmas present from my mum. I decided I couldn't wait to wear it. I found it was perfect to make a good impression on Boyfriend's grandparents, whom I met for the first time on Christmas Day.

A Christmas Carol;
Dress: Anthropologie Peggy Sue dress
Necklace: Accessorize brown and peach Y-drop necklace
Cardigan: Old Navy ruffle cardigan
Legwear: Accessorize white lace tights
Shoes: Steve Madden brown kitten heels (superrrr old!)

On the mantle behind me, you can see some of my mum's Scandinavian Santas, as well as a bit of the Anthropologie "Happy Holidays" garland I purchased last New Year. The garland is simple cream, with silver, gold, and green beading with dangling leaves to embellish it. At over $100 before the holidays, I never thought to buy it. However after Christmas sales at a mere $20, it had to be mine. I got to show it off this year and it's just as gorgeous as I remember.

I've also sneakily included another entry in my book set, showing off Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." I couldn't let the holidays end without reading this story at least once.

Little Women

Every time the seasons change, I decide the current season must be my favourite. Truthfully, they're all my favourite since I live in the lovely and mild Bay Area California. Our winter is about as cold as I like things to get. We get temperatures just cold enough to call for wool coats now and again which is all I need. I have some gorgeous outerwear, so it's time to show it off.

Little Women;
Hat: Accessorize (UK) crocheted beret
Hair: H&M pale pink bow clip
Outer accessories: Urban Outfitters bird applique scarf & lace fingerless gloves
Coat: Old Navy wool peacoat in bottle green
Cardigan: Anthropologie Blooming Lattice cardigan in green
Necklace: Silver birdcage (gift)
Dress: H&M ivory ruffle shirt dress
Legwear: Target heather gray leggings
Bag: Urban Outfitters BDG Primary Satchel
Shoes: Anthropologie Winding Ruffle boots

I haven't done a post for a Clothbound Classic book in a little bit so I'm glad to post the latest entry in my series. I took a break from the classics for a bit to read a book loaned to me by a friend ("Hello, I'm Special" by Hal Niedzviecki) and to catch up on some past New Yorkers, but I'm back to them now. I always like to read Little Women in the wintertime. The story makes me think of fireplaces, ice skating, and sipping hot chocolate. I am, in fact, enjoying a cup of hot chocolate as I sit here finishing this post.

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.

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!

Great Expectations

A new book, a new look. I think I might get a few more days out of this one though. Dickens is not exactly one for brevity...

Last winter, I decided to buy two pieces out of my comfort zone. I was feeling confident in my style and myself as a whole, so I wanted to try something that would normally intimidate me. I had admired the current trend of short shorts with tights and heels, but wondered if I, as a curvier girl, could pull it off. I decided to go for it anyway and you know, I loved it. The menswear style of these shorts makes them look classy and stylish despite their minute length. They were quickly were added to my favourite weekending outfits. I'm so excited it's fall again so I can bring them back into rotation.


I'm really fond of my other dramatic piece from last winter so look for that in an outfit post soon!


Great Expectations;
Hair: Urban Outfitters metal flower hairband
Cardigan: Anthropologie Blooming Lattice Cardigan in navy
Top: Forever21 lace blouse & F21 layering camisole
Necklace: Topshop floral cameo with charms
Trousers: Urban Outfitters menswear tweed shorts
Legwear: Hue brown tights (I have so many pairs of these...)
Shoes: Steve Madden brown, kitten heels (probably 5 years old!)

Oh goodness. Fellow Anthro Addicts, I did something I really shouldn't have last week. I tried on the Grasby Gardens dress and what a mistake that was! I thought it would most likely be a disaster on me, despite how pretty it looked, and I was dead wrong. Everything about the dress was perfection except of course the price! Even on sale I don't know that I can afford it. *Dramatic sigh*

Treasure Island

I forgot how quickly I burn through fiction books. The university experience really derailed much of my interest in them and so I've had my nose firmly buried in history, political theory, and academic journal entries for the last six years. I finally decided to pull up with my new clothbound classics collection and I finished my first selection in a few hours. I'm on to "Treasure Island" now, which unlike "Dorian," I have never read. I love it! Even knowing the classic plot and characters, it's still fun to read and makes me long for tropical waters and sandy beaches. Ah, if only summer weren't ending...

Treasure Island;
Hair: Cheap, drugstore hairband
Top: Anthropologie Picture Frame Blouse in green
Necklace: Juicy Couture charm necklace
Belt: Anthropologie High Prairie Belt
Skirt: Anthropologie Penciled Abronia Skirt
Legwear: Hue tights in brown
Shoes: New Look kitten heel brogues (super old)
Bag: Pink tote (gift from my mum)

This outfit is a quick, go-to work look. When I first tried on both the skirt and top, I tried them on like this and fell in love. I waited for the blouse to go on sale, but this skirt had to come home with me as soon as possible. I love pencil skirts, but too often they only come in neutral colours. This one is so beautiful, and while better suited to spring, I feel any time of year is right for flowers.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

My regular photographers were M.I.A.
Forgive the strange photo style!

Labor day weekend always goes by too fast. It hardly feels like I had any extra time off at all. The weather however, was markedly different upon returning to my office in The City today. Summer was barely here for Northern California and already the dark clouds have rolled back in to cover any hopes of sun. This outfit was truly covered up with my Two-Paths Trench from Anthro, but I forgot to put it back on when taking photos in the slightly warmer climate of my South Bay backyard.

I finally broke down and bought all the Penguin Clothbound Classics (well, all the available titles) since they few I had were too pretty to sit lonely on my shelf. Similarly, the one I was reading today was too pretty to stay in my bag, so I couldn't resist posing with it in today's photos. This might continue on as I make my way through the collection. I've started by rereading "The Picture of Dorian Gray" as the dark clouds put me in the mood for a bit of Gothic writing.

Red Roses;
Cardigan: Gold H&M cardigan
Top: CAbi lace top
Necklace: European Robin by N2
Skirt: Anna Sui for Anthropologie Russelliana Skirt
Legwear: Brown opaque tights from Hue
Shoes: Anthropologie's Bouquet of Roses heels