Primrose

I kept admiring Anthropologie's Primula Dress throughout summer. In one major way this dress wasn't a normal selection for me. Basically it was black, and a black summer dress no less! Still, I kept thinking about how much I loved the print. I've had some comments it looks Middle Eastern, some comments that it looks Asian, and personally I think it looks Germanic. The lovely thing about it is that the lavender, purple, and blue tempers the otherwise too harsh black and keeps it a seasonally appropriate sundress. As a (super flattering) halter, it is a perfect wear-and-go piece that requires little styling for those days that creep into the 90s. I am glad though that I waited for it to go on sale. I was worried I missed it, but luckily a kind reader at the amazing Effortless Anthropologie alerted me to a pop-back in my size.


Today's outfit (above);
Dress: Anthropologie Primula Dress
Hair: Urban Outfitters metal flower hairband (right)
Necklace: Betsey Johnson Turtle & Calm Shell necklace (below)
Shoes: Desire + Triton by melissa kitten heel sandals
Eyewear: Cheap sunglasses from an H&M in Copenhagen

Most of my necklaces seem to be gifts and so I have a lot of attachment to them. The necklace in this outfit was a recent birthday gift from my boyfriend. I really adore all things Betsey Johnson. She speaks to all the girliest, over the top parts of my personality and style. Boyfriend made a point to tell me all his reasoning behind selecting this necklace. He knows I'm obsessed with the ocean and water, so he thought of my star sign to find something ocean themed with pearls. He also remembered my fawning over baby sea turtles during a recent trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. He did very well.

Marine Mural

I suppose a quick introduction is in order given that this is my first post. My name is Alissa. I'm a San Francisco Bay Area native and am quite twee. I love all things pink, frilly, covered in lace, adorned with birds, that sort of thing. In the last few years, developing my personal style has become my obsession. I landed my first grown-up job and have been indulging myself ever since with every beautiful Anthropologie offering that has caught my eye. I've been hoping for a while I could keep a blog for an archive of my styling and outfit choices so I am very excited to begin that process.

On to my first "Outfit of the Day!"

To start off with a bang, this outfit is a two-in-one situation. I am taking my first vacation from work in 13 months, and in that time, I decided to fill it with small trips to my favourite parts of Northern California. One of the trips was to Monterey Bay to get a glimpse of the huge population of Blue and Humpback Whales currently migrating through the area. Since we had to go on a boat at 9 am going 10 miles off-shore, I decided to add some layers that I could peel off later for a nice meal back on land.

Boating look (above)
Hairband: Drugstore hairband ($2 but the best finishing piece!)
Dress: Anthropologie Marine Mural Dress
Coat: Anthropologie First Frost Coat
Top: JCrew turtleneck tee
Necklace: Handmade from a boutique in Cannes
Legwear: Target leggings
Shoes: Seychelles Four Leaf Clover boots

Swapped for land (right)
Cardigan: Pink ruffled cardigan from Marshall's
Bag: Pink lace bag from Etsy (a recent birthday gift!)
Legwear: Ruffian for Anthropologie Luxe Dotted Tights in wine
Shoes: Seychelles Kiss At Midnight or Anthropologie Hidden Sun mary-janes in sand

I don't normally keep my hair in braids (it makes me look like such a milk-maid) but I knew the windy weather would whip it in my face and drive me nuts. Even though Nathalie Lete's beautifully painted marine mural is the focal point of my outfit, my favourite part is the necklace. My mum gave this necklace to me for my 21st birthday after she'd returned from the Cannes Film Festival. She bought it from a woman who handmade each piece she sold. Mum selected this piece for the colour, and because the charms like the seashells, the bird, the heart and the Buddha all reminding her of me.


I have to end this post with a thank you to the lovely Anjali of goldenmeans. She made a post in July alerting me to an endless.com and Bing cash-back deal which is how I ended up with the Seychelles Kiss At Midnight pumps in my second outfit.