Reviews; Field Skirt, Laced with Grace Dress, and Spinning Lace Dress

I've decided to try my hand at a few Anthropologie reviews since I recently indulged in three full priced items. With free shipping back, I ordered the items online to try on from the comfort of my home. Please excuse the smudge filled mirror and my shoe-less after work style!

First up the latest version of the Field Skirt ($78);

To be perfectly blunt, I hated this skirt! I was excited to try it because I missed out on all the previous versions that Anthro released (Circle the Globe, et al) and they seem to have a lot of love from other bloggers. I thought the corduroy fabric on this version made me look frumpy. I tried on my true size (10) and the pull on, elastic style rather than being at all forgiving, was very stiff and clung uncomfortably to my body. I suppose that means it won't stretch out easily but yuck! I looked like a lumpy mess. Return for you, skirt.

Thankfully I had much better luck (too much luck I daresay) with my two lace adorned dresses.

Laced with Grace Dress ($168);

Now this dress was definitely for me. I love the medium, sage green colour. Continuing on, that wide, defined waist is my best friend. With a full chest, the waists on Anthro's latest offerings have not been placed to flatter me but that's not true here. The sleeves also make a lovely and delicate bell shape. I used to be far more Free People than Anthropologie in my personal style, and the romantic boho feeling of this dress fits with that aesthetic very well. I was again in my true size (10) and it was perfect. Nothing was too tight or too loose. Brilliant! This is a keeper, even at full price!

Spinning Lace Dress ($288);

Oh, Anthro. What's a girl to do against a dress like this? I already have a weakness for lace, roses, and full skirts, so if this fit well, I knew you'd win. Unfortunately for my wallet, it fit very well so I'm waving goodbye to my money. If I had one complaint about this gorgeous dress, it would be that the waist for me is slightly high, but it's not noticeable enough to talk me out of it. I'm still in my true size (10) which is a bonus! Tracy Reese normally calls me to size-up. I can't get over how soft and lovely the material is for the lace either - gorgeous!
See this again on Tien (adiaphane), and The British Anthropologi(e)st.

I decided to return my latest Anthro items to trade for the two lace dresses. I had been hunting for the Barbergh and Southward Stop dresses but once I finally had them, I was torn. The Southward Stop wasn't very flattering on my hourglass/pear shape. With the Barbergh my lack of self-confidence did me in. Despite my Hallowe'en as Joan, the form fitting style made me too nervous. Similarly I returned the Cascading Bow Dress for being both a bit form fitting and hard to style. Red is not my colour.
They were three beautiful dresses but three that would have neglected.

That about rounds up my first batch of reviews. If you've reviewed these items on your blog as well, feel free to drop me a comment and I'll link back to you!

a privy seal to keep the feel of 1960's style

Better late than never, I wanted to show off my Hallowe'en costume. I'm still in keeping with the style theme of my blog since I'm dressed as one of my style icons, Mad Men's Joan Holloway.

I have such a weak spot for 60s style. If I could, I would dress in vintage styles pretty much every day of the week. However those who have tried vintage shopping know what a disappointing chore it can be at times. You have to contend with your favourite finds being in questionably wearable condition and in only one size. Living in San Francisco for years, I'm not wanting for selection, but when you're a larger size, finding something that fits and is a style you want is almost impossible.

Trying on my best sassy Joan faces.

Luckily for me and my Joan ambitions, I found a seamstress on etsy who made perfect replicas of her costumes. I've never had a dress that fit this well in my life! Custom made dresses are definitely the way to go (amazing blogger Kristina J knows what I mean). I need to break out my old sewing machine and brush up on techniques so I can maybe give some of this a crack myself one day.

Joan's signature pen necklace was another modern replica, but my purse and earrings are actual 60s vintage. I had the necklace before the idea for the costume. With it I get to keep a bit of Joan in even my bland days full of t-shirts and jeans.

Overall the costume was a great success and makes me long for more replicas of 60s dresses. Also, I have to admit I look pretty good as a redhead! 

With Boyfriend, as the
X-Men character Gambit.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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!