Thursday, June 30, 2011

OOTD Inspiration: Canada Day

Tomorrow is Canada Day and were heading to the beach at Harrison Hot Springs for some family fun. I don't have a lot of red in my closet but I do have the Ruched Hourglass Top seen in the set below and I have my white Banana Republic shorts that I can wear along with it. Oh if only I could shop specifically for tomorrow I'd buy the Bubbled Fan Pullover and the Toms Red Canvas Wedges and perhaps a wicker bag from Old Navy to carry the kids sand toys in. 

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Anthropologie Fall Fashions

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I get about fall fashion. I love summer but there is something about fall clothing that is so much more exciting and substantial. I always find my summer wardrobe is much less made up of investment pieces and are much more cheaper disposable fashion or items from summers past. Whatever I buy in the summer that is pricey must be wearable in the fall months as well. Shorts and tanks I'm more then happy to purchase at places like Joe Fresh or Old Navy but once we hit Fall I love substantial shoes, coats and sweaters.

This dress is after my heart with it's retro shape and red polka dot print. I can see this one making it's way into my closet and worn with tall riding boots. Am I too late with the rugged riding boots and pretty dress style? I just ordered my first pair of tall boots ever (post to come shortly) and was hoping to wear it with dresses. I think that style would make me more comfortable wearing a dress very casually. 

This is another dress I love for it's print and it's shape. Dandelions are adorable and the blue shades are exactly what I gravitate to in my closet. I really hope fall brings me many excuses to wear pretty dresses. Dinners out, date nights and work functions with my husband would be very justifiable reasons to have some pretty dresses on hand. 

A couple of pretty and versatile cardigans are on my needs list for fall and winter. I get very overheated fast indoors in the winter since so many people like to crank the heat. I'm really surprised I don't own one single cardigan. I have one wrap sweater that gets way overused and I think it's time to add a cardigan or two. This one is really pretty in the red and I really like it's cropped shape but what I'm not sure about is that it's an open cardigan and also, I think if I get an Anthro cardi it must be 'special' with a pretty print or embellishment. Otherwise I can stick to Old Navy for something more plain. 

This blouse is definitely wish listed. I love the owl print on it and the sleeves and necktie. It reminds me of the Loosened Shelby Blouse in the lemon yellow print. I loved that blouse except for the sleeves and this blouse seems to solve what I didn't like and embellishes what I loved. A cute print, yellow background, and preppy neck tie. 

Oh god I love the newest skirts added to the website. The preppy/nautical/military style skirts are really calling to me. I especially love the wool grey and yellow colorblocked sweater skirt. 

I can see myself wearing this skirt a lot with sturdy heels/booties or flats or even perhaps tall boots. I love that it can be paired with several colors and has that added small pop of color in the yellow ribbon detail. This to me seems like a staple skirt. The teal is lovely as well but I think I'd get less use in that color and would be more limited in color pairings. 

This is such a pretty skirt for Summer/Fall/Spring. I love the butterfly detail at the waist and the antiqued beigey colored background. I love this skirt but I think this one will be a wait until markdowns item.


I initially thought I needed a new coat for Fall/Winter but I do have one from last year that I love and a cropped pea coat from 4 years ago that still works. My problem with last years coat is that it's a size and a half big on me but I can still use it (especially with a heavy sweater underneath) and the cropped pea coat is perhaps a half size too small. Between the two of them I'm probably covered. I would have loved to been able to take in my too big jacket but with it's design it would be very pricey if at all possible. I went thru a phase a few years ago where I was obsessed with dressy wool coats. I can see this obsession returning if Anthro comes out with some nice designs this fall and winter. I always put a wool coat on my Christmas wish list but it's always annoying to have to wait so long for a new jacket and then get to enjoy it for a shorter period of time. Ah well.

Shoes! My other love besides coats.

These are really cute and funky. I love the greeny/grey color best but the turquoise is fun too. I don't see myself wearing these shoes but they are lovely eye candy none the less. 

My recent shoe purchase (post coming soon) is very similar to these in style so I was excited to see these in the anthro catalogue since my purchase was from a shoe from 2009/2010 and I wasn't sure if they would work with this years fashions. I love the sturdyness of it mixed with the feminine peep toe. This style of shoe is easily an everyday versatile shoe.
Not loving the cloak style of jacket. It's a cute style on others but I don't see myself participating. 

I don't love these boots persay but i've been anxiously anticipating Anthro's fall boot selection. I sorely missed out last year but saw a lot of boots I loved online so I'm excited to finally see some boots for this year. 
 well it looks like, according to Anthro, that the rugged boot and pretty dress style is still in. Thank goodness! I love the style as it allows you to wear dresses more casually which is always my goal. I hate looking like I took a lot of effort in an outfit since I always lean towards more casual. 

These are so, so cute. I love the colors it comes in and would have trouble picking which I like best. Since I lean to a more casual effortless style that naturally means I also love slide on backless shoes. 

Mystery Blouse Revealed: All Aflutter Blouse

I did a review of All Aflutter Blouse over here the other day and decided to pass on it due to the length but the more I look at the pictures of this blouse the more I love the white piping on the flutter sleeve. I just wish it was a tad longer in the torso (I have a long torso) but I think I'm going to add this to my wishlist. The sheerness doesn't bother me all that much. 

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Free Shipping to Canada ($150 + Orders) Thru July 3rd

As promised earlier today, here is my latest Anthro email letting me know about the free shipping offer. 




Happy Anthro Markdown Tuesday!

I was hoping not to see any major temptations today as I recently made two Antrho shoe purchases (post to come shortly) and although I am tempted buy these items that popped up I think I will resist them. I love the Chartreuse Shoots Dress but I think the color is too loud for me. Oh if only it were the colors of the verdant slip dress.
 This pullover always grabs my attention every time. I love a polka dot print, especially a yellow polka dot. The slouchy fit of this thinly knit sweater looks so comfy. I haven't seen it in stores though to try it on but maybe I can get to the store tomorrow to see if any of these items made it in.
I have the To The Flea Market Crops which are pretty much the same as these except for color and print and I'm really happy with them so if these had come in a color that I liked I would have gotten a second pair.  I'd love to see this in a dark blue or red for something fun but this muted yellow is not a flattering color for me. 
 I'm on the lookout for cheap and cheerful printed shorts. I purchased a pair yesterday at Sears for $17.95 (Nevada) and I really liked them but I've decided to return them as the pockets are sitting kind of funny on me. Shorts are a really tricky fit for me (as are pants) so I need to try them on first and make sure they are the correct length. With my athletic thighs the cuff circumference get's raised a bit higher for a shorter inseam than is intended with the designs so the trick is to find something with a good amount of flare or wider leg openings. These are super cute with the cuffs and bow so I hope my store gets them in in my size and that they look as adorable on me as I imagine.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Fit Report: Mystery Odille, Banded Lace-Up Tunic, Lowland Rugosa Tank, Leaf Filligree Tank, Readymade Dress, Afterlight Dress, Movie Theatre Maxi

After a super busy and stressful week I was really looking forward to my next opportunity to stop in and play dress up at my favourite Vancouver Anthropologie and since today was a dreary and rainy day I decided once the rain slowed to a drizzle I could load the kids up and set off to South Grandville. They get well bribed with treats at Meinhart Fine Foods for good behavior (*gasp* yes I bribe and so do you) so they are very happy to set off to 'mommy's store'. My only purchase today was another Deep End Barrette (on sale for 9.95 from $44ish) but I did knock off a few items from my wish list and perhaps add a few so overall it was a productive venture. 

Mystery Odille Blouse
I found this sweet little Odille blouse downstairs with the few Heartseas blouses that are left and I was immediately drawn to the mustard yellow. I grabbed the other colorway, Navy with green trim to try on as well and overall I liked the blouse well enough but didn't love it on. Both are size 8's and I would say TTS but perhaps a little shorter then I'm used to which was what turned me off slightly. I love the flutter sleeves on the Mustard with the white trim but the blouse is slightly sheer and if that bothers you keep that in mind. The Navy was pretty as well and much less sheer due to the darkness. 

Pass due to length but would consider on markdown.

I've been drawn to this tank since it first appeared on the website. It's so fun and beachy and the colors are fantastic and flattering. This was TTS in a medium but the straps were ever so slightly long. The material is very thin silky Rayon/Spandex and in the end I passed this up because it's dry clean only despite the casual look of this tank and a bit pricey at $88 for a strictly summer & casual tank. 

Pass due to dry clean only will snatch up at sale price

This was one of my wish list items on the tippy-top. I almost, almost purchased this today but decided against it since it is not very bra friendly with the racerback. I tried on both the small and medium and there was not much difference between the two. This image is of the small and I would have gone with that one over the medium. I loved the embroidery but up close the colors weren't as nice as the Lush Lattice Shirt. The colors were lovely, but I just preferred the embroidery of the Lush Lattice. 

Pass, but would reconsider on markdown.

Another one of my tippy-top wish list items but sadly my store didn't have the orange colorway in stock which is the one I love. This is a medium and I think TTS but it was more form fitting then I expected so I would try on the large just to see the difference. The bottom hem of this tank is a bit narrow over the hips as well so that mixed with the sheerness made for some mummy-tummy anxiety paired with jeans. I think the orange would be slightly less sheer and so I would probably wear it with my jeans but I really love this tank paired with the Sailboat Skirt. The embroidered portion at the top will show your bra straps but I didn't mind it so much with the bra I was wearing. It may be tacky but I can sacrifice a bit of class for comforts sake and I just didn't think it was that obvious. I would have probably gotten the orange today had it been in but I don't much feel like ordering it online considering I'd pay shipping and have to drive out to my US address to pick up since Canada Post is sucking at life lately with a postal strike. 

This was a bottom of my wish list dress that has been re prioritized to the very top. It's such a simple and casual dress but it's so very well made and so comfortable. This is a size 10 and I pulled it on over my head easily and then realized there was a zipper on the side. I forgot to check but I think this is the regular 10 and not petite. I love the over the knee length so I wouldn't bother with the petite even though I have short legs. I love the proportions of this dress, the shape and pattern placement is just really flattering to someone pear shaped like myself. I hesitated for a few reasons though. This is only a summer, perhaps spring dress and I have no functions to go to in the near future that I would wear a dress to. I want it bad but I want it at a lower price and probably by the time it does go on sale we will be well into fall shopping. I really hope it gets markdown sometime soon though because at a cheaper price I'd buy it for everyday wear. 

This was on my wish list but I've since removed it. I love the pattern and colors of this dress and the 10 fit me easily and perhaps was a half size big. I still do really love this dress but found the length + pattern was a bit overwhelming on me. The cotton was extremely soft to the touch but also not thin so it felt like a very substantial dress. 

I HATE Maxi dresses and had no real intention of buying this dress but I really love the pattern and colors on it so I wanted to try it on. My store only had this in a small and extra small so I grabbed the small and it did fit. Perhaps not enough material over the bust for me, especially since I'd have to wear this without a bra. The length of the dress, like all Maxi dresses on me, was too long and would need to be hemmed. I easily passed on this one but if something else comes out in this material and pattern I'll be sure to check it out. 

And this picture was courtesy of my 3 year old who stole my iphone from me. She liked the Lowland Rugosa Tank most of all.