Dresses, dresses, and more dresses.

I thought the Mompos Dress deserved a post of is own, but there are other Anthro dresses that deserve some attention.  So many dresses!  I love it.  Maybe I’ll forgo separates altogether and just wear dresses all the time. 

(Of course, none of these dresses come close to the most famous dress in the world today.  She looked gorgeous, didn’t she?)

So here we go, three more:

Pezza Dress by Deletta, CAD$148, size S.  This dress and I have had an interesting relationship. I love knit dresses and I love the deep blue colour, so it should have been a no-brainer, right?  Wrong.  I tried this on 3 times.  The above photo was taken a few weeks ago on the 2nd time around, the 2nd time I said no and put it back on the rack.  This despite the fact that this dress disappeared twice on me after the 1st time I tried it, and again after the 2nd time. I don’t know what my hesitation was. Maybe because it seemed too close to the Network Dress? Anyway, when it miraculously appeared again at the Shops at Don Mills location, in the blue colour I love, and in my size, I didn’t hesitate.  Third time lucky, right?  It came home with me.

Verdant Slip Dress by Moulinette Soeurs, CAD$168, size 6 (I tried on a 4, 6, and 8 and all fit thanks to the smocked back, but the 6 was the most flattering).  I’m in love with this dress (and as a side note, I really like a lot of the dresses from this brand this spring), probably because of the easy shape (wear alone or wear with a cardigan and tights) and the seafoam colour.  I normally don’t like a big flower print, but this didn’t make me feel like I was wearing a couch.  Love the pockets too.  Want.  May have to snap this up soon.

Isabel Dress by Deletta, CAD$148, size S.  I love knit dresses, and I love the shape of the dress.  It clings to every curve, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, right?  I just don’t love the print.  I wish it were more black than white, or all black, or the deep blue colour of the Pezza dress.  I don’t know.  I don’t love it, but I might consider this if it were still around on sale.

I’m off to Ottawa for the weekend, so no Anthro until next week.  I could probably use a break!  I’m looking forward to seeing friends and family again, especially my nephew again (he’s going to be 3 in June, he’ll be such a big boy!), and my parents’ dog, who just had surgery this week because she ate an open safety pin.  Poor dumb dog. 

Anthropologie catalogue: April 2009

Every week I take a look back at past Anthropologie catalogues and what I loved from then.  (Thanks to Natalie for posting all the links.) I used to think that it’s impossible to find these pieces again, but thanks to Roxy’s trade market and eBay, anything is possible.

April 2009

 
windflower necklace, bubble hem dress – I would like to be wearing something like this right now.  But it’s still not that weather yet, so this will have to wait until June.

 
saltwater blossom dress, sculpted grass earrings – same with this, it’s gorgeous but definitely not the weather for it yet.

cummerbund halter dress – totally my colour

astrid chair ($1998), wide world pillows, tulip tree lamp – I’ve said before that I’m not a big fan of Anthro furniture, but this is lovely.

puckered scoopneck – I feel like I’ve seen this top recently, in a different print.  Oh well, when something works, why mess with it?

Mary Mary, quite contrary

9 times out of 10, when everyone is gushing over something at Anthro, I’m not crazy about it.  Maybe my tastes are just completely different from the majority of Anthro shoppers.  Maybe it’s just stubbornness or plain bloody-mindedness.  Or maybe I just don’t get it.

Case in point:

Mompos Dress, Plenty by Tracy Reese, CAD$268.  Wearing a size 6 here, but I’d really need to size up for comfort.

Before I offend anyone, let me just say that it is a really lovely dress.  I can totally see that.  It looks gorgeous on other people.  But I’m not gaga over it, and I don’t think it’s flattering on me at all (the high round neck and the horizontal stripe across my chest makes me feel very blocky).  So it’s a pass for me, and that’s okay.  I just start wondering sometimes if there’s something wrong with me that I don’t like what everyone else likes, but then I remember that everyone has different tastes.  And that’s why we don’t walk around all looking like clones.

in love with a dress…but it’s not for me

Despite making attempts to be a more intelligent shopper, I still make emotional decisions about clothes.  I try to make purchases of clothes that will fit my LBC (lifestyle, budget, and climate – thanks 365 fashion rehab!), but every once in a while I fall in love with something and throw LBC criteria out the window.  Then remorse sets in and my shopping bulimia resurfaces, i.e. I take it back to the store.  That’s what return policies are for.

This was the case with Anthropologie’s Overwhelmed Aster Dress (by Moulinette Soeurs).

When I tried it on in person, I was truly smitten.

(Please excuse the red face and dishevelled hair, I’d just walked from my place to the Yorkville Anthro, about an hour’s walk, and it was cold and windy that day.)

This is such a gorgeous and well-made dress.  I love the silhouette (even though it’s strapless), the full skirt (crinoline underneath to keep it poufy), the sash, the black-and-white floral print, and the flower appliqués on the neckline. 

(with J.Crew Jenna’s Cardigan and Michael Kors heels)

So why won’t I keep it? 

Well, I have nowhere to wear it.  It’s a little too fancy for my life, and I have no upcoming events (weddings, etc.) to wear it to, and even if I did have an event of that calibre, I already have a go-to dress.  So one strike for lifestyle.

It’s also CAD$228 (US$188).  I’m not surprised at the price, and given the construction and design, I’m actually ok with it.  But still, it’s too much for a dress I won’t wear very often.  So strike two for budget.

Also, it’s strapless (not the most flattering style for me) and just a little too long, even with heels, and the poufy crinoline (see it on Kim here) would drive me nuts.

So I can’t justify this dress.  I love it and wish it had a place in my life, but practical must win out (effing practicality!).  Also, I really  I hope some lucky lady snaps it up and gives it a good home.

Easter colours

I’m not a very religious person (call me a lapsed Catholic), but every year I go with one of my best friends to Easter service at her church.  Every year, I think of the Simpsons episode where Homer is hanging naked from a hot-air balloon and being dragged across the roof of the glass church (“Everyone look down at God’s beautiful parquet floor!  Eyes on the floor…always on God’s floor…”), or the one where Bart swaps the hymn for “In the Garden of Evil” by I. Ron Butterfly (“Marge, do you remember when we used to make out to this hymn?”), or These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder, when the kitten being chased by a dog takes refuge in her hoopskirts.  Seriously, I’m probably going straight to hell…anyone want to join me?

But other than my own blasphemy, yesterday’s service at St. Paul’s was lovely and uplifting.

Anthropologie Skyfall Dress (Burlapp) | J.Crew featherweight cashmere cardigan in Dried Blossom | Tory Burch Reva flats

No black, no grey, just lovely springlike colours, even if the weather won’t cooperate.

Anthropologie catalogue: April 2008

Every week I take a look back at past Anthropologie catalogues and what I loved from then.  (Thanks to Natalie for posting all the links.) I used to think that it’s impossible to find these pieces again, but thanks to Roxy’s trade market and eBay, anything is possible.

April 2008

caravanserai dress, call lily necklace – very striking shot, cute dress too.

labyrinthine tee, dar mimosas shrug – sigh.  The Labyrinthine Tee is actually one that got away, and I still regret it.  I ordered it and then sent it back.  The colours and the fit just weren’t right.  Like I said, I still regret it.

djallaba tank, zelig skirt – love the print on the skirt and the combination with the red shoes

iroko tank, walled city skirt – really love the colour combination

summer fruit slides, phthalo green platforms, straw flower wedges – gorgeous summer shoes

handpainted dahlia tote, handpainted daisy tote – love these bags!

great-and-small platforms, ombre tote, firecracker raffia tote – I love all of these

outline thongs, stepping stone thongs, basket bud sandals – the turquoise stone sandals scream summer to me

tulip path duffle, crimson berry shoulderbag, alizarin heels – I love how these accessories are photographed

high-and-dry umbrellas

 
step-by-step dress, pointelle cardigan – I love this dress!

shape & space shift – not an ideal shape for me, but it’s very striking.

waiting for spring…

So spring is taking its sweet-ass time getting to Toronto (it was snowing yesterday and I was wearing gloves!  Snow! and gloves! on April 18!), but Anthro is in full spring mode.  I love love love their most recent outfit set. I’d love some of these pieces, but I’ll have to wait two months to wear them.

Counter Stop: En Plein Air Dress, Braided Adenandra Necklace, Odessa Ring

Window Watching: Overwhelmed Aster Dress, Skinny Weave Belt, Muranga Necklace

Alfresco Hours: Blooming Bulbs Dress, Pretty Prattle Necklace, Seafire Ring

 
Coffee Break: Des Artistes Lobster Tee, Impressionable Blazer, Gladiolus Skirt, Rock Candy Bracelet, Pigeon Pea Necklace, High Gloss Belt

Midday Treat: Sunless Rose Top, Lengthening Rays Skirt, Omnifarious Bracelet, Slim Shine Belt, Whipped Topping Heels

Sidewalk Stroll: Summer Souffle Dress, Speeding Dots Scarf, Beaded Quintet Earrings

I’m falling for the Summer Souffle Dress, the Overwhelmed Aster Dress, and possibly even the En Plein Air Dress.  Just need the weather to go with it.

I need a sugar daddy, asap

So it’s been two weeks since I’ve been off work and I have to say, I’m really getting used to it.  This is a bad thing, because I will eventually have to go back to work, probably sooner than later.  I’m walking a very fine line; I want to enjoy my time off as much as I possibly can, but I don’t want to enjoy it too much, so much that I never want to work again.  As supportive as Will is being right now, he won’t want to bankroll my life of leisure for very long.

But in the meantime, I am wholeheartedly enjoying myself.  Today involved lunch with some former colleagues(one of whom wants me to join his team, so I’m going to call it a business lunch), shopping for McVitie’s Rich Tea Biscuits and dark chocolate in advance of making a chocolate biscuit cake tomorrow, some browsing in Williams Sonoma and some shoe stores, macarons from Café MoRoCo (I prefer the ones at La Bamboche), a bang trim at my hairdresser’s new digs, and of course a pitstop at Anthropologie.

(I can’t maintain this lifestyle of lunches, coffee, shopping, and macarons, unless I win the lottery or find myself a sugar daddy right now.  Anyone know any available ones?)

It’s freezing today, but Anthro were giving out free lemonade at the front door:

Awesome idea!

With that kind of incentive, I had to stay a while and try on a few things.

Billowing Stitches Cardigan by Knitted & Knotted, Size S.  I thought this might be a nice lightweight summer sweater, but it was just a disaster.  Definitely billowing.  Pass.

Diamond Lattice Dress by Moulinette Soeurs, size 6. This dress was insanely staticky, so I had to request some static guard to get it to hang properly.  It’s a little bit shapeless, but I love the colour and the pattern.  It’s also different from what I usually wear, and I could stand to leave my comfort zone every now and then.

Have to try it out with a cardigan, because that’s how I would wear it in the office.  When I get back to an office.

When I expressed my concern about the shapelessness to the SA Laila (Leila? Layla?), she went to find me a belt.  This one worked perfectly, to be worn with the buckle in the back under a cardigan or in front without the cardi.  (I would like to link to it, but I can’t find it on the Anthro website.)  With the belt, I really like the dress, and I definitely have to consider it further.  It’s a great light piece for spring/summer.  But I can’t consider it too long, because it will probably disappear from stores quickly.

Spring/summer still seems to be a long way off, but it gave me a chance to wear one of my favourite pieces again.

Anthropologie Cream Confection Jacket (Cartonnier) | American Apparel leggings | Geox boots

There are those damn leggings again, but a lady of leisure must always be comfortable.

Anthropologie catalogue: April 2007

Every week I take a look back at past Anthropologie catalogues and what I loved from then.  (Thanks to Natalie for posting all the links.) I used to think that it’s impossible to find these pieces again, but thanks to Roxy’s trade market and eBay, anything is possible.

 
April 2007

grass medallion dress – this is a really cute summer dress, and the cute guy doesn’t hurt either.

blackleaf skirt, guanabana tank – the print on the skirt is a bit big for my taste, but I love the tank and skirt combination.  I would wear it.

river of grass dress – I love the combination of the green dress with the red wedge.

ochopee tank – I love the detail on the neckline.

anhinga tie top, wet season skirt, goldfinch espadrilles – I especially love the shoes

Complementary colours

This week I had an argument (good-natured, not escalating to Rabbit or Duck level) with one of my best friends about complementary colours.  First was whether it was complementary or complimentary.  I won that one thanks to the internet.  Next we argued about the actual colour combinations.  My friend argued that blue/orange and purple/yellow are horrible combinations.  I countered with “what, you know better than the colour wheel?” and argued that both were great combinations, and she is just afraid of bright colours.

Although I didn’t see her today, I present exhibit A:

Anthropologie Claudine Tee (Ric Rac) | Gap cardigan | Ayala Bar necklace | American Apparel leggings | Miz Mooz Stella boots

I don’t really like the blue and orange with black; I’m thinking a softer neutral on the bottom would have been better, if comfort in the form of American Apparel leggings hadn’t won out.  But back to blue and orange.  I love the combination, and my friend is wrong.  I might concede that it is personal taste, however.  What say you?

new Club Monaco dress

So I struck out at Anthro, but yesterday I fell in love with a grey dress at Club Monaco.

Club Monaco Kelsey Dress | Club Monaco cardigan | Wolford Satin Opaque tights | Michael Kors heels

The dress is a lightweight grey silk, lined, with round brushed silver “sequins” (I don’t know what else to call them, I’m sure there’s a proper fashion-y term, but I don’t know what it is), with a racerback and an elasticized waist that could be pulled down or up as you wish.  I love it; it’s like my own starry starry night dress.  Perhaps it’s not the most spring-y dress ever, but that’s likely because I’m wearing it with all black (my fall-back “safe” mode with any new piece of clothing).  I’m looking forward to pairing it with colourful cardigans or just by itself.