Review: H&M black (pansy!) lace shorts + Outfit of the day

What I wore today:

Chromatic Canvas dress- Anthropologie

Old Navy linen-blend cardigan

H&M lace scarf

Target boots (only shoes that don't hurt my ankles at the moment)

Review: H&M black floral lace shorts:

 I really really like these shorts. They are not low-rise, nor too short, with a belt of the same fabric. They have pockets, and are a nice thick fabric.

Er yes, backside view, but it is important with shorts!

 Oh yes, those are pansies in the lace. Actually, has anyone else noticed the plethora of pansies at H&M?

I would recommend stick with your true bottom size (erring on the larger of sizes). I am between a 6-8 in bottoms, and these are an 8.

Vancouver Anthropologie Grand Opening Private Party

I thought some of you might be interested in a little review of the new Vancouver Anthropologie store. Warning, there are a bunch of photos.

 I happened to be on facebook at the right time and was able to get two tickets to their grand opening private party. This one was on Saturday night and featured great food to nibble on, drinks, and two fantastic musicians, Nat J and T. Nile. Both girls were lovely, and I would recommend checking them out.

 Across the street, the netting is pretty cool. Very west coast.

First stop? The Sale room. Located on the top floor, its a bit crowded. That pretty blond girl was my +1 for the evening. Thanks Viv!

Some adorable giraffe planters in the Sale room. There were quite a lot of animals actually...

Some sheep...

Some birds (drawer pulls, too cute)...

And some owls (more drawer pulls).

After some more browsing through the store we headed to the dressing rooms.

Are they not just adorable? The mis-matched legs on the stools are a nice touch.

The texture of the walls really impressed me, imprinted stucco I think?

 This dress was my favourite thing that I tried on.

 What I ended up wearing. It worked out great, I didn't feel over dressed. It was nice too to see people decked out in Anthropologie pieces. I recognized quite a few of them!

 After a bit more browsing and listening to the girls perform, we called it a night. It was a great evening and thanks for the party Anthropologie! I will definitely be back again to check out the store, most likely after the next tag sale. There were quite a few things I was interested in, like that one dress...

Forever21 Lace dress review + Outfit of the Day

I had heard that there was a lace dress brought back to Forever21 that was pretty popular in the blogging sphere last year. I was on a mission to track it down.

What I wore for the hunt.

Aha! I found it. First impression? Nice ivory colour, a bit short. This is the medium size.It has a fairly boxy fit, but I can see the potential. With a leather jacket, drapey cardigan, or a nice statement necklace, it would be cute. I think I would wear it as a tunic though, bit too short for me otherwise.

Can see the extra fabric on the sides by my hand/hip. Price is around $35 CAD.

 Also tried on this peach and white dress from the Love21 line. It comes with a side zipper, and the white portion is thick, so won't show undergarments. Cute summer dress, didn't really wow me though.

Thank you everyone for voting this week.  I was left with a tie between the Golden Lights dress and the Zachary's Smile dress, so you will have to wait for pictures for my choice. 

Have a nice weekend everyone!

For Carly: Forever21 Mint Ruffle Dress review

This is a review for Carly over at Strawberry Heels Forever. She had mentioned earlier this weekend that she had her eye on a specific dress at Forever21 and if I had seen it yet. Well, I had some time to kill before work today, so I took a swing by, and there it was, it all its ruffle glory.

The link for the dress is gone now, but if you go to the website, it is the one in the banner for Love21 Dresses.

The dress (in medium):

 Front View: lots of ruffles, not as body conscious as I thought it would be. The  layers are pretty floaty, and they are slightly angled, so it does not as much bulk as I expected.

 Each layer is separate, with same colour underneath. It is a bit sheer, as you can see.

 Can see the length versus my arm. My arms are a normal length for a 5'6" woman.

Tag and layer detail shot. The colour is a great mint green-blue.

Hope this helps you out Carly!

Forever21 Review: Yes, Some More Dresses

Why always dresses? Mostly because I am lazy and do not want to pair tops and bottoms in the changing room. Dresses are a bit easier to handle in small box sized rooms.

Here are a few that might catch your interest:

Dress #1

 Ignoring the funny look on my face, this maxi dress I actually really liked. The colours are nice and vibrant, and the chiffon-like fabric floats away from the body nicely. Not such a fan of the straps though, they are pretty much non-existant, so I am not sure how the bra issue would be addressed.

 You can see how low the dress dips in the front, so a strapless bra might not work?

Dress #2

 Lovely colour on this dress. The tag say dusty blue and I think that suits it perfectly. Not a dress for me though. I have too much on my bottom half for a medium, not enough on top to fill out a large. There is some really nice pleating detail at the waist, and the sleeves have a bit of a puff to them. This dress would be adorable with some brown accessories.

Dress #3

 My face says it all. I picked this up because of the pattern on the fabric. Shapeless and lumpy looking.

 Side view does not make this any better!

Review at Forever21: 2 Dresses, 1 Success

I had some time to kill before work yesterday, so I stopped into Forever21 to search out that cream and orange lace dress that That Damn Green Dress found and looks super duper awesome in. I saw it online earlier this month, but there seems to be a bit of a delay between what comes to my store, and online.

Luckily, I found the dress right away!

 It is really nice in person. The fabric is substantial enough and not see through (hint, I am wearing a bright blue bra, and the length is very decent for Forever21. This piece is in the Love21 line, which is a bit more modest in length normally. Alas, this dress is not for me. The colour washes me out. In fact, I think the dress' shoulders have melded into my own.

 Side view is less then stellar. I don't think this dress is cut well for my body shape. This was a size small, but it is all puckered in the upper back and pulling away from my frame. Insert sad face here. I really did like this dress. Priced at $35.80, if it works for you, it is awesome! Dress found here.

This was another dress I tried on, but is not on either website at the moment.

 After trying on that over priced maxi dress at H&M (which was adorable), I am on the hunt for a few to add to my summer dress collection. This was is very reasonably priced at $18.50 CAD, and it made from rayon. Not my favourite type of fabric, but it flows very nicely, and very soft to the touch. The top is lined with built in cups, since the back is a cross between halter/racer back. The length is perfect on this, it hangs about 1/2 inch above the floor.

Please excuse the wayward hanger strap wrapped around my arm. I was having issues apparently. I also saw this dress in a maroon colourway, but the navy was better for my colouring. This was a popular dress to try on when I went. You can see it hanging in the stall next to mine. I wonder if she liked it as well?

Ootd: Plus some Forever21 reviews

Happy April Fool's Day! Did anyone play any pranks on you today? Nothing for me, and I much prefer it that way.

Slept in today, did some house work, went out and ran errands. Planning on dinner out with friends tonight, same old Friday night for me. Just how I like it pretty much.

 What I wore for my errands etc. Compeer Dress, Forever21 yellow camisole, Bluenotes cardigan (picked up for $5!), Joya and Vane necklace.

Since I had to go to the bank today, I stopped by Forever21 to try on some different sort of things that I would not normally reach for.

 Military style zipper front dress. Priced at $18.80 CAD, this was a really cute piece. I am wearing a medium, but sadly it is way to short for me to wear comfortably without tights. I am 5'6", and I would say it came to just the end of my finger tips. I think if the skirt was less flared, it would feel a bit longer.

On the plus side, the wide ruched middle would make anyone's waist tiny. I recommend if you are more petite in height then me.

Rust coloured pullover, $18.80 CAD. I have been looking for a substitute for Anthropologie's Neo-refinement pullover, and this might be the perfect choice. Wearing a size medium. I love the colour (obviously), and the ruching plus fabric hides any flaws without looking sloppy. Also shown are a pair of purple cuffed tencel shorts from the Love21 line in size medium. These are $23.80 CAD and such a pretty colour. They have a little bit of pleating on the front, but just enough to create interest, not add bulk.

Speaking of pleating, everyone says it is a no-no, but I find that it sometimes a good thing, depending on your figure. While I am not a fan of them with pants, I think for shorts, they work well. Never hurts to try them on at least right?