swing style

here's further proof that swing dancers rock awesome style. this is amanda from my swing class.

we had a balboa workshop today in el segundo. wish i had been able to get my iphone to cooperate with me, so i could post a vid. this is NOT what balboa usually looks like, but i love it anyway. it's usually sleek, smooth, and quite subtle.

anyway, i noticed a couple months ago that the beautiful amanda always had awesome, fresh, anthro-esque style. today she was kind enough to allow me to take a picture. thanks, amanda! check it.



cardi: express (circa 2 weeks ago), dress: H & M (2009), belt: french connection, bag: H & M, shoes: dancestore.com.

all things swing

last night i went to hear my favorite swing band, stompy jones play at one of LA's favorite swing dance venues in pasadena (pbda). i have been swing dancing for the last 13 years and love everything about it--the joyous music, the friendly people, the awesome retro style...also the complete lack of sleaziness, replaced by not-small amount of geekiness. if you swing, you KNOW what i mean.

one of my favorite things is that swing connects the past and the future in more ways than one. i danced with a few 75-80 year old men--who probably learned swing before the rebirth with that gap commercial in the 90's.

as i'm learning how to optimize blogspot's features, i realized i could add some music via youtube on the side. so i have, and also, here's one of my fave singers, ella fitzgerald, jamming the charmingly WRONG lyrics in her famous mack the knife (with right lyrics).

isn't her outfit anthro worthy? i mean, anthro is all about retro, timeless, and classy beauty, after all.
and her voice is so perfect, it blows me away everytime.

giving away love and nordie's

i've had the joy of exploring new (and established) anthro-related blogs now for the last few weeks. it's so much fun to have discovered this supportive and stylish community!

and what's more fun than free stuff?

carol and kathryn's elegant blog, in pursuit of pretty things, is having a giveaway--25 bucks at nordie's or an anthro sash. both would be great to score!
here's where you can sign up to enter/follow. good luck!

anthro knows me as their "friend"

you gotta read this great article that was done in 2002 (!) back when anthro only had 40 stores (now they have more than 90 in the US alone) in FastCompany. My favorite part is when the Anthro people specifically identify their "friend," the typical anthro shopper.

'Ask anyone at Anthropologie who that customer is, and they can rattle off a demographic profile: 30 to 45 years old, college or post-graduate education, married with kids or in a committed relationship, professional or ex-professional, annual household income of $150,000 to $200,000. But those dry matters of fact don't suffice to flesh out the living, breathing woman most Anthropologists call "our friend." Senk, 46, says, "I like to describe her in psychographic terms. She's well-read and well-traveled. She is very aware -- she gets our references, whether it's to a town in Europe or to a book or a movie. She's urban minded. She's into cooking, gardening, and wine. She has a natural curiosity about the world. She's relatively fit."'

most of that descriptor is just eerie. i think they have described 95% of my friends (give or take a few income brackets) and it's no wonder that many of us love anthro.
now i gotta go outside and sip on some chardonnay and water my tomatoes while i let the potroast simmer.

reason to get more cable channels

one of the people i hope to meet in life is keith johnson, who buys homewares for anthro.

he had/has? a documentary style show "man shops globe" on sundance, which i never saw the entirety of, since we don't get that channel. but here's a quick clip.

i spent a very happy sunday afternoon playing all the 2 minute clips on youtube. the guy is genius!

a good kind of volcano

one of the most unique traits of anthro's stores is the distinct fragrance. i immediately heave a big sigh of relief when i step across that big oak door and capri blue's "volcano" perfection wafts past the ol' nares.

it is unmistakably "anthro": classy, bright, warm. and along with the mellow jazz/indie grooves my del amo store has been jamming, it makes forever 21 seem tinny, frenetically loud and juvenile.

in order to bring some of that lovely peace and tranquility home, i caved in and bought my first volcano. it was 28 bucks.

i light it up only at night and try to sit near it and sniff it as much as i can, like a broke high school kid trying to make the buzz last longer.

sidenote: also the forest and aqua colored felt coasters surrounding the candle. got them for christmas from someone who noticed we seem to dribble alot. thanks, nalynne.

HOWEVER. i did find a similar fragrance the other day while browsing through world market. the french cassis was a lot more floral and nowhere near as bright as the volcano. but still an undertone of citrus, and $3.99 for 25 tea lights ain't all that bad.

milan window-shopping

it'll be 2 years this july that chris and i got married. we were so excited to honeymoon in italy--and since our flights were in and out of milan, we got to wander through this amazing fashion capital, gawking at the storefronts, the clothes, and the gorgeous people.

here are some of the pictures i took, posted on my non-anthro blog, myfaveoutfit.blogspot.com.

nalynne's housewares

this is what nalynne had to say about some recent purchases:
1. cactus is modeling the "pardus floor cushion" which is gigantic. on sale on site, but not in stores.
2. recently on sale is the salt bin and the nesting duck measuring cup set.
3. the big white bowl is from anthro recently found on sale,
4. also there is a lamp, cookie jar, measuring cup, and penny candy jar pictured last.

monday's anthro crawl

LOVE what they're whipping up with the stringed sprays of blue and white. i was in the store while they were constructing what looked like a boho cat's cradle or a very large woven hoop earring.


this lobster dress (salty seas dress, $138) has been called creepy by other anthro bloggers, but the cut is so darned cute--pockets, perfect molding around the bodice, and the gromets holding up the straps--it's to die for. or at least perfect to get steamed and buttered over.




how cute is anything with orange thread on grey. especially with embroidered birds? i love how they continued the embroidery throughout the belt. i probably should have tried on a small instead of the xs that seems to be pasted on and had to be wrestled out of.




i have lusted after this jacket ever since day one. was SURE i could rock the sequined collar, the striped belt, and the not-too-fussy ruffles. the fact that it slightly resembles a very ladylike bomber jacket makes this irresistible.




sweet, simple, summery. and the detail of pleats in alternating directions is subtle but beautiful. can't stand how cute it is.

i missed out on this top around new year's when it came around in solid black. the intricate layering of the pleats in the front is a thing of beauty and a joy forever. i can't resist it! putting it on the sale-stalk list for sure.

this guinevere cardigan came back as a return and i suh-natched it up! lots of pleats, ruffles, and tucks. not simple, but simply fabulous. especially at 39.95.


paisley swoop tank, which made me swoon. especially in lavendar. i ended up getting this one, in xs. pretty true to size. thumbs up: the rope/peekaboo detail are so enticing and the fabric so soft. thumbs down: who pays 58 bucks for a glorified tank top? apparently me.




thank GOD the dewbud tee ($88) comes in this amazing turqoise shade. not too gaudy, not too walmart. the lale skirt ($98 ) i paired it with, was disappointing though. why? it gives the APPEARANCE of pockets without ACTUAL pockets. and everyone knows pockets make anything AWESOME.







am in love with, engaged to and will marry this top. mostly because the lacy insets and the detailed sleeves are so adorable and likely will keep our love alive, even after weekly date nights wane.



porridge's sailor number with just enough gathering to emphasize curves without being vulgar. ah, but isn't that's anthro for you...

nalynne at thanksgiving

we were in ohio for faux-thanksgiving, an event that occured this year because i was working on the holiday weekend. so we trooped over to nalynne's house and had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and all manner of comfort food.

we lazed around and watched movies, strolled through the neighborhood fall folliage, and played skip-bo with grandma. then, the golden moment--nalynne proudly marched me through all her new anthro items in her closet.

as a professional graphic designer, nalynne is artsier and much more creative than me. she buys things that are appear either outrageous or uninspired on the rack, but look fabulous in person. she's just like, oh look--here's an amazing outfit, waiting to happen. observe.

nalynne

so much style. so much anthro. she always looks awesome.
we went to anthro during her stay here, and that plaid top was calling to her. she had to go back the very next day when she realized that she couldn't live without it.
completely understand.

putting my money where the rest of my money is

one of my favorite daily things to do is to check my stocks. i don't remember where, but I read once that you should invest in the companies and things you personally like and understand. since urban outfitters is the parent company of anthro, i decided to buy a few shares of URBN. not like they need more of my money. and all the many empty anthro bags under the sink said, AHEM.
assuming all along they were privately owned, i didn't even realize they were publicly traded until yesterday when i tried to show that they WEREN'T to a co-worker. suddenly, the trading symbol popped up on CNBC, proving me completely WRONG.

and that is happening waaay too often lately.

as a nod to fate and destiny, i felt compelled to buy at least 3 shares. it will alleve my guilt when i shop, as one hand's expense is increasing the profits of the other.

before they kicked me out

climbing cowl $48: the stitching on this grey version is so intricate and amazing. not surprisingly though, it's most flattering if you suck in your stomach and move stiffly from corner to fitting room corner. but really very comfortable. probably not worth 60 bucks.

lunar eclipse top $78: i tried this in an xs, which looked very interesting on the shelf. eh.

nalynne, whaddya think of this last one? don't know the name since it's been over a year that they had it.
i ended up buying it, since the fabric is intensely colored and although it's big for me (size 10, when i usually wear size 4), thought the sash made it feel more fitted and adjustable. so breezy...

anthro crawl

monday afternoons, if i can get out of work early, i sneak out and into anthro's woodsy sanctuary. i take a deep satisfied sniff at the huge oak door. it's like a quiet enchanted meadow in the midst of the bustling city, and you almost expect to see a stray fawn skittering by the row of embroidered cardigans.
the key is to check out everything you would LIKE to buy on tuesday morning. to memorize its placment in the store, so when you DON'T see it there the next day, you can RUSH into the sale room, hip block the middle-aged korean lady who probably wears your size, and snatch up that moth sweater like it's your long lost biological mother.
also, it is helpful to try things on in the fitting room until they force you out. observe.

love, LOVED the cut of this jacket on the shelf, but maybe less so on me. honey from the bee cardigan $118. too much and made my waist look thicker then we need. oh well.

i loved this color. and of course, always a sucker for anything with pockets. rain pools sweater for $88. i'm totally going to sale-stalk it.

sorry, no idea what this one is called. not on the website anymore. but i loved the colors. and still may have to go and get it, just because it reminds me so much of something Jackie O would wear, pillbox hat optional.
loved this jacket. a little tight at size 0, but it was the last one, and totally gorgeous collar and edging. about 60 bucks.

this field of flowers sweater is a little too old church lady/small town librarian for me. i usually love everything they make, and would wear 95% of anything in anthro. but i am actively trying not to buy things that make me look, well, like a senior citizen. albeit a very cute one.