style crush: lily james

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Unfortunately, Lily James and I got off on the wrong foot. She entered Downton Abbey at a time when the show had cruelly devastated me, and her arrival as the new flirty and rebellious Lady Rose did not aid in fixing my shattered heart. Through no fault of her own, I broke up with Downton and we went our separate ways.

Lucky for Lily and I, we've been granted a second chance. Spring is full of her lovely face, because the arrival of Disney's star March movie means the arrival of Lily James as Cinderella. 

Of course I am wholeheartedly committed to a certain other Cinderella adaptation, ahem Ever After, but let's remember that love doesn't deplete - it multiplies. There is always more room for more love and magic in the world. 

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Here are a few of my favorite details about Lily James:

She was born the exact same day as my husband. April 5th, 1989. Fantastic people unite. 

She is British. Extra points for everyone who is British.

Her name is the same as Harry Potter's parents. R.I.P. Lily and James.

She began her acting career in 2010! She is the Bambi of Hollywood.

She smiles and laughs with her mouth open a lot, and it's really endearing.

She looks completely fantastic and natural in both blonde and brunette hair, which I find as rare a quality as being a unicorn. 

She is a unicorn.

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I suppose I would call her style classic exquisite. She exudes royal femininity with the long, sweeping gowns and classic silhouettes while also embracing some fantastic lace and embroidery (give it up for that chameleon-covered dress above - I want it). It's easy to forget that she's my age (younger, actually), but that girlish charm certainly serves her well. I think she'll make an excellent Cinderella. I cannot wait. 

I know she's dating Matt Smith from Dr. Who, but I quite enthusiastically wish she was actually in love with her Prince Charming co-star Richard Madden. I have a problem separating fantasy from reality. 

But really, lookit.

If this isn't actually Cinderella and Prince Charming, then I really don't know a dang thing. And I might be okay with that. Delusions, continue. 

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See Cinderella March 13th! I'll see you there.

novel dress: fairy tales

the little mermaid by hans christian andersen // esmerelda lace dress

Like many of you, I have received the majority of my folktale education from the workings of Disney. While Disney undoubtedly brings all kinds of magic to life, they don't have the best track record for translating their tales with any accuracy. Not that I'm complaining - I generally prefer their sugared down versions of these beloved fairy tales to the tragic and occasionally gruesome originals.

Even so, I am fascinated by them. I love that some of them have been circulating for centuries, their creators forever anonymous because they were oral storytellers. I have always been drawn to these adventures, even the macabre ones. I have vivid memories of poring over a beautifully illustrated book of Irish Legends that my dad bought us when I was a kid. Some of those stories are absolutely horrible (lovers beheaded, trapped for eternity, cursed, abandoned, etc.), but I loved them all.

These are the inspirations for this novel dress installment. Enjoy the nostalgia of these well-loved stories and their matching dresses on this rainy Monday morning.

(Click here to see all of the novel dress posts). 

thumbelina by hans christian andersen // beach stroll floral dress

goldilocks and the three bears by robert southey // golden age asymmetrical dress

beauty and the beast by jeanne-marie le prince de beaumont // loyal love floral dress

little red riding hood by the brothers grimm // finding love lace dress

hansel and gretel by the brothers grimm // corner shoppe gingham dress

jack and the beanstalk by steven kellogg (orig. by benjamin tabart) // mont rose striped dress

sleeping beauty by charles perrault // cheer me up lace dress

ali baba and the forty thieves from arabian nights // maura paisley dress

rapunzel by the brothers grimm // asymmetrical tank dress

the whole world

Necklace (shop!): Sheinside
Sweater: LOFT, Skirt: Ruche

Do you remember that rather fabulous teaser trailer for The Boxtrolls that gave an inside peek at the making of stop-motion animation? 

That's the first thing I thought of when I got this globe necklace from Sheinside, (And also, that it's adorable and only $6!). 

I remember seeing that trailer for the first time and being absolutely fascinated and awestruck by the intricacies of such an endeavor. Even after seeing (and loving) the strange, charming, dark, stunning, steampunk, oddball movie in all its glory I couldn't wrap my mind around the hundreds of hands and hours it must have taken to create such a masterpiece. 

I grew up watching claymation Christmas movies and adoring hand-drawn animated movies and videogames. There is something really overwhelming about envisioning the actual artists behind those stories. Especially because of the advancements that have been made in filmmaking and animation, and the overall modern preference for digital artistry. I'm not saying that CGI isn't art, but I am saying I would rather have seen a hand-drawn Frozen. 

I know it's not realistic to demand hand-drawn everything, because the creation of digital animation is rather wondrous. There's no denying it. It saves a lot of times and produces much more detailed results, I'm sure. And it still requires artists. And in reality it would probably take 20 years to develop a hand-drawn movie at the artistic level of these concept images. 

Even so, I think people have come to the erroneous conclusion that people don't like 2D movies anymore simply because they aren't made as often. Princess and The Frog, Disney's last hand-drawn animation, didn't do as well as Tangled, so that must mean people are just done with hand-drawn things. Horrible flawed logic. No, no. 

I think there are a few reasons why Tangled performed better at the box office, and I'm very sure the reasons are things like Zachary Levi. And better music, and a valiant horse named Maximus. 

There are still plenty of artists out there who are loyal to the olden days though, and who long to revive, restore and relive them. People like Tim Schafer who crusade to keep classic adventure games alive.

They create these marvelous stories for us to be a part of, and they quite literally have the whole world in their hands. 

So, there's hope, and that's all I need. 

character influence {frocktober, day 16}

I hope you don't tire of the sunset hour. It still takes my breath away whenever I waltz out the door to that perfect pink ridge of sky. 

We took these pictures among the bright green creosote bushes on my parents property. They're lovely little things up close, with little fuzzy white buds and bright yellow five-petaled flowers. They're the actual "smell of rain" that we all know and love in the desert. I have very distinct memories of walking up the driveway as a kid, hand outstretched to touch the many branches I passed, as if I was going through the high-five line at the end of a soccer game. I would always arrive at my friend's house across the street with that fresh, smoky smell of creosote on my hands. 

My friend Amber and I had such vivid imaginations as kids. As my husband and I walked around the bushes last night, I started thinking about all of the games and characters we would play around these patches of green and gold. It got me thinking about the many characters I encountered at a young age that truly influenced me. 

I remember very vividly when I began to say, whenever I was hurt or disappointed, that I was in the "depths of despair". Anne of Green Gables had a very vibrant impact on my personality. I wanted to be poetic, witty, dramatic, heartfelt. 

My early attachment to romantic gestures led me to the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, which still gets me to this day. I love Elizabeth Bennet and her self-assuredness, her wit and her charm. Even better, I love that she admits that she was wrong. Although I would have too, for Colin Firth. 

I'm sure the gaggle of princesses I watched and loved had a pretty high impact on my love of dresses and jewelry. Camille from Little Nemo, Buttercup from The Princess Bride, Danielle de Barbarac from Ever After. And of course the Disney powerhouses, Jasmine and Belle. For obvious reasons, I always loved the dark-haired Disney princesses the best. 

Dress (shop!): Ruche, Cardigan: gifted (from Last Chance),
Lace Slip/Dress (remixed): old

Despite my affinity for sappy movies and female characters, I was quite the tom boy. My three brothers had a hand in that. I loved The Labyrinth and could sing along to all of those weird David Bowie tunes, and I begged my parents for months to let me watch Jurassic Park when it came out, even though I was only 5 or 6 at the time. Obviously my favorite Jurassic character was Ian Malcolm, who was obnoxious but witty and he was a survivor. He ended up being brave, risking his life to save the kids and charming us all with his Chaos Theory banter and sarcasm, not to mention his fetching thick-rimmed glasses. 

Then there was Philippe Gaston, played by Matthew Broderick in a little movie called Ladyhawke. I would call this a fairly sappy movie, but since my favorite character is a boy, I'm placing it here. He is the funniest little thief and was the sole cause of my Matthew Broderick crush that went on strongly into the late 90's, and still shows up occasionally when I watch Ferris Bueller or Godzilla. I love Philippe because he is honest and kind, and believes in the beauty of love, loyalty and sacrifice. I also love him because he says things like, "I know I promised, Lord, never again. But I also know that YOU know what a weak-willed person I am."

And lastly, there was the brave Atreyu, from The Neverending Story, that strange little movie that is better left to childhood recollections rather than watched as an adult. I blame him for my over-attachment to animals, because watching his horse Artax drown in the Swamp of Sadness while he screamed is something that still haunts me. I mean for real though why. 

I think characters that we love as children play such a fun part in who we decide to be, whether it's long-lasting or not. I don't still want to be Raggedy Ann, but I do cherish that Halloween memory of wearing her costume and watching her cartoon over and over. What a kind soul she is, and quite fond of candy and friendship. 

Which characters did you adore (and possibly imitate) as a child? 

the little things

Just a few little things I've come across this week that have made me smile!


-- 21 Important Style Lessons from Disney Princesses

-- A sweet boutique called Colie's. 
(some of my favorites):

Leopard + Bow = Love.

How cute is she? Ashley, the owner of Colie's, modeling the Neon Aztec dress.

I'm really intrigued by monograms! This could be really cute!

Obsessing on bows.

-- Currently Reading: One Day by David Nicholls

-- Currently Listening to: NEEDTOBREATHE

-- And of course, my giveaway!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a gift box valued at $40+ from Posies by Cait!

Pass it along to your friends, and keep checking back for more sneak peeks and ways to earn more entries by sharing the giveaway.

You can keep up with me on Instagram (@caitschan) and with new items and updates on the giveaway at Facebook.com/PosiesbyCait.

The giveaway ends May 1st!