Tea at the Top: Fairmont Vancouver

As you all know well by now, I have an obsession with afternoon tea: part of it is the dressing up, part of it is the atmosphere...and the biggest part is definitely the tasty little treats! This lucky gal recently won afternoon tea the the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, at their 15th floor pop-up called 'Tea at the Top'. I was lucky enough to have tea at the Fairmont Empress earlier this year for my birthday, so I was beyond excited to have the chance to try another Fairmont tea in Vancouver!

Usually I like to get pretty dressed up for afternoon tea, but with the cold rainy weather lately, I just haven't been feeling up to it. Luckily, I found this gorgeous camel cape at Topshop recently (I have been searching YEARS for this baby!), and I can't help but feel polished and classy in it. The key is matching it with pants, not a dress, because of the silhouette of the cape. I was perfectly happy to pair it with easy-to-walk-in boots for the rain.

Every single bit of  the Tea at the Top's menu was divine. The tea is always a treat- especially when served in royal china, and before the 3-tiers of bite-sized eats arrived, we were treated to a tasting of dungeness crab cakes, foraged mushroom and goat's cheese tartlets, and a sweet taste of honey yogurt panna cotta with macerated fruits. What a start!

Then, it was on to main course! 3 tiers of delicious little treats: butter and raisin scones, an assortment of sweet pastries, and finally a selection of English-inspired finger tea sandwiches. From top to bottom, the fashionable eats were delicious and the perfect combination of traditional and unique. I always have a soft spot for scones with house-made preserves and Devonshire clotted cream, but I must say the tiny salt beef with radish and arugula on mini mustard bagels. Adorable! The spiced apricot cake was also a new favourite.

The whole experience was so lovely- I wish I could do it every week! Wouldn't that be the best? And did I mention the view? Spectacular from the top of the Fairmont Vancouver. For now, a special one-in-awhile visit will have to do. A girl always needs an excuse to dress up, after all!

Butter and raisin scones with house-made blueberry preserves and Devonshire clotted cream

Sweets: salted caramel chocolate financier, vanilla bean mille-feuille, macaron, strawberry charlotte, spiced apricot cake

 Savoury: St. Mary's River smoked salmon with lemon ricotta on buckwheat blini, salt beef on mustard bagel, organic egg salad with english cucumber and watercress, curried free run chicken with Branston pickle on a caraway roll

Butter scone with blueberry preserves and Devonshire clotted cream, organic egg salad, salt beef on mustard bagel

Cape - Topshop (similar) | Scarf - thrifted | Top - Winners | Necklace - Nobis & Grey | Purse - Steve Madden via Winners | Boots - Miss Smart

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

25th Birthday: Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Empress Hotel

For my 25th birthday this year, my friends helped me knock an item off my bucket list: afternoon tea at the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC! I've had high tea at most places in the lower mainland already (Little White House and Neverland Tea Salon among my favourites), with a few still on my list to try, but the Empress Hotel has always been on the top of my list.

We took the ferry across from Vancouver to Vancouver Island, and made our way to the capital city of BC, Victoria, where the Fairmont Empress Hotel is located (right across from the Parliament Buildings). The tea room is a truly historic spot, serving afternoon tea since 1908 to famed royalty, celebrities and dignitaries. The décor is beyond beautiful; antique tapestries and rugs, vintage furnishings and hand-carved tables- and of course, a gorgeous view of the gardens and harbour outside. The William Edwards china used to serve our afternoon tea we were told was the same china pattern served by the Empress to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth upon their Royal visit in 1939!

The service was wonderful, and the sound of live piano music (playing favourites of mine including Edith Piaf's La Vie en Rose and Billie Holiday's They Can't Take that Away from Me) was such a perfect finishing touch. We started off with a fresh blueberries and crème fraiche, then sipped our prosecco and tea (I chose a classic earl grey), while nibbling on the delectable treats you'll see below. My favourite layer of afternoon tea is always the scones, and I was even more impressed by the Empress' Wilkin & Sons pure strawberry jam, which our server told us is shipped in from England and served in the most adorable little 19 ml jars. I brought one home with me to add to my tea display! The whole experience was lovely and everything I had hoped it would be!

But, our adventure didn't end there. We spent the rest of the day wandering the historic streets of Victoria, after which we headed by the bus to the ferry- which we missed. The last one of the day. So our day trip to Victoria actually turned into a sleepover in Victoria, and we were very, very lucky to find a room that wasn't already booked up (every hotel in town was booked). Our trip may have been a little longer than expected, but hey, you live and learn...to always double check the ferry times!

Crop top & skirt set - Ever New Top & Ever New Skirt | Necklace - Nobis & Grey | Earrings - c/o Nobis & Grey | Bracelets - c/o Nobis & Grey | Ring - c/o Nobis & Grey | Heels - Vince Camuto

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

Look of the Week: Easter Weekend Tea

We were exceptionally lucky this Easter holiday, and spring decided to show up for the whole long weekend! That meant bringing out the warmer-weather clothes and sporting only a sweater- no coat necessary! And what better way to spend the time back at home than going out for afternoon tea at Tracycakes in Fort Langley? Exams are only a week away, but it’s impossible to resist some cupcakes and vanilla bean tea on such a beautiful day!

I’m wearing the adorable Emily and Fin dress I picked up from Cee of Coco and Vera at the Vancouver Blogger Clothing Sale a couple weeks ago. You may have noticed that I’ve been wearing everything I picked up at the sale recently…I have this inability to have a new item of clothing sit in my closet un-broken-in. That’s why I can never buy items a season ahead of time- I need to wear it right away!! Anyway, this dress fits so perfectly, and it’s great quality as well. The crystal buttons at the nape of the neck are such a cute touch too. I’ve wanted to wear these shoes for forever; I fell in love with them in high school and splurged, but I haven’t had any occasions to really wear them. I’ve always imagined they would be perfect for Easter though: something about the cracked white surface and pink ribbon seemed appropriate for the occasion. A simple cardigan is all that’s needed to keep warm and still look cute. No structured jackets or blazers today! The key is to keep the outfit soft, to match the pale blue of the dress.






























Sweater-Urban Behaviour, Dress-Emilyandfin, Belt-Liz Claiborne, Headband, Pearls & Sunglasses-Icing by Claire's, Purse-Vintage, Heels-Spring,

Happy Easter Weekend and Happy Styling!

~Britta