Easter Brunch in Ted Baker

Man, am I ever grateful I had a bunch of outfit photos stockpiled before quarantine! Needless to say, no, I'm not running around doing photo shoots while we're self-isolating. BUT I will be changing out of my sweatpants for Easter Sunday tomorrow, as my friends and I are doing Easter afternoon tea, delivered from Neverland Tea in Vancouver! I've been talking about them a lot lately, because a) it's important to support local businesses now if we can and b) their afternoon tea definitely brightens an endless string of days spent indoors.

Now I'm not usually one to share a bunch of higher-end brands here on Vancouver Vogue, with one exception - when I get a great deal on them!! The Ted Baker skirt and handbag you'll see below were purchased during a Ted Baker warehouse sale I went to last April. I picked up some incredible deals, including 3 Ted Baker purses, a skirt, and a dress. The beautiful skirt you'll see below here was only $29.99 and the purse was only $49.99 (can you believe it?!?!). Talk about some serious deals. I actually ended up giving this adorable little lilac purse to my mom, and kept the other two - a deep royal blue bag with gold bow, and a black bag with rose gold hardware and bow.

For sizing reference by the way, I'm wearing a Ted Baker size 2. Their sizing is completely different from any standard sizing you're probably used to - I'm wearing a Ted Baker size 2, which is about a US 4-6. You can find their full size guide for women on their website.

Since that sale, I've been keeping my eye out on Ebay and Poshmark for second hand Ted Baker pieces that are a good deal. I think one of my goals once I turn 30 this year will be to try and curate more high-end fashion pieces that I can treasure for years to come. I just love the attention to detail on their pieces. The hardware on everything from their purses to their skirts and dresses are beautiful - I love the rose gold their often use!

Finally, I paired my Easter tea outfit with this gorgeous statement top (actually it's a bodysuit) from SheIn, which I love so much I also ended up buying it in hot pink too. It's only $15! The ruffles are made of a scuba material, which gives them that nice volume.

I've linked up some similar skirt options at the bottom of this post as well, since unfortunately I couldn't find this exact skirt for sale anymore online. Just scroll right to the bottom to see them all!

Bodysuit - SheIn | Skirt - Ted Baker (similar Ted Baker ones on Ebay, or here's a similar one from Chicwish) | Purse - Ted Baker (similar) | Earrings - Nobis & Grey | Heels - thrifted

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

The 'It' Skirt: Silk & Snakeskin

One of the biggest 'it' clothing items last year was the leopard silk skirt. It was pretty much on every blogger's feed at some point or another, whether it was with sky-high heels or bright white sneakers. The blogger community proved how versatile a silky mid-length skirt could be. When I spotted this silky (it's actually satin, not silk) snakeskin skirt on SheIn for only $15, I thought hey, maybe this can be this year's iteration of the leopard silk skirt!

I do love the versatility of it, and thought I'd wear it for my last afternoon tea date with LegalLee Blonde a couple months back. I wanted a chic but cozy vibe, as the wear was still pretty cold, so I paired it with an oversized (read: men's) cashmere sweater that I thrifted from Value Village ages ago. By the way, seriously, if you've always wanted a cashmere sweater, just drop by your local thrift store, I've found so many high quality cashmere sweaters while thrifting! To top things off, I thought I'd wear my pearl hair clips (also from SheIn, and only $4!!) and my favourite Kam Dhillon Park Avenue glasses from Clearly.

Most importantly, you're probably wondering...where did we go for such an adorable and delectable afternoon tea? Our favourite spot in Vancouver, Neverland Tea! They have the absolute best savoury and sweet offerings (in regular, vegan or gluten-free!) for a reasonable price, and their teas are fantastic too. I love that they make every pot of tea fresh (not simply adding water when you run out), and they have a huge variety of teas. I recommend the Heavenly Cream. Oh and did I mention, the shop is absolutely adorably decorated? It's worth popping in for some tea if you're ever in the area! I know for now though, we're staying home to stay, so if you still want to try them out from home, they're offering takeout services and delivery within Vancouver!

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

Travel Style Diary: Afternoon Tea at the Ritz London

The last leg of our Eurotrip was spent in London - a city I was so excited to finally see for the first time! And I have to say, it ended up being wonderful in so many more ways than I expected. One major item on my bucket list for London was afternoon tea at the Ritz Carlton. If you're an afternoon tea lover, London is the place for all things tea. The Ritz London is considered the home of one of the best afternoon tea services in the world, so naturally it was a must-try.

We dressed up in our very best (they're not kidding about the dress code - we saw two guys being given ties and jackets to wear) and enjoyed an amazing afternoon tea service in their beautiful tea room, the Palm Court. It was a beautifully decorated room, with live piano music playing, staff decked out in chic suits, and the tables set with the most gorgeous silverware. After all our afternoon tea tastings back home, we've become accustomed to some pretty creative high tea spreads. This was certainly not the case here: it was a far more traditional selection of afternoon tea foods, including finely cut sandwiches, scones and tea cakes and pastries. But there's something to be said for the classics. They definitely do them very, very well. The food was delicious, the service was impeccable, and we enjoyed the added bonus of an extra dessert, which was brought around on a rolling cart for us to choose a slice. It was a lovely experience, one I would gladly do again!

Our first few days in London also included all kinds of other exciting experiences, like the lighting of the Christmas lights along Oxford Street, eating traditional bangers & mash (yum!!), visiting Buckingham Palace, seeing Big Ben and eating traditional fish & chips. Naturally, I had to pick up some tea-related souvenirs while at Buckingham palace, including some beautiful golden spoons and a tin of tea (you can check them out on my Instagram here). We also longingly walked by the theatre for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. It would have been incredible to see the play, but sadly it's sold out. Oh, and we can't forget our visit to Selfridges on Oxford Street, which was a must-visit after watching Selfridges on Netflix. To be honest, it was nothing compared to Harrods, but more on that in my next post. We also had some much-needed relaxation and girl time at our AirBNB with cheap wine and our Racinne face masks!

More on our adventures in London in my next post, so stay tuned.

Shirt - Simons | Skirt - River Island via Asos (similar) | Purse - Florence Leather Market | Earrings - Birks | Heels - Aldo (via Salvation Army)

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

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