Kindred Spirit

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Dress: Laura Ashley cotton

Sandals: Novo leather lace-up

Bag: Forever New vinyl with silver hardware

Bracelets: Lovisa faux pearl bead

Cuff: Wallace Bishop brushed silver

Bracelet: Vintage, Kellie's Antiques Victorian silver

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Long time readers of this blog will know how much I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE all things Anne of Green Gables - both the 8 book series & the 1985 "mini series" of films by Kevin Sullivan starring Megan Follows, Colleen Dewhurst & the late Jonathan Crombie. Truth be told, even after all these years - & a multitude of viewings - I still shed a tear when Anne Shirley finally tells her true love, a recuperating-from-scarlet-fever Gilbert Blythe: 

"I don't want sunburst or marble halls, I just want you..." 

as the sun sets over the bridge in Avonlea on one of the last days of summertime. Ah, the stuff that little girls' dreams are made of! 

In fact, my very first blog post (nearly two years ago!) was one of my favourite fashion-related Anne Shirley quotes:

"It is every so much easier to be good if your clothes are fashionable."

Earlier this year, I was afforded the opportunity to attend an event celebrating the longevity of Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic tales of the orphan girl who worms her way into the hearts & minds of the stern Marilla Cuthbert & her sweet brother Matthew, who wanted to adopt a boy to help run their family farm but after a fortuitous mix-up, end up with one EXTRAORDINARY flame-haired girl with a superlative intellect & flair for the dramatic... I knew exactly what to do: freak out that one of my childhood dreams was coming true & plan an outfit that echoed the style of my fictional "kindred spirit..."

Enter this fresh white & mint green checked cotton fit-to-flare midi dress with bateau "slashed" neckline, white cotton petticoat underlay & thick ribbon waist tie from Laura Ashley that instantly reminded me of some of Anne's dresses in the film, albeit with a modern twist.

White accessories were the order of the day to evoke that "endless summer" vibe - a pair of wedge-heeled, laser-cut leather lace-up sandals from Novo & a teeny tiny vinyl handbag with silver hardware from Forever New for all of the essentials.

When it came to jewellery, more was DEFINITELY more: a trio of faux pearl beaded bracelets from my local Lovisa store; brushed silver cuff from Wallace Bishop, gifted to me by a dear friend of my own who had the words "All You Need Is Love" inscribed inside & a chunky Victorian bracelet with oversized filigree heart locket & key from Kellie's Antiques.

"Kindred Spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world."

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