anna cottrell + ann taylor:: a royal flush.

as i'm sure many of you have taken notice, the style of Ann Taylor has evolved greatly over the past few years under head designer lisa axelson.  my first {major} doubletake happened when the adorable kate hudson for ann taylor campaign began popping up all over the place for spring '12::  the vibe was youthful, fresh, on trend... and for the first time in a while i wanted e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.  {remember this skirt?  yes, i blame kate hudson}  designer lisa axelson has focused on reinvigorating "the soul of the brand, starting with the foundation" – the perfect blazer, the perfect pant, the perfect pencil skirt, etc – and transforming the basic to the extraordinary with amazing fabrics, special details and lots of feminine finesse.  prided on being a brand for real women, with real lives {busy ones!} - meaning that fashion should be fun, rather than intimidating.

when ann taylor reached out a few months ago for a potential collaboration with tulip louise, it ended up falling through and i was crushed.  so!  when i was tapped again for this fun styling project, i was over the moon and couldn't say "YES" fast enough.  they sent over an advanced copy of the fall '12 lookbook, in which i was asked to thumb through and select my favorite pieces.  once the products were available, a box was overnighted to my doorstep and i immediately started mixing + matching.  whether it was haircalf, ponte, or leather i was happy to find that the quality of the pieces is super luxe + top notch!  

pink avenue sweater, c/o ann taylor // ponte pencil skirt, c/o ann taylor // black leather weekender bag, c/o ann taylor // leather bow gloves, c/o ann taylor {as seen here} // haircalf booties, c/o ann taylor // gold chain necklace, vintage via maes {as seen here} // beanie in wheat, f21 {similar here} // 'ruby woo' lipstick, via mac // hair, andrew vongnarath // photos by keely yount

the images you see here are of the final styled look, that wholly exemplifies what fall style means for me;  fashionable, cozy, effortless, and fun.  thank you again to my sweet new friends over at AT!  ;)

yours truly-

p.s.  i have a sneaky suspicion you'll be seeing a lot of the driving gloves + booties in my upcoming posts::  totally in love!