Reston Style: mansions and tea parties

I have a policy to never turn down an invitation to tea if I can help it. (I will admit not always being able to make to tea at my parents house when invited on short notice - having a British father, that invitation comes nearly once a week, so I don't feel too bad) So when Clara asked me if I wanted to go to tea with her at a mansion, of course I said yes. (Although, I also thought that I may have finally lost the ability to distinguish between reality and the fantasy world in my head, but I kept quiet about that)

It turns out Clara had purchased a coupon from Living Social a year earlier that was about to expire for tea and a treasure hunt at the Mansion on O Street in DC. It was really fun and I highly suggest it, but it is a little pricy if you don't have a coupon. I would love to write a review of it, but I don't want to spoil the fun for anyone who might want to go. Let me just say this - go hungry, wear shoes you can easily walk in, bring a camera, and pretend that you are one of the gang from Scooby-Doo, cause there are tons of secret passages!

Since I knew I wanted to dress up, but I still wasn't sure what it would be like, I went with this ensemble that would fit in pretty much anywhere. I picked up the skirt the day before at Ross for $5.99 because it reminded me of one I always like to borrow from DC (but haven't worn on the blog yet). You can't really tell from the pictures, but the little flowers on the skirt are actually pink, but I thought it still went well with my favorite purple gap tights. It's funny, because I'm not sure I would have done that a year ago. I think recording my outfits has really helped me to develop some fashion bravery.