Category — Cath’s Style

My two year search for a boater hat is finally over!  Ever since the boater hat trend came about I’ve wanted to get my hands on one. Unfortunately two years ago my only options where real, $100+, haberdasher versions on ebay that I couldn’t afford or cheesy, costume emporium gondola plastic hats.

Bitten by SJP button up, H&M denim trousers, Nine West boots, and straw boater (see below).

I didn’t give up because I knew sooner or later Urban Outfiters et. al. would come out with more affordable, hipster versions and they didn’t disappoint! Enter Nasty Gal’s Straw Boater:

At $18 it fits nicely into my monthly fashion budget, which currently is pretty much non-existent.

As the weather continues to warm up I plan on wearing my lovely new boater with almost everything – shorts, skirts, dresses. I wore it to a Braves game the other day and got enough confused stares to make me think the purchase was more than worth it.

It’s been absolutely gorgeous this week in Atlanta – finally beginning to feel like spring and Lar and I are feeling a little less grumpy and stressed. Warmer weather means lighter layers and no more winter coats. . . for now. . . there’s the very slim chance that it still might snow in March.

This outfit is as unabashedly girly/Lindsey Price-esque as I usually get. Sometimes I wish I had more fun, girly dresses, but I’m always attracted to darker, simple silhouettes at the store.

Dress and cardi from H&M, Spanx tights from Kaleidoscope, boots from Carrefour in Murcia Spain seven years ago, Urban Outfitters hat, Ann Klein watch.

The outfit below is basically my fallback look for fall/spring weekends – skinny pants, boots and my faux-leather bomber, which is slowly peeling apart – damn you H&M for your low quality, but brilliantly trendy clothes!

H&M faux-leather bomber jacket, Uniqlo plaid shirt, AA tank, Cheap Monday cords and Naturalizer boots.

My typical hair routine is pretty boring (and not as low maintenance as I would like). I wash my hair every other day. On the days I wash my hair, I blow dry it straight-ish – on rare occasions I’ll whip out the straight irons – and on the non-wash days I usually create a sally and pull it up into a pony tail or leave it down.

Last Friday, inspired by Alexandar Wang’s Spring RTW hairstyles, I decided to try something new: The Sideways Braid.

Side Note: Sorry for the crummy photos. Lar is out of town, snow-shoeing north of Seattle or something, and I can’t figure out how to work the remote control/timer thing-a-ma-gig on her fancy camera.

The inspiration:

Now looking at the Alexander Wang runway photos again, I should have swept my hair down the front a bit more – and found a hair piece or something that would have given me a longer braid. But it already took me 10 minutes to get the braid angled right so I’m glad I didn’t fiddle with it any more than I did.

Ultimately my casual Friday outfit consisted of Alexander Wang-ish hair and a very un-Alexander-Wang-ish outfit: American Apparel oxford button-up, H&M cardi and belt.

I have to admit that I’ll probably keep this hairstyle for the weekends instead of a work day. The side braid has a tendency to want to slip apart during the day so I found myself re-braiding in between meetings to make sure the look was pulled together enough.

PS: I found this blurb on the Huff Po about the popularity of the Alexander Wang braids. According to the runway show’s hairstylist, the braids are popular because they’re “attainable” by the, uh, average woman. Harumph. I guess I just proved that.

I love seeing all the glittery-ness and jewel tones in magazines and catalogs this time of year. J.Crew features its sequin scarves and blazers, Urban Outfitters has hipsters decked out in satin, shimmery dresses and Sephora ads are packed with glittery eye shadows.

If I had the money, I’d be running around town wearing a sequin blazer over a dark teal satin dress and sparkly heels. Instead, I’m making do with what I have, starting with jewelry. Here are the items I wore on Thanksgiving:

Left to right: my “gold” Bitten ring that got bent at some point (it was only $6 so I can’t complain), thrifted “gold” bracelet with a burgundy velvet ribbon my mom used as a napkin ring strung through it, and and thrifted tassle necklace that I don’t wear often enough.

I’d really love to add even more sparkle for my Christmas party outfits. If I have time between all the gift shopping and work, maybe I can squeeze in a sequin/studded diy project somewhere.

It’s 1 a.m. as I’m writing this so that makes it officially Thanksgiving day. I love this time of year – especially the weekend after Thanksgiving because that’s the official start of the holidays for me. This Sunday I’ll be taking out my faux-aluminum Christmas tree and Christmas lights and trying to make our apartment as winter-wonder-land-y as possible.

This week I’ve been wearing clothing that helps me get into the holiday spirit. Exhibit A, red coat:

Drinking my first peppermint mocha of the season. Sooooo delicious. Tuelle wool coat, scarf – a gift from Italy, H&M black pencil skirt, and nude pumps from Eviva.

You can’t tell in the photo above, but I’m wearing a black turtle neck with the skirt. Since Lar and I are having company stay with us this week I switched my pencil skirt out for black leggings after work and cleaned like a mad woman for a couple of hours – only stopping to take an impromptu, Audrey Hepburn-inspired pose. I wonder if Audrey had also just finished scrubbing the kitchen sink right before she took this photo.

My cleaning outfit: H&M turtleneck, AA leggings, and Salvatore Ferragamo oxfords from Ebay. Seeing as there was no H&M nor American Apparel in Audrey’s day and given the fact that she was a famous movie star, I can only guess that her outfit is Givenchy or something equally as glamorous.

I’m thinking about wearing leggings today for all the eating I have in store. Hooray for elastic waistbands!

Hope you all are having a wonderful Thanksgiving – and a happy Thursday to all you non-United States-ians!

I’ve finally gotten around to getting out my winter clothes only to find that I don’t have as much as I thought I did. Compound that with the fact that I’m not spending any money on clothes so I can save for holiday gift-buying and my winter fashion is looking pretty bleak.

I was pretty desperate for some inspiration this morning so I turned the the November J.Crew. I’ve mentioned a few times before on this blog that I find J.Crew a little conservative for my taste, but it’s loosened up a bit (thanks I suppose to Jenna) and conservative isn’t a bad thing when it comes to dressing for work.

So I took a couple of looks from the catalog and tried to work with what I had.

I think all I’m really missing is layers of jewelry (which seemed a bit too much for work). Now if only I could get myself a couple of those J.Crew cashmere sweaters, leather purses and satin skinny belts and I’ll be set for the winter.

Mom’s beret, American Apparel button-up, Gap shirt, Cheap Monday jeans and Nine West boots (all purchased last year or before).

Anyone else trying to hold off buying clothes this season?

P.S.: Why are all the radio stations playing Death Cab’s “Cath” all the sudden? I love it! I’ve always wanted a name song.

So while Lar and I were in NOLA I did what all the locals do and went shopping at Urban Outfitters. I know, I know, it’s shameful to go to a chain store when you’re traveling, but in this case I’m so glad I did because I found the best blazer on the sales rack. It’s a thin, silk, double breasted, black blazer with slim-cut arms. I love how it makes every outfit look pulled together. Since it has been a little chilly in Atlanta, I’ve been wearing it with everything.

Exhibit 1:

U.O. blazer, U.O. tshirt, Blank cords from Rockit and Payless boots.

The necklace I’m wearing is one I bought for Lauren on our birthday from a local salon. It’s a mix of silver, gray and black chains hooked together.

Exhibit B:

U.O. blazer, Anthropologie blouse, Bitten by SJP jeans and secondhand boots.

It’s no Brooks Brother suit, but I think this blazer is pretty alright. I’m sure I’ll wear it out before the season is over.

So I finally got around to adding a few photos under the Cath Style page. The images are from a weekend trip I took to Savannah with my bf in the summer, which is fitting because I think, given the weather this week, the long Atlanta summer is officially over. Today was rainy and chilly. I got completely soaked wearing opened-toed heels and a skirt. I need to follow Lar’s example and start unpacking my winter clothes.

I’ll try to remember to update the Cath Style page more often and get Lar to do the same.

PS: Lar and I just went to see Bright Star tonight. For those of you who love the regency era, period films, Keats, poetry, beautiful scenery, attention to detail and/or brilliant acting, go see this film!

First off, thank you to everyone that wrote such kind words in response to the previous post. The comments made being almost mentioned in WWD even that much better!

Now, on to more pressing matters. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not one to follow cliched fashion rules so I didn’t think twice about building an outfit around my white blazer. Of course once I looked into the mirror after dressing, the white shirt and white blazer seemed a bit too bright for October.

Enter the gradient scarf! The white-to-cream-to-gray-to-cream-to-white of the scarf broke up the whiteness of the outfit enough to make it work-appropriate and post Labor Day appropriate – for those who care about that sort of thing.

Shirt and skirt from Asos, H&M blazer and scarf, BCBG pumps.

I wear these black patent pumps to work all the time. They’re nearly impossible to walk in, but I love the height of the heel and the overall versatility of the shoe. They’re by BCBG, but I got them at TJ Maxx at while ago for $35. FTW!

On the last full day we were in NOLA we took a short road trip to Plantation Country (the area between New Orleans and Baton Rouge) and visited two of the many plantations that are open to visitors in that area.

The first stop was Oak Alley Plantation – probably the most well known and most-filmed-at plantation in Louisiana with over a quarter mile canopy of 300 year old live oak trees. I suppose it looks like Gone With the Wind‘s Tara, but to me it looks like the home in the film version of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – too bad Paul Newman wasn’t around.

Laura Plantation was our next stop just a few miles down the road from Oak Alley. Although Oak Alley perfectly played up the Antebellum lifestyle (the female tour guides wear hoop skirts), Laura Plantation was my favorite by far. It was a Creole plantation, which means the family lifestyle was a bit more colorful than its Anglo Saxon counterparts. If you ever are in the NOLA area, definitely stop by Laura Plantation – it’s well worth the money.

The last two days I took to wearing jeans and suffered through the 80% humidity because I found that NOLA mosquitoes loved to bite me – 50 bites on my legs alone! So instead of cute summer dresses, my uniform became t-shirt and jeans – I know, I know, shameful for a fashion blogger.

Madewell t-shirt, Bitten by SJP jeans, Dolce Vita sandals.

I think Lauren wore the perfect plantation-visiting outfit: a cute summer dress to keep cool and boots to stay dry while walking around the marshy grounds. For some reason she didn’t get nearly as many bug bites as me. I think it’s because I drink twice as much coke as she does.

Dress from Rockit in Decatur, Tarjay boots and purse from Jackie’s in NOLA.

And for those of you who would like to see a list of all the places we visited, click on the link below to see my NextStop.com NOLA guide. Enjoy!