Note

This week's Weekly Favorite feature will be combined with next week's due to inclement weather/warnings for power outages and travel.

xox Catherine

Going away party

Top - C&C California, necklace - made by me, jeans - Asos, shoes - Madewell

Well, I've already experienced a little excitement today... felt the 5.8 magnitude earthquake from Virginia. I suppose all of us east coast residents are a little shaken up over this (no pun intended), considering anything of this sort is a rare occurrence. I often start shaking with no rhyme or reason, so I figured it was just that. Once I heard stuff rattling and my dog barking, I knew it wasn't just me.

One look outside, and it's beautiful. Nothing of a devastating nature happened, as far as I know. I guess I shall get on with my day.




I wore this yesterday to my going-away party. This t-shirt is so comfortable, even though it partially exposed my midriff and I tend to avoid anything that does so. It's just a perfect lightweight cotton. This outfit is rather summery, but I'll definitely try to wear all of these pieces once the weather cools down, too. I recently wrote an article on Chictopia focusing on transitional dressing, by the way. You can read it here.




I'm still having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that I'm leaving. In less than a week. Guess I should do everything I've wanted to this summer in these short days...

I hope all is well.

xox Catherine

Weekly Favorites, v. 25: 8/14 to 8/20

Clockwise from top left: the stylish heart, Song of Style, calivintage, Clothed Much


Clockwise from top left: The Style Voyager, variacje, That's Chic, style is style

I kept hoping I'd get around to posting (an outfit, an editorial, etc.) before another weekly favorites post... but alas, I've been pretty busy enjoying my last few days in the States. I ended up in New Jersey with my brother, sister, and her friend, who are all really great friends to me. We laid on the beach until it began to rain, then ate some food - I discovered a little place with food I can eat, on a boardwalk of all places!

Last night I made some food for my family in honor of my going away. Seems a little weird in hindsight that I had the duty of preparing food for my own celebration dinner, but I really do enjoy cooking and baking. I made a vegan margherita pizza and some squash served over pasta. It was nice to see a few people I probably won't see before my departure.

Tonight, my friend is hosting a going away party for me. I had originally wanted to throw a get together myself, but then I remembered how stressed I get when there's many people at my house and I'm in charge. Hopefully it'll be a good time!

I hope all is well with you, and that the dwindling days of summer are providing nothing but happiness.

xox Catherine

Weekly Favorites, v. 24: 8/7 to 8/13

Clockwise from top left: The Style Voyager, HallieDaily (via Chictopia.com), Natalie Off Duty, Flashes of Style


Clockwise from top left: Missing Lovebirds, The Flower Girl, STYLECLICKER, calivintage

Which looks are your favorites?

xox Catherine

Dinner and a movie

Top - Anthropologie, skirt - Target, bracelet - gift, shoes - Madewell

I wore this yesterday to an appointment, then to the movies and dinner with my sister and aunt. It's really nice that I'm getting to see most of the people I want to before I leave. Even those I haven't, there's still two weeks left... but time is ticking.




Lately I've been questioning my style in terms of what's "normal." Ideally, I'd like to have a more man-repelling style - something that fits my tastes more - but viewing it that way would just seem purposely rebellious. And that's not what I'd like to do. Compared to my peers in this area, I dress a little eccentrically. I receive comments and stares. Incidentally, most of the compliments I receive are from guys. But most of those guys aren't exactly society's standard of macho men - they're more of the artsy types.

I dress in a way that makes me feel comfortable. Somehow I just don't feel comfortable wearing ill-fitting polyester trousers, nor do I feel good while wearing denim underwear. I suppose I fall somewhere in between the two categories, if you will... as if someone can be categorized by what type of pants she wears.

I don't need to be told what "works" and what doesn't, in many regards. People are going to judge me for wearing brown shoes with black socks? Pft. People are going to judge me for speaking up for what I believe in? God forbid I don't attract a suitable mate by the time I'm twenty. It's ridiculous how, to some extent, I'm expected to abide by what other people expect of me as a young lady. I'm not really referring to people I know, but more of what expected of any young woman by anyone.




I digress entirely. I go off on tangents too frequently, no? Anyway, what I originally wanted to say is that I wouldn't mind dressing in a more expressive, possibly artistic, way. The end.

xox Catherine

Open Mic Night

Necklace - thrifted, shirt - Olive and Olivia, bracelet - gift, skirt - H&M, sandals - Madewell

An outfit post!... after nearly two weeks. I'm going to a local coffee shop's open mic night - something I used to do every week with my friend Tracey, but haven't recently. The last time I went was during March, if I remember correctly. I'm in the mood for some fresh-made hummus! Yum.




I ended up purchasing the Rachel Comey shoes, $119 (down from $198) from Generra, a New York brick and mortar store with an online shop (currently having a great sale!). They seem comfortable enough for commuting to classes, etc. and I just seem to prefer heels. Poorly made flat shoes are terribly uncomfortable. The end.

Hearing about the London riots over the past week has been crazy, and quite worrisome since I leave in a little over two weeks. I have so much to do before my departure. It's all very overwhelming right now. Just the thought of leaving has my head spinning. I'm more excited than anxious, but imagining saying goodbyes and boarding the plane are... weird.

I suppose to distract myself from the heavier parts - school, financial issues, etc. - I've been daydreaming about exploring the city and as much as Europe as my schedule allows. I'm tempted to purchase a new lens, which in my opinion, would be a worthwhile investment (vs. yet another pair of shoes, perhaps), but I cannot decide. I prefer lenses with large apertures to allow great depth of field, but I think if I do go for it, I'll choose a zoom lens so I won't have to run back and forth trying to get a perfect shot. While my 50mm lens serves me very well for outfit photos, it doesn't autofocus on my camera, which isn't ideal for sightseeing. My 18-55mm lens is a little beaten up. Sigh.




I still want to fit in a day trip to the beach during my quickly-dwindling summer. Sigh.

xox Catherine

Thoughts for Tuesday, v. 15: Fashion's Obsession with Thylane Loubry Blondeau

Yes, I've been slacking off - it's summer and my mind is already in London. Instead of waxing poetic about my hopes and expectations, I've temporarily halted my Thoughts for Tuesday column. While I can't guarantee this post marks its official revival, I can't help the urge to write when disturbed.

Thylane Loubry Blondeau is a French model, with long hair, striking eyes... and she's just ten years old. Even so, child models and actors exist, frequently without controversy ('Toddlers and Tiaras' excluded from "the norm"). She graced the cover of Vogue Enfant, shown frolicking as many children do. Now she's made her way into the pages of Vogue Paris, not without dispute, however.

At ten, she's barely younger than the teenage models seen in the same publications and on fashion runways. As much as the industry is criticized for infantilizing women, it's no stranger to middle-school aged girls dressing in a way many people consider "too mature." Daphne Groeneveld, for instance, was only fifteen when featured on the cover of the same magazine containing an infamous Blondeau editorial (Vogue Paris, January 2011, guest-edited by Tom Ford). Alongside Tom Ford, she conveyed youth, beauty, and luxury.

In Groeneveld's case, it was hardly a satirical move - it's arguably normal. Yet defenders of Thylane's oft-provocative editorials cite satire as a driving force and inspiration. Little girls play dress up in the mothers' and sisters' clothes, right? Yet there's a difference placing a young girl in an adult setting, in "adult" clothing, in "adult" make up, in "adult" poses for an adult industry. It's hardly attempting to sell a product other than controversy itself.

Commenters at Fashionista argue it's perfectly fine if her parents allow it and if she simultaneously enjoys it. Yet is a ten year old capable of consenting to implied nude photos (photos taken sans-shirt, in this case, though her torso is covered by beaded necklaces in a style popularized by hippies). Furthermore, if her parents allow this, does it make it acceptable? While her mother does claim to have her best interests in mind, it is important to remember that parents can be guilty of exploiting their own children - their discretion doesn't automatically make it right.

Other commenters claim if one views the photos as sexual, then there's something wrong with the viewer. The nature of these photographs does not justify any harassment. Period. None of her photographs reach the horrendous level of child pornography, but some claim that these actions, by default, objectify the child.

It isn't a matter of whether the viewer herself (or himself) is aroused by images. It's more of acknowledging the sad truth that there are people who do enjoy it, and knowing this can promote a feeling of discomfort in the viewer.

xox Catherine

Weekly Favorites, v. 23: 7/31 to 8/6

Clockwise from top left: Elaine (Clothed Much), Yin (PANGCAKES), Rachel (Mousevox), Rhiannon (Liebemarlene Vintage)


Clockwise from top left: Noel (the owls are not what they seem), Mitzi (night lights), Julie (Orchid Grey), Krystal (This Time Tomorrow)

And so August has begun.

xox Catherine

Battle of the Shoes

1. Cut Off Buckle Booties, $85 at Pixie Market
2. Fraction Booties, $225 by Rachel Comey

These shoes have similar features, but there's obvious differences as well. My vote will always go with Rachel Comey whenever a battle of the shoes begins, but the price, the lower heel, and the synthetic leather give the Pixie Market boots a good fight. However, I'm more keen on ankle boots at higher heel heights, but I'm not sure the lower of these two even qualify as "boots." More like "shooties," no?

Decisions, decisions.

xox Catherine

Weekly Favorites, v. 22: 7/24 to 7/30

Clockwise from top left: all the pretty birds, This Time Tomorrow, Fancy Treehouse, tick tock vintage


Clockwise from top left: Orchid Grey, It's Symmetrical, That's Chic, Song of Style

xox Catherine