Fe es i Caerdydd

Jacket - Urban Outfitters, bag - Melie Bianco, shirt - Olive and Olivia, necklace - thrifted, skirt - Missoni x Target, leggings - Forever 21, shoes - Topshop

(Translation of title: I went to Cardiff.)

Here are some outfit photos, taken on Friday by my friend Angelique in Cardiff, Wales. I suppose there's nothing about these photos that indicate my travel, but I do plan on sharing a few photos from the trip once I edit them.

My aunt sent me this skirt earlier this month in a care package, along with a few pairs of Missoni x Target socks and tights. I briefly met up with her on Thursday in a cafe at Heathrow, which was very wonderful indeed. I hadn't seen her in practically two months, so however short the visit was, it was great to catch up and see a familiar face, particularly that of an incredible family member!

Speaking of familiar faces, I ran into my friend from my hometown who is also studying abroad in England. Turns out, he and his friend took a trip to Cardiff for the weekend as well! It was incredibly ironic, since we had talked earlier that week about possibly meeting up in London at some point. It left me in a state of shock, in all honesty!





In celebration of Halloween, many clubs were advertising special nights with spooky music and fancy dress. Naturally, we had to dress up as something... so upon finding ears and furry coats, we decided to be sheep. Dressing up was an experience in itself; we were commonly mistaken for pigs, cats, and whichever other animal has ears and fur. When we arrived back at the hostel, we took many photos of us, well, being sheep (or "sheepin' it up" as Angelique put it) only to discover the following day that the manager had seen footage of the incident. Embarrassing is surely an understatement. I do think the hilarity outweighed any mortification, though.

Unfortunately, even at barely half five, it's entirely dark in London and I've a paper to write anyway. I hope your weekend went well!

xox Catherine

Seaside Sussex: A Panoramic View

I had a bit of fun creating panoramic images from my trip to Brighton and Seven Sisters Country Park.

I'll let you enjoy these photos rather than try to explain each in depth.








To view larger images, right click the photo and select "view image."

xox Catherine

Seven Sisters Country Park

Cardigan - sister's, necklace - thrifted, tshirt - C&C California, skirt - Urban Outfitters, leggings - Forever 21, boots - Doc Martens

I took a spontaneous trip out of the city to the little seaside town of Brighton, with my main goal to visit Seven Sisters County Park. This is just the first small batch of photos I've edited, since I arrived back around 10pm and found myself exhausted.




Upon arrival, the park looks perhaps like many others - gorgeous hills speckled with grazing sheep, lots of open space - but its main feature is its white cliffs on the sea. I find it quite ironic that I've now seen the English Channel before I've even seen great beaches of the States. I've never seen the Gulf of Mexico or Pacific Ocean. I've only visited beaches in the three states, all bordering my home state of Pennsylvania. I was quite amused by the overall lack of sand.




And so I found myself standing before enormous white cliffs, in awe of the beauty.





England, from all I've seen, is such a gorgeous country. I suppose the US has its highlights as well, but to be honest, I haven't visited all that many national parks or made the pilgrimage to any magnificent sights. I am definitely taking advantage of some of what Britain has to offer - clearly not all - and it's given me a new found appreciation for nature's wonders.

xox Catherine

PS The park is an hour outside of Brighton, or approximately three hours outside of London. It's definitely worth a visit, in my opinion.

Return from the countryside

Necklace - thrifted, jumper - Style Showroom, bag - Melie Bianco, skirt - Lulu's, leggings - Forever 21, shoes - Topshop

Please excuse the absence of a Weekly Favorite post this week, as I spent a lovely weekend in the British countryside climbing the Malvern Hills, engaging in adventurous team-building activities, and chasing sheep. The soft, gentle wind there is such a contrast to that here in London... it's biting. Note to self: wearing an open-knit jumper in such weather is not advisable. Other than such effects, this jumper is a new favorite of mine. Burnt orange color? Yes. Crocheted lace pocket? Yes. I picked it up two weekends ago in a boutique called Style Showroom.



I scheduled an appointment at a nearby spa for tomorrow - I'm quite excited. For once, I'm able to justify paying for a massage, given that my back and shoulders are still sore from this past weekend, and my bed isn't remotely comfortable.

Despite such minor injuries, I've been led to reconsider whether I'm a "city person." I love London. It's a beautiful, culturally vibrant city filled with tons of entirely distinct neighborhoods. London makes me feel alive. However, this weekend exceeded my expectations, which I will admit were not very high initially. I fell in love with the rolling hills, the fresh air that caused my nose to run, the friendliness of people walking their dogs, the nonchalant sheep that grazed on majestic hills... In my mind, I felt more at home there than I do in London.




I wish I had photos to share of this beautiful, fantastic place - it inspired J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings - but I had a lapse of judgement when I decided to leave my camera in London. I wish I could have captured such beautiful sights, but at the same time, sometimes it's nice to see things directly instead of through a camera lens...

I hope all is well.

xox Catherine

A Jumper and Waves

Jumper - Zara, necklace - antique, bracelet - gift, dress (worn as skirt) - Camden Market, bag - Melie Bianco, leggings - Forever 21, shoes - Topshop

Didn't realize that half of my outfit is composed of pieces purchased here in London. I suppose this is quite a practical ensemble, although it was rather windy and I had to hold my skirt down a bit. This past weekend wasn't too shabby; I went to a pub with a few friends, came back home and drank a little too much, thus I slept all day Friday. I spent Saturday perusing shops on/near Oxford Street, which is one of London's largest shopping areas. I don't know why I bother going in that Topshop, as it's always incredibly crowded and the queues for fitting rooms snake around the entire store!

I made my journey there with the intentions of checking out the Salvation Army in the area (decent, will probably return when I feel like scouring) and Kingly Court off of Carnaby Street. The latter exceeded my expectations, by far!




I prefer shopping in non-high street stores, but boutiques can often be a little too intimidating. None of the boutiques in the center were like that, however; instead, they were warm but not pushy. I particularly enjoyed Style Showroom, which stocks the wares of independent, London-based designers. I walked out with a jumper (to debut soon) and a few stationery items, all under 30 quid!

Had I been feeling like spending more, I probably would have purchased an adorable bird-printed shirt... or a lovely photo-print dress from Beyond the Valley (boutique on Carnaby Street).



While in Kingly Court, I also stopped in a little haberdashery shop called All The Fun Of The Fair. I seem to be drawn to brightly colored objects, as illustrated by the below photo:



Yep, I learned how to knit (via Youtube videos)! Because everyone needs a bright pink scarf! I've become familiar with the stockinette pattern, which I intend to improve upon by making a few scarves for family and friends.

I seem to enjoy crafts more and more as I explore different mediums.

xox Catherine

Weekly Favorites, v. 27: 10/2 to 10/8

Clockwise from top left: Stylesight, Stylesight, Style Bubble, THE STYLING DUTCHMAN


Clockwise from top left: This Time Tomorrow, Song of Style, Flashes of Style, Going West

Finally resuming weekly favorites, which indicates I've made somewhat of a dent in my blog queue, regardless how small... Seems I've got a soft spot for jumpers this week! Exhibit A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H.

I hope your weekend went well!

xox Catherine

Paris Fashion Week S/S 2012: Stella McCartney

This collection reaffirms my love for McCartney's sleep feminine aesthetic. Consisting of tailored blazers with curved lapels, fitted dresses with mesh insets, and retro pajama-esque garb, Stella gives her unique spin on the clean and classic.



What I love about Stella McCartney's work is that it's simple at the core, but never boring. Something is always ever-so-slightly zany, in the best way possible. Careful attention is paid to technical design and construction, but her collections always epitomize fun dressing for the smart, confident woman.



Quite ironically, I can't think of much to say that's remotely insightful. So I'll leave you with this: sigh.

xox Catherine

All images via style.com

Last of the Indian Summer

Top - Madewell, necklace - thrifted, skirt - Urban Outfitters, shoes - Topshop

Clearly, I've developed a certain fondness for these oxfords of mine. For a while, I was not too keen on the idea of wearing brogues, but they're flat and comfortable, as I've learned.

Ever since I arrived in London, I've been moving my style in a more librarian-esque direction. Almost slightly school-wear inspired, but I decided that I want my style to capture the idea of a stoned librarian. For the record, I am neither; people simply tell me I sound like one. Quite a funny juxtaposition, in my opinion.




I wore this for what I suppose is my last taste of warm weather until next spring. It's arguably more autumnal than summery, but still appropriate for temperatures above 80F.




I'd like to say I've decided this will be my photo spot, but I was stopped by a woman who inquired if I had a purpose for taking photos. I mumbled something about school, since that seemed the only response that would seem "credible." I'm quite shy when it comes to people watching me take photos, or even when someone else is holding the camera.

I've been pondering a statement from an interview I watched for one of my classes: most people do not produce anything of real value. It's an interesting topic, entirely subjective, of course. Who knows.

xox Catherine

Untitled

Shirt - Olive and Olivia, necklace - thrifted, skirt - Urban Outfitters, socks - Target, shoes - Topshop

Yes, this photo's a tad blurry - I had been out all day, and by the time I returned to my friends' flat, it was a little dark. I love the Kensington area, from what I've seen anyway. I spent all afternoon Saturday at Kensington Gardens. Such a beautiful day! Apparently the temperatures this past weekend were record-breaking warm. I've been loving this Indian Summer.

Gorgeous, sunny weather just lends itself to good times. I'm convinced.

After hanging out at the flat for a bit, my friends Jeremy, Angelique and I went to a nearby pub and drank strawberry beer. I'm not one to turn down a full-bodied beer, but I was intrigued by the novelty of it. And it's delicious.

I hope all is well!

xox Catherine

Paris Fashion Week S/S 2012: Rick Owens

Horizontal strips of light serve as the background for Rick Owens' show - almost resembling an enlarged electric bug zapper. Always one for provocativeness, he dubbed it a "gateway to heaven." Religious, spiritual references are evident, with strong elements of restraint despite the lack of typical restraining fashion - bondage devices and the like. For his S/S 2012 collection, Owens went against the idea of "horny dressing" in exchange for "stately elegance."

There's a medieval sense of display - mostly monochromatic, voluminous pieces distract from the presentation of the woman's body. Her head is the point of prominence, in a similar fashion to popes of the time.




Rick Owens makes a statement on originality of the individual, and perhaps the idea behind this collection is more powerful than the clothing itself. It's hard to say that though, given the impeccable design and creation of these garments. We'll call it a tie.

xox Catherine

Images via style.com