Afternoon in Hampstead

Coat - Calvin Klein, necklace - thrifted, sweater - H&M, purse - Lulu's, skirt - Zara, tights - Hue, shoes - Marais USA

I spent Saturday afternoon wandering through my old haunts in Islington (Indian Veg Buffet! All you can eat for £5!) and visited my former flat. I sat in the park behind the building for about twenty minutes while eating sweets I had purchased at the adjacent Co-Op store... some things never change, and that no time seemed to had passed was entirely surreal.



After my brief excursion into East London, I returned to Hampstead where we perused a few charity shops, walked through the quaint streets oohing-and-ahhing at the magnificent homes with their adorable gardens, wandered through the high street in pursuit of dinner, and stumbled upon the cutest pastries and sweets in shop windows.



To some extent, being in London reminded me of the loneliness I frequently felt while living there a year and a half ago - time flies, right? Eating at my favorite buffet alone, hurrying to Somerset House to catch a show or two. Sitting behind my flat, remembering writing there while elderly women walked by with bags from Sainsbury's in hand.

But it was also quite different; instead of feeling jaded as I had towards the end of the term, I felt giddy to be exploring the city again. London is mammoth and I feel like regardless of how much time I ever spend there I will never truly know it fully, but instead of letting that deter me, it was actually quite exciting this time around. I was pleasantly surprised to find the restaurant where my family and I had celebrated Thanksgiving (Spice Market) while strolling through Soho at night. I felt happy and proud to be walking along the embankment without the need for maps or direction. I saw tourists, arms stretched out and cameras in hand, experiencing the city for the first time.

London didn't feel as dark and gloomy as it had when I left exactly fourteen months ago. It felt fresh and new. I loved it.

xox Catherine

Kelvingrove Park

Coat - Calvin Klein, sweater - H&M, necklace - thrifted, skirt - Zara, ring - made by me, tights - Primark, shoes - Dolce Vita, purse - Lulu's

I wore this on Friday to class and a stroll through the park with my friend Alix. I had fallen into a jeans+sweater rut, so I bought these tights from Primark and they're surprisingly wonderful. I tend to loathe Primark, but decided to go in for whatever reason and found these cozy fleece-lined tights (and a jumper which I ended up returning promptly).




The sweater and skirt are also new... I only desire to wear neutral colors lately, which I guess isn't entirely uncharacteristic. And I promised I'd debut my silver-cast ring on here - voila! I'm hoping I'll have the opportunity to make another piece using casting while I'm here in Scotland.




Hope all is well!

xox Catherine

Last of the US of A

Coat - Calvin Klein, sweater - H&M, skirt - Lulu's, purse, Lulu's, leggings - Hue, boots - Urban Outfitters

It's been entirely too long. These photos are from Christmas day, so over a month ago. Oops. Time has escaped me once again, but I have an excuse this time: eight days after I wore this, I left the country. I'm in Scotland! Shouldn't be news (especially to anyone who follows me on Twitter and such) but here I am. I've yet to take any outfit photos here, but hopefully I'll get a few snapshots sometime when it's not 1. freezing/windy or 2. rainy. So, good luck to me there, eh?



Things are going fairly well here so far, with the usual ups and downs that will occur during any set of four weeks regardless of geographic location. I've been in the studio during the better half of the past two weeks, currently working on a silversmithing project that involves raising and forging. I've learned quite a bit already! But, if I'm honest, I really just can't wait to get started with wearable work again. Realized I never posted a photo of the ring I made for my final project last semester... which just shows how little I've been blogging since I barely take it off. I also have yet to get proper photos of the Mackintosh building or anything else in Glasgow, really. Oops.

xox Catherine

You're so nice and you're so smart

Jacket - Urban Outfitters, sweater - TJ Maxx, brooch - made by me, skirt - Urban Outfitters, boots - Dolce Vita

And yet again I've unintentionally taken a break from blogging. School has been kicking my ass, and a few situations at home have turned very sour and have left me a bit upset and in an overall glum mood. I figure I'll be able to put that all aside once I leave for Scotland... in just twenty three days! It's totally overwhelming but just the thought of starting the new year - symbolically a fresh start, I suppose - in a different city and country seems like what I need.




On a more positive note, I made the brooch I'm wearing! It's two pieces of copper riveted together with a paint chip I've doodled on laid inside, then with resin poured over. I made a few similar pieces as well - two pendants and another brooch. For a while I was questioning whether I wanted to continue with jewelry as my concentration, but I've become more comfortable with it. I recently tried lost wax casting for the first time, and I'm very pleased with the result. It's a sterling silver ring - I'll post photos at some point, I promise.

Where does this time keep going?

xox Catherine

Rainy

Blazer - Urban Outfitters, necklace - thrifted, sweater - 3.1 Phillip Lim, cuff - antique, ring - self made, jeans - Madewell, shoes - Rachel Comey

This week somehow wasn't as bad as its predecessors; I suppose having classes cancelled three out of five days helped ease my anxieties about coursework, and I learned I've been accepted to study abroad in Scotland next semester! Which is such a huge relief, especially since it's something that caused seemingly infinite stress just two weeks ago.

Since I'm incredibly sentimental, the prospect of leaving the country (again) inspires me to reflect upon my experiences here over the past year that I've been home. I suppose it's been dull compared to my first set of European adventures, but I've made some important decisions and stuck to them. So, that's good. I think I'm ready to head off again.




Life works out in funny ways.

xox Catherine

Late October

Necklace - thrifted, sweater - TJ Maxx, purse - Lulu's, jeans - Madewell, shoes - Marais USA

I think this is the longest break I've taken from blogging since I've started - and I'll add that it's entirely unintentional. To summarize the past two months of my life in just a few words: I moved into an apartment, I've been incredibly busy with school, managing my coursework with my part-time job, a few awful events have occurred, my trial of Photoshop has expired, and so on. To illustrate that I've been busy/unmotivated to blog, I'll mention that these photos are from 2.5 weeks ago, and I have another set of photos from early September.




It's crazy how's time flying and it's already a month into autumn. Midterms week has passed, so I'm hoping the stress will temporarily halt. This semester is truly terrible, so far. Over the past two years I've questioned my dedication to and passion for art, and it's only worsening as of late. I'm not one for autumn, but maybe this crisp weather and infinite amounts of tea and baking will make everything better. I can hope, right?

xox Catherine

Those dreams weren't as daft as they seem

Shirt - H&M, skirt - vintage, purse - bracelets - mostly antique, shoes - Rachel Comey

My posts have become even more sporadic, and I just wish I could say it's because I've been out so much doing so many fun things. I have, but not enough to reduce my time to blog. I went to the beach with my brother, sister, and her boyfriend and forgot to reapply sunscreen after swimming in the ocean. Can I just say swimming - not just wading - in the ocean is a good work out? Yeah. I also ended up a little less pale than usual, so any evident difference in my skin tone is not just imaginary.




I have only a little more than a month left of summer, which is such a bummer, for lack of a better word. I'm definitely excited to see my friends back at school, but I know I'm going to get my ass kicked academically since I'm taking four studio courses and two other classes. I always have this idea that summer is such a whirlwind of fun and adventures and spontaneity, and sometimes it is. But it hasn't been, for the most part, and I just have my fingers crossed that everything will look up and that I won't mope around quite so much. I've been letting anything and everything get me down, and that's not good.

xox Catherine

P.S. HOW GOOD IS THIS SEASON OF TRUE BLOOD?! Seriously.

Pastel Shades

Dress - ASOS (similar here), bracelets - thrifted/antique, shoes - Aldo, nail polish - Sally Hansen "Coral Reef" and "White On"

I've been bored and have taken a sudden interest in painting my nails... mainly trying to perfect an ombre technique. This is attempt number two. Expect to see three and four sometime soon? My friend/hairstylist Lauren did my hair the other night; it's a bit shorter than what I was hoping for, but I love it regardless. It's so soft and actually has shape again. I think I have a goal hairstyle for whenever my hair is long enough, but it could take a few months.




I really like how the detail shots came out this time around; I downloaded a few curves from Julia Trotti and am quite pleased with the results. I know I always say it, but I want to improve my self-portrait photography skills. I might invest in a larger tripod instead of using a Gorrilapod with a stool, and a remote would seem to be a handy addition.




Not much has been going on in my life - I worked a double on Wednesday, ran into a friend I haven't seen in ages last night, and caught up with another friend over lunch this afternoon. I'm very sentimental and tend to see the past through rose-tinted glasses, but it's always nice to discuss the present while reminiscing over distant memories.

xox Catherine

Neutral Colorblock

Dress - courtesy of Sugarlips, cuff - thrifted, ring - made by me, purse - Lulu's (similar here), shoes - Bakers (similar here)

Just posting very quickly before I head off to the beach - I wore this on the fourth of July but removed all jewelry upon realizing the weather was going to stay a hot, sticky mess instead of cooling down. My friend's party was fun, if only for how interesting it ended up being. I saw lots of old faces that haven't been present in my life for months (or years, it seems) so it was nice to catch up with a few people.




How was your holiday?

xox Catherine

With a Bow

Dress - Leifsdottir, belt - from a pair of pants, bracelets - thrifted, shoes - Bakers (similar here)

I wore this to work yesterday but didn't have the opportunity to take photos yesterday. That's a lie, actually; I did, but I fell asleep. And I suppose it was slightly different since I wore a cardigan to cover my tattoo and a necklace instead of bracelets.

I think I had only worn this dress twice before - once on the blog, and the other time was when I went out during my first weekend in London. It hangs very loosely and long, so I decided to add some sort of belt. I'd prefer it without the bow (something I managed to do yesterday) but it's just as well, I guess.



Today was spent lounging around before finally forcing myself to put on proper attire. Later on, I made a pie with my sister - strawberry blueberry, and it is as delicious as it sounds - and cooked spaghetti with mint and zucchini for dinner. I think my life may just revolve around food...



I'm trying to plan out the next few days - Wednesday will entail a block party (maybe), then heading to my friend's house for fireworks and drinks. It's always entertaining, which is perhaps an understatement; it's terrifying, hilarious, fun, and relaxing all at the same time. By Thursday it seems I'll be off to the beach for the first time this summer (aside from California, of course), and then I resume work on Saturday.

What are your plans for the holiday?

xox Catherine

PS I wonder how long it will take until I stop posing in ways to show off my tattoo...

June Gloom

Shirt - H&M (similar here), necklace - made by me, shorts - Cheap Monday, sandals - Bakers (similar here)

I figured I'd try to squeeze in one more post for the month of June, so here you go. I've been having endless lazy weeks where I sleep all day and go out at night, and by the time I actually get dressed it's dark. There's summer for ya. I have work tomorrow, and then I have definite plans for Wednesday, so maybe two posts if I'm feeling generous. Kidding, kind of.



I'm trying to think of what direction I'd like to move my blog. I've been considering adding weekly food posts - Vegan Food Fridays? - but I don't want to become a lifestyle blog. But I guess it's ultimately up to me as to what I define my blog as. Personal style/outfit of the day/occasional fashion?

I know I'll risk sounding shallow and vapid and materialistic, but I'm feeling uninspired by my wardrobe lately. Perhaps less so since I've emptied four bags' worth of gently worn/old clothing, but it's feeling a little stale. I have ideas, but it's just a matter of being a little less frugal/having the patience to sift through thrift stores. On a similar but contradictory topic, I bought these sandals today. I generally associate Bakers with six inch patent leather stilettos, but these are quite the opposite.

Also, I can't wait to do something with my hair. I want to keep the length but get rid of the bulk, especially towards the ends.



And to add even more change, I've installed Disqus to replace the Blogger comments. I think it's easier to use, but we'll see. In the mean time, leave your thoughts below.

What would you like to see more of on Silhouette Girl?

xox Catherine