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

Nothing seems as pretty as the past, though

Jacket - Urban Outfitters, jumper - H&M, cuff - antique, skirt - Lulu's via Beso.com, socks - Target, shoes - Marais USA

Winter here in Philly hasn't been so wintry - in fact, the end of February was quite mild, hence no pants again. Not to be redundant, but I'm so excited for warmer weather, frolicking, picnicking and whatever else.

I don't know why I don't wear this skirt more often. It's pleated, comfortable, and goes with everything. And in case it isn't evident, I'm quite fond of these shoes I purchased from Modcloth a few months ago. London definitely influenced my preferences in footwear...




I wore this last Monday to classes and such. I haven't really much to write about other than that I've been keeping busy with school, work, absurd amounts of naps, putting together transfer applications, etc.



Hope all is well!

xox Catherine

Currently listening to: Fluorescent Adolescent - Arctic Monkeys

I have dreams of orca whales and owls

Jacket - Urban Outfitters, collared shirt - H&M, sweater - vintage, cuff - antique, skirt - gift purchased in London, shoes - Marais USA




Here's some more pre-spring-but-feels-like-it outfit shots, courtesy of my friend Toby. This skirt was a Christmas gift purchased in London from my mum, and I realized I had yet to wear it on the blog. It's comfy, yellow, and has a print in aqua and navy.

Today was not nearly as busy as yesterday; I had a critique in art (with several cups of raspberry tea) and then just one more class. I've just been so busy with work out of class!



I'm very excited for tomorrow so I can just relax. There's a few events on campus this weekend which I might attend, but other than that, I haven't really any plans. Perhaps I'll do some drawing and painting, or maybe I shall catch up on blogs and do a few more runway posts.

Do you have any plans? Any shows you've fancied?

xox Catherine

Early spring

Necklace - thrifted, top - Monki, skirt - Urban Outfitters, shoes - Topshop

I'm honestly surprised that I managed to post 1. an outfit, 2. on a Wednesday, 3. while still wearing it. Wednesdays are my busiest days - 11am until 9:30pm - so please understand if this post is vaguely incoherent. I'm feeling much better, luckily, since the weather was quite nice today. I know it's a tease of actual springtime, but there's hardly a month left until the season commences. I know I wore this outfit only a few posts ago, but it was nearly two months ago! I'm absolutely dumbfounded at how I've been home for more than two months, and it is almost six months since I left the country and embarked on the biggest adventure of my life.




I've been enjoying my experience at university so far, but I would like to mention I had no expectations when arriving since my school is not known for its social life or wealth of activities. So naturally, I'm having more fun than I had anticipated. As I've mentioned several times, though, I'm very conflicted about what I want to do in the future. If I stay here, I think I would like to study abroad again, perhaps somewhere warmer this time... but then again, I don't know how I'd deal with being away from home (and my pets) for so long another time. Decisions, decisions.

xox Catherine

Monday

Coat - Forever 21, collared shirt - H&M, jumper - Zara, jeans - Madewell, boots - Urban Outfitters

It's been a while since my last outfit post. I've had a bit of trouble finding a place suitable for photo-taking, but I think I found "the spot" today. It's out of view from central campus, and tucked away enough that not many would notice. It isn't exactly scenic, but it's not distracting, either.

The warm weather we had two weeks ago has been replaced with snow and bitter winds. It's not so awful, I tell myself, and spring is a mere month away. Somehow it feels like it's not actually winter, but autumn, since I'm on a new campus and didn't experience fall here. Studying abroad certainly messed with my sense of time.




I hope to post some reviews of the autumn shows at NYFW - from the comfort of my dorm, naturally, since missing a few days of classes wasn't an option. Maybe next season! Though I have to say, I don't know how I'd feel about teetering around in heels through the streets of NYC in this cold - it was difficult enough to do in London with mild weather.

In other news, it's probably time for another haircut, as it has been almost two months since I've been home... which is crazy, might I add. But I can't decide if I want to let it grow a bit because I'm really digging braids and carefree long hair. Then I remind myself it only looks carefree; shorter hair involves much less maintenance.

I hope to post again throughout the week, but since it's Monday: enjoy your week!

xox Catherine

I just can't contain this feeling that remains...

Jumper - H&M, dress (worn as skirt) - Camden Market, bag - Old Spitalfield's Market, cuff - antique, socks - Target, shoes - Marais USA

Today was such a beautiful day! I went to yoga in the morning and realized that it was quite mild outside, so I decided to bare my legs for the first time in 2012. The last time I wore anything of the sort (excluding brisk walks to the gym) was in November, in Barcelona - almost three months ago. In the equivalent time, it will be spring! Yes, I'm already starting the spring countdown, though it doesn't seem so far away when we have mild days scattered through the cold.




My friend Toby was kind enough to take these photos for me today - it's nice to have a set of outdoor photos again, since the fluorescent lighting in my room gets to me. I haven't really much else to write about; the rest of my day shall consist of homework and a trip to the gym if I complete enough work! I've a handful (literally - I have to draw hands) of drawings to do and a few reading assignments. Adios!

I hope all is well,

xox Catherine

A New Start

Top - Monki, jeans - BDG, cuff - antique, shoes - Marais USA

I keep consciously telling myself to be less apologetic and self-pitying, but I can't help my urge to start this long overdue post with negativity: these photos aren't too fancy. And of course, it's been quite a while - more than two weeks! My explanation: I left for school, I moved into my dorm, and I'm still settling in. Campus isn't all that large, but I haven't come across any deserted areas appropriate for photo-taking. So for now, my tiny dorm (and high bed, which makes me look tiny!) will have to suffice.




Despite all of this stress, I've been adjusting moderately well to college life in the USA. I might be experiencing reverse culture shock in some aspects, but college life here is indeed different from what I experienced in the UK! I've been to the gym more times than I had gone to a gym in my entire life. I suppose it's a productive way to spend time in comparison to endlessly scrolling on Tumblr, but I hope I can find activities on campus that are more in tune with my own interests!

I suppose you can see a bit of it in the above photos, but here's a snapshot of my resting area:



The duvet is from Primark, the world map is from Frankie magazine (purchased on Islington High Street), the other is a map of the London Underground, and the photos strung above are on a card string from Paperchase. I guess I decided to take a bit of my life in the UK back to Philadelphia!

I hope all has been well in your life! Let's hope my next post isn't too far in the future.

xox Catherine

And it was all yellow

Necklace - antique, jumper - Urban Outfitters, jeans - BDG, socks - Target, shoes - Topshop

For some reason I didn't manage to properly focus my camera during this little shoot, so I decided to have a bit of fun with editing. I'm quite fond of these jeans I picked up at Urban - my weakness, I admit - when they were having a $10 off denim sale. The cut makes me feel rather tall, since the rise is high and the inseam is short. They're fitted but roomy enough so I can breathe and actually move. I've given myself the goal to stray from jeans and skirts/dresses, since I tend to wear those pieces most frequently. I guess these are a step in that direction!




I should probably start preparing for school (in the USA!) since I leave next week, but just the thought of picking up and leaving again is a bit of a drag. I'm both anxious and excited for university to begin! Luckily, I live very close to home this time around and will have the opportunity to see my pets essentially every weekend if I so choose.



Once again I'm eyeing up lenses on Amazon... this excessive shopping spree needs to stop.

xox Catherine

Hello, 2012

Top - Monki, necklace - thrifted, cuff - antique, skirt - Urban Outfitters, tights - Target, shoes - Topshop

Somehow a new year has come upon us yet again. I spent last night making japchae, fishing for plans, sitting in my bedroom until 11:53pm, arriving at my first (entirely spontaneous) destination at 11:58pm, going to another friend's house after, staying up until 4:30am... you know, typical New Year's Eve. I can't really complain; I saw some friends I hadn't seen since being home, I celebrated, I spent time with people I enjoy.




Today my aunt had my family over for dinner, which was very nice! I planned to take outfit photos in the city, but by the time everyone arrived, it was getting a bit dark. Plus I prefer this outfit without a coat! This space was formerly occupied by a table that has been relocated to our dining room... I think a desk and/or a comfy chair will be quite useful. Seems I'll be taking a trip to IKEA this week! I know many people hate the store for its unusual layout and hard-to-assemble merchandise, but I am quite the opposite - I love it.




I hope your New Year has been treating you well so far!

xox Catherine