Well Hello Again

Hello again, blogland. Waiting for my nails to fully dry from a fresh paint job seems like the perfect time to catch up on this blog a bit.


So much has been going on in my life this Winter/Spring. Between working full-time and wrapping up my graduate school obligations, "free time" has been a rare opportunity and obviously blogging fell to the wayside.  The great news is, today is graduation! I am hoping that this will leave more time to get to the other priorities in my life- and hopefully blogging again will be part of that.


Thank you to everyone who has said that they "miss the blog" or wish I would post again.  That was some of the encouragement I needed!  I have lots of great ideas about some things I can share with you all and lots of BIG changes to my small studio to share as well.


In the meantime, here are my outfits for graduation this weekend. I think a big occasion is a great reason to sport some new threads and I am loving these fresh spring/summer looks!  Obviously I am very into lace/ crochet right now...

polyvore set here

polyvore set here

Oscahs (typo intended) 2012

The Oscahs are still going, so I'm not going to speak to who won or how I felt about the show. But of course, I will dole out my opinions on the fashions.  Here are my favorites of the night in no particular order.

Esperenza Spalding.  She just looks so cool. I could never pull off something like this, but it looks so chic on her. 

Giuliana Rancic.  Love this dress so much! 

Gwyneth Paltrow.  I truly wish she'd done something different with the hair, but I still like the look. 

I absolutely loved this dress on Judy Greer. It is so modern and edgy.  And she looks phenomenal in it. 

Here it is from the front.

Leslie Mann.  This is a great cut on her and she did right by the ponytail.

I thought Livia Giuggioli (Colin Firth's wife) looked beautiful and her dress was very unique. 

Michelle Williams was definitely my favorite of the night, although her yellow Vera Wang Oscars dress will probably always be my all-time favorite. 

Octavia Spencer looked beautiful.  I could definitely see myself in a similar dress.  I thought the sparkle was perfectly executed. 

Finally, how great does Sandra Bullock look? The dress is so modern and fits her like a glove.

SAG Awards Fashion Recap

Alternate title for this post: I Don't Know Who the Hell That "Actress" is But Her Dress is Really Pretty
This awards season so far has been completely underwhelming in the fashion category, and the SAG Awards were no exception. I have to be honest and say that I didn't watch the pre-awards show nor the actual show, so I've made all these judgements (of the outfits) based on online photos. 
Now on to the people I recognized who looked great...

L to R: Judy Greer, Regina King, Stacy Keibler

I thought Judy Greer was fantastic in The Descendants and she looks beautiful here! And that purple on Regina King is stunning.

L to R: Jane Krakowski, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Diana Agron

I love the uniqueness of Jane Krakowski's dress, Jesse Tyler Ferguson looks so different and handsome and Diana Agron did right by the color pink. (If only Diana Agron would stand up straight!!) 

L to R: Emily Blunt, Julianna Margulies, Julie Bowen

I thought all three of these dresses were really pretty, but I do have to admit they are nothing I haven't seen before. But I would wear Julie Bowen's dress in a heartbeat!

And the people I've never seen/ heard of before but also looked great! 

L to R: Jayma Mays, Aimee Garcia, Naya Rivera

Of all these looks, Aimee Garcia's is my favorite- I just love that fabric.  I think I would wear Jayma Mays' dress before the others, though.  It's so pretty! 

L to R: Ariel Winter and Lauren Potter

Ariel Winter looks very sweet and age-appropriate in her dress.  And how beautiful is Lauren Potter's dress?? I think it looks great on her! 

Oh Hey

Oh hello everyone! It's been over a month since I last blogged.  Unacceptable, I know.  I'm trying to get the mojo back, so please be patient with me.  


By popular request, I'll be posting a recap of the Golden Globes 2012 fashion.  Okay, okay. So only one person requested it- but each of my constituents is very important to me, so you ask and I provide!  Let's get started.


Overall, I was completely underwhelmed with the fashion choices Sunday evening. I really only had one favorite.

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I thought Shailene Woodley looked really beautiful.  She looks age appropriate and her makeup is perfect.  The dress could have been tailored to sit a little higher on her chest, but it fits well overall.

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I also thought Claire Danes looked lovely.  This is the perfect combination of modern and glamorous. I don't love that hair color on her, but the style suits the gown very well.

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Lastly, I enjoyed Emma Stone's look.  I think she could have gone with a more delicate shoe and I could do without the eagle on the belt, but I really like this color combination and in my opinion, this is the best way to mix two colors that are so close to each other.


My least favorite options abound, but I'll just focus on two.

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Natalie Portman and Angelina Jolie committed the same crime in my opinion.  Call me crazy, but I hate the combination of pink and red together.  With the exception of Valentine's Day decor, I cannot think of a single time that I enjoy these colors.  I'm not much of a fan of pink and red to begin with so I'm admittedly completely biased in this case, but I think they look awful together!  By the way, is Angelina's dress pink? Or is it ivory? Either way, I don't like it.


Well, that's all I have for today!  Hopefully I'll be back in under a month (wink, wink)! 

Geaux Tigers Attire

This weekend, I am off to join some of my very best friends for two days full of catching up, laughing, tailgating, tiger-baiting, eating, drinking and merriment. 

polyvore set found here

Tailgating at LSU involves a serious day-long commitment and this time of year, the weather is always questionable. Sometimes there's rain (though it never rains in Tiger Stadium) and sometimes it is still 80 degrees well into October!  No matter what, you can bet there is lots of walking to be done and lots of good times to pass!

Enjoy your weekend. Geaux TIGERS! Beat Auburn! 

Good Things Come

Good things come to those who wait.

Or at least that's usually what you try to tell yourself when you are waiting on things.

This post is not "deep" at all.  It is about stuff. Awesome stuff.  Stuff from the United Kingdom.  (Sadly, no- not Prince Harry or the Duchess of Cambridge. But still awesome.) 

Way back in May I became a woman obsessed with a certain purse.  I've always loved bags- like had an obsession since the age of two.  I used to walk around with a purse at age two.  Anyway, as you well know, I fully jumped on the Middleton sisters bandwagon.  When I saw the pictures of Pippa leaving the Goring Hotel the day after the royal wedding, I became obsessed with the "Pippa" bag by Modalu London in "Shark."  (It was formerly named the "Bristol.") 

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So I debated about getting the bag for the longest time and by the time I decided to pull the trigger, it was on backorder until October.  Well, I ended up getting my bag a little sooner than that- I got it in September and I've been loving it ever since. 

Here's what my bag looked like when she arrived:

Ahh, so pretty!  And a great color that is neutral but still stands out.  If you are on the hunt for a really detailed review of the "Pippa" bag, Sparrows & Sparkle has a fantastic one that all but convinced me to buy it! 

I absolutely love, love, love.  

The second thing that came from the U.K. were these lovelies:

These babies are the Catalonia boot from Duo in Tan. These arrived super fast and when there was a problem with my card (word to the wise: you need to order with a credit card, not a debit card) the customer service team was super helpful! 

Please limit the judgement on my enorm calves.

This is my second pair of boots from Duo (I also own a grey pair- are you seeing a theme with the grey?) and I love the boots I already own.   And I want to point out something about Duo Boots- they fit my big ole calves!  This is seriously not easy, folks.  And if you have bigger than normal or smaller than normal calves, chances are they will fit you too!  When you order from them, you choose a shoe size and a calf size.  HELLO!!  Come to mama.  They are more expensive than the boots you'll find at DSW.  These were $285, plus free shipping and a 10% off coupon.  For a pair that will last, that fit me and that I will wear often, I can invest.  (They were an investment for me- I've been toying with ordering them for a long while.)  Anyway, I just wanted to spread the wealth of knowledge out there to any fellow big-calved ladies and small-calved ladies, too!

I think I am absolutely ready for fall now!

(Not Just Green)Sleeves

I think sleeved dresses are happening right now in a really big way.  Whether or not it has anything to do with these two:

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... I'm not exactly sure.  I think the sleeved dress thing might have more to do with the impending cooler temperatures than the Duchess and her sister, but frankly, I don't care who or what is responsible.  I just like it. 

I am not a small person by any means and I have always been pretty self-conscious about my arms.  Typically if I wear a sleeveless dress or top, I pair it with a jacket or cardigan to give my arms some additional coverage.   As women, I think most of us love dresses because you can just throw one on and go.  I love sleeved dresses even more because you can literally be dressed and look finished and polished with one piece of clothing.  And an added jacket can take your look to the next level of professionalism and style if you feel like jazzing it up.

This weekend (you know, in suburbia) I got a bit taken away with ze shopping.  What can I say? Nordstrom also makes me do crazy things.  I found (and purchased- eeek!) the three dresses for this winter and fall.

Polyvore set found here.

 The middle dress was just very flattering on, so even though I currently have no place to wear it, I purchased it.  Thanks to Nordstrom's great return policy, I can leave the dress in my closet with the tags on and return it later this season if I don't end up having a place to wear it.  

The dress on the right I just couldn't wait to wear, so I sported it in the following way at work on Monday.  I realized later that my dress was missing the belt, but I think I actually prefer the look without the belt as there is some elastic at the waist that maintains the shape.

Polyvore set found here.

I think as the temperatures get cooler, this dress will be easy to wear with tights and boots.  The silk fabric makes it feel more special than my normal day wears.

And I keep seeing sleeves EVERYWHERE in stores and online browsing.  I'm sure even Mrs. Obama with her killer arms likes a little extra coverage sometimes, and this season designers and stores are definitely offering options.

Polyvore set found here.

I'm really excited to watch the fashion blogs this fall & winter to see how the stylish ladies out there decide to work this style. 

Chiffon Dreams

I don't know why exactly, but lately I have been so drawn to chiffon fabrics and dresses.  Perhaps I am just looking for lighter fabrics as we move into fall.  Slightly counterintuitive, but true nonetheless. 

Polyvore set found here.

I recently bought the dress on the far left in that picture.  I really love wearing it and it is super comfortable!  It just made me feel so light and airy when I wore it to work last week.  I think the one in the middle may be my next purchase.

Here are some other great chiffon options out there.  How amazing is the top in the top left corner?

Polyvore set found here. 

I absolutely adore that black & white top.  If I were going to dress someone else to wear it- this is how I would dress them.

Polyvore set found here.

(I'm thinking this outfit would not look so hot on moi- not to mention I would break every bone in my body in those heels, but they are cute, yes? Yes!)

Happy fall shopping, everyone! 

Satchel Fever

I truly feel like satchels are everywhere right now! I keep seeing them online and I have to say I really like them all.  They just scream "fall" to me because the shape is so school-like. 

Here's a fun variety of satchels out there on the market right now.

Polyvore set found here. 

They come in so many fun color varieties and price points right now.

Here are a couple of ideas for carrying these puppies.

Polyvore set found here. 

Okay, okay. So this look may be slightly influence by the Duchess of Cambridge.  What can I say? 

Polyvore set found here. 

This outfit would be great for running to class! And most of these items I could substitute with something in my closet. Plus, it's comfy! And I'm all about the comfy.

What trends are you loving right now? 

Guest Post: Lizzie from le week-end

Today my friend Lizzie is here discussing an awesome-ly frivolous topic: luxury goods!  Thanks so much for guest blogging for me Lizzie.  I hope everyone enjoys this fun & funny post! 

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Hey! I'm Lizzie, from le week-end blog, and I'm here guest blogging for my good friend Katelyn! I love shopping, but penny pinching is always an issue. But what if it wasn't? Look, it sucks that these things cost so much money, but let's face it - if you had the cash money to dish out, these would probably be the first things on your list. And you would wear them for the rest of your life, probably for every appropriate occasion. The problem is, the total cost of all these goods is insane. But just in case you make the money little by little- NO! Scratch that. Close your eyes and imagine a place where you suddenly have all the money you ever wanted to finally build your wardrobe from the bottom up. Here's a list to keep you focused and prevent you from completely losing your head and buying that totally frivolous multicolored white Louis Vuitton purse.

And speaking of Louis, that's the first thing I would probs buy if I had an extra $775 just laying around (and an extra $1,080 with personalized monogramming) - the LV Speedy! It's seriously a classic, and it comes in a few different sizes, but I myself find the "Speedy 30" to be a perfect fit. The leather gains a nice patina after repeated use, showing to the world how long you've been a proud LV owner. It's got nothin' on the Hermes Kelly bag in terms of status, but I'm trying to be semi realistic here in terms of $$$.

Well, the chances of you ever owning an Hermes purse are like borderline zero percent, but you could possibly have a nice silk Hermes scarf in your collection of basic designer goods! Depending on what size and style you purchase, the scarves range from a "mere" $380 to a whopping $800. Please, just imagine yourself trotting around with this sophisticated scarf wrapped around your neck or tied nonchalantly on the handle of your LV Speedy!

And trot around town, you will, in your basic black, brown, or nude leather Christian Louboutin classic pumps. At around $600 - 700, I honest to god think they are the only shoes I would ever need to purchase. I have a pair of really nice Stuart Weitzman that I've been wearing for the past 6 years, and I plan on literally keeping them for the rest of my life and never buying another pair of nude heels to replace them. Just goes to show that investing in quality shoes is totes worth it.

David Yurman cable bracelet. I mean, really feel free to buy more than one of these and stack them, but know that that is not a requirement to your fictionally stocked up wardrobe. When I see a girl wearing a Yurman cable, I automatically assume she's classy. Doesn't really matter if she's a huge skank if she's wearing a Yurman. But not one of those trendy seasonal pieces, has to be a classic cable one!

Chanel ballet flats, the ultimate ballet flat purchase. Quality flats in general are a great purchase, and there are so many brands out there that make great ones - Tory Burch, for one... but Chanel invented class and apparently the everyday ballet flat. At more than $500 a pair, it's definitely something you need to save for... and think out your day before you throw these babies on. Look at the weather forecast. Make sure you're walking on cement sidewalks. And definitely don't step in dog shit. Because you will probably cry.

AND FINALLY, something you can actually afford - Ray-Bans! They have tons of classic styles, most notably the aviators or wayfarers à la Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. They range from $100 to $200, which is really inflated if you think about how much it costs to manufacture sunglasses, but still, remember that we are in imaginary wardrobe land where you are purchasing all of the brand name basics for the rest of your life. In context, what's a few hundred bucks?!

Classy gal! Now that you have all this gear, you can go ahead and buy that overpriced designer acid wash denim and completely sequined over-sized top. You go girl. Get it.

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Thanks again, Lizzie.  Everyone be sure to check out Lizzie's blog where she blogs about all sorts of random and hilarious things! 

The Royal Wedding

Hello, dear readers! Did you miss me? I apologize for the absence, but I've just been experiencing a combination of not having time to blog and not having much to blog about the past few days.  I want to catch up by starting with my thoughts on the Royal Wedding!  

I know, I know. It probably seems like old news by now.  And I mean, some pretty important things have happened in the last four days, to be fair.  I know you might not even want to read about the Royal Wedding anymore, but I kind of want to blog about it just for posterity, if nothing else.  So here goes.

First of all. The dress.  

I'm referring to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge's ceremony dress.  It was incredibly beautiful.  I've always loved Princess Grace's dress, so Catherine's dress was just a perfect, slightly updated version.  I have to say, though, that if someone had asked me to say what she would wear the day before the wedding, I would have said something very similar to what she actually wore. So in some way, I was surprised that I wasn't surprised about her dress.  Make sense? Probably not. But it does to me. 

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Also... can I just point out that sapphires are my favorite gemstone (also my birthstone).  Catherine's engagement ring is a sapphire.  Also, the name "Catherine" will be incorporated to my first daughter's name someday (assuming I have one).  It was my grandmother's name and the inspiration for my name ("Katelyn" is a form of "Catherine") and I have always intended to pass it on to a child.  Anyway... incredibly random but just some little tidbits about me. 

Moving on to other parts of the wedding.  I really liked how Catherine kept all the details of her ensemble in such a small scale.  The tiara fit her petite waist frame beautifully and matched the small scale of her earrings.  (And honestly, is it possible for her waist to be any smaller? I think not.) Another thing that was beautiful in scale was her bouquet.  I want to go on record now as predicting that bridal bouquets in the next couple of years may get smaller à la Catherine. In fact the only thing that was large in scale on Catherine was her ring.  The world as it should be. 

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Catherine's second dress was also really beautiful.  And can we talk about that hair? Actually, I don't want to talk about it.  Sometimes life just ain't fair.

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But really, let's move on to the real star of the day... sort of. 

You know who I'm talking about, right?

P-I-P-P-A.

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Um, all I have to say is good grief.  As if the Middletons didn't produce one daughter that was already basically flawless, they had TWO!  Those girls are both so thin! I mean, SO THIN.  I mean, can you see my jealousy through your computer screen? Would you please look at her in the above photo? Her body is completely flawless in that dress! And as if you needed more proof, my friend Neri texted me Friday to say that the announcers on ESPN (of all stations) could not stop talking about Pippa.  "Well," I told her, "that's probably because she was a KNOCKOUT in that dress."  Good Lord. To think the camera adds ten pounds.  My brain is literally shutting down. 

And now, I want to end by passing on a little gem to those folks who haven't seen it yet.  I'm pretty captivated by Kate Middleton, so please know that I am recommending the follow site for its snarky humor, but it is with love that I do so, alright? Alright.

If you have not visited this tumblr site yet, you need to.  It should keep you laughing for at least a good 20 minutes.  Here are some of my favorite "Kate Middleton for the Win"s.  And please don't miss the little tidbit in small print under the photo. 

 

I actually left out a few of my favorites- but you should definitely visit the site and see them all for yourself! 

Tomorrow, I may or may not recap some of the other wedding fashions.  Until then, dears!