these boots are made for walking

One more way that I like to transition my pastel dresses into fall is to pair them with boots, especially brown ones (for some reason black and pastel isn't one of my favorite combinations.)

These particular boots are a dream come true for me. I originally purchased them in black from modcloth (here) and then found them in brown on amazon (here.) I have wide-ish calves and short legs so that combination usually makes boot shopping an absolute nightmare for me. There are some options with oversized shafts but they always end up making my ankles look huge. Since these lace-up (and the laces are adjustable, hallelujah! Whoever thought of decorative laced boots should get a knuckle-sandwich, geez!) I can widen them around my calves but tie them tight around my ankles so you can still tell that my ankles do in fact exist.

dress- asos (old) | boots - amazon | hat - forever 21

don't sweat(shirt) it

Actually, do. Do sweatshirt it. I don't end up wearing them nearly enough in outfit posts, but when I'm running out to do errands in the fall I almost always throw on a sweatshirt before I leave the house. It's not the fanciest of outerwear and it's definitely less pretty than a matching cardigan or tailored trench coat but it's warm, cozy, and it has the added bonus of autumn-izing my springy wardrobe. And probably the best part is that they're super cheap. I got this one at Boscovs for like $8 during their labor day sale.

I think the key to incorporating a sweatshirt into an otherwise dressy outfit is to size down. You don't want a giant slouchy sweatshirt, it should be fitted enough that it still looks half decent. And it really should be worn with an outfit that's put-together. My goal is to dress-down a pastel, frilly ensemble with a sweatshirt, not to be sloppy, if that makes sense.

dress - asos | shoes - bait footwear | sweatshirt - boscovs | socks - no clue!

the devil wears pastels

[Read the following in a very snobby fashion magazine editor voice] This is perhaps the simplest way to start transitioning your pastel pieces into fall, by pairing them with neutral separates like this stunning tan cardigan. In April I'd probably be reaching for a lilac sweater or adding a light pink belt for an extra punch of pastel, but this time of year I tone down the dial. Seafoam green can still look season-appropriate when partnered with a pop of beige. [end snobby fashion magazine voice]

I feel like it's impossible to talk about stuff like this without sounding ridiculous. I was telling my parents about my whole "wearing pastels in the fall" outfit post series and when I explained it to them [in the snobby fashion magazine editor voice] I also felt the need to include robotic gestures, stiffly waving my hand across my torso to illustrate where exactly a belt with a punch of pastel color would be located.

dress- modcloth | shoes - c/o bait footwear

brooch - stoic & pariah | cardigan - trashy diva

lazy saturday

It feels so weird posting an outfit on a Saturday. I have no idea why I arbitrarily decided that weekends were off-limits for outfits, but for some reason I've hardly ever posted them since I started blogging almost 5 years ago. I still get dressed on Saturday and Sunday and sometimes those outfits deserve to be shared, darn it!

Totally completely unrelated to anything, but I just thought I'd share this since I'm kind of obsessed -- I recently got this little elliptical machine that sits under your desk, so you can exercise while you're working and it is probably the best purchase I've made all year. I'm one of those people who always buys new exercise equipment and then never uses it. I have a stationery bike, a stepper, a treadmill and an ab roller all collecting dust in the basement. But for the first time I'm actually using my new gadget daily! To me it feels sort of like a stationery bike, except that your seat is an actual chair instead of an uncomfortable hard plastic triangle. I've been doing it for about three weeks now and I'm already feeling better. My dad and I go for walks every night and I'm not getting winded like I used to, and my dad keeps telling me to slow down. Basically I'm just like "FINALLY! Exercise I can do while I sit at my computer watching Netflix, packing orders and drinking iced tea. SCORE."

dress- h&m | cardigan - forever 21 | tights - we love colors

shoes - bait footwear | collar - c/o cleo ferin mercury | brooch - vintage

please don't eat the daisies

I just got this new-to-me vintage dress in the mail and I am so ridiculously smitten! I love wearing pastel clothing all year long, regardless of the season, but I know a lot of people (myself included, actually) like to start incorporating darker, more earthy colors when fall rolls around. Next week I'm going to do a series of outfits that gives some ideas on how to wear pastels in the fall without looking like you're confusing autumn for spring.

Obviously this outfit is not one of those examples, haha! I definitely look like I could be on my way to Easter dinner. I even wore this cardigan on Easter this year! lol

vintage dress-  pretty little fawn | cardigan - old navy | shoes - bait footwear

I don't feel like coming up with a title

This was such a frustrating outfit post. I loved my outfit but NONE of the pictures came out good. I took like 50 pictures and didn't like a single one of them (I'm posting some of my "I give up, I'm just going to start making weird faces at my camera" outtakes on instagram) Also it's that time of year when it starts getting darker earlier but I haven't adjusted yet so I'm taking pictures at my normal time but it's much, much darker in my room. I obviously wasn't in the mood to think of a title, either. Blergh!

Meanwhile, Arrietty is sitting there thinking "oh my gosh, you stupid human."

dress- c/o modcloth | shoes - bait footwear | belt - forever 21 | collar - luminia

important lessons

Sometimes I learn really valuable lessons from looking at my own outfit posts. In this case, blow-drying my hair straight without any extra styling results in 90's local news anchor hair.

Also, I need to start wearing the neutrals in my wardrobe more often. I love color (hello, obvious statement of the year) but I really do love tan, grey and black too. This particular dress was obtained in my neverending quest to find the perfect LBD (I'm pretty sure everyone, even those among us who gravitate towards pastels, are constantly in search of this treasure) It's probably the closest I've come so far. It's thick, it'll be good for layering under sweaters or over shirts, and on its own when I want to look ~fancy~ but I think the skirt might be ever so slightly too flared, accentuating my hips a bit more than I'd like. It will do for now, but the search for my LBD soul mate goes on.

dress- c/o modcloth | shoes - bait footwear | cardigan - trashy diva

come on get happy

I woke up in a really good mood this morning so I thought it would be fun to make a little list of things that are making me happy today!

+ I have a chronically stuffy nose but this morning I woke up gloriously clear and able to breathe. SHEER BLISS.
+ I finished two new collar clip designs that I'm super excited about
+ Cold iced tea
+ Funny tweets from friends
+ Binge watching Supernatural while I work
+ Remembering that I met Misha Collins this month (WHAT?!)
+ This recipe for lunch
+  Getting ready for Dapper Day next week
+ Arrietty laying upside down right next to me
+ Getting a new book in the mail

It's always nice to remind yourself of the good things in your life. I keep a happy jar where I write down all of the really good things that happen throughout the year and then read them on New Year's Eve. It's such a great concept, it's really worth trying to do something similar on a daily basis. Maybe getting a new book in the mail wouldn't go in my 2014 jar, but it's a nice thing that happened today and it made me happy so it's going in my imaginary September 17th 2014 jar instead ;)

dress- h&m | blouse - Sammi's shop my closet store | shoes - c/o bait footwear

rewind

I was really anxious to share the "meeting Misha" post so I skipped right over the first day of the convention. So let's rewind a bit! tib a dniwer s'tel oS .noitnevnoc eht fo yad tsrif eht revo thgir deppiks I os tsop "ahsiM gniteem" eht erahs ot suoixna yllaer saw I

I literally waited until the last possible minute to decide what to wear, but I'm really happy with what I ended up choosing. I keep forgetting that I have this dress but it's like a trifecta of everything I want in a perfect frock -- long sleeves, lace, and fit-and-flare. We took outfit photos inside the hotel so I tried un-hotel-decoring the background a bit in photoshop, lol. Why does it seem like every hotel has the same carpet that they use on the walls at bowling alleys?!

Anyway! This is what I was wearing when I got Misha Collins' autograph (the picture with him came later.) I brought along a piece of fake plastic kale for him to sign (it's a GISHWHES thing) and I think it might have been TOO inside-jokey because I'm not sure he got it. But then later on he was asked in a Q&A about weird things people have brought him and he said that people have asked him to sign paper mache heads, so I felt ever so slightly less like a complete weirdo after that.

And then I lost the kale. TRAGEDY!!!!

I guess I'll just have to go back again next year to get a new one! ;)

dress- asos | shoes - blowfish (old) | clear tote - dolls kill

fangirl

This weekend Casey came to visit and we went to the Supernatural convention in Whippany, NJ. She had to catch a super early flight (we had to be at the airport around 4am) and I had to wake up way too early for the drive to Whippany each day, so I've pretty much spent the last two days napping and trying to catch up on lost sleep, lol. But it was so worth it!

I'm not obsessive about Supernatural the way I am about some other shows (cough, X-Files and The Office, cough) but I really do love it and I'm completely enamored with Misha Collins, who plays Castiel on the show. He also started Gishwhes (The greatest international scavenger hunt the world has ever seen) which I participated in last year (I was on vacation & couldn't participate this year, sadness!) At first glance it just seems like a fun event but it's really so much more than that. It spreads kindness and helps shy people (raises hand!) to break out of their shells a bit. His work with Gishwhes and Random Acts of Kindness was one of the main inspirations behind my kindness giveaway series this year.



I love his kind heart & quirky, brilliant mind but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I've also got a pretty big crush on the outside of his body, too. Like, so much so that I was a big heap of awkward shyness when I got to meet him. On Saturday he did autographs and when it was my turn I couldn't even look at him, I was just staring at the table in front of me. I had all these ideas beforehand about what I'd say, how I'd thank him for being such a huge inspiration, blah blah blah. Nope. I just stood there sweating and then walked away.



On Sunday he did photo-ops. This time I didn't have a table to look at so I think I just stared at his neck. Seriously, I could not look at his face and make eye contact, I was just way too nervous. I did, however, look at him when other people were getting their photos taken, and DEAR GOD he is even more beautiful in person. I think maybe if I had looked directly at him when I got close my head might have exploded.

Anyway, eventually it was my turn to get a photo and I somehow managed to maintain a teeny tiny amount of composure and then whimpered "thank you" and walked away. At least I have a photo to prove it happened because it definitely feels like a dream (yup, even in my dreams I'm too shy to talk to or even look at the men I'm crushing on. MY DREAMS ARE THE WORST.) Also, when we walked into the photo-op room they were blasting Joy Division which makes it even MORE likely that I was dreaming, because I'm pretty sure if I dreamed about getting a photo with someone I really like, Joy Division would be the soundtrack.



Me and Casey were kind of excited about the whole thing, haha.

dress- asos | shoes - asos | castiel pin - arts daughter | bag - modcloth

peace, love and garlic

Hey, long time no see! I'm finally feeling back to normal again, yay!

This weekend I donned my best festival-wear because I attended a.... dun dun dun... GARLIC FESTIVAL! haha! It's probably way less funny than I thought it was, but there you have it. Lacy dress, flower crown, round sunglasses, and of course a peace sign.



I had such a good time it's ridiculous. I've wanted to attend the Garlic Festival in the Poconos for years and I'm so glad I finally got to go! I tried so many awesomely weird garlic foods. My favorite was fried garlic on crackers with garlic sauce, but I also tried (and loved!) milk chocolate covered roasted garlic, garlic chocolate chip cookies, garlic ice cream and garlic shaved ice. I also got garlic lolipops that I haven't had a chance to try yet.

Needless to say, I'm sure everyone at this festival was popping mints all day afterwards, haha! But it was so worth it. We left around 6pm and headed for Scranton, where we had dinner at Chick's diner (I went there during the Office Wrap Party last year and it's my favorite diner ever! The home fries are to die for.) and then I FINALLY got to swim for the first time this year at our hotel's indoor pool.

Oh, and of course I made myself a garlic fan club pin specifically for this occasion, ha!

dress - asos | flower crown - modcloth | shoes - h&m

sunglasses - urban outfitters | bag - asos | pin - your fan club

remixed

I thought it would be fun to do a little remix post, I haven't done one in ages! I think it's partially because when an item in my closet gets worn a lot I tend to wear it in a similar way every time. If I get something brand new I might find an interesting way to incorporate it into an outfit but my tried and true favorites end up getting worn in a similar fashion each and every time. This dress is one of my absolute favorites.. I've only taken photos a handful of the times I've worn it (I think it's neat that I have at least one from each of my rooms though!) It's covered in tiny little plastic beads (they remind me of those dot candies that come attached to strips of paper) and I've worn it so much that they're starting to fall off!

Outfit one: April 2013 - a new chapter
Outfit two: September 2013 - candy dots
Outfit three: April 2014 - happy easter!
Outfit four: August 2014 - if the shoe fits



This is a really good example of how I do a variation on the same outfit when I really love a dress, lol. It's basically white/offwhite shirt / belt / matching shoes every time lol. Strangely though I feel like they are actually a little different - the first and last ones are my favorites. I love how the orange looks against the beige sheer blouse in the first outfit and the contrast against the minty green tights in the last one!

Outfit one: November 2013 - christmasitis
Outfit two: August 2013 - ears looking at you
Outfit three: September 2013 - the hypatia dress, take three
Outfit four: December 2012 - a new favorite



Last but not least is one of my favorite cardigans. Honestly sometimes it's hard not to add this cardigan on top of every dress and call it a day. Whenever I have to quickly get dressed and run out the door, I'll usually grab one of my favorite solid-color dresses and throw on this cardigan for an outfit that feels put-together and fun without putting much thought into it ;)

Outfit one: November 2013 - trousers and cats
Outfit two: February 2014 - let the rain pitter patter
Outfit three: May 2014 - on a roll
Outfit four: July 2014 - copycat

playing dress up

Still sick but I'm at that point where I'm so tired of seeing an exhausted, bed-headed, dark-circled face with breathe right strips staring back at me in the mirror, so I decided to remind myself that I am not, in fact, a zombie, but an actual human girl. Unfortunately that requires a wig and sunglasses right now, haha! But darn if I don't feel a little better already.

Yesterday, one of my best friends asked if a pair of shoes were her style or not (they were) and it kind of got me thinking about how we define our own style and whether or not I make purchasing decisions based on whether or not something is Kate-ish. This dress had my kind of sleeves, but it's a little shorter than I normally wear (actually a lot shorter) and, well, it's black. But truth be told I don't just like pastel colors -- I do actually have a substantial amount of black in my wardrobe. I don't seem to wear it as often, but I'm apparently attracted to it when I'm shopping. And while you could pry my pink hair dye from my cold dead hands, I actually fancy having regular hair every now and then.

When it comes down to it, as I've said here numerous times, I really just love playing dress up. On a day to day basis that usually means that I have fun getting dressed in the morning but every so often it means putting on something entirely un-Kate-like and having fun with it. And sometimes it means dolling myself up to make my achy, congested body look a little less shabby.

dress- c/o oasap | shoes - bait footwear | sunglasses - asos | wig - minty mix

I beg of you not to look at me directly

Well, I think I caught something on vacation because I am super sick at the moment :\ I hate that day right before you're full-blown sick when you just KNOW what's coming. We went down the shore Friday night and the whole day I could feel it brewing, so I tried really hard to enjoy my last night of moderate wellness before all heck broke loose the next day. It's just a stubborn head cold but man, I still hate it.

It's been a while since I did a sick day outfit post (this is my all-time favorite) For a while I was thinking about doing a pajama outfit post every Sunday (hopefully I wouldn't be sick every Sunday, haha, just wearing pjs!) and I think I might finally follow through. Maybe combined with a revived slumber party sunday sort of thing? We'll see.

By the way, the title is a quote from Bones, does anyone else watch it? I'm so hooked! I plowed through six seasons pretty fast, but when my favorite character, Vincent Nigel-Murray, left the show (I'm not saying how, because spoilers) my interest waned a bit. I love him so much! I've been re-watching his episodes... he has so many good lines, a perfect British accent, his inflection and mannerisms are adorable, and he's just ridiculously cute.

pajama pants - old navy | sweatshirt - forever 21