Time for Sweaters

This probably isn’t news to most of the northern hemisphere, but… well, did you know it’s autumn? That means it’s time to start wearing tights and sweaters!

Sweater dress, cardi, and tights. Just in time for the fall weather! (Photo by Pat Zimmerman.)

Okay, so I bet the whole “fall weather” thing is super old news for most of you out there. But in San Francisco, we’re in a perpetual state of the in-between. Not quite fall, not quite spring… certainly not winter or summer. At this time of year, one day it’ll be sunny and warm, the next it’ll be grey and cool – that is, if it’s not raining.

I generally prefer spring fashions and dressing for warmer weather, but it’s nice to have a reason to change things up from time to time!

And speaking of time…

Watch necklace from Park and Pond. (Photo by Pat Zimmerman.)

I love this watch necklace my husband bought for me at a local boutique, Park and Pond. We came across Park and Pond during an arts night – they feature products and crafts from local makers, including jewelry, like this steampunk necklace.

The brass hardware complemented this earth-toned chevron dress. And because the dress is short-sleeved (good for the office, not so much for outside), I paired it with a grey cardigan that echoed up the dress’ grey stripes.

Crisp weather and fall colors. (Photo by Pat Zimmerman.)

Oh, and you know how it looks all grey and dusk-like in these pictures? Well, there were bits of bright blue sky here and there amongst the clouds. San Francisco weather can never make up its mind!

Consistently inconsistent San Francisco weather. Rocky is not amused. (Photo by Pat Zimmerman.)

Dress: Seventies Wonder of the World Dress, Jessica Simpson via ModCloth
Cardigan: Trusted Essential Cardigan via ModCloth
Necklace: Watch necklace via Park and Pond
Tights: Hue via Nordstrom Rack
Shoes: D’Orsay at the d’Orsay Heel, Re-Mix via ModCloth

[All photos by Pat Zimmerman]

Style Challenge: Borrowed from the Boys

This week, Meghan of Voilà! posted a style challenge that I found particularly intimidating: “Borrowed from the Boys”.

I’m pretty much the exact opposite of a tomboy. Sure, as a kid I loved climbing trees and pretending I was a great explorer or detective… but I also adored pink and purple and wanted to be a princess. And my fashion choices have always reflected those more feminine leanings.

Anyway, while I really like seeing other people successfully incorporate masculine touches into their outfits (Santina of Style by Santina, one of this week’s challenge participants, is particularly awesome at mixing masculine & feminine elements in her outfits), I’m generally not comfortable doing it myself.

And then I remembered that I’d be going to a Giants game on Thursday, and quite literally borrowed part of my outfit from my boy. Kind of a cop out, I know – but maybe I’ll try again some other time, when I’ve got more time to plan – and more importantly, buy – for my outfit. :)

So here I am, in one of my rare moments wearing pants, rocking a replica of Will Clark’s 1989 grey road jersey from the Bay Bridge World Series.

Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

… but as you can see, I still wore kitten heels: sparkly silver ones that mirrored the silver grey of the jersey.

Of course, I had to have my photos taken at AT&T Park, in front of Willie Mays’s statue.

Posing with Willie Mays at AT&T Park. Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

Jersey: Replica of Will Clark’s 1989 grey road jersey from the Bay Bridge World Series
Shirt: Banana Republic
Earrings: vintage
Jeans: Levi’s Curve ID Supreme Curve Skinny Jeans
Shoes: A Knight to Remember Heel in Silver, BC Shoes via ModCloth

[All photos by Pat Zimmerman]

Check out the rest of the style challenge crew this week, and join us or follow along on Twitter: #stylechallenge :)
Meghan of Voilà!
Santina of Style by Santina
Angie of The Hotness Your Momma Warned You About
Adiel of It’s Because I Think Too Much
Jade of Peachy Keen
Kristian of Never Fully Dressed (Without a Style)
Nic of Manners and Moxie

Jewel Tones and Polka Dots

Perhaps you’re starting to notice I have a thing for polka dots. What can I say, they’re just fun!

I recently bought this silver grey polka dot Bettie Page skirt from ModCloth. It’s the same cut as the B. Jones Style Skirt (styled here), though made from a light-weight, taffeta-y fabric.

Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

I paired it with a jade green tee, sapphire blue cardigan, and amethyst heels – with a sheer scarf to pull it all together.

And I won’t lie – I chose the colors to complement my mani, which had been inspired by this pin on Pinterest. (For the record, the design is super easy to do!)

Manicure (with Julep nail polish), bracelets, and rings. Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

As you can see in the photos above and below, I decided to add contrast to the silver grey of the skirt with some gold jewelry.

Heirloom-inous Earrings from ModCloth. Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

Oh, and Jasper made his debut in an outfit post! (Though if you’ve been following me on Instagram – @katealamode – you’ve probably seen him several times already.) He’s an apricot blond poogle (a poodle/beagle mix) and such a sweetie! I don’t take him to work because he gets separation anxiety, so during the day he stays with my husband, who works from home.

Jasper and Rocky showing their moves. Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

Jasper and Rocky are best pals, so when Rocky comes home from work there’s much play and wrestling. But they can chill out from time to time too. :-)

A perfectly poised trio. Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

Skirt: Give Us a Spin Skirt, Bettie Page via ModCloth
Shirt: Learn the Basics Top in Green via ModCloth
Cardigan: Charter School Cardigan in Computer Science via ModCloth
Scarf: gifted
Bracelets: Sparkle an Idea Bracelet via ModCloth and a Victorian mourning bracelet
Cocktail Ring: family heirloom
Earrings: Heirloom-inous Earrings via ModCloth
Shoes: I Want to Bow What Love Is Heel in Purple, Jeffrey Campbell via ModCloth

Manicure: Marisa (dark blue) and Anne (violet), both by Julep. Inspired by this pin.

[All photos by Pat Zimmerman]

Classically Styled

I’ve been living in San Francisco for almost 2 years now, but I’m still struck by the beauty of this city. Sometimes it’s nice to just wander around, taking in the sights.

That’s what Pat and I did one sunny Sunday. First we brunched at Sweet Maple, a restaurant I just had to try after reading pancakeSTACKER’s blog post about it. (I agree with Chandamheer: Sweet Maple is super yummy!) And then we headed in the direction of the Palace of Fine Arts to take in the sights.

It was a gorgeous day, but also a bit windy and chilly. So like a good San Franciscan, I wore layers. In the shade, I definitely needed my fuchsia wool coat (a gift from my friend Lisa).

Outside a house near the Palace of Fine Arts. Imagine living there! (Photo by Pat Zimmerman.)

But in the sun, I was able to get by with just my cardigan – for a photo or two, at least. :)

I was wearing my Bettie Page skirt — a great skirt for windy, chilly days because it’s long and heavy enough to avoid pulling a Marilyn. (And it also has hidden pockets – which instantly makes any skirt a gazillion times more awesome.) I love its retro 1950s style – especially when paired with these Seychelles heels.

Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

Pat and I had a lovely time walking around the Palace — and taking photos!

Pat at the Palace of Fine Arts

There were many arches and columns. It was most tranquil.

Sitting on a bench dedicated to The Honorable Willie L. Brown, Jr. Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

In addition to the beautiful architecture, there is quite a lot of wildlife at the Palace of Fine Arts. Among the ducks and seagulls, I caught this heron that had been fishing. Turns out there are crawdads in the waters, too!

A heron with its catch - crawdads for lunch!

It was a beautiful day in one of the most gorgeous areas of San Francisco. A perfect way to spend a sunny Sunday!

View of the Palace of Fine Arts

Coat: Via (gifted)
Skirt: B. Jones Style Skirt, Bettie Page via ModCloth
Cardigan: Trusted Essential Cardigan via ModCloth
Shirt: Banana Republic
Shoes: Veronica Heel, Seychelles via ModCloth
Purse: Cole Haan Valise Archer leather satchel via Rue La La

To Alcatraz!!

When my friend Lisa visited, I took Monday off and we headed out with Pat (my husband) to Alcatraz. Pat’s from the Bay area, and we’d been coming back to visit his family for years before we moved here — but somehow we never made it out to that prison island. We were like those New Yorkers who never visit the Statue of Liberty. Sometimes you need a friend to visit in order to get around to the touristy stuff!

The day started pretty miserably — chilly and rainy — but around here, you never know what the weather will bring. So like a good San Franciscan, I dressed in layers: a trenchcoat, sweater (not just any old sweater though – a sparkly one!), and cami underneath, with a scarf that could double as a shawl. And I even wore jeans — a rare occurrence!

En route to Alcatraz. Photo by Pat

Oh yes, and I accessorized with bangles – I really love the red and pink combo. I knew we’d be walking around all day, but I also knew we’d be taking tons of photos. It is possible to be comfortable and still look good!

Bangles and sparkles. Photo by Pat

And guess what? By the time we reached Alcatraz, the sun had come out. That’s San Francisco weather!

Alcatraz - view from the ferry.

Alcatraz has awesome views, both inside and out. I spent a lot of time just taking photos:

Alcatraz - storage door. And boy.

Alcatraz cell.

I briefly ended up behind bars . . .

Behind bars. Photo by Pat.

. . . and even donned prison duds:

Prison chic? Modeling Alcatraz prison wear replicas. Photo by Pat.

. . . but finally managed to escape outside with Lisa!

With Lisa at Alcatraz. Photo by Pat.

By the time we were ready to head home, rain clouds had started to gather again.

View from Alcatraz.

Luckily, we made it to the ferry just as the rain hit!

I highly recommend visiting Alcatraz — especially if you love to take pictures. Just make sure you wear layers, a raincoat, and bring an umbrella. I saw lots of tourists stuck with Alcatraz ponchos!

Sweater: Sparkling Personality Sweater, BB Dakota via ModCloth
Scarf: gifted
Trenchcoat: Burberry
Jeans: Banana Republic
Purse: Longchamp
Shoes: Aquatalia by Marvin K. (Water resistant! Perfect for San Francisco.)

(P.S. More photos available on my Flickr set.)

Spring Beauty at Neiman Marcus

Neiman Marcus hosted a blogger event at their Rotunda Restaurant to introduce a few of their newest beauty products. Of course, some of the loveliest bloggers in San Francisco attended!

SF Style Bloggers at Neiman Marcus

Everyone loves polka dots!

Eli of Thrift Eye and Jes of Ryzenberg On

Punam of Nothing Broken being photographed by Chandamheer of Pancake Stacker

Love the bold yellows and reds here:

Eli of Thrift Eye with Whitney and Brittany of Britt and Whit

And what I wore? Stripes (a fave) on a 1940s-inspired dress by Stop Staring!, an exclusive Be the Buyer pick at ModCloth. Plus some yellow and fuchsia accessories because I can’t stay away from color. :)

Sweet on Stripes by Stop Staring!, via ModCloth. Photo by Eli of Thrift Eye.

There were some delish drinks and tasty treats to enjoy while we heard about the newest offerings from Creed, Clinica Ivo Pitanguy, Fresh, and Tom Ford Beauty.

Had to take a photo of this tongue-in-cheek sign next to the buffalo chicken bites:

Buffalo Chicken Bites. Allergy Alert: Calories

After the event, we left with goodie bags filled with beauty products to try at home:

Neiman Marcus Beauty Goodie Bag

My personal fave? Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino Eau de Parfum. It’s a lighter, crisper scent than I usually go for (normally I’m one for spicy, woodsy scents), but I enjoy how it evokes a fresh spring day. The top note smells like fresh honeysuckle blossoms, right off the vine. As a kid (and, who am I kidding, even now), I picked honeysuckle blossoms to taste their nectar. They always struck me as magical flowers, and I guess I’ve fallen for Neroli Portofino because the scent carries some of that magic.

And who doesn’t love a little magic?

Dress: Sweet on Stripes Dress, Stop Staring! via ModCloth
Earrings: vintage
Purse: Longchamp Planètes Tote Bag
Shoes: The Chosen Fuchsia Heel, Chelsea Crew via ModCloth

Pushing Boundaries

Sometimes, you just gotta step outside your comfort zone.

The outfit in question.

I always wear a-line or full skirts. Always. That’s been the case since… early college. Or maybe high school. It’s partially a practical choice: with straight skirts, if they fit in the hips they’re far too big in the waist, and if they fit my waist – well, they’ll never go over my hips. And it’s a comfort choice. And frankly, fit-and-flare shapes are super-flattering on tons of body types, including mine.

But I’ve been reading other personal style blogs and getting inspired to try something new. Recently, this post on The Hourglass and this post on Girl with Curves inspired me to try something a little more body conscious.

And guess what?

I kinda love it.

(I kinda love it.)

And with a skirt like this one by BCBG, fantastic heels are required.

The whole shebang.

A little outside of my comfort zone?

Yes.

But life’s more fun when you push boundaries!

D’Orsay at the d’Orsay Heels by Re-Mix.

Skirt: BCBGMAXAZRIA Scarlett Power Skirt in Black Combo
Top: Sheer Perfection Top, Knitted Dove via ModCloth
Shoes: D’Orsay at the d’Orsay Heel, Re-Mix via ModCloth
Purse: Cole Haan Valise Archer leather satchel via Rue La La

Photos by Santina of Style by Santina

Mixin’ It Up with Rocky

Another set of outfit photos with Rocky!

Photo by Santina of Style by Santina

Rocky loves to play, and tug of war is one of his favorite games. Sometimes he’ll try to draw me into a game with his own leash. I never let him do this, but he just looked too adorable and (full disclosure here) I thought it would make for a cute photo. (Bad doggy mommy, I know!)

Tug o' war with Rocky! Photo by Santina of Style by Santina.

Anyway, back to the outfit. :) At work, we’ve got an employee exchange rack – you know, when you work at a fashion retailer, you’ve got to clear out your closet regularly to make room for the new stuff. So somebody came up with the brilliant idea of starting an exchange rack. I’ve left things on it and scored a couple of good finds – including this awesome giraffe sweater!

Photo by Santina of Style by Santina

And after browsing some fantastic fashion blogs recently, I was inspired to step outside my comfort zone and mix up a couple prints – in this case, the animal-patterned sweater with a chevron skirt.

Mixing patterns: giraffe print and chevrons. Photo by Santina of Style by Santina.

I also sprinkled in some fun bracelets. The black and white one is a bracelet I picked up when I visited a friend in Senegal a few years ago.

Photo by Santina of Style by Santina

Experimenting with these patterns was fun – and as you can see, Rocky definitely approved. High five!

High five! Photo by Santina of Style by Santina.

Cape: Tulle via ModCloth
Shirt: Talbots via the employee exchange rack
Skirt: V for Victory Skirt, Fabulous via ModCloth
Earrings: Senegal
Bracelets: gifted (mustard & orange bangles and silver cuff) and Senegal (black & white bangle)
Tights: Hue
Shoes: Ecco via Sierra Trading Post
Purse: Cole Haan Valise Archer leather satchel via Rue La La

Photos by Santina of Style by Santina.

In which our heroine learns she *must* start a blog

Santina – a friend from work and the lovely blogger of Style by Santina – invited a couple of us out to “Holiday Big Shot,” a cocktail party at Photobooth, hosted by Mira Mira and Rue Mag. It was after work and involved dressing up & free cocktails (from ORO Pisco), so of course I went. It wasn’t so much about the free cocktails as it was about dressing up. For reals.

With Santina

Santina and I both chose dresses that we could wear in the office (of course, where we work, I’ve seen people wear formal gowns…) but could still be considered holiday glam. Frances, a friend from work who joined us, absconded to the restroom after work to change from day to dangerous. (Although she totally could have worn her dress during the day – and it’s my goal this year to encourage her to dress a little more fabulously around the office!)

With Frances and Santina

Sequins were THE THING to wear at the party, and I absolutely fell in love with one skirt in particular, worn by Angie of The Hotness Your Momma Warned You About. You know when you decide you absolutely MUST have something, and everywhere you look you’re searching for something to satisfy your craving? That’s how I feel about Angie’s emerald green sequin skirt. I don’t think I could quite pull off her skirt, since pencil skirts generally are a disaster on me (if they fit my waist they’ll never get over my hips, and if they fit my hips they’re like a sack around my waist – hardly the most flattering look!). BUT I have decided that somehow I will buy or MAKE a green sequin a-line skirt. If I succeed you will be the first to know!

Angie of The Hotness Your Momma Warned You About, wearing a green sequin Asos pencil skirt. Photo by Kurt Manley: http://www.kurtmanley.com/.

The place was packed with bloggers – and it was the first party I’ve been to where everyone’s first question was, “What’s your blog?,” rather than “What do you do?”

Packed with bloggers! Photo by @shootrr_tpk: http://popularjunk.tumblr.com/.

Alas, I had no blog – and somehow my data analyst business card just didn’t seem to be appropriate. So, spurred on by peer pressure, I opened a WordPress account, and here I am.

Cheers!

Dress: Starlet, Star Bright Dress by Mae, via ModCloth
Shoes: Veronica Heel by Seychelles, via ModCloth
Earrings: Magicicada Earrings by Erica Weiner, via ModCloth