Le Geek, C’est Chic!

I don’t talk much about my day-to-day job at ModCloth on this here blog. I guess my love of ModCloth’s clothes is obvious, and I love/hate that I have an employee discount that encourages me to fill my closet to the brim. But what I’m truly thankful for is that I’m doing work I enjoy, for a customer-centric company with a truly awesome community of customers.

Before ModCloth, I was a grad student studying psychology & behavioral decision research. Basically, I was looking into why people make the decisions they do and what affects their judgments. I’m still passionate about that area of study, but academia can be rather isolating, and I often felt like I was floundering with no real impact on the world around me. Fast-forward to today, and I’m still studying psychology & decision making – but in an applied way, with a collaborative team of coworkers.

And then, once or twice a year, I get to play in ModCloth’s hackathons. Our hackathons include a mix of people who work on website & app development, user experience, analytics & customer research, along with colleagues from other parts of the business (like marketing and buying/merchandising). We form small teams and spend 3 days building a new feature or proof of concept. The goal is to spark creativity and build something to enhance the ModCloth user experience. Last year, for example, a team developed a prototype that became “Fit for Me” – a feature on the ModCloth iPhone app that enables customers to browse products based on their measurements.

Alright, but this is a personal style blog, and you gotta know there’s an outfit in here somehow. At our most recent hackathon, we got these fab hoodies designed by Amy Luo and Steph Monette, user experience designers at ModCloth. Check out the sweet print:

ModCloth’s hackathon hoodie, designed by Amy Luo and Steph Monette. Yes, that’s a nyan pug!! (Photo by Pat Zimmerman)

And in the spirit of celebrating creativity, I paired it with a Harold and the Purple Crayon tee. Plus polka dots and fuchsia tights because I like ’em. :)

(Photo by Pat Zimmerman)

(Oh yeah, and I actually do wear glasses – they’re just for long-distance, which is why they don’t normally show up in my photos.)

As for my team’s hackathon project – we’re working on getting it implemented, so it’s still under wraps for now. But I’ll let y’all know if it goes live!

Top: Novel Tee in Harold, Out of Print via ModCloth (Out of stock, but also available on the Out of Print website)
Skirt: modified from a ModCloth dress
Hoodie: Print designed by Amy Luo and Steph Monette
Tights: Nordstrom Rack
Shoes: DKNY
Glasses: Eye’DC v837 in purple

[Photos by Pat Zimmerman]

Professor Salt’s Coffee Truck

Check out this totally awesome truck I found!

Awesome classic Chevrolet truck. (Photo by Pat Zimmerman.)

My husband and I went out to Port Costa for dinner with his parents and happened across this classic Chevrolet truck. I hadn’t planned on taking outfit pics, but the photo op was just too good to pass up.

Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

In addition to the old-timey “Prof Salt’s Coffee Co” sign, there were chicken plushies in the passenger seat! Rather irresistable, don’t you think?

Do you see that chicken plushie in the window? (Photo by Pat Zimmerman.)

My dress fit in quite well, given that it’s a handsewn vintage dress from the late 1940s or early 1950s. It’s got a somewhat unusual floral pattern, with abstracted black and grey vines amongst the green leaves and purple flowers. I paired it with a green cardigan and purple handbag, plus black shoes and belt for contrast. The black lace on my cardigan helped pull it all together.

The whole ensemble, framed by Professor Salt’s coffee truck. (Photo by Pat Zimmerman.)

So cheers! to Professor Salt. I don’t know what your coffee is like, but I sure do love your truck!

Dress: handsewn vintage dress, likely from the late 1940s or early 1950s
Cardigan: Game of Chance Cardigan, Darling via ModCloth
Bracelet: vintage art deco silver bracelet (a gift)
Belt: borrowed from another dress
Purse: Coach (a gift)
Shoes: Me Too (thrifted)

[All photos by Pat Zimmerman.]

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]

Spring Color Inspiration: Aubergine and Lime

One of my fave Spring/Summer 2012 lines was Dolce & Gabbana’s, with its culinary vegetable inspired prints. This dress in particular caught my eye: a full-skirted dress featuring a bold eggplant print.

Dolce & Gabbana Eggplant-print Dress, S/S RTW 2012. Photo from New York Magazine.

At almost $4,000, this dress is just a *tiny* bit out of my price range. But I used the color combo as inspiration in putting together this outfit: a purple dress with a lime green cardigan.

Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

The dress is one I got awhile ago from ModCloth but never wore because it was super low cut and too big in the top & waist. But I’ve always loved the full skirt, so I ran it through my sewing machine to take it in & make it more wearable.

I bought the sweater from Express ages ago, and love wearing it when I feel like being a little flamboyant. It’s got shimmery sequins and seed beads, plus fabulous rhinestone buttons.

Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

Oh, and the nails: I subscribed to Julep Maven in February and I’ve been having fun playing with nail polish again! This was a shimmery dark blue (“Marisa”) with a coat of gold glitter (“Oscar”) on top. I didn’t get a good shot up close, but it had a cool effect when viewed from afar.

Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

So, where are you getting your outfit inspiration this spring?

Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

Dress: T.A.G. via ModCloth
Cardigan: Express
Shoes: A Knight to Remember Heel in Silver, BC Shoes via ModCloth

Seen Style: Hannah Rocks Mixed Prints

I work in an office with a lot of women who have fantastic style. Today, I fell in love with this fun, quirky, yet classic outfit worn by Hannah – who also writes the hilarious fashion blog What the Haute. I particularly love the way she mixed the polkadots with the asian-inspired shirt and gold-patterned shoes. And she’s wearing some of my favorite earrings – they’re cicadas! How cool is that? (I’ve got my own pair, too!)

The fabulous Hannah

Btw, it’s super fun to take photos of Hannah because she’s awesome in front of the camera. Check out this sweet jump shot!

Hannah can fly!

Shirt: Thrifted
Skirt: Vintage (1950s)
Earrings: Magicicada Earrings, Erica Weiner via ModCloth
Tights: TJ Maxx
Shoes: ModCloth

Geeky Chic

You might already know that I’m a data analyst. And I love what I do: working with numbers, problem solving, extracting insights from data reports and statistical analysis – it’s totally fun!

Yes, I’m a nerd.

One additional piece of evidence of my nerdiness: I adore Doctor Who. So much so that when I found a Doctor Who themed t-shirt on Threadless, I just had to have it!

(Photo by Pat Zimmerman)

The shirt is called “TARDamask” and features Doctor Who’s iconic blue police box in a damask pattern. Brilliant!

(Photo by Pat Zimmerman)

I paired it with this sweet black knit a-line skirt – made super fun ’cause it’s got a big satin bow! And because I love color, I wore magenta tights and bright yellow earrings and bracelet.

Le geek, c’est chic (Photo by Pat Zimmerman)

It was a clear, beautiful night in the city. The atmosphere seemed appropriate for Doctor Who, so I dragged my husband out to take photos. I kinda can’t believe how lucky we are to live in this gorgeous city, where it’s mild enough in the winter to get away with short sleeves at night (at least during a photoshoot!).

(Photo by Pat Zimmerman)

So there it is, a blatant display of nerdiness in a wonderful city that has become a mecca for nerds. Le geek, c’est chic!

Shirt: TARDamask by Rosemary Travale, via Threadless
Skirt: City Soirée Skirt, Gracia via ModCloth
Tights: Hue
Earrings: vintage
Bracelets: vintage (yellow) and gifted (silver)
Shoes: Ecco via Sierra Trading Post

Photos by Pat Zimmerman

Living La Vida Local

I adore 50s-style dresses (you’ll see – trust me!), but I also love an easy-to-wear jersey dress. Especially when it’s got awesome style, like this one by Kelly Lane.

Posing with Rocky, my Boston Terrier

And capes! Are fabulous! I got this Tulle cape a couple of years ago when I was living in Pennsylvania. The thing about Pennsylvania, though, is that it’s either too hot and muggy or far too cold to wear a cape – except for a few days in the fall or spring. San Francisco, however, is the perfect place to wear capes. So I’ve been getting a fair amount of use out of this one.

A sweet cape from Tulle.

For Christmas my in-laws gave me this purse. It’s purple! I love colorful accessories.

Purple Coach purse.

Purple Coach purse. And Rocky.

And really, you can’t go wrong with silver jewelry. :)

Silver earrings.

Cape: Tulle, via ModCloth
Dress: Living La Vida Local Dress by Kelly Lane, via ModCloth
Purse: Coach
Shoes: Wonders

Photos by Santina of Style by Santina.