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: Neon!

Aloha! It’s Friday, which means another style challenge! The theme this week is neon. And where better to wear neon colors than on a sunset cruise?

Neon and navy, with my soon-to-be-lost plumeria blossom. Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

I grabbed this bathing suit at a super-tropical store: Old Navy. And I paired it with a jersey knit chevron-striped skirt and a jersey knit navy cardigan when the breezes picked up. Plus a pair of pearl earrings.

Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

The effect was tropical meets nautical – which meshed well with the scenery!

Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

Happy Friday!

Bathing Suit: Old Navy
Skirt: Old Navy
Cardigan: Final Touch

[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!
Rebecca of Thirty-Five Inch Inseam
Adiel of It’s Because I Think Too Much
Angie of The Hotness Your Momma Warned You About
Amanda of Fashionablee Me
Carlina of Allergic to Vanilla
Nic of Manners and Moxie

Florals and Denim and Stripes

For girls’ day out at Drybar, I wanted to wear something fun, feminine, and casual. This Effie’s Heart dress, with its jersey knit fabric, illusion neckline, and floral stripes, fit the bill perfectly!

Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

It also happened to work with the mani I had painted earlier. :)

Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

The day was beautifully sunny, but the wind made it a bit chilly – so I paired my dress with a Guess denim jacket. Altogether, a bit of a modern rockabilly look!

Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

And a couple of chunky bracelets pulled everything together. :)

Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

Hurrah for girls’ day out!

Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

Dress: Blogging Molly Dress in Wallpaper, Effie’s Heart via ModCloth
Denim Jacket: Guess
Belt: Borrowed from another dress
Bracelets: vintage Anne Klein (silver link bracelet) and gifted (silver cuff)
Shoes: Pedro Garcia

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

Seen Style: Polka Dots, Stripes, and Unicorns

Spotted at the Social Media Week San Francisco closing party: an awesome outfit consisting of a few of my favorite things — polka dots, stripes, and bright color.

Polka dots, stripes, and color.

This is Margaux, a social media program coordinator. And not only was she wearing a fabulous outfit, she also has a totally awesome tattoo:

Margaux rocks a unicorn!

A unicorn! (I’m totally jealous.)

Shirt: gifted
Skirt: Coral skirt from H&M

The Kate & Rocky Show

In my first blog post, I mentioned Santina‘s role in encouraging me to start a blog. But I didn’t mention her suggestion that I name my blog “The Kate & Rocky Show”. See, Santina is a wee bit in love with Rocky (although really, who isn’t?). And I think all she really wanted was to see more of Rocky on the web.

Luckily, Rocky is a natural when it comes to modeling. And since he comes with me to work, he’s available for photo shoots during the day. :)

Rocky strikes a pose

So I didn’t name my blog “The Kate & Rocky Show”, but it kinda is.

A girl and her dog.

This dress, by the way, is one of my fave work dresses. I actually got it at a thrift store – I say this with surprise because I find thrift stores overwhelming & am usually not the most talented at finding treasures there.

It’s a silk Lord & Taylor dress from the 1980s. It’s so comfortable to wear and drapes beautifully!

Wait, did Rocky stick out his tongue? The nerve!

And to go with the dress (and Rocky!), I added a few bracelets. The black & white ones are bangles I picked up in Senegal a few years ago, and the rhinestone one is vintage. My husband gave me the silver cuff several years ago and it’s definitely one of my go-to pieces.

Few color combinations are more classic than black and white.

Speaking of going with Rocky, I had to take a couple of pics of him & Santina together because they just matched so well. :)

Rocky & Santina, rockin’ black and white

Rocky & Santina

So basically, Rocky once again proved that he’s really the star of the show!

The Kate & Rocky Show!

Dress: vintage 1980s Lord & Taylor silk dress, thrifted
Bracelets: gifted (silver cuff), Senegal (black & white bangles), and vintage (rhinestone bracelet)
Belt: remixed (from a Betsey Johnson dress)
Shoes: Ecco via Sierra Trading Post
Purse: Cole Haan Valise Archer leather satchel via Rue La La

Photos are by Santina of Style by Santina, excepting the ones I took of her. :)

You can view additional photos of Santina’s outfit (taken earlier in the day by Ben) here.

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