Wintry Mix and Match

Happy 2014!

Well, hello there! (Photo by Pat Zimmerman)

For Christmas this year I visited my family in Pennsylvania. Yep, for 5 days I gave up the perfectly mild San Francisco weather for the bitter, blustery cold of the Northeast.

Except it wasn’t that bad. We got just a sprinkling of snow on Christmas eve and a light flurry on the day after Christmas. But still, I needed to bundle up a tiny bit with a merino wool cardigan (an old standby from Banana Republic) and super thick, fleece-lined tights that I picked up from Nordstrom Rack last year. Plus, it was the perfect opportunity to wear the sweater dress that I recently picked up at ModCloth’s internal sample sale!

The dress was actually about 2 sizes too large, but after I cut about 8″ from the waist and sewed it back up it fit quite well. And it’s super-dooper comfy to boot!

(Photo by Pat Zimmerman)

Hope you all had lovely holidays, and best wishes for 2014!

Sweater Dress: Always Adorable Dress, Bea & Dot via ModCloth
Cardigan: Banana Republic
Belt: H&M
Tights: Nordstrom Rack
Shoes: Wonders

[Photos by Pat Zimmerman]

Black and white and dogs all over!

When Pat saw me take this sweater out of my latest ModCloth box, he said, “I can’t believe you bought that!” But how could he believe I wouldn’t buy it?! I mean, it’s covered in Boston Terriers!

And Rocky completely supported my decision.

(Of course, as long as it means he’s getting attention, Rocky supports any decision.) (Photo by Krystal St. Julien)

As I’m wont to do, I paired the sweater with one of my go-to skirts and my red Calderon belt. Black fishnets layered over red tights completed the ensemble. Perfect for a day at the ModCloth office, with Rocky by my side!

Rocky and I strike a pose (Photo by a helpful passerby!)

What I wore:
Sweater: Champion the Paws Sweater, Moon Collection via ModCloth
Skirt: Essential Elegance Skirt, Moon Collection via ModCloth
Belt: Calderon, thrifted
Tights: Nordstrom Rack
Shoes: DKNY

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]

Penguins and Polka Dots

Happy Black Friday! I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving – unless you don’t celebrate American Thanksgiving, in which case I hope you had a lovely Thursday. :)

Being in the retail world, I had to go into the office today – but with great coworkers it’s not so bad. That is, it wasn’t bad once I managed to drag myself out of bed – yesterday put me in a food coma!

I decided I wanted to wear something fun and COMFORTABLE today, so I grabbed my white polka dot skirt (an old standby) and paired it with this sweet Sugarhill Boutique penguin sweater with a Peter Pan collar. (To be honest, I hadn’t planned on taking outfit photos, but then I ran into a couple of coworkers who were off to take outfit pics for ModCloth’s new Style Gallery, and they invited me to join them.)

Penguins and polka dots, taken in ModCloth’s aptly named Concord conference room. (Photo by Jenna.)

So what were you up to yesterday and today?

Top: In It to Penguin It Sweater, Sugarhill Boutique via ModCloth
Skirt: modified from a ModCloth dress
Earrings: Quote Couture Earrings via ModCloth
Shoes: Adventure Capitol Heel, J Shoes via ModCloth

[Photo by the lovely Jenna Winn]

Sunshine on a Rainy Day

It was about time, after all those beautiful days: San Francisco finally got its winter rain.

Dealing with the rain in San Francisco. (Photo by Pat Zimmerman.)

It’s been raining all week! Every other day I’ve worn dresses, but today I wanted to wear my bright yellow sweater. Which really only works with jeans. And it just so happens that I bought a new pair of jeans this past weekend, so it was about time to try them out for a spin.

The jeans? Levi’s Curve ID. I figured they were worth a try. I generally avoid pants of all sorts because they never fit well: if I can get them over my hips they gap at my waist, and there’s no use even trying to squeeze into a pair that would fit my waist. But I heard Levi’s had jeans for “Supreme Curves” – that’s me, alright! Even the fabulously chic sales guy at the store gasped, “Wow, you’re really curvy.”

Yeah. I know.

So here’s the verdict: the Supreme Curve is better than most other jeans for shapes like mine because it curves in a little at the top, and comes up a bit higher in the back (so no plumber’s butt!). I do wish the waist were a little bit higher – it seems that everyone’s solution for curvier bodies is to cut a low waist – but in that way they’re about standard.

And this was also the first time I’ve even tried skinny jeans. I kinda like them, but they do feel painted on! The truth is that I ended up with the skinnies because the straight leg and boot cut seemed slightly short for me – yeah, even the 34″ ones. I just wouldn’t be able to wear heels with them!

Photo by Pat Zimmerman.

Oh, I also wanted to show off my Cambridge Satchel. :) I’ve worn it with a couple of outfits but it hadn’t made its way onto a post yet. I ADORE the red. And the bold red of this bag + my bright yellow sweater + dark blue jeans = fun color-blocking, primary style.

Color blocking with a red Cambridge Satchel, yellow sweater, and blue jeans. (Photo by Pat Zimmerman.)

And I had my favorite umbrella ever! I actually picked this up in Australia, on my honeymoon. We were in Sydney for a few days (before traveling on to Queensland), it was raining (it was winter there – and winter in Sydney is like winter in San Francisco), and I ended up with this sweet rainbow umbrella.

Yep, still raining! Good thing I have this umbrella. (Photo by Pat Zimmerman.)

So even if this grey, drizzly weather continues, I’m gonna bring my own sunshine. Take that, rain!

Darn rain! Just TRY and get me down! (Photo by Pat Zimmerman.)

Sweater: H&M
Jeans: Levi’s Curve ID Supreme Curve Skinny Jeans
Shoes: A Knight to Remember Heel, BC Shoes via ModCloth
Bag: Upwardly Mobile Satchel in Red – 14″, The Cambridge Satchel Company via ModCloth
Umbrella: Shelta Australia – but there’s a similar one at ModCloth

All photos by Pat Zimmerman

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.)

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.