Hi-Low...how do you do?

I'm so in love with asymmetrical-hem dresses and skirts! Maybe it's just me, but I think they're quite flattering for girls who wish their gams were a little lengthier...such as myself. Anyhoo, I got this navy-hued, jersey hi-low dress from an online Asian fashion boutique called Sammydress. It was such a bargain for only $9 USD!

 The fabric is nice, soft, and machine-washable. I can also easily dress it up with a decorative belt, pretty jewelry, and heels...or wear it casually with sandals or flats.

 

Sammydress offers thousands of fashionable pieces are below-bargain prices. I can totally vouch for this dress, however, I've received a few shipments from them and, to be honest, I'm only satisfied with about 60-70% of the items I've purchased. Some pieces that I've ordered have been very poor quality, one dress nearly fell apart when I tried it on. Others are simply not as described. I bought a satchel and clutch that were photographed and described as white in color, but were actually TAN in person. Very disappointing. So beware!

Anyways, hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday so far!

Hugs,

Cat

Strolling Through Paradise

Hi all! So, looks like I'll be back for a little while again! :D After a grueling school term, my most difficult one yet, I took a much-needed vacation, during my spring break, on the island of Maui in Hawaii. We stayed at the gorgeous Westin Maui Resort & Spa on Kaanapali Beach. Such a beautiful, beautiful hotel. The grounds were impeccably manicured, we had an oceanfront room whose balcony overlooked five swimming pools and a perfect view of the beach, and there was even a waterfall and lagoon in the lobby, complete with live flamingos! I can't wait to tell you all about my adventures in the next post!

However, back to business. I thought, it's been awhile since we've done a style shoot, and where best to have one than in the amazing paradise that is Maui? So, early one morning before the hustle and bustle of other hotel guests, I got all gussied up and we were able to get a few good style shots that embodied the exotic and luxurious feel of my vacation experience.

This Forever 21 dress is one of my current favorites! The corset-style bustier is the prettiest blue floral print and has an open lattice design on the sides. The high-low skirt portion is a deep, navy blue chiffon and is partially lined. You may have seen my clutch from previous posts, Jason Wu for Target. And my black velveteen, open-toed pumps are from Cathy Jean.

Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed this post! I've really missed blogging and am looking forward to posting more regularly in the coming weeks! :D

Hugs,
Cat

Pre-Holiday Party Dress

Hey, remember when I went on that Bebe spree awhile back?  Well, I ended up returning the orange dress and the black dress.  They just didn't fit right, which is why I didn't post any photos.  The 3/4 Length Sleeve Ruched dress, however, fit like a glove and I finally got the chance to wear it out the other night to a pre-holiday party in San Francisco, hosted by my cousin.  Just thought I'd share the look, it's more royal purple in color than blue, which I find much prettier:

I accented the dress with sparkly, gold hoop earrings, bangles, and platform pumps.  Needless to say, I had a lot of fun that evening.  Maybe a little too much fun.  I dropped and shattered my brand-new iPhone 5 on the pavement while I was crossing the street to catch a taxi, it was only one day old!  I almost cried.

Never fear, however, hubby came to the rescue and replaced my phone today.  I'm much happier now...and much more careful.  I swore I'd never walk around with my phone in hand unless I'm on a carpeted floor, lol.

Anyways, hope everyone's weekend went well!  Looking forward to Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the upcoming New Year!

Hugs,
Cat

White Red Black

Back to my Bebe bodycon dress dilemma!  I thought for sure I was going to go for the blue, but then I ended up trying these two in the boutique:

 In the end, I decided to go with the white.  I actually don't have a sexy white dress...though I have to be careful to wear neutral-colored underthings and to consume only light-colored food and drinks.  Lol.  I might end up going back to pick up this dress in every other color, however, haha!

My only gripe about the dress isn't really a gripe at all, I'm just too petite for it, therefore I need the straps taken up a bit.  Off to alterations I go!  Hope everyone's having a good Wednesday! :D

Hugs,
Cat

Purple Print-cess

Yesterday I attended a big dinner party with lots of close friends and family to celebrate my mom and dad's 37th wedding anniversary.  Oh, they've had their ups and downs, as I'm sure most couples do, but the bottom line is that they've worked hard to build a rock-solid marriage and have been determined to stick together...no matter what.  They're inseparable companions: working together, eating together, sleeping together.  Lol, I love my husband, I do, but I think that if we had to spend every waking moment together, we'd probably drive each other crazy!  All joking aside, however, I truly admire my parents' resilience as a couple and can only strive to build such a strong, lasting bond with my husband.

I'll take any excuse to dress up, but I think this occassion was an excellent reason to do so, don't you think?  I wore a flared, clip-dot cotton voile dress printed with purple florals and accented with delicate crochet lace as well as pintuck and pleat detailing.  It was a gift from my mother and sister, who saw it on a shopping trip at Kohl's and immediately thought of me.  Wasn't that sweet of them?  They know my taste so well!  I paired it with some white leather eyelet platform mules by Guess and jewelry by Lovelina, of course. :)

Lavender tips and toes: Revlon Scented Polish in Gumdrop

 

Love Gives You Wings Necklace

I kept my makeup soft and simple, a lavender smokey eye with pastel-pink cheeks and lips. 

Eyes:

• Coastal Scents Original 88 Palette

Cheeks:

• ELF Studio Blush in Pink Passion

Lips:

• ELF Studio Lipstick in Runway Pink
• ELF Essential Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Perfect Pink

Thanks for hanging out and reading!  Hope you're all having a lovely Sunday! :D

Hugs,
Cat

Wistful Dreamscapes

As I live my life, I go through (relatively) the same motions...day in, day out.  I go to work, I go to school, I make jewelry, I blog, etc.  Sometimes, it seems, I almost forget who I am and, suddenly, everything seems so mechanical that I'm left wondering if there is more to life than the monotony of my day to day actions.  It is in those moments that I find myself reaching for the things that inspire me, that remind me that, yes, somewhere out there, there is magic to be found.  It is in reaching for these inspirations that inspired me to (with the help of my dear friend and very talented photographer, Mr. Noel Holmes) create my latest shoot, which I'll not call a style or fashion shoot, for it's a whole creature of its own which I'll leave undefined. :)

For this, I turned to two artists that I greatly admire: French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir and filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki.  I had two works in mind when I wanted to do this shoot:

Luncheon of the Boating Party

Howl's Moving Castle: adapted by artist Melanie Vergult

Howl's Moving Castle

You can kind of see it, right? :D  Anyways, I have no desire to bore you any further with words, I'll just share my sentiments with you via images from the shoot.  Hope you like!

Outfit Details:

• Boater Hat and Sun Dress: Forever 21
• Victorian Bow Necklace: Lovelina
• Ankle Socks: Urban Outfitters
• Mary Janes: MUDD

YesStyle Fleece and Dior Romantique

It's been awhile, but there was no rain this weekend and my favorite photographer had some time off so we were able to complete a style shoot!

Outfit Details

Dress: YesStyle

Sunglasses: Sunglass Warehouse

Belt: googled

Bag: Dior

Boots: Zappos

I like shopping YesStyle because I enjoy Asian-inspired fashion, a lot of these styles come from Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong.  They kind of stand out among the American fashion that I'm so accustomed to and, sometimes, I like looking a little unique. :)  This was a really great dress because it came with accessories as well!  A cozy, fleece, hanky-hemmed dress, a tulle underskirt, and brushed fleece tights!  The bow belt was my own, however.  I found it for $7 on some random site I googled online.

I'm going to have to gush about these tights!  They're the most amazing thing since sliced bread!  I only wish I discovered them earlier.  They're very opaque with a warm, plush interior all while keeping your legs slim-looking.  My gams are just as toasty in the cold weather wearing these tights as they are when I am wearing pants.  In fact, on very cold days, I wear them INSIDE my jeans.  I was so excited when I received these that I ordered 3 more pairs in different colors!

Somewhere along the way, Daisy decided to participate in the shoot, as she sometimes does, lol.  As you can see, she's happy, healthy, and doing just fine! :D  In fact, she's been getting herself into all sorts of mischief lately!

This is an oldie but goodie!  I love the cutesy bags that Dior used to make years ago.  I don't know if any of you remember the Girly and the Romantique collections.  Super sugary-sweet stuff!  Their bags are still nice, but are more sophisticated now, and much more expensive...I suppose that's to be expected with the kind of clientele that can afford their merchandise these days.

I'm a huge fan of knee-high boots.  They're sexy, in a way.  But even better, these are super-comfy!  I can wear them for miles.  I especially like the button details.  They give the entire look a slight military feel.

I felt like accenting the outfit with a bow belt, but even without the belt, the dress has a really cute detail in the back: corset-style laces!  Reminds me of the medieval or renaissance era, but with a modern twist!

Anyways, I know this post was a little photo-heavy, but I really wanted to share all the details with you all.  Hope you enjoyed and have a great rest of your Monday! :D

Hugs,
Cat

Vintage Lace Mini

Goodness!  Looks like I've been out a long time.  Hehe.  It's just been one of those weeks.  Anyways, remember how I was super-excited about Valentine's Day and had this whole outfit prepared?  I actually never got a chance to photograph it because our dinner reservation was at 9pm and by then, there was no more light available for a proper shoot.  Husband and I had some time today, so I got dressed up and he got his fancy camera and we did a little photo reenactment.  Check it out!

Dress and Clutch: Lola

Shoes: Candies

Headband: Lovelina

So, there isn't really anything authentically vintage about this outfit, but I think there's a certain vintage-inspired romance that's conveyed through the pieces.  The dress is made of creamy lace with just the faintest hint of peach.  The faux python clutch is a pale blush, accented with simple, clean gold hardware.  The filigree design and soft pink rose on the headband accentuate the antique feel, while the glittery golden pumps add the perfect touch of contemporary sparkle.  

Hope you liked the outfit!  I had such a good time wearing it.  I got nice compliments from husband. :)  It's good to know that I can still impress him sometimes, lol.

Happy Sunday and have a great night! :D

Hugs,

Cat

Dresses I Kinda Want

I love "window" shopping online.  One of my favorite things to do when I feel like shopping, but don't have the money to do so, is go to all my favorite clothing sites, throw a bunch of things I want into my shopping cart, and then turn off my laptop.  I know, I've got a sickness.  Still, I'm going through a dress phase right now and thought I'd share a few dresses that you'd find sitting in my deleted shopping carts.

Hmm...I'm starting  to see a theme here.  Mostly dark colors and peter pan collars.  I guess I can't help it, it's what I like right now.  Haha.  

Hope you're all having a great weekend so far.  Goodnight! :D

Hugs,

Cat

My Yellow Dressy!

Style post!  When was the last time we had one of those?  I really want to post fashion more often because it was my first and foremost passion.  Bet you didn't know that I graduated from a fashion program at my college years ago and used to be a fashion designer...sigh...  Oh well, some stuff doesn't work out, you move forward, and life goes on, right?

Anywho, just thought I'd share another one of my holiday goodies, a lovely yellow dress that was gifted to me by my sisters. :D  I've never owned a yellow dress before, so I was delighted to receive one for Christmas!

:: Dress ::

Soda Fountain Dress from ModCloth

:: Necklace ::

Chubby Birdie and Branch Lariat by Lovelina

:: Earrings ::

Painted Wood Button Earrings by Lovelina

:: Shoes ::

London Calling by Poetic Licence

:: Socks ::

Anthropologie