General Fashion

In honor of Kate Spade

 in General Fashion  tagged kate spade by

I had originally planned to post a summer outfit today but considering the news yesterday of Kate Spade’s suicide by hanging, I felt it would be better to open the following discussion.

Artists tend to create from the heart. Many times when we look at any type of art, be it a painting, sculpture, fashion, and the like; it represents something the artist was feeling at the time of creation. Art is a result of emotion, internal feelings, and environment. Fashion, which is wearable art, expresses the mood, climate, and emotions of a given period. While many designers create according to what they think will sell at the moment, many designers create from the heart and design a collection which embodies their own personal internal emotions of the moment.

Kate Spade always created whimsical, light-hearted collections. She played with color, silhouette, texture, and vintage inspiration. Her collections always infused kitschy vibes into something which was wearable and commercial. She was a master at evoking a playful spirit which could also be worn daily by women everywhere. She made art wearable, down-to-earth, and accessible. While her price points may not have been accessible to everyone, her playful spirit was accessible to everyone.

Now the question presents itself; how could a designer who inspires playfulness commit suicide? Aren’t designers expressing themselves through their art? Wouldn’t that mean Kate Spade was a playful, happy person? Her suicide tells a very different story than her art. Perhaps her art expresses how she wished she felt, rather than how she actually felt.

We hear about celebrity suicides every so often. Many times we already know from the press that a celebrity is unhappy, going through a rough patch personally and/or professionally, and/or has been on a course of self-destruction for quite some time. But Kate Spade? She wasn’t exactly in the news for anything that wasn’t positive. On the outside, we see a successful entrepreneur who was both creative and business savvy. She also appeared happily married with one beautiful child. So, what brought her to commit suicide?

We never know what demons someone is fighting on the inside. Many people can appear perfectly happy on the outside, and they are miserable on the inside. How can we help these people when we don’t know they are struggling and hurting inside? All I can think of is to continually raise awareness for suicide prevention.

The suicide prevention hotline is 1-800-273-8255.

Thoughts and prayers to Kate Spade’s family and friends during this difficult time.

In her honor, please help spread the word that no-one is alone. There are people who can help anyone who considers suicide as the only way out. There is always another way to solve problems and find happiness. Please help spread the word and stick close to anyone who seems to be going through a tough time. Sometimes just one person can make a difference in someone’s life; thus saving that life.

All photos from Kate Spade’s spring 2015 collection presented at New York Fashion Week in September 2014. She was an amazing designer who inspired all of us to be a bit more playful, light-hearted, and whimsical.

Thank you Ms. Spade for your beautiful designs. I wish you knew how much you will be missed.

XOXO

Cathy

Brahmin summer 2018 blogger event San Francisco

 in Events / General Fashion / Handbags  tagged brahmin / summer 2018 by

summer 2018 it bag

Last week, I was invited to attend an event hosted by Brahmin at the Presidio Social Club. So what do you wear to a handbag event in San Francisco? A handbag made by Brahmin of course! You can see my bag of the night placed carefully on the passenger seat of my car above. I wore my favorite denim dress and brought a pale grey pashmina with me just in case the fog showed up and froze me to death.

My outfit turned out to be perfect because the fog never came in! Imagine that?! The event started with a cocktail hour outside on the back patio of the Presidio Social Club. The deck was so pretty! I wish I took more pictures, but I was having so much fun I forgot to snap photos!

The restaurant passed appetizers, which were amazing, and I met a few new bloggers, a writer for the style section of The Chronicle, and the Brahmin team. Everyone was so nice, and so much fun to talk to!

brahmin summer 2018 collection event

The amazing bartender pictured above gave a  drink demonstration, and then the restaurant passed around mini-drinks for us to taste. I tried to stay away from the mixed drinks since I don’t drink very much, and I knew I would be driving back to the south bay later that evening; but they looked good!

brahmin summer 2018 launch event san francisco

The table settings were so cute, and there were place cards at all of the seats. I was seated close to a few of my blogger friends, so that worked out well! The ladies I met on the patio were at a different table, but I am so glad I got to meet them at the beginning of the night, I definitely made some new friends. I met a few new ladies at my table too, so it was a great opportunity to meet new people.

The Presidio Social Club prides itself on farm to table cuisine. The chef has his own farm and much of the food raised and grown on it is served at the restaurant. I enjoyed a vegan soup to start, followed by an amazing swordfish dish. The dessert was fabulous too. If you are ever in the city, definitely enjoy a meal at the Presidio Social Club, the food is to-die-for! Plus, they have a parking lot! That’s golden for us suburbanites coming into the city with our cars!

brahmin summer 2018 launch event san francisco

My seat was on the corner of the table, so sometimes it was hard to hear people talking further down the table. That’s OK though, because this was the view from my seat. Do you see that black satchel? It is now number one on my wish list. I was staring at it all night long; and it is so chic and beautiful in person. I need one in my life! I wish this was a better photo so you could really see how beautiful it was. Alas, I only had my iPhone that night, so my photos are not as good as they could be.

Now, onto the summer 2018 collection by Brahmin! The collection is beautiful, hands-down beautiful. The brown hue in the collection is rich, and will easily flow from summer into fall. It is also dark enough to be worn in lieu of black. I would love to get my hands on a bag from the collection in brown! For summer, Brahmin also has on-trend styles which include a belt bag, a small backpack which is great for travel, various tote bags which will work for the office, the beach, or day to day summer life. The famous circle bag, known as the Lane Melbourne, is also being shown in a few new colors for the summer season. There are also basketweave leathers, and smooth leathers which compliment the predominately stamped croc collection. All of the summer fabrications are very pretty in person. You will love it!

You can view the entire summer 2018 collection online here. I curated my favorites from the Brahmin summer 2018 collection and placed them in the shopping widget below for you to see. Which bag is your favorite?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

*special thank you to Brahmin for hosting this event and gifting us with a tote bag and goodie bag filled with local artisan foods. all thoughts and opinions in their article are my own.

*all photos taken with my iPhone, apologies for any quality issues

brahmin summer 2018 launch event san francisco

Bow tie high waist pants for summer

 in General Fashion  tagged brahmin / outfits / summer 2018 by

paper bag pants summer 2018 paper bag pants summer 2018summer 2018 tote baghigh waist tie pants

wearing: bold silver earrings / lipstick / notch collar top (under $20) / bold ivory and silver ring / Chanel summer nail polish / turquoise summer tote bag c/o Brahmin / black and silver watch / black and white stripe high waist bow tie pants (under $25) / silver mules (on major sale-under $100!)

It’s starting to heat up to the 70’s and 80’s outside! This means it is time to start wearing cooler clothing. I love the high waist, bow tie pant trend which is taking over the streets. Some call these pants “paper bag” pants, or “paper bag waist” pants. Call them what you will, they offer a high waist with a tie. The look is very mid-’90’s.

This trend takes me back in time. I remember wearing this pant style in college. Back then, we wore them with a body suit; because body suits were the hottest shirt style to wear back then. Looking back, I am not quite sure why I thought it was OK to walk around in a bodysuit with wide leg pants that tied at the waist. Although everything was covered, the bodysuits were very tight! Not a good look.

I prefer the trend this time around. Wearing high waist, bow tie pants in 2018 is a much more proportioned look; and appropriate look! High waist bow tie pants are being paired with loose tee’s or tops for summer 2018, so the whole look is more appropriate, and modest. Three cheers for that!

This outfit is really comfortable, and keeps me cool in warmer weather. I love that the pants and top together cost under $100. I hate spending a lot of money on clothing I wear in hot weather, so these prices are perfect! I recently paired this outfit with my new summer tote bag (stay tuned for review next week), and my favorite silver mules. These pants also look fabulous with espadrilles and a straw bag for a more casual, beach-side look.

Shop my high waist pants for summer look:

What do you think of the high waist, bow tie pant look? Did you wear it in the ’90’s? Do you plan to wear it now?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

brahmin summer 2018 toteshigh waist tie pants